hsut@pur-ee.UUCP (Yuk Hsu) (08/26/85)
Some interesting items that came in recently: TALES OF THE BEANWORLD #2 I don't consider this the masterpiece many people think it is, but Beanworld is very clever, with some original ideas and a nice feel for the absurd (??). If you're looking for something DIFFERENT, try this. It claims to be a comic book about ecology, and while the issues it addresses are not terribly deep or complex, it is marvelously entertaining. I found some scenes as funny as anything I've read in comics, but then I've been accused of having a perverse sense of humor... DOCTOR STRANGE #74 Roger Stern takes a break (good for him!) while Peter Gillis and Mark Badger (penciller for Gargoyle mini-series) take over for the dread "Secret Wars II tie-in". Of course Roger Stern would not lower himself to touch Shooter's drivel. This issue is not bad script-wise though; the Beyonder was handled nicely and the non-conflict between him and Strange was restrained (get the comic if you want to know what happened.) The art is actually better than the Gargoyle mini-series art, and recalls Ditko here and there. An inoffensive non-event after the Dark Dimension saga. ZOT! #10 By now everyone has heard of the "cancellation" (temporary, at least) of this title. Since I only "discovered" Zot a few months ago, I really feel guilty about not having supported this great book from the beginning. Zot! is a very serious and complex comic book despite its deceptively simple art. I certainly don't notice any decline in quality that Scott McCloud seems to be worried about (except in very VERY minor instances.) Zot! has the kind of innocent idealism, exuberance and energy that continues to give me pleasure after numerous re-readings. Like Moriarty, I will certainly write Scott McCloud to ask him to consider putting Zot! out again soon, and I hope Zot! fans on net.comics will do the same. Maybe a big response to Zot!'s cancellation (if not promise of increasing sales) will bring the book back soon. It's a shame that Zot! has to end (at least temporarily) while garbage proliferates on the racks. Bill Hsu pur-ee!hsut