yoshida@hpfcla.UUCP (12/30/85)
"And what is good, Phaedrus,
And what is not good --
Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?"
-- Robert M. Pirsig
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*A = A Classic. Definitely not to be missed. *
*B = Noteworthy. Lots of good parts, but it just misses hitting the mark.*
*C = Good effort, but on the whole average. Take it or leave it. *
*D = Below Average. Not worth buying, but at least it's in four colors. *
*F = Trash. Use this one to line your bird cage bottom. *
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As they say, "Bring in the Clones." Following in the tradition of
Moriarty and Jayembee, here's another article chock full of comic
reviews. My intention is to "Fill in the Gaps," so to speak. I've
attempted to review titles which have not been talked about much just
due to the fact that there are such a vast number of mags which are
published nowadays. And so with that little introduction, let's get
on with FILLIN' IN THE GAPS:
Reviewed in this article:
ECHO OF FUTUREPAST #6 SIX FROM SIRIUS 2 #1,2
BATMAN #393,394 SHATTER #2
SUNRUNNERS #6
ECHO OF FUTUREPAST #6 [ B ] Various writers and artists (Continuity)
The series which makes this whole book worthwhile is "Bucky O'Hare."
This creation of Larry Hama and Micheal Golden is a real gem. It
reminds me a lot of the classic Bugs Bunny shows. Excellent art and a
truly enjoyable story. Touching and funny, never scraping for laughs.
I hope Continuity brings this series back, as this was the end of the
series' run in "Echo."
The other stories in this anthology are adequate. "AE-35" is your
typical "high-tech" futuristic story with shades of alien invasion and
international intrigue. "Torpedo" is also a modest success, as Alex
Toth does a surprisingly good job at giving life to a gangster story.
"Virus" I could do without, and "Tippy-Toe Jones" is down-right
offensive. "TTJ" is too Avant-garde for me, folks. Maybe I just
don't know how to appreciate it for what it is, whatever that may
be...
BATMAN #393,394 [ C++ ] Story: Doug Moench, Art: Paul Gulacy (DC)
Having largely ignored this title for quite sometime, I was attracted
to buy it on the basis of having Moench and Gulacy teamed up again.
The main villian in the story, the Dark Rider, could have come from
almost any of Robert Ludlum's spy/thriller books, or maybe even that
psychotic killer from "Sharkey's Machine." In any case, Gulacy's art
is good. Although I'm still partial to The Batman which Neal Adams
drew, the Darknight Detective is given a mysterious look that's
refreshing.
Moench's story is solid, if not predictable. He intermixes a lot of
current events: The Summit talks, nuclear blackmail, and
international terrorists. The relationship between The Batman and the
Soviet KGB agent, Katia, is somewhat contrived. You KNOW that she's
going to end up respecting him in the end. Ahh, well, 'twas a nice
story nonetheless.
SUNRUNNERS #6 [ D+ ] Story: Roger McKenzie, Art: Glenn Johnson and
Jim Sinclair
(Eclipse)
This one's a bad space opera, and the art (which used to be its saving
grace when Pat Broderick had the chores) is even worse. In previous
issues, it used to seem that the story was going somewhere. Recently,
though, things have stalled. This could be due to the fact that
Broderick, one of the co-creators, left the title for greener
pastures. The transistion may not have been as smooth as was hoped
for, as this issue was delayed several months.
McKenzie needs to add new elements to the story, or resolve the ones
already in progress. So far he's just baiting us by rehashing
situations that the characters have been in for the past 3 issues. If
this doesn't improve, I'm jumping boat as soon as the present
storyline ends.
SIX FROM SIRIUS 2 #1,2 [ B- ] Story: Doug Moench, Art: Paul Gulacy
(Epic)
Marvel knows a good thing when they see it. The success of the
original "Six" story prompted this worthy sequel. The art is great!
Gulacy uses pastel pencils, pen-and-ink, and who-knows-whatelse to
give panels that could be paintings that you could hang on your wall.
Maybe that's a bit of exaggeration, but I like it.
And here's a space soap opera that's worth something. Roger McKenzie
should take note. I get the feeling of the early Star Trek TV series
as I read this book. Not bad, and it's got me anxiously awaiting for
the next two issues. Nothing earthshaking here, but definitely good
stuff.
SHATTER #2 [ C- ] Art and Story: Mike Saenz (First)
Someday...
Someday "computer-generated" comics will be commonplace.
Someday...However, this effort by Mike Saenz is a taste of what's to
come. Enjoyable, but a bit crude. The book really needs
high-resolution graphics. The Laserwriter from Apple has helped, but
there's still LOTS of room for improvement.
The story also seems to suffer from the emphasis on the
"computer-generated" aspect. If Saenz could bring in more of the
tension and emotions from "Bladerunner," which it obviously takes some
of its inspiration from, it would do much better. However, I'm going
to give this book a chance because I see improvement from the "Shatter
Special #1," through its run as a back-up in "Jon Sable," to the
present book-length feature. There's a lot of potential for making
this a landmark series. One can only hope.
Until next time, I'll see you on the Net!
Stuart Yoshida
"Many miles away there's a shadow on the door
Of a cottage on the shore of a dark Scottish Lake."
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