High Rollers #1 - A Review

High Rollers #1 (of 4)

Publisher BOOM Studios

Writer/Creator Gary Phillips

Art Sergio Cerrera

Colors Andrew Dalhouse

What a terrific first issue of this crime comic. We are introduced to a lot of the main players and immediately get a read for each of them. We have a lot of action and we have the tension set-up for the rest of the series. Everything revolves around Cameron or CQ. He is the main enforcer for Trey who is a crime boss for his gang.

We start out with CQ taking out a man who has stolen from Trey and we immediately learn he is a smart and compassionate man as well as a hard man. He allows the thief to take his own life so the insurance money would help his family and it would not be a messy murder. He asks the man if he has had the life insurance long enough so the suicide clause would be voided.

Then we meet CQ’s sister whose husband has gotten into gambling debt with some bad people. She comes to CQ, who she has basically ignored for years to help. We also see that Trey thinks CQ is too smart for his own good and the issue ends with a failed hit on CQ paid for by Trey.

The art is also very well done, with great camera angles and shots that highlight the story and add to the overall impact and punch this book delivers.

High Rollers is the real deal and this is a great series that hits all the right notes from the jump. High Rollers is right up there with Scalped and is better then the very well done Criminal. Do not miss this series.

GRADE A

You will see the same write up on Tuesday, but I wanted to spotlight this book a little bit as it is such a terrific first issue and you would be foolish not to try it out.

Five You Should be Reading

I went to the May 2008 sales estimate charts for the top 300 books and choose five books that have estimated sales of fewer than 10,000 copies and are much better then books with higher sales numbers. Given how tight things are today retailers are hesitant to order low end books unless their customers are ordering them. That means few if any hit the comic racks and a customer may never have the chance to even page through these books to see if they would like them.

I’m saying that one or all of these five books deserve your attention and if I could put a money back guarantee on them for you I would, but try to find one on the racks and buy one or all and try them and see if I’m not right.

I had one rule and that was it had to be an ongoing series.

Proof (#298 – Sales of 3,188 – Image Comics) Creators Alex Grecian and Riley Rossmo have put their hearts and soul into this book and it shows. The energy, excitement, fun, humor, drama and mysteries just fly off the pages of this book. Add to that the wonderful little cryptoids they add into each issue and you get a book that delivers more bang for you buck then at least 200 books with higher sales.

Proof is a Bigfoot who is part of a group called the lodge that helps to protect us and protect the mythological creatures that truly exist in the world. Proof’s new partner is Ginger who is just learning about the lodge and all the strangeness associated with it. We also have Elvis, who is a small town sheriff that is another recent addition to the lodge.

The first arc called Goatsucker was such a great read and a wonderful introduction to what the series is all about. The link to buy it from Amazon is here.

I can not really compare to any other series, because while it certainly borrows from many sources, that amalgamation of those sources is its own unique book.

Finally when I read the backup material and the letters pages I can feel the enthusiasm that the creators have for this book. The joy and passion they give to their creation is infectious. It is laced with humor, drama, pathos, conspiracies, action and adventure.

Fall of Cthulhu (#286 – Sales of 3,881 – BOOM Studios) The first thing you need to understand about this series is that it is from BOOM studios. BOOM is a product branding that let’s you know that you are guaranteed to get a well written book. Now you may not always like the material because they publish a wide variety of genres, but it will be a professionally done book.

As to the series itself, if you are a horror fan and are not getting this book, you are missing out on one of the best horror series done in comics. Check out some of the great covers here.

Michael Alan Nelson has been writing stories using the Lovecraft horror elements that so many writers use and has been turning in some great stories that are horrific on both an intellectual level and a visceral level.

The latest arc involving the gray man and a small town lawman’s quest to stop him has been an excellent read so far. He had to pay an unknown price to get the information he needed to try and save his town and we have yet to learn what that price maybe. In addition to just great stories there is an underlying story that is being woven together that I hope will pay off in the long term.

Dynamo 5 (#239 – Sales 5,895 – Image Comics) – Jay Faerber is the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby of his own little universe. I did not follow Noble Causes, but when Dynamo 5 came out I tried it out and now I’m hooked on this series, Noble Causes and the mini-series Gemini. Dynamo 5 is possibly the best super hero book on the market and is certainly taking the place of the Fantastic Four in my affections.

I have rarely picked up a better book from the beginning. The five team members are all the sons and daughters and a hero Captain Dynamo who slept around. None of the kids knew who each other was until the Captain’s widow pulled them together and exposed them to the same radiation that gave Captain Dynamo’s his powers.

From there we have watched the kids learn about each other, start to become a family of their own and learn how to be super heroes.

A terrific read and some very solid art by Mahmud Asrar, who I believe would benefit greatly from having a strong inker.

If you ever loved the Fantastic Four and feel like I do that the current incarnation of the group has lost the spark it has had at various times in its history, then you should be checking out Dynamo 5.

Scalped (#210 – Sales 7,606 – DC/Vertigo Comics) – Okay this comic is the biggest crime on this list. There are not 200 books better then this one on the stands. In fact in my opinion this book is one of the top 10 series being published. Hell this book gets better and better with every issue that comes out.

The series is written by Jason Aaron, who will be a “Name Writer” within one or two more years and is already recognized as a major talent in the industry. The artwork for most issues is by R. M. Guera and is as good as the writing.

The series is about Dash Bad Horse, an FBI agent who is undercover back in his old Indian Reservation. He is undercover as a reservation cop and is ostensibly trying to bring down Red Crow who is the head of the Tribal Council and owner of the new Casino being opened. Dash’s boss doesn’t care for him and Red Crow and Dash’s FBI boss have a lot of bad history between them.

A tough, hard as nails, crime drama is in what is one of the bleakest settings you could imagine. The last arc “Dead Mothers” should be required reading of anyone who wants to do graphic novels. The emotional content of that book was palatable and drained you when you read it. Here is an ad for that trade. Pick it up when it comes out in October or get Volumes #1 & #2 while you are waiting.

Scalped is a series that would outsell any super hero book in the market if it was going head to head with those books in a retail book store.

Locke & Key (#188 – Sales 9,385 – IDW) – It is funny that I’m almost ecstatic to see this book have sales that are so close to actually cracking the 10,000 barrier. It is such a great series and so well done, that I was worried that it would have sales even more suppressed as it is not from the big two. Then when I realize how damn well written and illustrated this book is I can’t believe it comes in at #188. This book deserves on merit, to be in the top 20.

