Comics Rundown 12/4/2005

I hit the comic store Friday. And I never reviewed my pile from the last trip. So let's knock this out.

Fell #3 - This series is solid. I enjoyed this issue far more than the first two. Ben Templesmith's art works. It's all about the faces and expressions in this book, and Templesmith delivers the emotions very subtlely. Jacked-up lives in a jacked-up town. A whacko in a nun's habit and a Nixon mask. People locked in their cramped apartments, terrified. This book probably just unseated Walking Dead as my favorite book. "Jeff, here's the thing. We get trained for this. I have to shoot you in the head." No robot dinosaurs. No spaceships full of super-intelligent monkeys. Just frightened people with knives, stabbing each other.

Walking Dead #23 and #24 - This book has me worried. I think it's been three issues since a zombie got shot in the head. I understand, zombie stories are about the people, and there are relationships to work out. But the pacing in this book has left the zombie standard. It's feeling too safe. The writing is more focused on the characters beating the crap out of each other (physically and emotionally) than undead feeding on fleshy brains. It hasn't been a horror comic for a while. Oh, well.

Y: The Last Man #39 - I don't know why I'm reading this book anymore. Maybe it's just me. I'm not worried about the characters. I don't care if the male subspecies is reestablished. I'm already fairly certain that Yorick is gonna find his old girlfriend. Then he'll find his monkey. I don't really care what's going to happen to the rest of the cast of characters. This book needs to wrap up soon. Or BKV needs to grab this book and beat it violently with a stick until candy comes out. Either way.

Fear Agent #1 - Tony Moore drawing a spaceman killing aliens. Good fun. Unfortunately, this falls under "Nostalgia Comic" in my mental filing cabinet. No new ground is being broken here. Buy it for the art.

Ex Machina #16 - Is Hundred gay? Or isn't he? Can Vaughan drag out the mystery longer? Can he? Mayor Hundred discovers an important... thing from his past! Which... doesn't really change anything. He's still mayor. I'm seriously convinced that Vaughan had a massive brainstorm at the start of this book, and he's bound and determined to squeeze in everything into this series before his four years are up. This makes the book feel rushed. Better than Y.

Invincible #27 - I LIKED IT! Invincible and his Dad versus a Viltrumite hit squad! And I don't see how they can possibly win! Invincible has a baby brother! I really have no clue where this book is going to go. Robert Kirkman manages to keep everything very unpredictable. Unpredictable means fun. Very good issue, yay!

Jack Cross #4 - Still not in love with the art. Sometimes the sequences are confusing, which in an action comic is not cool. Jack is keerazy. He shoots a lot of people. He saves San Francisco. He carves himself up. I think I need to read Warren Ellis' original script to fully appreciate this book, because I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something.

DMZ #1 - Hands down, coolest cover art on the rack. New Jersey secedes from the Union. Manhattan becomes a warzone. The book definitely has potential (pleasedon'tbe"Escape From New York"pleasedon'tbe"Escape From New York"). I'm also hoping that this book doesn't turn into a "Get Out of Iraq Now" political soapbox. "See, how would YOU like being occupied?" Tell the stories, build your characters, and let your audience draw their own conclusions. Too soon to tell how good this book is going to be, but the premise is interesting.

Standard disclaimer: I swear, I really do love comics.

Have a good week.