Alright, readers, here’s the deal. The collective publishing industry is playing coy this week, perhaps in deference to some media event that none of us would know about or condone at all. A few people have noted that this week is “slow” or “light” as far as new books is. Do you know what I would say to that? Fooey.
Even on weeks when absolutely nothing new comes out, there’s always something in our shop that you haven’t seen before, that you’ll like, and that someone else will harass you for liking, just not us. Not to your face, anyway. Of course, none of THAT matters because we’ve got a few new titles out this week, any of which could inspire a new itch that you’ll just have to scratch.
First up is Doomsday.1 1 (Byrne): There are few people in the comics industry that can claim the amount of experience and influence that John Byrne has. Of these, fewer still are able to take that experience and create something new and worthy of that reputation. I was anxious picking this title up because I was skeptical, but I picked it up anyway, and I’m actually glad I did.
The premise is fairly simple. An extinction-level-event occurs that threatens to burn the world. The people with the best chance of surviving are the seven people that’re already off the planet, watching events unfold on their space station. The best and worst of humanity is put on display in response to this tragedy, but the event doesn’t really care.
This could easily be considered a remake of Doomsday+1, a 70’s-era comic by Byrne and Joe Gill, but not having read that series, I couldn’t say for sure. What impresses me the most about this issue is that there’s no one thing that stands out. There’s a bit of political bickering, a smidge of romantic tension, some class struggle, plenty of fireworks, and even a taste of hard science-fiction. Nothing overpowers the narrative to make it a story about any one thing, and that give it a sense that it’s about everything. By leaving itself open, it assures that anything can happen, which is exactly what a doomsday story should be about. I’m also thrilled to say that as far as artwork is concerned, John Byrne hasn’t missed a beat.
The story may be bleak, but the book itself makes a good first impression. Definitely give this one a look.
Fatale 14 (Brubaker/ Phillips): Pancakes and syrup. Cake and ice cream. Brubaker and Phillips. What these three pairings have in common is that they’ve collaborated successfully so many times throughout the years that society just doesn’t want to contemplate the idea that they’ll ever be apart. With titles like Incognito and Criminal, B&P have covered the superhero genre quite fully already. Fatale is their step into fantasy while maintaining their noir roots, and it’s proven to be another winning mash-up.
Josephine had immortality thrust upon her, along with a few other attributes that make her attractive to a lot of people, some of whom aren’t nice or local. She’s confused herself about what her circumstances are - what little she knows disturbs her, and the ones who know the rest aren’t interested in sharing. Confusion brings other players into the mix that are more willing to side with the pretty brunette than a Nazi resident of R’yleh.
This is another infamous “I’m getting into this series late, let’s see how much I can catch on” review. There’s nothing in the way of recap and little context. What’s available is a showcase of fresh meetings, and they reveal a lot. Some people just happen to be able to see another aspect of the world, and while it doesn’t do them much good, it gives them some interesting options. Jo is someone that can be scared and vulnerable and strong at the same time - she doesn’t let anything stop her once she decides she needs to do something. I have no idea what’s going on, but I’d very much like to.
This isn’t a great jumping-on point, but it gives a great taste for the tone and style of the book. Anyone who reads this will want to go back and read the series from the beginning. I call dibs!
Regular Show 1 (Green/ Strejlau): As I was reaching for a copy of this to read, I was stopped. A warning came in the monotone voice that normally used by soothsayers foretelling doom. “Are you down with cool things?” the voice asked. Being a retailer for a comic book shop, I doubted I qualified, but I lied and said I was. If I wasn’t down with cool things before, perhaps I am now.
Cartoon Network broadcasts Regular Show, in which nothing is regular, and no amount of fiber could make it so. The comic continues this tradition with a tale of interdimension hijinks instigated by a mosh pit. (I wonder if the team at the LHC have investigated mosh pit technology.) Who’s to blame is tabled in favor of sealing the rift for all of reality is torn apart. Rope is required.
With so many cases where everything looks odd and the story sounds like a Mad Libs game, it’s easy to say “just turn your brain off and enjoy the show”. I won’t. Instead, I ask you what “regular” is. Does anyone know anyone and can say with complete confidence that they’re regular? Average? Normal? They don’t exist. Here’s a world where everyone is plainly, almost violently different from one another, and with such obvious evidence, no one has a choice but to accept that everybody’s different. And what’s the result? People more or less move on with their lives and try to have fun where they can find it.
No wonder governments hated comics for so long. With messages like that all over the place, the menace they pose to society’s children is clear.
(CC Note: Did you pull something with all that stretching you just did?) (Shut up, it’s good schmultz.)
The Dream Merchant 1 (Edmondson/ Novosadov): When it comes down right to it, we don’t know much about the brain. It can regulate millions of physical processes, collate and sort all kinds of data and memories, and rather than just stop if damaged or misaligned in any way, sometimes it kicks into some form of overdrive. It’s unpredictable, it’s dangerous, and it’s potential is limitless. All these factors are brought into play with The Dream Merchant.
Winslow gets lost in dreams so often and completely that he lives in a psychiatric hospital. It’s not that he’s hurt anyone or can’t function, he actually comes across as nice, he just can’t always tell when he’s awake or asleep, and no one outside a hospital environment can give him the attention such a state requires. Because it’s hard to say whether anything’s wrong with him, finding a suitable treatment that can give him independence without taking away his uniqueness is difficult. The latest experimental treatment succeeds in finding a possible cause for his condition, but there’s no pill on the market for a cabal of wraiths secreting into the waking world. A specialist comes by that seems to know plenty about this kind of condition, but he doesn’t exactly have credentials.
This issue follows every beat of what a first issue should accomplish. It shows characters in their usual environments, it disrupts that environment, and it sets up a new path for the lead characters to follow. The creative team has demonstrated that they know the basics of putting a comic book together. In future issues, I’d like to see the team try experimenting with the medium. It’d be a waste not to, with the endless scope of dreams to play around with, but they’re off to a solid start anyway.
It’s difficult to say how this series will develop as it goes on, but they’re off to a competent start.
There, you see? Four very readable new publications on what’s supposed to be a slow week. No such thing in our house! Come on by and see for yourself!
No comments:
Post a Comment