Joe Hill has written such a great story in only five issues to date that I went out and picked up his novel “Heart Shaped Box”. If he can enthrall me with his characters this well in a comic book, I can’t wait to sit down and read his novel.

The story is about the Locke family and the tragedy of the father of the family being killed by a deranged psychopath. The family is forced to relocated to Lovecraft, Massachusetts (so you know we will have horror elements there) and we are seeing how each of the three children and mother are dealing with the sudden changes in their lives.

In addition we find the Key House has many doorways that lead to many different things, a haunted well house and the killer returning to terrorize the family once again.

Joe also mixes in so many great character moments, that he even gave us a great story about the middle child learning to fit into a new school.

Gabriel Rodriquez has a wonderful style that exaggerates realism and can border on almost a cartoon like effect at times, but is really quite unique and wonderfully done. After only five issues I can’t imagine any other artist really doing the book justice. He conveys horror and innocence with equal ease.

One of the best written books on the market as the characters as so believable and feel so real with many layers. I know this is only going six issues, but I’m hopeful that it can be perhaps a series of mini-series. Yeah I broke my own rules.

Secret Invasion – My Way

I have been highly critical of Marvel with Secret Invasion as it is the biggest cross-over that I have seen in a long time. I do not have historical records, but almost 100 other comics are tied-into this cluster thing. All this does is force retailers to spend their budget on more and more Marvel books and dilutes the chance for other books to even be ordered by the retailers. This is one of the biggest flaws in the direct market that instead of now saving the industry is making it harder for the industry to really grow.

The actual mini-series itself has also been much like Civil War so far, with a few bold strokes occurring within the mini-series itself, but leaving much of the story to be told in cross-over books or spin-off mini-series. I almost wish I knew someone just reading the mini-series to see how it holds up as a story on its own. Still I have thought that it is okay so far, but have enjoyed the New and Mighty Avengers series quite a bit as they have been filling in the back story of what has been going on unbeknownst to us. All of which leads me to the point of this post and that is why Secret Invasion could have been one of the best ideas ever in comics if they had done it right.

Bendis concept is a brilliant one that takes the concept of the Skrulls and uses it to maximum advantage. The major change I would have made to the story was to have let us be in on it since they first came up with the idea.

In my opinion if the readers had been let in on what was going on since day one we would have been in the background rooting for our heroes to figure out what was wrong all along. From a reader perspective how much more fun would have been to know that Hank Pym had been replaced a year ago in continuity. Every time you saw him you would wonder what he was up to and would he slip up and be caught.

The tension and build up would have been unbelievable. When a character acted out a little oddly, we would know why and the other heroes would be left to wonder. We would have seen the Skrull plans laid out for us. This could have been such a dramatic tension builder for the reader as we can see what is coming, but our heroes can’t see it. It would be like the classic horror film shot where you see the slasher silently walking up behind the oblivious co-ed.

Instead of the entire back story being revealed in the New and Might Avengers we could have seen the threads of this spread throughout all of the Avenger related titles and made the Marvel Universe have a little more cohesion. The Secret Invasion could have never been a mini-series just an underlying thread interwoven in all of the Marvel books. It would not matter that the readers know what was going on; we would know the heroes don’t know.

When the New Avengers try to find out if any of them is a skrull we would have already known and wonder if they will of will not find out. That would not preclude an unrevealed agent not being told to the readers, but would have allowed us to be invested in the story and been in on it like the writers.

In my view this would have made it feel “right” as opposed to my wandering now if some of this is just retro-conning the facts to fit what they want the story to be. Then when the full impact comes to play the mini-series could have been could the Invasion of Earth or the Skrull Take-Over or some other such thing, because let’s face it this is not a “secret” invasion by any means at this point.

I guess that it would be nice if a writer had enough confidence in his story to let us as readers see what the plans are and just keep the hero in the dark. That way the ending can seem more logical as opposed to pulling the proverbial rabbit out of a hat.

A Fistful of Reviews

B.P.R.D. : The Ectoplasmic Man (Dark Horse)


This was a really neat little one shot as I enjoyed both the art and the story. It's always nice to read a comic that is a story unto itself, especially with all the crossovers and events these days. Highly enjoyable :)

Hercules #3 (Radical Comics)


This is a solid book - kudos to Radical comics for producing high quality books so far. Still, this isn't really my cup of tea. I have a hard time with bloody war and sex filled comics (while I get Conan I only really liked it when Cary Nord - who's art is just amazing in such a setting - and Kurt Busiek were the creators... these days I read em and pass them along to a friend). It's just not terribly interesting to me and as such I'm not all that into this book. However, anyone who does like barbarian-war genre stories would really enjoy this book. The art's great and the story is well written.

Green Lantern #32 (DC)


I've really been enjoying this retold Hal Jordan GL origin story. It's definitely Johns rewriting GL history to suit his Corps plots, but it's still a lot of fun to read. I think it's the first time Abin Sur's death has been investigated - and explained.

Teen Titans #60 (DC)


Despite the fact that the Terror Titans arc has been interesting I still feel like this team is in a perpetual state of falling apart. Is the whole point of this book going to be to follow each Titan as they have mental breakdowns? Will we ever see this group as a functioning team? I'm maybe a tad bit disillusioned with all things Titans right now seeing how bad the original team relaunch has been, but I still wish this book would build some solid foundations for the Teen Titans.

Trinity #4 (DC)

Batman is cool. However, I'm not sure how often I see him frightening innocent people on purpose - even if it's for there own good. It was funny, but still a bit off key. The back up story is still intriguing, and the art is still good. I continue to have faith in Kurt Busiek's story telling ability and I enjoyed this issue.

Ultimate Spiderman #123 (Marvel)


Ah, the only good Spiderman book around - excepting this issue was blah. Venom's personal horror story = BORING. This issue felt like filler to me.

X-Men First Class #13 (Marvel)


I love this book. I was especially fascinated by Beast building his monstrous sloth skeleton, that was excellent. This X-men book is fantastic and I'm glad to still have X-Men stories worth reading, even if they are focused on the good ol' days.

Uncanny X-Men #499 (Marvel)

I don't even know what was happening with the Russian crew in this issue, waaay to dark and confusing. The resolution to the hippie story was okay. The rescue of the governor of San Francisco was cute. I still don't like Emma Frost. Overall,I can't decide if I like this book or not half the time but at least I still like some of the team.

