boyajian@akov68.DEC (03/13/85)
Ratings for the comics reviewed are as according to the Mad Armenian Scale, a shameless rip-off of the Moriarty Scale, stolen out from under the very nose of the Napolean of Crime. Nyah-ah-ah!! ******************************************************************************** |=>A+< A veritable Classic. One of the best of All Time. Example: THE SPIRIT | |==>A< One of the best of the year. Ex: TEEN TITANS #39: "Who Is Donna Troy?" | |==>B< A very good issue, one of the best of the month. Example: CEREBUS | |==>C< A well done, entertaining issue. Satisfying. Example: JON SABLE | |==>D< Rather boring, or a few good spots mixed with more bad ones. Ex: ROM | |==>F< Boring AND stupid or childish. Example: MARVEL SUPERHEROES SECRET WARS | |==>Z< Actually offensive. Example: DAZZLER --- THE MOVIE GRAPHIC NOVEL #12 | ******************************************************************************** SPECIAL FIRST ISSUE (or close enough) REVIEWS ALBEDO #1 & #2 (Steven A. Gallacci, $1.50 each) [C-] This is the latest in the wave of anthropomorphic animal comics that we've been assaulted with over the last several years. Each issue has three stories, the lead story in both issues being Publisher Gallacci's "Erma Felna of the EDF", an interstellar war series featuring the felinoid Confederation vs. the Lepine Republic (cats vs. rabbits, to put it in simpler terms). Each issue also features a story by Stan Sakai (better known, perhaps, as the letterer on GROO) featuring rabbits. This is a tough comic to grade. The results are very uneven, and it should probably get a lower grade, but I'm giving the comic points for effort. "Erma Felna"'s biggest asset is Gallacci's artwork. He's no major leaguer, but he's one of the better minor leaguers I've seen in a while. He was a "graphics specialist" in the USAF, and it shows in some of the combat scenes. The plot is rather straightforward, too. Gallacci's biggest problem is in his story- telling. Changes in scene seem too abrupt, and the flow of the story seems a bit awkward. He also can't spell to save his life. Characterization is a bit minimal so far, though that may improve with subsequent stories. The Sakai stories are by far the best in each issue, and they make it worth picking up the comic. The oen in the first issue is a heroic fantasy, "The Adventures of Nilson Groundthumper", following the rabbit hero as he enters the Forest of Eldwood in search of the maigical Well of Ancients. The second issue's story is "Usagi Yojimbo", about a rabbit ronin who meets up with a goblin. The artwork in both of these stories is *very* good, and the stories do the art justice, at least the second one does. The first is compe- tently done, sure enough, though it's more of an anecdote than a story. The third story in #1 was a parody of the Flash Gordon serials featur- ing various famous cartoon characters, by an uncredited Marc Schirmeister. The third story in #2 is an amusing illustrated poem by Lela Dowling. CBG's Don Thompson reviewed the first issue questioning the need to make the characters in the stories anthropomorphic animals. It's a valid com- plaint; unlike HOWARD THE DUCK or CEREBUS THE AARDVARK, these stories could have worked equally well with human characters (in fact, I would have much preferred "Usagi Yojimbo" as a straight human samurai tale). But it's a minor fault. There's enough good in this comic that I'd like to see it succeed. One could certainly do worse for $1.50 (like COYOTE). AMBUSH BUG #1 (DC, $.75) [B+] Humor comics are always a problem. I've always found that if there's anything that people's opinions differ on most, it's what's funny and what isn't. What some people think is a scream, others don't think is funny at all (I'll even be willing to believe that there's at least *one* person in the world who doesn't think Bill Cosby is funny!). And so, it's hard to recommend "funny books" (I mean *real* funny books), since the style of humor just might not tickle another person's funny bone, even if that person agrees with you on other things. Anyways, I think that this first issue of the Ambush Bug 4-Issue Mini-Series is a scream. Had me in stitiches the whole way through. I think that the only time I've laughed so hard at a comic book is with the Bug's previous appearances in ACTION COMICS and DC COMICS PRESENTS (and a few issues