QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE FRIDAY 01-04-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE FRIDAY 01-04-08
By John Judy

(NOTE: Comics are once again delayed two days because of the holidays. Happy New Year!)

30 DAYS OF NIGHT, VOL. 8: RED SNOW written and drawn by Ben Templesmith. Y’know, at first I was going to snark about how the vampires’ current prey seems to be dead horses, but then I noticed this was by the guy who drew the first “30 Days” series. This one’s set in Russia circa 1941 and looks very much worth a read. Recommended.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty. Willow and the Buffster meet a demon while Dawn confides to Xander how she “filled out” and then some. Recommended.

DOCTOR SOLAR MAN OF THE ATOM VOL. 4 HC by Various Creators. This volume collects issues #23-32 of the original series, plus a guest-shot in “Occult Files of Dr. Spektor #14”, thus completing the entire Silver-Age run of this early Gold Key/Wilson hero.

DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #4 by Warren Ellis and Ivan Rodriguez. It was solicited for October of last year and sucks a lot less than the Avatar Press website which sucks quite a bit. Featuring a variant wrap-around cover and a 1-in-15 variant cover, which is the sure sign of a great (and highly collectable!) comic.

END LEAGUE #1 by Rick Remender and Mat Broome. From the creator of “Fear Agent” comes this new series about the last superheroes on earth and their quest for the hammer of Thor. Good thing mythological figures are public domain, eh? This one has a preview up on YouTube. Worth a look.

ESSENTIAL POWER MAN AND IRON FIST VOL. 1 SC by Lotsa People including Chris Claremont and John Byrne. “It’s so dark… I can barely make it out… is it…the Bottom of the Barrel?! What’s it doing up there?”

GRAVEL #0 by Warren Ellis & Mike Wolfer and Raulo Caceres. Okay, it’s “co-written” by Ellis which historically means the soggy cocktail napkin was handed to the interns to decipher and a room full of lemurs to type up. That said, it has a rave from Garth Ennis in which he says “It’s like someone made a comic just for me.” That and the art by “Crecy” co-creator Raulo Caceres elevate this to a must-read for the week. Recommended.

NORTHLANDERS #2 by Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice. Prince Sven the Viking is back home and looking to square accounts with the uncle who’s taken all his stuff. It’s like “Hamlet” if Hamlet had less depression, more A.D.D., and no mommy issues. Recommended, but not for kids.

OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #4 of 10 by Jonathan Lethem and Farel Dalrymple. An interesting series featuring a new take on the classic Steve Gerber cult hero. Possibly it will read more smoothly in trade but for now it’s a good read for those who like a slow build.

PATH OF THE ASSASSIN VOL. 8: SHINOBI WITH EXTENDING FISTS SC by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. From the guys who gave us “Lone Wolf and Cub”, it’s more stuff like that! For ages 18 and over!

POWERS VOL. 11: SECRET IDENTITY SC by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Avon Oeming. Collecting issues #19-24 featuring the adventures of two homicide cops in a world of super-heroes and trademark Bendis patter.

PRIDE OF BAGHDAD SC by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon. Finally in soft-cover for all us cheapskates out here in Comicsville! From the gifted creator of “Ex Machina”, “Y the Last Man”, and “Runaways” this is the story of four lions who escape from the Baghdad Zoo after a 2003 bombing raid. Highly recommended unless you live in San Francisco. (Too soon?)

TEEN TITANS: YEAR ONE #1 of 6 by Amy Wolfram and Karl Kerschl. Pretty much what it says, notable for the vaguely manga look to the art and the scripting being done by the writer of the animated Titans series. Worth a look.

THUNDERBOLTS #118 by Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato. Dark Speedball beats up his shrink. Super-heroes are about the wish-fulfillment, kids…

ULTIMATE HUMAN #1 of 4 by Warren Ellis and Cary Nord. Finally a comic book about Chuck Norris! From now on there are no comic shops. There are only Chuck Norris shops! (Actually it’s about Iron Man fighting the Hulk. Don’t tell Chuck.)

UNCANNY X-MEN #494 by Ed Brubaker and Billy Tan. Hockey goalies dream of being padded like this latest X-crossover. Just remember: It’s this comic that helps make “Criminal” possible. (C’mon, you bought all the others….)

www.johnjudy.net