Superman #677 (DC)


Man, Superman sure knows how to rub salt in GL's wound. I mean, c'mon, you don't tell the guy who got taken over by a fear eating parasite and slaughtered many of his friends, that hey, as long as you have a woman and a dog every thing is a-okay. Geeze Superman, way to be sensitive! Anyway, this issue was alright. I cared more about the Science Police than Supes though. Which may have been the point...

Final Crisis #2 (DC)


More interesting than last issue. Still, as much as it picked up I have a hard time seeing how this is going to remain within just these books - I mean, the Daily Planet blowing up? Are we going to see that in the Superman books? Is Batman R.I.P. going to intersect with any of this? Is Trinity? I'm very confused with how any of this is going to work out.

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld


My boss lent me this book (and the next one as well). I was hesitant about reading these as the story sounded somewhat cliché - a future society where at 16 everyone undergoes surgery to become pretty, possibly at the loss of who they are as a person (though they are unaware of that consequence). Still, once I started reading it I became intrigued. The characters, with the exception of Tally, are somewhat simplistic, but the plot is fantastic. I've only gotten 2/3rds of the way through the trilogy but I've really enjoyed what I've read so far.

Image Preview Review for September

Jim: Image has to be the most eclectic publisher of graphic stories at this point. You never know who will have a project there and there is always something that has a great premise or creators or both. Let’s see what this month has to offer.
Lee: In my opinion, Image is passing DH as the best publisher outside of the big two. They have so much to offer it’s really nice to look through their previews every month.

BACK TO BROOKLYN #1 Written by Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti, art and cover by Mihailio Vukelic and Palmiotti, variant cover by Phil Noto. Bob Saetta made the biggest mistake of his life by pissing off his brother, one of the biggest and most brutal crime bosses in New York City. This is the story of two brothers at war, wrapped in a special package of extreme language and hardcore violence. A five-issue adrenaline ride that rips the roof off Brooklyn is criminal underworld! 32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 24.
Jim: Garth never takes a break and has projects with almost everyone anymore except the big two. Garth does seem to have some anger issues as the violence level in his stories seems to be even higher then normal for him. Not really sure if I need to see another book like this from Garth.
Lee: That’s what I like about Ennis. There is never any doubt about what you are getting. Extreme violence. Extreme language. Extreme everything. If you like it, then it’s great otherwise you can’t say you weren’t warned.

DEAD AHEAD #1 Written by Clark Castillo and Mel Smith, art and cover by Alex Nino and Moose Baumann. "Water, Water, Everywhere!" On a restless ocean, a group of weary survivors contemplate their grim fortune: What had started out as a fun little fishing trip soon turns into a nightmare of damnation, trapped on a floating prison. The continents have been hit by a plague that has turned humanity into living corpses - leaving our castaways at sea to fend for themselves! With provisions low, hope comes in the form of a luxury liner sailing into view on the horizon. All they needed to survive would be on board, but who among them has what it takes to find out what happened to its crew and passengers? 24 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 17.
Jim: I think Zombie stories are now holding a firm #2 in most popular genres in comic books. Amazingly I have found many of them highly entertaining. I’ll be checking this one out.
Lee: I love the fact that Alex Nino is back making comics again. He has such a great style. Add some ever popular zombies and I’m sold too.

FOUR EYES #1 Written by Joe Kelly, art and cover by Max Fiumara. Brooklyn 1930. America struggles in the grip of the Great Depression, and ten-year-old Enrico is willing to make any sacrifice to take care of his mother. Even if it means taking a job in the one place he’s forbidden to go – the ring of fire where dragons are trained and fought for cash and glory. 24 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 24. Max can be found here
Jim: Oh look a comic with Lee’s nickname as the title. Joe Kelly is more miss then hit for me, but this premise sound too cool to pass up.
Lee: HA HA HO HO a joke from Jim. Hold on, I’m not sure I can comment my sides hurt from laughing too much. There seems to be lots of depression era and demons/dragons stories these days. Didn’t Oni do one not that long ago? I’ll wait and see what Jim has to say about this. HA HA, sorry but I just remember Jim’s humor and it made me laugh again.

13 CHAMBERS Written by Christopher "mink" Morrison, art by Denis Medri, cover by Paolo Parente. After Abraham Lincoln's death, one of President Jackson's first orders was to disband the 13 Marshals: a secret group of lawmen operating with complete federal authority. Set in a fantasy 1860s, 13 Chambers is the story of the 13th Marshal and his Presidential mission to retrieve all 13 Territory Peace Keeper pistols and return them to Washington D.C. for retirement. All is well until he reaches a small town in four corners where an insane mining baron named York has killed the 12th Marshal and stolen his pistol. The 13th Marshal must get the pistol back at all costs and bring York to justice or die trying. 48 pages, $6.99, in stores on Sept. 24.Can’t read a single thing on his blog but he’s got previews, visit Medri here
Jim: I would credit Helen Killer with getting me to look at these type of premises with a more open mind. I also like that it appears to be a one and done. $7 for 48 pages is a little step, but we will say yes to this one.
Lee: Now this sounds far more interesting than four eyes… ha ha ho ho, there’s that joke again. Keep’em coming Jim!... ANYWAY, I’m not sure what the “Peace Keeper Pistol” is but I’m guessing it’s not an ordinary gun. Plenty of mystery and cool premise. This does sound good. AND, just for the record, Jim complained about Nick Fury’s gun in Secret Invasion but doesn’t complain about the gun on this cover! Double standard or just gun envy? You decide.

RED ROCKET SEVEN TP Written, art and cover by Michael Allred. This is the story of Red Rocket Seven: The entire history of rock n roll as seen through the eyes of the seventh clone of a man from a distant world. RR7 rubs shoulders with every legend from the birth of rock in the '50s, through the British invasion of the '60s, through the advent of Heavy Metal and Glam rock in the '70s, the New Wave of the '80s, the Grunge Rock and Indie/Alt. scene in the '90s, and into the new millennium! This special edition is busting out with special features, plus rare and new art. 208 pages, $49.99, in stores on Sept. 24.
Jim: Mike Allred is pretty much a love him or hate him as a writer. I’m up and down on his art, but his skill is undeniable. No matter what, Mike is a unique voice in comics and I’m sure his fans will love this book.
Lee: WHAT? $50 for a tpb! This has to be a typo because that’s ridiculous. And, Red Rocket Seven was released as a $10 trade back in late 90’s / early ‘00’s. Go find that for a lot less if you are really interested.

