DONE-IN-ONE REVIEWS: OCTOBER 27, 2007

[Blake Petit]

Once again, welcome to the Comixtreme.com Done-In-One review thread, where we run through reviews of books that our reviewers didn’t quite have time to devote full reviews to. Brief as they are, the Done-In-Ones are becoming one of the most diverse review destinations on the web. If you’ve got a review to request, please let us know!

Beowulf #2 (IDW Publishing)
By Chris Ryall, Gabriel Rodriguez, Neil Gaiman, and Roger Avary

Beowulf camps out and fights Grendel. In this issue, Ryall's characterization of Beowulf is more fully developed, and frankly, he's not very nice. This feels inconsistent with the source material. I've always thought of Beowulf as more virtuous, but here his virtues give way to near hubris. The fight with Grendel also differs from the original poem, in a way that I think also diminishes Beowulf. Rodriguez' art works well again; his facial expressions are easy to read, and the clever guy drips malice, even if he looks like a Wormtongue clone.
Rating: 3/5 --Eleanor Cromwell

Crawl Space: Xxxombies #1 (Image Comics)
By Rick Remender, Tony Moore, and Kieron Dwyer

As my inexplicable fascination with zombies continues, I wound up picking up this first issue of the new Crawl Space series. The concept is great -- Remender and Dwyer want to do a modern-day, Tales From the Crypt-style anthology series, but with the room to tell multiple-issue tales instead of short stories, maintaining the horror and black humor of the classic. They even have their own macabre host, the "Crawl Monitor." (A terrible pun, yes, but a highly appropriate one.) This first Crawl Space arc features a zombie attack on a highly unlikely scene -- the set of a porno movie in the 1970s. The book takes advantage of the setting to go heavy on the jokes and innuendo, but surprisingly light on the cheesecake (if you're turned off by that sort of thing). This is a fun issue and a noble experiment -- I wish these guys the best of luck.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit

Foolkiller #1 (Marvel Comics/MAX)
By Gregg Hurwitz and Lan Medina

Foolkiller seems to pretty much be a Punisher story without Frank Castle. It was better than I expected, but with that being said, I was let down that the title character does not get much panel time at all. Hurwitz does write the scum of the earth pretty well. Much like Garth Ennis, Hurwitz is able to create an uncomfortable vibe that seems all too real to the world we live in. Foolkiller has been around the Marvel Universe for awhile but this is not your mama's Foolkiller. There seems to be no hat or purifying gun when this guy is laying down his law. The art is terrific. Medina, who ironically worked on The Punisher, really shines in this issue and his art has never looked better.
Rating: 3/5 --Ryan Broussard

Gargoyles #6 (Slave Labor Graphics)
By Greg Weisman, Gordon Purcell, and Dustin Evans

This is one of those comics that would probably be really good if there only weren't such a huge gap between issues. Now to be fair, unlike other comics, the delays in Gargoyles aren't creative, but legal (i.e. jumping through hoops with the Disney licensing people), but no matter the reason, it weakens the comic. This issue marks the halfway point of the first story arc, "Clan-Building," and herein, Goliath encounters someone very unexpected. The memory gap from last issue aside, the fight scene here is engaging and moving, and I find myself loving these characters just as much as I did when their show was on the air back in the day. It's a strong book worthy of a better schedule. I just hope that the wrinkles are smoothed out, because with the new bimonthly Gargoyles: Bad Guys series scheduled to launch soon, it would be wonderful to get a monthly helping of Gargoyles.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit

Grimm Fairy Tales #17 (Zenescope)
By Ralph Tedesco, Joe Tyler, Scott Woodward, and Al Rio

Once again, the mysterious storyteller named Sela is compelled to intercede in the lives of those around her. When a woman named Patricia begins fearing her daughter is getting too close to her coke-sniffing stepson, she looks for a way to remove him from the picture, but the tale of the Juniper Tree may just cause her to rethink her stance. For Sela, though, something just isn't right. This book is starting to get kind of frustrating. If it were a simple anthology series about a storyteller with twisted fairy tales, it would be fine. If it were a story with a larger mythology about some sort of battle between opposing witches or something, it would still be fine. But instead, it's an anthology series that keeps dropping hints that there's a larger story, but after 17 issues, an annual, and a spin-off miniseries, there's still not enough pieces to begin assembling the puzzle. The artwork this issue is sort of weak too -- Patricia, the mother, looks practically the same age as her teenage daughter, and a lot of the anatomy is funky. I do like this series, but Tedesco and Tyler have either got to start giving us meat or stop giving us appetizers. If you've got a larger story to tell, gentlemen, it's time to get to it.
Rating: 3/5 --Blake M. Petit

