Here Comes the Boom!- Part One

In what will likely be a weeklong event, I'm going to discuss comics I've read in the last seven months or so, all provided by Boom! Studios. So, here it is:

The Savage Bros. #1-2

Written by Andrew Cosby & Johanna Stokes, with art by Rafael Albuquerque, The Savage Bros. is the story of, well, two brothers, who, in a post apocalyptic world hunt down the zombified remains of anyone, as long as the price is right. When they're sent into Atlanta to find a pretty important zombie, they stumble across a virgin stripper about to be sacrificed by a disembodied head. Action and hilarity ensue.

The writing is pretty good, and the art is great, even if it occasionally looks a little fuzzy. What makes it all work is the fact that it's not a high concept book with a message, but just a high concept book that will give you quite a few chuckles.


The Stardust Kid #3-4

Written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Mike Ploog, The Stardus kid is the story of a group of kids who must rescue a fantasy realm from the clutches of an evil witch. It has a very "been-there-done-that" feel to it plot wise, but what it lacks in originality Ploog's art more than makes up for.

Probably the best thing I can say about this book is that even after reading the final two issues of the story I want to track down the first two. The characters feel very realistic and grounded, even though, as I said, I missed all the introductions. The narration is pretty hokey, but no more than, say, the narration of The Princess Bride (well, maybe a little hokier than that).

It's pretty hard to come up with any originality when it comes to fantasy tales. This book is a good example of that, but it also shows why and how illustration can (and usually is, even if it's only in your head) a very important part of establishing great fantasy.


Warhammer 40,000: Damnation Crusade #1-2

Written by Dan Abnett and Ian Edgington, art by Lui Atonio (#1) and Greg Boychuck (#2).

I wouldn't even know where to begin describing the story here. The books have a little Warhammer history lesson and dictionary in the back, and thankfully so. Not that it was a confusing read, not at all, there's just so much you need to know. It's a pretty great hodgepodge of tons of sci-fi elements. The switch on art is a little jarring, but the styles are somewhat similar. I'd have liked to seen a little bit more of Raclaw's journey, but I suppose it needed to be shortned to get to the bigger battles. Great story, great art, but it can be confusing for anyone not already heavily into sci-fi.


So, there you go, Part One of my big Boom! review project. Short, for sure, but none of these books are the type to entice any soul searching, just books that are fun to read.

-L