ELEPHANTMEN #18 Written by Richard Starkings, art by Marian Churchland, cover by J. Scott Campbell and Boo Cook, flip cover by Marian Churchland. "Bad Girl." Hiromi Kiyoko -- Miki -- is intent on finding out Hip Flask's deepest darkest secrets... but Miki and her mother, Keiko, have some secrets of their own. 32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 17.
Jim: The return of I’m embarrassed to be a fanboy cover. True story I had this cover up on my computer and a female co-worker asks why I was looking at soft porn at work. She was only half joking. I told it was a comic cover and she said “Oh animated porn..” A step lower.
Lee: It’s a sad day when you can’t even look at animated po… I mean comic books at work anymore. Sad day indeed!

DARK IVORY #4 Written by Joseph Michael Linsner and Eva Hopkins, art and cover by Linsner. “THE LAST BEAT OF MY HEART”The first DARK IVORY miniseries climaxes in an explosion of fire & blood. Old family secrets are exposed, and the true nature of the Vampiric aristocracy is revealed. Dark Ivory learns what is means to have blue blood. To quote her friend Samson, “Some people should die…” Some will.SEPTEMBER 10 - 32 PAGES - FC - $2.99
Lee: BUT, I have to disagree with Jim on the EtbF cover. It’s just not fair to the other cheese artists when Linsner puts out a book. And, he has outdone himself this month.
Jim: I’m missing why Lee thinks this cover is so much worse then any Lisner cover.

DEAR DRACULA HC Written by Joshua Williamson, art and cover by Vicente "Vinny" Navarette.A young boy named Sam loves scary movies, especially the ones with Dracula! This year, instead of writing to Santa for Christmas, Sam writes to Dracula, asking the vampire king if he can become a real vampire for Halloween! Sam is in for a surprise as the most famous vampire himself comes to visit!
48 pages, $7.99, in stores on Sept. 10. Previews here
Lee: Speaking of fun reads this just sounds good. It’s got a nice whimsical touch that I really enjoy.

Jim: It sounds cute, but nothing that I want to read.

PROOF #12 Written by Alex Grecian, art and cover by Riley Rossmo. "Thunderbirds Are Go," part three. The last Chinese Ink Monkey fights for its life against a rogue fairy. The Lodge will be changed forever. 32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 24.
Jim: This book has continued to survive and I have really enjoyed it a lot. If you have not tried it out, please do. I also choose this issue because I loved the cover.
Lee: OW OW OW it hurts. I have “snide comment” block. I really, really want to say something stupid but I can’t think of anything REALLY REALLY stupid. I mean I can do generic stupid but that’s not what I’m looking for. Jim lobs me a softball Monkey cover and I got nothin’. I’m so embarrassed. Not as much as I am by that Linsner cover but I am.

M-THEORY #1 Written by Dwight L. MacPherson and Bruce Brown, art by Mike Barentine, cover by Thomas Boatwright. "The Fear." In this thrilling premier episode, a government scientist receives a startling transmission of extraterrestrial origin! A promising college student makes a terrifying discovery! And a group of deep space explorers encounter a shocking nemesis at the outer limits of our galaxy! 32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Sept. 17.
If you want to see how this team works together visit their web comic Jim Reaper here
Jim: This book was such an easy yes, because I trust Dwight MacPherson, then the premise sounds like fun.
Lee: Dwight hasn’t failed us yet so all his material goes on the buy list. And, it looks to be a winner in the art department too. Visit the link to see more…

MADAME MIRAGE VOL. 1 TRADE PAPERBACK Written by Paul Dini, art and cover by Kenneth Rocafort.From the magical mind of Paul Dini (Countdown, Detective Comics) comes a new, original femme fatale story that combines elements of film noir, tech, and superhero comics. Superbly drawn by rising star Kenneth Rocafort (Hunter-Killer), this volume collects Season 1 of this amazing story, a cover gallery, and insightful behind-the-scenes material, plus an all-new cover by Rocafort!
176 pages, $14.99.

Lee: I remember making fun of this when it came out but then it actually got some pretty good reviews. Did anyone every get all the issues? I’m thinking of making the investment and jumping on the bandwagon.
Jim: I think this will read much better as a trade. Overall the delays between issues really hurt this book, but as a trade I’m betting it will be a better story.

THE ART OF MARC SILVESTRI SOFTCOVER Art by Marc Silvestri.
The spotlight shines on Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri in this very special art collection. Silvestri's career blossomed during runs on Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine and in the early 1990s, he revolutionized the comics industry when he co-founded Image Comics and created such hit properties as Cyberforce, Witchblade, and The Darkness. This oversized art book, offered now in softcover, showcases some of Silvestri's favorite, most popular, and most iconic images from his illustrious career.
96 pages, $19.99
Lee: Hummmm, a Marc Silverstri art book. I really need to go back and look at his X-men work. I know love his period on the book, but I remember not liking his art all that much. Then again, his art has changed a lot (based on this cover alone!) so it might be worth looking at. This is definitely a case of “Wish my store would get one so I could flip through it”
Jim: An art book by Silverstri is an easy pass for me. It takes a very special artist for me to just want an art book from them and Silverstri is not in that class for my taste.

Jim: Image really has a broad range of books and the above was only a few of their selections. Image really puts out a lot of different stuff. I think for the most part they just help to package and promote books, but still it is place to get noticed and often launch a career.
Lee: Image really is a great place with some great offerings. As always it’s fun to look at their upcoming material.

Blood Bowl, Killer Contract - A Review

Blood Bowl, Killer Contract written by Matt Borbeck with art & colors by Lads Helloven

There are very few words required to accurately describe this book. I think the best I can do is pointless savagery with a touch of humor. And, based upon that I have to say this book is awesome. I know, I know this isn’t my normal cup o’tea but there was something that drew me to this book.

Some background on Blood Bowl for those that are unfamiliar with it. It's actually a game from a company called Games Workshop, creators of the Warhammer gaming system. Blood Bowl, is alot like HeroClix with little miniature figures and endless battles. The difference here is Blood Bowl is football played by orcs, goblins, elves, and humans. I've never played but as far as I can tell the rules are simple, score just like football, and kill just like all the other fantasy games on the market. You can read more about the Blood Bowl Game here.