Grimm Fairy Tales: Return to Wonderland #3 (Zenescope)
By Raven Gregory, Ralph Tedesco, Joe Tyler, and Rick Bonk

The Grimm Fairy Tales spin-off continues as Carroll Liddle, daughter of Alice, finds herself lost in her mother's warped Wonderland. An encounter with a caterpillar leads her to a far more terrifying battle with a Mad Hatter, and Carroll has to find the fierce beast inside herself. I'm interested in the twisted version of Wonderland Raven Gregory has presented us with here, although I'm a little disappointed in his development of Carroll. While he's certainly not making her a terrified waif, he does put her in somewhat stereotypical situations and she winds up in a fetish costume. Of course, if you've been following either this title or the parent series, a little cheesecake certainly isn't going to put you off. The important thing is, it's interesting, and the art is pretty strong too.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit

Loveless #20 (DC Comics/Vertigo)
By Brian Azzarello and Werther Dell'Edera

I honestly don't know what to make of this comic anymore. It started off as a moody spaghetti western set during Reconstruction, and now...well...the Reconstruction is still there, and the moodiness, and the spaghettiness, maybe not so much the western-ness anymore. And now there's ghosts. Literally as well as figuratively. Wrap it all up in deliberate misdirection, Azzarello's trademark double-speak, and - what was it? - two months since the last issue, and you get...confusion. I want to like this book. The moodiness, setting, and subject matter are rarely set upon together in stories, let alone comics. But without the practice of chewing over it last month, I find myself witless against this issue. That's either a sign of greatness or a sign of contempt. Or I suppose maybe it's just a sign that a story this intricate and this complex needs not only to work like clockwork but to ship like clockwork as well. Something is happening here for sure - there's a quality to this work that makes that clear - but I only have the vaguest notion of what.
Rating: 2/5 --S.A. Parvaze

Marvel Comics Presents #2 (Marvel Comics)
By Marc Guggenheim, Dave Wilkins, Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, M. Zachary Sherman, Khoi Pham, Rich Koslowski, and Andrea DiVito

Marvel's anthology title is back with three continuing stories from the first issue and a one-shot. The "Vanguard" story picks up a bit after a pretty mysterious and confusing opening last issue and Guggenheim does a wonderful bit of chatting between Reed Richards and a detective, not to mention a somewhat direct shot at DC's Plastic Man. You really see the Law & Order roots of Guggenheim's writing come out in a good way and Dave Wilkins' art style is dark but fun. The "Hellcat" storyline continues its beautifully confusing plot and we get hints of what may be causing all the Patsy Walkers to be running about. Its got that Nextwave fun on art, the humor to match, and has been the star story in the first two issues of MCP. Next up was the "Taskmaster" story which was a cool done-in-one tale, and sort of worked as a prelude to his debut in Avengers: The Initiative. Finally, the "Weapon Omega" tale makes a couple progressions but not enough to justify itself yet. Overall, the re-introduction of this book has been a great success. This is a great way to refresh lesser Marvel characters and has a chance to be a great title as long as good writers and artists continue to contribute.
Rating: 4/5 --Ben Lehnsherr

Moon Knight #13 (Marvel Comics)
By Charlie Huston and Tomm Coker

This issue was definitely a surprise. It skips ahead a bit from the story in the issues preceeding it, and especially with the vast style change in artist, it reads like a last bang one shot. And it works great. Huston curiously writes his best Moon Knight issue as his double-sized last Moon Knight issue. A lot of people who read Huston's second arc was found it to be too confusing and plodding for most that didn't follow the title really closely and even for some that did. While this issue still isn't that new reader friendly, people should buy this issue for the interview portion of the book alone. Tomm Coker stepped in for this issue and gives the book the feel of those Bendis/Maleev Daredevil stories. A lot of great things are juggled with the multiple storylines at a great pace, the "coming of age" feel of Moon Knight working for something, and thin line Marc Spector rides on between crazy and cunning. Hopefully the new team carries the groundwork laid here.
Rating: 4/5 --Ben Lehnsherr

Proof #1 (Image Comics)
By Alexander Grecian, Riley Rossmo, and Tyler Jenkins

Upon the staunch recommendation of my Local Comic Shop owner, I decided to give Alexander Grecian and Riley Rossmo's new Proof series sight unseen. I'm pretty glad I did. This is the story of John Prufrock, a.k.a. "Proof," a top agent of The Lodge -- a joint American/Canadian operation that investigates supernatural threats in North America. The twist? Proof just happens to be a Sasquatch. In this issue, Proof gets a new partner and a new case -- investigating a sick series of murders that has left sacks of empty skin hanging in the woods of Minnesota. The book is pretty entertaining, with a twist that reminds me very much of Hellboy or Perhapanauts (and I intend these both as compliments). There's a backup story about his new partner, Ginger Brown, that isn't bad but could pretty easily have been folded into the main story. At any rate, I like the first issue and I'll definitely follow at least the first arc.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit

