4.12.06 Reviews

Still trying to get caught up from a two week whirlwind tour of a business trip. Daytime blurring into night, days becoming weeks, sleep deprived and inebriated, the fight to bring you some good comics marches on. Here's a lightning fast recap of some memorable books from last week;

Desolation Jones #6 (DC/Wildstorm): Great wrap up to a quirky, off beat (yes, even for Ellis!) tale that pairs government agents gone deep underground in LA with some ethereal bits. I really enjoyed this series and unlike some Ellis minis, I'll be buying the trade for long term addition to my collection. Grade A.

Shaolin Cowboy #5 (Burlyman Entertainment): How can I possibly review this book, when Hannibal Tabu so cleverly does it for me over at CBR... "Sometimes you go to a party, and there's a girl dancing, and she's just wild -- she's all over the place and grinding up against any hard surface she finds, and she's clearly drunk or high or something, and when you catch her eye there's no telling what can happen. Pretty much every issue of "Shaolin Cowboy" is like that, and this one is no exception, featuring one of the most surreal splash pages in history..." Grade A-.

DMZ #6 (DC/Vertigo): Still quite strong. Grade A-.

Batman: Year 100 #3 (DC/Vertigo): Paul Pope's latest masterpiece continues. Smacks a little of the V For Vendetta movie high concept-wise, but a high point in comics nonetheless. Brilliant sense of design. Grade A.

BPRD: The Universal Machine #1 (Dark Horse): I love, love, love these BPRD series and they just keep getting better and better. Loved everything about this issue, the debate over "death" of a homunculus, the airtime for Kate Corrigan, the eclectic and ominous place she visits, and the promise of Captain Daimio's origin! Grade A+.

The Tourist (Image): I wonder if this was written some time ago by Brian Wood and it's just seeing print now? It's much different in style and tone than some of his more contemporary work. I enjoyed it quite a bit, just felt "out of voice" for this author. Interesting. Grade B+.