There's not alot to work with as a basic premise, but Matt Borbeck does a great job making this an entertaining read. The entire issue takes place within one game as the Back Bay Hackers play against the Orcland Raiders. Apparently, the Hackers are the best team in the Land and won the Blood Bowl Trophy. The game commentary is provided by two narrators that be best described as Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford if they were blood thirsty Goblins.

The story opens as our hero Dunk Hoffnung, the quarterback, throws a touchdown to one of the rookie players, Zu Tapfer. During the rookie's endzone celebration, he is gang tackled by the Orcs and killed. That's kinda the book in a nutshell.. football and killing. But, it's all done with such tongue in cheek that it's really funny!

This book is all about football jokes and mindless violence with a few moments of character development far and few between. Other developments include, Gimmy the Geek putting a hit out on Dunk and planting an assassin on the team. In the meantime, Dunk is trying to stay alive on the field while not getting in trouble with the coach who just happens to look like Captain Hook.

In case it wasn’t obvious, this is a wonderful sendup of the NFL. From advertisements for Bloodweiser to updates on previous games when the Hackers "beat the panties off the Amazon of the Lustrian Lusties". The two narrators are priceless and mimic the pointless conversation heard from many professional announcers.

The art is very strong too. Lads Helloven has a wonderfully exaggerated style that reminds me a little of Adam Pollina's style with either big square bodies or lanky ones. He does a great job filling the uniforms with spikes and swords along with making the Orcs look really vicious.

If you like football and want to see it taken to a silly extreme then this is a good book for you. Don't expect any redeeming qualities, just lots of pointless fun.

Best to Worst of Last Week

This week was severely skewed by stores in my region being shorted a bunch of books, that included a lot of Vertigo and Indies, so this week listings had chances for some different books to raise to the top half of my listings.

