Word Balloons, December 26, 2008


Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #1
Mignola, Fergredo
Dark Horse
Mike Mignola seems to have found a perfect stand-in artist in Vertigo veteran Duncan Fergredo, whose art is so similar to Mignola’s, (a lot of that might have to do with the coloring scheme.) Not to say it’s an imitation, Fegredo’s art certainly has it’s own style, it’s wilder, gnarlier, but the collaboration definitely is a good one. In this, the first issue of a new Hellboy miniseries, our hero attends a strange funeral, and is invited to join a deadly hunting party.

Simon Dark # 15
Niles, Hampton
DC
One thing DC does well is horror. They seem to have a feel for the right pacing and artwork that create a really creepy atmosphere. Simon Dark is a perfect example. Simon is a bogeyman figure that haunts Gotham city, he is a patchwork man, a sort of Frankenstein’s monster of body parts from various people, cobbled together by unknown (even to him) black magic. He acts as a kind of protector of certain areas of the city, thwarting rapes and robberies, often brutally murdering the perpetrators. But Simon has a child’s mind, and almost no memory of where you came from, and who created him. The book is very reminiscent of The Crow or V for Vendetta and Scott Hampton is an incredible artist. This issue there seems to be a new creature, similar to Simon, which is now prowling the streets committing vicious murders, or is it a just another side of his fractured personality surfacing?


Bad Planet #6
Jane, Niles, Daly III, Bradstreet
Image
This issue brings to a close the excellent horror/sci-fi mini-series from RAW Studios, (co-created by Punisher star, actor Thomas Jane,) about an invasion of ravenous crab-like aliens, humans struggling to survive and a big ugly monster who loves us enough to try and help. Will Ersmatus save us all from becoming crab food? Will the work of Nikola Tesla somehow figure into this? This series was great – twisted, grisly artwork and a face-paced, no-nonsense storyline. Find the back-issues if you can, but I’m sure it’ll be collected into a trade. I’ve also heard there’s a Bad Planet 2 in the works that picks up where this left off. I can’t wait!

Eternals #6
Knauf, Acuna
Marvel
For those unfamiliar with the mythology, the Eternals are a race of godlike humanoids living secretly among us, created for unfathomable reasons by gigantic otherworldly beings called Celestials, one of which, the so-called Dreaming Celestial, has recently taken up residence in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, an ominous sign to be sure. This issue finds Sersi on a mission to resurrect her incinerated lover, Makkari, while Thena battles the rampaging “forgotten one,” Gilgamesh. Acuna’s painted art has hyper-real, otherworldly quality, and the storyline, while a bit opaque at the moment, seems like it is actually building to something, however slowly. I’ll keep reading. This is a mid-tier book for me, pick up an issue and see if you like it.


Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1
Bendis, Maleev, White
Marvel
In the aftermath of the rather disappointing climax to last years Secret Invasion event, in which the shape-changing Skrulls were only barely defeated in their plot to take over the Earth, the disgraced Tony Stark has been replaced by none other than Norman Osborn (aka The Green Goblin) as head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. security agency. With the worlds heroes left in a shambles, Osborn plans to install a new world order, headed by a dark circle of power – Loki, The Hood, Emma Frost, Prince Namor, and Doctor Doom. Alex Maleev’s art is excellent as usual, and Bendis’ plotting is intriguing, even if the dialogue is a bit too hip and snarky, especially for characters like Namor and Dr. Doom. Whether you’ll want to read this or not depends on whether you’re interested in following Marvel’s larger continuity for yet another epic storyline that’ll probably end up mostly going nowhere. I enjoyed this issue though, especially the female Loki.

The Immortal Iron Fist #21
Swierczynski, Green, Bola
Marvel
There’s been a lot of buzz about this series but this is the first issue I’ve actually read, and I have to say, I’m a new fan. The mantle of Iron Fist has been passed on from generation to generation of martial arts champions down through history. This stand alone story features the nine-year-old Iron Fist of the planet Yaochi in the year 3099, as he fights to save the last Chinese descendents from the technological horrors of The Center of Heaven. Guest artist Timothy Green’s delicately lined artwork is superb. He’s done some smaller projects like the Starlord mini-series, but Marvel really needs to find a good writer to pair him with on a permanent monthly book. Preview this issue here --www.marvel.com/news/comic..._Immorta...


John Constantine: Hellblazer #250
Azzarello/Grampa, Delano/Lloyd, Gibbons/Phillips, Mieville/Camuncoli, Milligan/Campbell
Vertigo
Celebrating two-hundred fifty issues and 20 years of everyone’s favorite paranormal con-man, this double-sized issue features Christmas themed stories by various creators, including series founder Jamie Delano and science fiction superstar China Mieville. Nice jumping on point and introduction to John Constantine’s world of supernatural horror and black humor.

Sandman: The Dream Hunters
Gaiman, Russell
Vertigo
This is a terrific adaptation of the original illustrated novel by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano, a series of fables concerning a fox and a Buddhist monk and many other things besides in the intricate, weaving, dream-like fashion that fans of Gaiman and the Sandman series will find lovingly familiar. P. Craig Russell is no stranger to Dream Country, having illustrated one of my favorite Sandman stories, Sandman Issue #50 and others. Here he adapts the novel with considerable elegance and flair, truly bringing out the magic in Gaiman’s words. Neil Gaiman doesn’t do much comics work these days, and it’s a shame, because this is the medium where I think he truly does his best work.