Comics I bought This Week December 28, 2006

Four of my regular comics were in this week. All of them are recomended.

Usagi Yojimbo 99

Savage Dragon 131

Age of Bronze 24

Love and Rockets 18

I also picked up Atlas issue 3, a D&Q comic by Dylan Horrocks. It's the first issue I've seen of it and I liked his previous work "Hicksville" from a few years ago.

Last weeks Ramayan 3392 A.D. 4 was okay. It had some mysticism going on and big wars, lost worlds and such but didn't really grab me. The editorial page was all about movie deals and that made me think that the comic wasn't really the point. That left me less interested in buying any more Virgin comics.

Delphine 1 by Richard Sala was good. A guy goes to a really strange town to try to hook up with a girl he likes. That's all you need to know. I'll pick up the other parts when they come out but the $7.95 price point is a little daunting. It's only a 30 page comic but it is oversized and a nice package altogether. Recomended.

Week Four of my reviews of recent DC Comics.

The Authority Volume 4 Number 1 - Right off I'm going to say I'm not a fan of Grant Morrison's writing. I don't think he is untalented. I just think his stories go nowhere. He never seems to have a point or ending in mind. That being said he is the master of the first issue. He can hit you with intriguing ideas and situations but by issue three or four he runs out of steam and the story peters out. This is an interesting first issue. I have no idea what it has to do with the Authority but it's interesting. The artwork is done with lots of Photoshop blurs, strangely cropped panels, obscured faces and averted eyes. It very effectively makes the comic very unsettling. There is a secret agent type guy whose marriage is collapsing, submarine, a mystery mission, and no sign of the Authority. They're never even mentioned. I liked it. Much like I like most Grant Morrison first issues. But now I have nothing to look forward to but the inevitable decline. Check it out at your own risk.

Tales of the Unexpected 1-3 - The Spectre is the lead story and it is written by David Lapham. I'm a big fan of his Stray Bullets work but what I have read of his DC stuff (Batman) hasn't impressed me. It's a reworking of the Spectre concept whereby a dead detective, Crispus Allen (who is annoyingly always referred to by his first and last names ten times an issue), ghosts around and waits for someone to confess to murder and then the Spectre is unleashed to kill the murderer. It reminds me a little of Law and Order because Crispus spends most of his time following suspected murderers around and hunting for clues. Though the writing is solid the artist's ability to tell a story falls short. He's a good illustrator but tells the story awkwardly and with little drama or flair.

The backup story is Dr. Thirteen and it might be better than the lead. The art is nice and the writing good. The writing is by Brian Azzarello and it's the first time I've liked his writing. I've read 100 Bullets and Loveless and liked neither. Maybe it's because he's not doing genre "dialect' writing or maybe it's because this story is a lot of fun but it's worth a look. Check it out.

The Boys 3-4 - I picked up the first issue of this when it came out but never bought another. It's not bad. It just makes no sense. All the super heroes are really SOBs so The Boys are a bunch of black op government types who plan to take down all the SOB super heroes. Of course The Boys are SOBs too. And what is the first thing that The Boys have to to to take on the super heroes? Give themselves super powers! Wha? This book makes no sense. Plus no action (besides lots of SOB sex). Check it out at your own risk.

The Other Side 1-3 - A war comic from Vertigo. Its twist is that we see the war from the point of view of a soldier from each side. It's pretty well done. The art is good and the artist is a good storyteller. Everything is clear and concise so you can get into the story. The writing is also crisp and snappy. It's really an anti-war book because it is filled with the atrocities and horrors of war as people die in droves around our two main characters. As much as a traditional war story glorifies war this one horrifies it. The only problem I have with the book is stylistic. I'm sick of first person narration. For the last twenty years comics have given us a non-stop run of first person narration. Enough already. Try another technique. This complaint isn't limited to this specific series but I'm just bringing it up now. Also there is this weird thing with the American kid seeing dead people and having inanimate objects talk to him. I think it is just an indication of stress but I have no idea where that strange little idea is going. It seems unnecessary. Check it out.

Ninja Scroll 2-3 - I'm not sure exactly what is going on in these two issues. Some kind of Japanese mystical ninja mumbo jumbo. It's mostly action with fight scene after fight scene in a Japanese style. I didn't do much for me as I found it pretty middle of the road. Check it out only if Japanese style comics are your thing.

Outsiders 41-43 - Solid super team action. I don't know who half the team is and am not sure what their powers even are but that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this book. That says that it's well crafted right there. Nightwing and the gang are jetting around the world trying to stop Dr. Sivana from taking it over. An enjoyable super hero tale. And no first person narration! Wa-Hoo! Check it out.