Final Crisis #2 (of 7) - Writer Grant Morrison, Art JG Jones, Colors Alex Sinclair. I had to read this comic twice to really try and get a reading on how I feel about this series and I’m still not 100% sure. It feels like the building of an immense menace and I think that is what Grant was going for. The last page showing Barry Allen trying to outrun the Black Racer and the god bullet is tremendous. JG Jones artwork is just flat out gorgeous and I wish this book was being published as an oversized comic version along side the regular book as I think the artwork would be even better looking. I mean the companies do gimmicks all the time and that will be one hell of a way to further the sales on this book by offering two formats. The story itself is working for me in that the tragedy of the event is that the heroes have no clue that evil has won already. This issue Batman is captured, Alpha Lantern Kraken is apparently overtaken by a god of Apokolips, John Stewart is attacked, Hal Jordan is arrested, Lois has been hurt by an explosion, Libra mentions he is not the boss and on it builds. As with any such book the ending will be how the series will be judged, but right now this book continues to build towards this Crisis, but does so like no other major event book has ever done before. What I’m really enjoying about this series is the overall feeling that the this is so big and has happened so quiet that the heroes have lost before they even begin.
Daredevil #108 – Writer Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka, Art Michael Lark & Stefano Guardino, Colors Matt Hollingsworth. This was an excellent issue. Often bands get back together and they just play the old songs and maybe cut a new track or two, but it is never the same. Not so here, this is like the Gotham Central band got back together and they are better then ever. What a well written and beautifully illustrated book. This issue the mystery deepens as to why the bad guy Big Ben Donovan is willing to take the death penalty as opposed to fighting for his life. The great question by Matt and Dakota is, if he is innocent then the person who decapitated three children is still out there. Matt gets beat up by Big Ben. Dakota tracks down who assaulted her and he is a fed, who will tell her nothing. She goes home and her father tells her so is in some deep crap due to her stirring this up. Daredevil can’t get information from his sources and we find out Mr. Slaughter is behind this. Not being up on my Daredevil lore I have to assume he is an old foe of Daredevil. The issue ends with Big Ben trying to hang himself in his cell. The story has strong characterization, great use of many of the cast members, a sense of a true mystery and a book that leaves you wanting more. Daredevil is at the top of its game and the best it has been in years. I would love to see Rucka hang around as co-writer for awhile.
Green Lantern #32 – Writer Geoff Johns, Pencils Ivan Reis, Inks Oclair Albert with Julio Ferrerra, Colors Ramov Mayor. This was another excellent issue of Hal’s origin and Ivan Reis just continues to up the level of his art. Ivan is at times in this issue close to being another Neal Adams in some panels. This issue we get the origin of Hector Hammond, Tom discovering Hal’s secret identity, Hal getting back into piloting a plane, Hal meeting Sinestro and more hints of “The Darkest Night” story line that is coming in 2009. Johns is at his absolute best on this book and I can almost not even imagine any other writer touching the Hal Jordan character. I would really love to see the Sinestro War put together as one over sized volume and would like to see DC put out Johns run in this book in 12 issue run blocks. I never wanted Hal Jordan back, but Johns has made having Hal back worthwhile.
Hercules The Thracian Wars #3 (of 5) – Writer Steve Moore, Art Admira Wijaya, Colors Imaginary Friends Studios & Sixth Creation. This series continues to up the ante. I love how this book has the feel of being so epic in its scope and yet telling this tale of Hercules from the ground level. In this issue we see Hercules and his troops defend themselves from a trap. The defense succeeds, but one of Hercules companions is killed in the battle. We see the wrath of Hercules as he literally rips apart the man who killed his friend. This battle ends with Hercules and his troops taking out the main rebel against the Thracian King. Hercules is ready to leave, but King Cotys wants Hercules and his men to stay on. Under the command of Hercules and his men, the Thracian army has become powerful and dangerous. As Hercules goes to confront King Cotys he overhears the King’s new plans are to attack Zeus and Olympus itself. What a wonderful ending, how can you not get the next book. The art, the story, the production values, Radical comics are comics done right.
Batman Gotham After Midnite #2 (of 12) - Writer Steve Niles, Art Kelly Jones, Colors Michelle Marsden. This is such a wonderful book, with a great over the top story, matched by Kelly Jones wonderful exaggerations of Batman. First the story, Batman is searching after the person behind all of these events in his city. This issue he takes out Axe-Man and has a run in with Man-Bat who like Scarecrow before him is not following his normal M.O. We also see Batman confront Detective Clarkson who has taken credit for much of Batman’s work and Batman explains that he needs to the credit to build fear within the criminal element. The man behind all of this makes an appearance as he kills a failed operative and leaves his body on the hands of a large clock tower. The story reads so well and flows from chapter to chapter smooth as silk as writer Steve Niles has broken the issues into three chapters. Add the Kelly Jones artwork, with the impossible cape, the dark heavy shadows, the super long bat ears and the impossible physique of his Batman and you have one heck of a winning series. The icing on the cake is Michelle Marsden one of the top colorists in the industry.
Thunderbolts #121 - Writer Warren Ellis, Art Mike Deodato, Jr. , Colors Rain Beredo. Mike Deodato’s heavily realistic style and very heavy inking style jut carries this book on his back. When you break down Ellis’ story it was good, but the art is what carried this book. I did enjoy Songbird asserting herself at the end and Norman still having something to come back with against her, but the best part was the two big battles. Samson versus Moondragon and then the ultra cool fight between Songbird and the Green Goblin, both were outstanding stuff. Ellis always brings out the best in his artists. The deus ex machine of Bullseye killing all the telepaths to end things was a little too easy, but Ellis had to wrap it as he exited this book. I hate to see Ellis leave as his characterizations have been well done, but he has certainly left a lot for the next writers to play with in future issues.
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X-Men First Class #13 – Writer Jeff Parker, Art Roger Cruz, Colors Val Staples. This book is now developing its own continuity and for me that is just fine. I have no desire to see this book shoe horn itself into overall Marvel continuity. Just let it play out its own natural stories and go from there. This issue Machine Man is being field tested by his creator Professor Stack. He believes interaction with other people would be good and seeks out the X-Men. At first the X-Men think Professor X is interviewing a student, Jean is upset they are trying to replace Warren who stayed in the hidden land he found last issue. The dynamics and interaction between Jean, Scott, Hank and Bobby is what makes this book. Then add it Machine Man who is acting more like the Warren Ellis version and you have some very funny moments. It is a two-part adventure (at least) and next issue we should see the results of them trying to track down some Lava Men. Parker is mining the old characters from Marvel and just having fun with this group. When Cruz is the artist the book is at its best as his layouts, camera angles, light line and fluid art just shine in this book. This is the best and most consistent X-book on the market. Plus it is the best all age read on the market for super hero books that I can think of, entertaining for me, not written down and I bet any child would enjoy it also. This would be the series I would be reading to my kids every month.
BPRD Ectoplasmic Man One Shoot (Or BPRD #45) - Writer Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, Art Ben Stenbeck. I wanted more of this story. This issue is the origin of the Ectoplasmic Man and we see Johann Kraus get killed and become a ghost. He is almost at a lost as to what to do now and is floating around as a ghost. Then he discovers a demon that feeds on dead souls which commits them to a fate worse then hell. Unable to eat Johann the demon just sends him away after mocking him that since Johann is a ghost he cannot pickup the bullet that was made to kill him. Prior to this Johann had rejected an offer from the BPRD to be given a suit that could contain his form, but now he comes back and accepts the offer. Now as the Ectoplasmic man Johann is shown headed back to the demon’s home. We don’t see it, but you know he can now touch the bullet and end the demon’s life. This was an excellent issue and another fine addition to the BPRD series.
