And the Blog goes on

So, yesterday was new comics day, I speant a measly 10 bucks and got three books, one that I actually enjoyed, one I have yet to read, and one that just did nothing for me. None of those are in the following list!

Common Foe #1

This is a WWII book in which some American soldiers and some German ones have to band together to take down an ancient evil. It sounds slightly more interesting that it actually is. Seeing Giffen's name on the cover convinced me to pick it up, and the art is decent enough (by Jean-Jacques Dzialowski), but the plot is just too static for me to make much sense out of what is going on. I won't be back for #2, and I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. D

Strange Girl #1

This is almost the same case, only the art made my head hurt and the plot felt too rushed as did the characters. I'm not the biggest fan od decompressed storytelling, but this story could've moved a little slower to make it easier to swallow. Says the man who's favorite book is about four giant turtles. D+

Heartland

This is phenomenal. Garth Ennis is always recognized for his over-the-top violence and outrageous plots, but few ever stand up and praise him for the heart he can add to his stories. Heartland is the tale of a family living in Belfast (circa 1994) and both the personal and political problems they face on a daily basis. It's one of the best things Ennis has ever written, it's self-contained, and it's beautifully illustrated by Steve Dillon. It lacks most of what people associate with Ennis, and that makes it even more enjoyable. This feels like a story very close to his heart and one that needed to be told. It was published in '97 and I'm not sure how available it is at the moment, but if you can find this, buy it it's one of the greatest stories I've ever read, comic or not. A+

Cable & Deadpool #16

While exploring alternate realities (and Cables) is kind of cool, and I love me some Siryn and Cannonball (for different reasons...I swear), this just feels like too much. It's funny, but only if you know why it's funny. Here's hoping it wraps up next issue. B

Intimates #8

More summer fun with Punchy. #9 is already out, so I'm very untimely with this review, so that's pretty much all I have to say about it. Even more good stuff from Casey and excellent art by Giuseppe. This is the best superhero book that isn't about superheroes on the stands. A

Palookaville #5&8

Man I wish I'd been reading this. Seth's work is so great that even the story of him obsessively trying to track down a cartoonist is compelling. Hopefully I'll be able to find some more issues of this soon, maybe at the con I'm going to Sunday (I wish it was San Diego!), but it's hard to find people who have copies that are willing to part with them. A

The Crusades: Urban Decree

Not sure if I've talked about this one before...I may have. I reread it recently and I really want to track down the series now. It's really good, it has a Quxotic feel to it, if Qixote had been more like Manson I guess. Solid story, solid art, I think I'll cruise eBay and see if I can find a set of the series. B+

D'o! I forgot to link to Permanent Damage yesterday! Go, read!

-L