Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Image Comics Single Issues Releasing June 26th, 2013
This was my first exposure to Fatale, and it was a good place to start from scratch. I have no idea who the girl is, and apparently neither does she. I really dig the gritty realism of the late Nineties vibe that is grunge-era Seattle. The art is extremely respectable throughout, especially on rendered buildings and vehicles. The composition of panels lends itself well to the modern day noir of the story. Solid purchase this week, I'd like to check out the previous tales.
Just like Fatale, this is my first exposure to Five Ghosts. I'm a bit unsure about this title. The concept as described on the back cover sounds interesting: "A tragic encounter with an artifact known as 'The Dreamstone'" - but I must be dense because the only ghost I can identify is Sherlock Holmes. Maybe one is Dracula. Again, blame my ignorance on being 4 issues into the story. What I did like was the art, very similar to the Klaus Janson inks from Dark Knight Returns, just a little less focused. Story-wise, I'm never thrilled by following dream-logic. Why the main character, Fabian Gray, is being led through five tests, why is he passing those tests fairly easily? I get the sense that this is more concept than substance. I don't recommend this title, at this level, but maybe more reading is needed for a second opinion.
This is a crazy big pile of Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot. I read the intro, that this was 'reality show' (because that's quality entertainment) and we're following a bunch of cryptid enthusiasts. OK, I'll bite. Then I read that we've got a character named Regan who was a former child star possessed by a demon - look, I'm sorry, but we all know that The Exorcist II was a catastrophic failure, and its not even funny to mock it. And then panel one - bam it's the X-men! The art styles are wildly diverse in this book, and its really difficult to tell if this is one story, or excerpts from lots of little sorta-related stories. Ultimately, way too pop-culture referential and organizationally confusing, and not one I'm gonna ever purchase.
I know I'm supposed to be impressed by the dream team of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, who between them share an impressive portfolio of work for the majors. However, what I'm reading seems to surf the trend of 'emotional' superheroes trying to 'deal' with their privileged existence. Do I care that the snotty son of a guy who looks like Zeus-in-tights got drunk one night and decided to hover a few boats around? Do I care that Zeus's brother doesn't like him because there's a world to be ruled? Who is the true villain here - these characters paint it out to be our white-bearded flying friend Zeus, but in typical soap-opera tongue-wagging form, we're looking at the beginnings of a bitchy cabal. Not one moment of this comic shows any so-called superhero doing anything super for the less-fortunate 7 billion human beings on this planet. Ho-hum - Alan Moore's already answered the question of whether or not superheroes are this generation's deities, and whether or not they deserve our worship. Unless this story moves into something more action-oriented and ethically challenging, its a pass for me.
Other titles releasing this week: Morning Glories Issue #28, Prophet Issue #36 (crazy euro-inspired art is worth checking out), Sex Issue #04, Supreme Issue #63, Think Tank Issue #08, Bounce Issue #02, Clone Issue #08, Elephantmen Issue #49.