Star Wars Dark Times #6 (Dark Horse Comics)
By Mick Harrison, Dave Ross and Alex Wald

This arc we're introduced to another Jedi, K'kruhk to be precise, and this is set two days before Order 66. I must say this series continues to deliver, great paced action, great artwork and involving stoylines. At one point you do feel the same sadness as the order is given and the hope seems to fade away. One qualm I had about the issue was the lack of Anakin, so far we have had a backstory of the regret that he made since becoming Vader, it would have been nice to see the privates thoughts leading up to Order 66 but I suppose they thought it was covered in the films, however wooden it was!! We do catch up with the characters from the first arc as they're on the run as it were and the art work is just beautiful Ross and Wald work well together and they've got a real grip of the Star Wars universe.
All in all I'm really pleased with this series and now would be a good time to jump on.
Rating: 4/5 --Mathew Smith

Velocity Pilot Season #1 (Image Comics/Top Cow Productions)
By Joe Casey and Kevin Maguire

Velocity is a speedster in the Top Cow Universe and this issue is simply a day in her life. Her life is interrupted by an evil scientist who happens on a way to control Velocity and use her powers for his own personal gain…yadda, yadda, yaddda. I bought this issue on a whim. I’m familiar with the character, as I bought a few Velocity comics half a lifetime ago, but it was the art in this issue that sold me. Kevin Maguire is fantastic. The art is crystal clear; the figures are perfect, though it leans dangerously close to being cheesecake. The story is as generic as it comes. Bad guy with a sexy assistant in a nurse’s uniform. Hero going on a date with a normal guy. It’s all there. What saves it is that it’s pretty funny stuff. Velocity is cracking-wise whenever she can and pithy one liners are dropping like flies. So I’d give the story at best two out of five, but the art is a four and a half. Put them together and you get a pretty fun issue.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Terry Verticchio.

The Walking Dead #43 (Image Comics)
By Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

It's pretty rare that I walk into my local comic shop only to hear the shopkeep tell each regular customer, as they enter, "Walking Dead is gonna tick you off." So when that's what happened Wednesday, I knew this would be an issue worth reading. And he was right, this is a comic that will frustrate many people, but not because it's bad. Last issue ended with the Governor -- last seen after being butchered by Michonne some months ago -- and his army beginning an attack on the prison occupied by our heroes. This issue plays fill-in-the-blanks, telling us what happened to the governor from the moment Michonne left him and the moment he charged the prison, ending on the same page as last issue. It's an interesting issue, and I have no doubt that some of the information we get here will prove vital in the future, but my comic shop guy was right. After being so jazzed up at the end of last issue, I just wanted a little bit more. A good issue, to be certain, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I felt a teeny little letdown.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit

[Ryan Broussard]

so far I am disappointed in the weapon Omega story in MCP...I cannot believe there are 10 more to go...the taskmaster story was awesome

[S.A. Parvaze]

Crawl Space was great. It had everything it needed to make an awesomely bad story - zombies, porn stars, truckers with attitude.

That's just fun comics right there.

[Ben Lehnsherr]

Originally Posted by Ryan Broussard

so far I am disappointed in the weapon Omega story in MCP...I cannot believe there are 10 more to go...the taskmaster story was awesome

Yeah, hopefully this is all just groundwork as long as something great comes out of the WO story.

I read Foolkiller and I agree with your review. It wasn't bad, but it definitely read like "If you love the Punisher, you love this!".

[S.A. Parvaze]

Originally Posted by Ben Lehnsherr

I read Foolkiller and I agree with your review. It wasn't bad, but it definitely read like "If you love the Punisher, you love this!".

And that's exactly why I passed on it after reading the solicit. I love Punisher, but two of them is redundant.



That, and 'Foolkiller' sounds like a vigilante version of Mr. T.

...

Okay, I'd sooo buy that.

[Ben Lehnsherr]

Originally Posted by S.A. Parvaze

And that's exactly why I passed on it after reading the solicit. I love Punisher, but two of them is redundant.



That, and 'Foolkiller' sounds like a vigilante version of Mr. T.

...

Okay, I'd sooo buy that.

Which is why I like when titles like Wisdom, and more recently, Terror Inc. come out. Great titles that uses the MAX title in a different, creative way.