Caliber #3 (of 5)- Writer Sam Sarkur, Art Garrie Gastonny, Colors Imaginary Friends Studios. This has been enjoyable series and the best part is each new issue is better then the last issue. Arthur and Whitefeather are on the run and being pursued by Lance. Lance catches up to them and Arthur shots the gun at him, but surprisingly does not kill him. Lance then joins with Arthur and they head back to where it all started. Arthur and Gwen see each other and realize how strong their affections are for each other and the romance begins. In the background the Duke is still pursuing Arthur with the help of Morgan. It is fascination watching the Camelot sage come to life in the old west. Each issue is building on the one before and the tapestry that is being woven becomes more then the sum of its parts. The artwork is gorgeous and obviously photo referenced, but made into part of the story as opposed to making me stop and try to guess who is cast as whom. The Radical signature with its first two series is high production values, quality art and stories that touch on our myths.
Ultimate Spider-Man #123 – Writer Brian Bendis, Pencils Stuart Immonen, Inks Wade von Grawbadger, Colors Justin Ponsor. This was another good issue. This is the only Spider-Man book that I get anymore and I usually always enjoy it. I skipped this book for a lot of years and I think that helps in my enjoyment as the perpetual teen-ager does get to be a little old (no pun intended). This issue is the return of Venom and I loved the way it was told as Eddie is on a bench and telling an old woman his story, next it is another person, then two young girls and it continues to change and you know what is happening, but in the last page we see Venom eat the person Eddie is talking to. The symbioite seems to want Peter again. Eddie had a brief battle with Peter this issue and it ended with Venom being forced away, where this will go should get interesting.
Superman #677 – Writer James Robinson, Pencils Reato Guedes, Inks Wilson Magalhaes, Colors Hi-Fi. The first issue by James Robinson starts on the quiet side. As many writers like to do when they start on a run where they expect to be around awhile they like to let us know how they view the main character. James gives us his take on Superman via a outer space game of playing catch with his dog as Hal Jordan is by his side. Superman talks about how great and blessed he feels to have such a great life and he is so lucky to have Lois in his life and the best dog in the world. Hal wonders how the greatest hero in the world can be so naïve and then wonders if Superman’s faith in such things is not what makes him so great. This was a well done introduction that clearly sets Robinson’s view of Superman. The rest of the issue we see the Metropolis Science Police (love the reference to the SP of Legion fame) battling a menace and Superman is not in sight. What appears to be Superman shows up and takes out the monster and then saves same people from the globe of the Daily Planet from crashing on them, but it turns out to be Atlas. The Atlas used in this book I believe is the version designed and used by Jack Kirby. Anyway Atlas is yelling for Superman and wants to apparently challenge him and the last panel Superman shows up. This was almost a quiet beginning, but a well written start that has me hopeful for James Robinson’s run on this book. I’m starting to accept Renato as the artist for this series, but I’m not 100% sold on it.
No Hero #0 (of 7) – Writer Warren Ellis, Art Juan Jose Ryp, Color Greg Waller. It was zero issue week for the independent books that I got (my list was affected by a Diamond shipping problem). Where Zenoscope’s zero is a ripoff, Avatar’s zero issue is a bargain and an essential part of the new series. We get eight pages of comic and eight pages of back story about the characters, the series and additional artwork. The premise is that this world’s super-heroes show up in the sixties and are products of a drug created by a hippie mad scientist. The heroes are all wearing gas masks in the sixties and as we move forward into the present we see they are wearing scuba gear. While the drug has given them super powers, what else it has done to them has yet to be fully explored, but the hints are that it is not good. This book has a great premise, well written and very good art. Chalk up another winning Avatar series by Warren Ellis.
Teen Titans #60 – Writer Sean McKeever, Pencils Eddy Barrows, Inks Ruy Jose, Colors Rod Reis. This book is starting to feel like it has a direction. This issue is the wrap-up of the battle of the Terror Titans vs. The Teen Titans. It ends up being a book that focuses heavily on Ravager as she saves Wonder Girl, but then Wonder Girl stops Ravager from maybe killing someone. Clock King can see a few seconds ahead, so he always knows what someone is going to do and is defeating the Teen Titans on his own even after they had taken out the Terror Titans. Ravager is apparently on an equal playing field with Clock King and he offers her a partnership which she rejects. After wrecking his plans the Clock King kicks the Teen Titans out before he can be defeated and the group goes home. Ravager overhears Wonder Girl and Robin saying her behavior is over the edge and she will need to be disciplined and she leaves the group. This is the best this book has been in awhile and I’m curious to see where we go from here and will pick up the Terror Titans book mini-series that is coming out as it will feature Ravager as she will apparently hook up with that group. It is nice to see the Teen Titans become a really strong series again.
New Avengers #42 – Writer Brian Bendis, Pencils Jim Cheung, Inks John Dell, Color Justin Ponsor. This issue is all about how and when Jessica Drew was taken out and replaced by the Skrull Queen. A side note after this event series is completely written I hope Bendis gets a little time off as he has written a ton of books for Marvel and big selling books. I hope he got a boatload of cash for his efforts. Back to the actual comic, it was a good issue. I believe the background stories are more interesting then the main series as discussed in detail on my Mighty Avenger review. What was great about this issue was Jim Cheung’s artwork and the ending where the skrull Spider-Woman is caught up in House of M and the end of this issue we see her being wiped out by the reality wave (or whatever you want to call it of Wanda’s). Of course we have seen her in recent issues frelling with Tony Stark so we now she makes it out alive, still it was a good ending.
Mighty Avengers #15 – Writer Brian Bendis, Breakdowns John Romita Jr., Finishes Klaus Janson & Tom Palmer, Colors Edgar Delgado & Guru EFX. – This issue is all about when Hank Pym was taken out and replaced and what he did prior to the war. It is good background stuff, but since I wan never that invested in the New Avengers the timelines become a little muddled for me, but it still works to build a sense of menace. Of course we have no clue if Hank Pym is dead or not, but it is not a bad issue. In fact the background stories in Mighty and New Avengers are much better then the actual mini-series. They have better art and a more coherent story. After reading this and New Avengers this week it struck me that the whole Secret Invasion thing would have been much better if we knew about it and the characters in the book did not know about it. Then we as readers would have known the menace was coming and could hope our heroes would have spotted the trouble coming. It actual begs the question if they really knew long ago who was going to be a skrull and who wasn’t. I have a feeling some of it was fast and loose and often I assume not all the writers knew a character they were using was a skrull. But the easy out is they had taken over that identity so of course we never knew they were a skrull. The way the skrulls take the identity of a character is truly a comic book type thing and very hokey. Interesting in the Captain Marvel series it was not done the same way. I believe the whole thing would have played better if we knew about who was a skrull and who wasn’t and then the build up could have been Secret Invasion and the big series could have been the Earth/Skrull War of the Worlds.
Pigeons From Hell #3 (of 4) – Writer Joe R. Lansdale, Art Nathan Fox, Colors Dave Stewart. This four part mini-series has been structured very well. Each issue has events that occur and we move the story forward also. I never get the middle chapter syndrome in this book. This issue via an old man in the forest who is versed in witchcraft, we get the whole distributing history of the house and who all the ghosts are that are following the sisters. He gives them some information and a mirror that can help them against the mistress of the mansion. As they leave the Old Man’s circle of protection had been broken and he is killed by some thing. Next issue can the girls and the bounty hunter with them save Sally and beat the house?
