Friday, July 15, 2011

Dark Horse Preview Review for September

Thomm: Leading right off in the horror genre, I see. Not that Buffy’s the standard horror sort of thing.
Lee: HEY! No peaking ahead. Sheesh.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 9: FREEFALL #1
Joss Whedon (W), Andrew Chambliss (W), Georges Jeanty (P), Dexter Vines (I), Steve Morris (Cover), Jo Chen (Variant cover), and Georges Jeanty (25th anniversary variant cover)
FC, 40 pages, $2.99
Season 8 ended with a bang when Buffy cut the world off from the hell dimensions and all supernatural influence. Great, right? Except Buffy has left her best friend, Willow, powerless, and ended the long line of vampire slayers, leaving her hated by the hundreds of girls who recently stood behind her. Newly relocated to San Francisco, Buffy can count on a fresh start, and focus on what she’s good at—slaying.
Lee: I don’t read Buffy on a regular basis but those that do, love it. Buffy fans are a dedicated bunch and the comic seems to fill the need for new Buffy material. It might be time for me to check this out.
Thomm: I really enjoyed the show, though I was a late arrival. I’ve read a few of the trades of the comics, and like most comics that are based on TV or movie source material, I feel like it’s missing a little something. I think it has to do with the high quality work the actors put into the original show and which can’t quite be captured in the comics. That being said, the stories themselves are very good.

DAGAR THE INVINCIBLE ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 HC
Don F. Glut (W) and Jesse Santos (A)
FC, 240 pages, 7" x 10", $49.99
In a time when gods and demons walked the earth as men, a young warrior raises his sword to the skies and declares defiance! Dagar the Invincible is a hero of blade and sandal, and Dark Horse Books uncovers the exciting legend of his journey through the ancient, mystical world! The first of two volumes in this archival series introduces Dagar and tales of his quest, originally published by Gold Key Comics in the 1970s. Collects Dagar the Invincible #1-#9.
Lee: I think these are basically standard fare 70’s barbarian adventure stories. Not quite as good as Conan but plenty of fun if you like the material. The draw for me is the art of Jesse Santos. One of the wave of Pilipino artists that invaded American comics in the 70’s, he has an incredible style that you won’t forget.
Thomm: I’ve read one or two of the old Gold Key issues and they’re definitely the standard barbarian fare of the era. Nice stories with short resolution time. A lost art to some degree.

HELLBOY: HOUSE OF THE LIVING DEAD HC
Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Richard Corben (A), and Dave Stewart (C)
FC, 56 pages, 7" x 10", $14.99
Devastated over the loss of his luchador comrade to vampires, Hellboy lingers in Mexican bars until he’s invited to participate in the ultimate wrestling match with a vicious Frankenstein monster!
Lee: I really enjoy Hellboy. I love Corben’s art. It’s a little pricey for 56 pgs but I really like Corben’s art. But it’s expensive. But it’s Corben.
Thomm: That’s a lot pricey for 56 pages, even though it is Hellboy.

THE GUILD: CLARA
Felicia Day (W), Kim Evey (W), Ron Chan (A), Howard Chaykin (Cover), and Greg Aronowitz (Variant cover)
FC, 32 pages, One-shot, $3.50
Felicia Day is back with a one-shot spotlighting the Guild’s heart and soul—or at least its dirty mind—Clara! A mother of three, or maybe five, Clara is the Knights of Good’s most irresponsible and hedonistic member. When Clara’s husband overhears her scheduling seventy-eight hours of game time, he hides the computer until she agrees to help him around the house, leading her to uncover a box of mementos from her past. What follows is a bizarre trip down memory lane for Clara.
Visit Day & read about The Guild here. See the “internet sensation” here.
Lee: I find it amusing that Hollywood is pilfering comics for new ideas, and comics are pilfering the internet for new ideas. I’ve lost track of how many new stories, ideas, properties have started on the net. This certainly looks amusing so it has my interest.
Thomm: Definitely different. This might be funny, but it also seems a tad insular.

Thomm: Hey, only 2 horror books. Not bad.Lee: I'm trying. I'm trying. But this is getting old so it'll probably be back to normal next month.

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