30 Days of Night
Writer Steve Niles is shaping up to be the inheritor of the Brian Michael Bendis/Greg Rucka "Next Best Writer" crown, between this new horror mini-series and his armoured superhero book Fused. Just as Bendis and Rucka each bring unique talents to the table (dialogue and strong female characters, in that order), Niles has a way of turning genres on their ear, and he does that with the vampire story, here positing a nightmare scenario for the residents of an Alaskan community that each year has, literally, 30 days of night. There's a Fargo-meets-Seven feel to the story, and if it had a soundtrack I suspect it would be by Nine Inch Nails. As for the plot, I like writers that take real-life and extrapolate from there (hey, it made the X-Files great for a long time), and Niles has the imagination and evil sense of humour to make the most of it. Artist Ben Templesmith, in his first full-length comics story, is moody and expressive, clearly influenced by Bill Sienkiewicz by way of Ashley Wood, but shaping up to be a better storyteller than Wood -- with the potential to match the impact of Sienkiewicz. He's a developing talent, but this issue proves him most certainly one to keep an eye on. Clearly aimed at readers looking for story, but who like pretty pictures too, 30 Days of Night is one of the best first issues I've read this year. Grade: 4.5/5
Murder Mysteries HC
Let me get the easy sell out of the way. If you're a
fan of The Sandman, Lucifer, Neil Gaiman or P.
Craig Russell, this book is an essential addition to
your collection. For everyone else, I'll say that this
is a beautiful jewel of a story, lyrical and bold,
that shines most brightly and burns most strongly when
looked at obliquely, like a star. There are at least
two murder mysteries here, and both are solved, but
the joy is in the storytelling of Gaiman and Russell,
perhaps one of the most canny creative pairings in
comics history. The beautifully-produced,
budget-priced ($13.95 US) hardcover also features one
panel with the the reddest red I've ever seen in a
comics story, courtesy of colourist Lovern
Kindzierski. An incredible fable of love, lust, murder
and envy, and again, for fans of Vertigo's various
titles, this serves as a nice companion to some of
their best books, also by these same creators.
Grade: 5/5
Steven Grant's Mortal Souls #2
I'm glad Grant has his name above the title, because
one of the strongest impressions I came away with from
this issue was that Grant packs an amazing amount of
story into this standard-sized comic. Clearly inspired
by Warren Ellis's Avatar work, Grant plots the tale a
bit deeper, providing some chilling moments evocative
of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. We learna lot in
this issue about why there appear to be zombies
shambling the streets that only a few people can see,
and again, it's an explanation that should appeal to
fans of mature titles like Moore's Promethea.
Phil Xavier's art would benefit greatly from enjoying
the same colours on the interior as those we see on
the covers -- in black and white it loses some impact
-- but Steven Grant's story is the real star here, and
if you're looking for an intellegent horror comic with
a solid mythological basis, this one fits the bill
nicely. Grade: 4/5.
Justice League Adventures #8
I have no idea at all how sales are on this all-ages
title, but if there's any justice (ha-ha), this should
be one of DC's best-selling titles. Equally appealing
to younger and older readers, this issue's script is
by longtime DC mainstay Mike W. Barr, who crafts a
tale of cosmic danger, as the Earth's safety is
threatened by a squatter living inside the moon.
There's a brilliant moment of dialogue between Wonder
Woman and Batman that is the highlight of a strong
adventure story that uses all of the League to good
advantage. Min S. Ku and Rob Leigh's art plays well
within the DC Animated boundaries without sacrificing
an individual stylistic stamp that is quite appealing,
and equally suited to cosmic spacescapes and more
intimate battle or conversational scenes. Whether
you're a fan of DC's most iconic characters or know a
child who is (or could be), Justice League
Adventures has proven one of DC's most reliably
entertaining titles, month after month. Grade:
4/5
Savage Dragon #98
I'm pretty confident longtime Dragon fans will
enjoy this issue, since I've only been reading the
book since just before the change of direction with
#75, and I was pretty lost. Despite that, I enjoyed
this story of the Dragon returning home to his own
Earth after a couple of years in the savage new world
he accidentally created in that 75th issue. There's a
kind of Frank Capra air to the Dragon's attempts to
set things right, as Larsen continues to steer toward
the landmark 100th issue of the book. Especially
amusing were the scenes between the two Dragons -- I'm
a sucker for "Evil Twin" stories, and apparently we're
going to delve even deeper into that territory next
issue. Grade: 4/5
Spider-Man: Blue #1
A companion in more ways than one to Jeph Loeb and Tim
Sale's last project (Daredevil: Yellow),
Spider-Man: Blue is a kind of love letter to
Gwen Stacy, who has always held a place in my heart as
Peter Parker's first love. As with the Daredevil book,
Loeb's respectful, straightforward script gives Sale
an opportunity to show what he can do, and his
Ditkosque Spider-Man is even more appealing than his
Daredevil. The Green Goblin has always been a
character whose design challenges artists, and Sale's
rather impressionistic take exudes madness and fury.
We don't get much Gwen this issue, but what little we
get has me anxious for future issues. Marvel loses
serious points for including the moronic Jay Leno
back-up in what otherwise is an impressive package.
Grade: 4/5
Green Lantern #150
One of the people that works at the shop I buy my
comics at doesn't read Green Lantern because
she doesn't like Kyle Rayner, and of course a lot of
people have expressed that sentiment in the years
since Hal Jordan was unceremoniously booted out of the
book. For myself, the book (both before and after Kyle
took over) has always been problematic mostly because
it's almost always been a competently-produced,
passionless work that serves more to keep a trademark
alive than tell compelling stories. While writer Judd
Winick is not revolutionizing comics storytelling with
the book, the few issues of his that I've sampled are
usually slightly better than that. Winick clearly
enjoys telling stories. The main draw to this 150th
issue, though, is the outstanding Jim Lee cover. I've
never felt much one way or the other about Lee's art,
but his historical gathering of the five Earth-based
GLs is a nice tribute to the legacy of the characters,
and come to find out its also a fitting farewell to
Kyle's first costume. He goes through some changes in
this anniversary issue, making a definitive decision
regarding his Ion identity and powers, and setting a
new status quo in place that should make old-time
readers happy. Dale Eaglesham is a good mainstream
superhero penciler, and he is as suited to GL
as he was to Gotham Knights. I'd love to see
him tackle a team book sometime. Whether you're a
loyal reader or just dropping in, this issue should
please you as it revisits the past and sets the pace
for the future of Kyle Rayner and the Green Lantern
mythology. Grade: 3.5/5