X-Men Legacy #213 – Writer Mike Carey, Pencils Scott Eaton, Inks Andre Hennessy, Colors Frank D’Armata. The actual story and ideas in these stories have been interesting. It is almost like Mike Carey is exploring what is identity; Philip Dick would probably enjoy the underlying themes. First we have Professor X seeking out people to fill in the gaps in his memories so he can discover who he is again. In the midst of that search we find out Mr. Sinister has placed his own genetic code inside young mutant children in case he was killed a machine would activate his code and allow him to be reborn in someone else’s body. Charles Xavier is one of those children. It was during a battle with Gambit. Sebastian Shaw and some generic henchmen Professor X is captured and then shot by Dr. Mueller, who is an enemy of Mr. Sinister. Charles lies bleeding out and we see him battling Mr. Sinister in his mind. Gambit shows up and Professor X now appears to be possessed / overtaken by Mr. Sinister. What makes us who we are, our memories; can they be overwritten by someone else’s genetic code? I don’t like how much of a victim Xavier has become, but the themes are fascinating ones. This book has become my second favorite x-book overtaking X-Factor.
Conan The Cimmerian #0 - Writer Tim Truman, Art Tomas Giorello, Colrs Jose Villarrubia. Another nice zero issue. 16 pages of story and art, that served as a bridge from the end of the first Conan run to the new re-launched Conan series. It is debatable if they needed to give Conan a new #1, but it was a nice way to serve notice that Conan is moving in the middle phase of his life. The beginnings of his life were the thief, now we move to the mercenary and pirate phase of his life as Conan has gotten a little older and wiser. This story showed him going home to Cimmerian and defending it from a raid from the Vanir, mixed in with some reminiscing showing what had come before. A real bargain for $1.
Captain America #39 – Writer Ed Brubaker, Art Rob De La Torre. Colors Frank D’Armata. Okay I constantly complain about the pace on this book, so let’s see what happened this issue. Bucky and Sam are sparing and talk about what they found battling Zola, which was some high tech stuff. Bucky wants to save Sharon. The 50’s Captain America shows up and beats up some people who were hired to attack the Red Skull’s presidential candidate and then backs the candidate on TV. People think this maybe the real Cap coming back to life. Sharon escapes her hospital bed and has Sin as a hostage trying to again escape the Red Skull. Bucky goes snooping and the 50’s Cap shows up and a battle is about to begin. Also this issue we get a new artist and it appears this work was rushed and/or shot from pencils and then colored by the “King of Muddy Coloring” Frank D’Armata. This book is moving like a snail going up a salt covered hill. It is also very disappointing to hear that Steve Epting will not be the main artist on this book anymore as apparently Luke Ross will be soon. I want to stay on this book, but I think just buying the every 25 issue Omnibus maybe the way to go with this book.
Trinity #4 – Front Story Writer Kurt Busiek, Pencils Mark Bagley, Inks Art Thibert, Colors Pete Pantazis, Backup Story – Writers Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza, Pencils Mike Norton, Finishes Jerry Ordway, Dream Sequence Pencils Scott McDaniel, Inks Andy Owens, Colors Allen Passalaqua. The front story is rolling along and almost comes across as a JLA adventure with the big three being just the main spotlighted characters. Konvict and Graak are interesting bad guys. We have Konvict as the big strong brute and Graak as the annoying mastermind and almost evil Jiminy Cricket character. We still have Morgan La Fey and Enigma in the background watching the fight, we see WW get tagged with something which will have implications down the road, but it still just feels like a normal JLA adventure and I want it to be more. I know we had the mysterious cosmic entity coming to Earth and it is a good beginning, but I think it should be a little more sooner. The backup story about Tarot seems to be also giving us a preview of Despero’s return to earth. I thought the back-up stories where going to be a little more about the big three, but it is supporting the main story line and I assume will merge with the main story line as the one shot backup of John Stewart did. I’m not committed to the entire run yet, but it is an enjoyable book so far. I heard this has been placed in continuity after Final Crisis, I hope that is not true as I don’t need things placed in continuity all the time, this can just be a good Trinity story and does not have to have long reaching effects in the DCU. The consistency of having one artist on the main story is a god send and helps this book immensely; Bagley is a true gem and a rare fast artist.
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Uncanny X-Men #499 – Writer Ed Bubaker, Artists Mike Choi & Ben Oliver, Colors Sonia Oback & Jason Keith. This issue ends the “feeling groovy” story line as we find out that Martinque Wyngarde was the person changing San Francisco into a hippie dream version of itself. This is one of my problems with the X-Men. Not only did I skip this book for a few years, I did not follow every single x-title for my entire life, so I never even knew Mastermind had a family, much less such an extensive one. I wonder if she is as beautiful as she is portrayed or like Dad, has an illusion of herself always being cast. Anyway the good guys win and the Mayor of San Fran offers them a home on the West Coast. At the same time Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler take out Omega Red and get the call to head back to a new home. I’m only reading a few x-books, but the continuity with all of these books never lines up. Also it feels like there is no coherent direction with the X-Men. I’m not even sure why I’m still buying these books. The only book consistently entertaining and well done is X-Men First Class. One last little gripe. This snippet of dialogue occurred in the midst of a battle. Cyclops “Emma! Watch your flank!” Emma: “My what? That had better not mean what I think it does Scott or you won’t be seeing any flank at all when we get out of this.” How stupid. Emma would certainly know what flank means and in a battle would not take umbrage to it. Instead of being cute and funny it came off as bad dialogue.
Immortal Iron Fist #16 – Writer Matt Fraction, Art David Aja, Colors Matt Hollingsworth. In what has to be one of the strangest ways to hand a book off, Iron Fist ends his run with Fraction alone at the helm and driving the book directly into the ground. The great artwork by Aja could not pull this losing issue out of the fire. First we see Danny running around teaching kids in a Dojo in Harlem and he has a wonderful program designed to solve all the ills in the world. Fraction comes off in this issue like a preachy far left liberal who thinks all the ills of the worlds come from big bad corporations; all kids are just blank slates waiting to be made into greatness. He has Danny trying to sell off and give away all the evil blood money that his multi-national corporation was based on. First off I do not need to be preached to this directly. If as a writer you have a world view and want to share do as part of the story. I know that these viewpoints of Fraction are such an oversimplification of the ills of the world as to make me retch reading it. Danny could do a hell of a lot of more good by using the power of running a huge multi-national corporation then he can by giving money away to causes. Money does not solve problems, live in Baltimore and watch the huge money drain we call the Baltimore City school system for proof that throwing money does not solve things. Second the overall premise that Danny discovers that all Iron Fists before him have died at 33 years old and that his 33rd birthday is how the issue ends. He does mention the prior Iron Fist disappeared at 33 – BUT HE DIDN’T DIE AT 33. This is how he hands it off to the new creative team. I like the Iron Fist character and will give the next team a one issue shot, but Fraction without Brubaker has been pretty poor, but together they were very entertaining.
Beyond Wonderland #0 (of 6) - Story Raven Gregory, Ralph Tedesco & Joe Brusha, Writer Raven Gregory, Art Daniel Leister, Colors Nei Ruffino. Instead of a bargain or a an great opening chapter Zenoscope’s zero issue are actually a rip-off. We get only six pages of a beginning to this story for $1, the rest is ads for the rest of their products. Still I’m looking forward to Beyond Wonderland, as Return to Wonderland was the best series Zenoscope has every done. Also I’m almost done with the regular Grimm Fairy Tales series. The opening six pages was a decent primer if you had skipped Return to Wonderland.
Ultimates #4 (of 5) - Writer Jeph Loeb, Art Joe Madureira, Digital Paints Christain Lichtner. Sniff, sniff, sniff, what is that smell. Oh it’s Ultimates 3 #4. Wow, what a load of crap. Jeph Loeb appears to have lost all of his ability to tell a coherent story as this story was all over the place and I no longer care about any of the mysteries that have been introduced. Joe Mad is suppose to be this stellar artist and I would be willing to bet the actual penciled pages are possibly stunning, but the crappy digital paints and production values have turned the work into a muddled pile of murky sh*t that only Man-Thing would be happy living in. This was worth the “whatever” number of months wait? I’ll get the last issue just to complain about it, but this is a rancid piece of meat that even a vulture would get sick picking at.

We had three zero issues and I have to say that Dark Horse gave us the most story and art for our buck, Avatar gave us the best story for our dollar and I should have saved a dollar and not gotten the Zenoscope dollar book as it wasn’t worth the buck.