[Ryan Broussard]

Originally Posted by S.A. Parvaze

And that's exactly why I passed on it after reading the solicit. I love Punisher, but two of them is redundant.



That, and 'Foolkiller' sounds like a vigilante version of Mr. T.

...

Okay, I'd sooo buy that.

this was one of the things that may have held me back when getting this title...but come on...Foolkiller has a dog

[Andrea Speed]

this was one of the things that may have held me back when getting this title...but come on...Foolkiller has a dog

"I pity the pooch!'

Sorry, I couldn't resist ...

[PinchyWearO]

I agree with your review of MCP. 3/1 ratio of good to bad/mediocre is a good enough ratio for me (MUCH better than the ratio for SNL skits). I'm happy with the variety of types of stories as well.

Proof was also a pleasant surprise.

[Ben Lehnsherr]

Originally Posted by PinchyWearO

I agree with your review of MCP. 3/1 ratio of good to bad/mediocre is a good enough ratio for me (MUCH better than the ratio for SNL skits). I'm happy with the variety of types of stories as well.

Proof was also a pleasant surprise.

Yeah, if MCP can give me 3 out of 4 stories every month, this title's gonna be successful for a long while. Its a great platform to keep lesser characters in the thick of things and a great way to tell stories that you couldn't really make an arc or a limited series out of.

[S.A. Parvaze]

Originally Posted by Andrea Speed

"I pity the pooch!'

Sorry, I couldn't resist ...

No, you have it wrong. Foo'killa Mr. T ain't got no more time for pity. It's time for action. Foo's and suckas beware, Mr. T gonna bring some justice up in there.



You'd be surprised how much I thought this out on my walk earlier today...

[Ryan Broussard]

proof was great. I picked it up because me and blake share the same LCS and our guy was pushing it like there was no tomorrow and he gave a money back promise that it was good...

It was def worth reading...good stuff

[Ben Lehnsherr]

Originally Posted by Ryan Broussard

proof was great. I picked it up because me and blake share the same LCS and our guy was pushing it like there was no tomorrow and he gave a money back promise that it was good...

It was def worth reading...good stuff

Do you always kneel to peer pressure so easily?

[Blake Petit]

It's more a matter of trust than pressure. Jason (our LCS guy) has never recommended a book to me that I didn't wind up enjoying.

[Ben Lehnsherr]

Originally Posted by Blake Petit

It's more a matter of trust than pressure. Jason (our LCS guy) has never recommended a book to me that I didn't wind up enjoying.

Yeah, I was just joking around. My LCS guy (Mark) and I have a good relationship. I moved 20 min away and still go to him over the closer guy.

[Ryan Broussard]

Originally Posted by Ben Lehnsherr

Do you always kneel to peer pressure so easily?

haha...You should have met the guy that was the lcs worker before jason...he would push everything....I mean everything...hated it.......jason knows what I like...he knew i would like it because i love hellboy and monsters...besides with a money back guarantee that i would like it what did i have to lose

[Blake Petit]

I know just what you mean, Ryan. I once had a conversation with the individual you're talking about where I complained about some book I wasn't enjoying -- I don't even remember what comic it was, and it doesn't really matter. He nodded and agreed with every word I said, and a little later, I went to another part of the shop. When I came back, he was talking to another customer about the same book, except he and this guy were talking about how great it was. I just stood there thinking, "Really? You're actually going to lie about this?" He was either lying to me or to the other guy, and either way, it seemed cheap.

I'd rather disagree with you and respect you than the other way around.

[Ben Lehnsherr]

Yeah, my LCS guy recommends according to the type of books on my pull list. He knows I like the team books, and hooks me up accordingly. He's great at picking gems too, though.

[Ryan Broussard]

Originally Posted by Blake Petit

I know just what you mean, Ryan. I once had a conversation with the individual you're talking about where I complained about some book I wasn't enjoying -- I don't even remember what comic it was, and it doesn't really matter. He nodded and agreed with every word I said, and a little later, I went to another part of the shop. When I came back, he was talking to another customer about the same book, except he and this guy were talking about how great it was. I just stood there thinking, "Really? You're actually going to lie about this?"

I'd rather disagree with you and respect you than the other way around.

Exactly, there are two types of lcs workers just like two types of waiters....there are the types that tell you the steak is the best item on the menu no matter what, they kind that when you say "how is this?" they say it is terrific, OR there is the type that say honestly I have never tried it.

I can honestly say that at my lcs they people are pretty honest...I can ask how is this and sometimes they tell me it was okay, or not so good or even a I think you will like it if you like this...

It makes it pretty nice.....

If I have a lcs owner that loved everything or hated it all, i could not continue going there