Afternoon Delights

I hope someone's getting that idiotic joke. That said, here's some thoughts on some stuff:

Thanos #12 $2.99

Either I'm an idiot, or this is supposed to be part six of six in this storyline. Yet, on the cover it says four...and I'm pretty sure I'm not an idiot. Especially sind it say END on the last page of the damned book. How are fans supposed to care about the book if the company that publishes it doesn't? That aside, it was a decent wrap up, with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end.

Loki #1 $3.50

Wow. I've never been a Thor fan, but this books kicks ass. In what I'm sure is a "What If?" take on things, Loki has apparently defeated the God of thunder once and for all, and is now ruling Asgard with an iron fist. Call it Marvel's version of Mark Waid's excellent Empire series (with many obvious differences of course), but it is damned good. I'm not sure who the writer is, Robert Rodi, but the name strikes a chord somewhere in my brain. I do know who Esad Ribic is though, and I gotta say this is some of his best work ever, if not his best. So, if you're missing Empire, give this a look, and if not, pick it up anyway, it's one of the most promising things I've seen at Marvel in awhile.

Y, the Last Man #24 $2.95

Well, seems like Yorick is starting off his third year pretty much the way he spent his second...getting people killed. After wandering form his self appointed guardian, Yorick finds a church and desperately wants to confess his sins to someone. Fortunately there's a flight attendant iside willing to listen...and to jump his bones. I was hoping the book would really pick up with all the recent revelations in it, but it really hasnt. Still, it's damn well written and illustrated, and Vaughn is pretty consistent pace wise.

Superman/Savage Dragon: Chicago $5.95

Typical superhero far that definitely could've been better. The plot felt rushed and confusing for the most part, and the end seems as simple as anything. Done, I presume, just for "hype" purposes. Best avoided, unless you're like me and like the pretty Larsen/Ross cover. Mmmmmm.......

Me and Edith Head $2.00

Right now most of you are saying "Huh?" This is a mini-comic sent to me my the uber-talented Steve Lieber (one of two actually) for reviewing purposes. Let me start off by saying that it was a weird feeling being asked by someone I admire to review something they've done. Hell, it would be a weird feeling from someone i hated too, but there is a sense of "wow" to it that I haven't gotten over. Call it fanboyishness, I don't care. It still amazes me that ANYONE would care about my opinion (this blog is an exercise of inflating the ego, but I never thought anyone would really read it...suckers!) much less specifically ask for it. So to Steve I say thanks man, you've done wonders for my self esteem. Now, on to the thrashing!!!!

Actually, this book is great. If you buy it (you should, over at Mr. Lieber's sight...look to the right dummy!) you'l see the heaps of praise from all the many different folks on the back, so I'm gonna avoid that and tell you a bit about it. It's the story of a girl, Katrina, with big dreams (to be in a play) who gets stuck doing costumes instead. When she's introduced to a pair of books by designer Edith Head she begins to understand how to make the best of situations, and that even the pretty faces of the world have someone standing behind them. It's a rare treat to actually see a storyfrom beginning to end in a comic book, especially one this short, and this good. Sara Ryan's script is great, and the dialogue is very witty, it feels alive. Then there's Steve's art, which I've always liked, though I'm ashamed to admit, don't always finacially support. Here it takes almost a back seat to the story (sorry Steve) but once you reread it and just concentrate on it, you'll really see what a fine jobe Steve's done. If you removed all of the captions and dialogue, you'd still have a story here. That's the biggest compliment I can think to give an artist, it conveys the message of the story with or without the words. All the praise on the back is well deserved, and you should definitely track this down. (Look to the right!)

More later.

-L