of CEREBUS as well, oh, and maybe REID FLEMING--WORLD'S TOUGHEST MILKMAN and Alan Moore's "D.R. & Quinch" in 2000 AD). I tell you what --- if you liked the Bug's previous appearances, you'll like this. If you've found that you don't care for the style of humor in those other stories, than you can pass this by. I won't argue with you, though I might look at you a little strangely. CLOAK AND DAGGER #1 (Marvel, $.65) [D+] I rather liked the C&D mini-series, as well as their various appear- ances here and there in other Marvel comics that I buy regularly. But I didn't care for this. Why? Because Mantlo seems content to keep them as one-note characters. While it's nice to have super-heroes who go after the *real* super- villains of our society --- drug pushers, child pornographers, and the like --- it gets rather tiring after the n-th time. And their characters don't seem to have developed any. Dagger still wants to go back to a "normal" life, and Cloak still wants her to stay with him. How long Mantlo is going to milk these ideas is anyone's guess. I won't be sticking around to find out. The "+" in my grade is for the nice (though he's done *much* better) artwork by Rick Leonardi. THE GARGOYLE #2 (Marvel, $.75) [C+] The first issue of this mini-series wasn't a fluke! Solid writing, more-than-solid characterization, competent artwork. If this keeps up over the next two issues, this could be the best mini-series Marvel has done yet (except for MACHINE MAN, that is). MOONSHADOW #2 (Marvel/Epic, $1.50) [C+] DeMatteis has another solid winner. Everything I said above about THE GARGOYLE goes for this as well, except that the artwork by Jon Muth is better. The best comic to come along from the Epic line (only TIME SPIRITS, CRASH RYAN, and GROO THE WANDERER come close). If there's anything about this that might turn some people off, it's that it's a little too literate. I'm not complain- ing, though. SHATTER #1 (First, $1.75) [C] OK, it's finally here. The comic that's unlike anything we've seen before, the comic that'll change our ideas about comics completely around. Comics have finally hit the computer age. So how is it? Good. Quite good. But nothing outstanding. Let's do the easy part first. As a story, it's adequate; a nice, BLADERUNNER-esque future-cop story with many interesting background concepts. The world that Gillis and Saenz create is as interesting, even if not as flamboyant, as the world of Chaykin's AMERICAN FLAGG! Part of what makes it feel right is that Gillis tosses more ideas at us than we can readily assimilate. It gets confusing at times, surely, but I prefer this style to one in which the characters explain everything to the audience. The story itself has some flow problems, part of which has to do with the art. The art. OK, it's not great. If you're expecting or hoping for Neal Adams, forget it. As an example of computer graphics applied to a storytelling medium, it's fascinating. *Damn* impressive. As comic art, it's got a ways to go. I can certainly live with it, and its novelty will help it go a long way, but it's going to need to improve before too long. The biggest problem I find with it is the flow problem mentioned above. Unlike some of the better comic art around, like Byrne or Adams, there's no dynamism to the art here. It feels more like a series of static pictures then a single, flowing story. Regardless, for its uniqueness, SHATTER is worth taking a look at. After all, it's only a one-shot. More installments will appear in JON SABLE, granted, but you should be picking that up already, anyway, so what have you got to lose? SPACED #7 (Unbridled Ambition, $1.60) [D] OK, so this isn't a first (or close enough to it) issue, but it *is* the first issue of this comic I've read. There have been good things said about this comic in various places (such as various Aardvark-Vanaheim comics), and a short story was run in CEREBUS recently as a "Unique Story". Quite frankly, I remain unimpressed. It's OK, but I don't see anything special here. The art and writing (by Tom Stazar) are adequate, but no more than that. Characteri- zation seems almost non-existent. If this issue has anything going for it, it's the Muppet parody that is the heart of the story. Other than that, this comic just doesn't do anything for me. SWORDS OF THE SWASHBUCKLERS #1 (Marvel/Epic, $1.50) [D-] Yo ho ho, and a yo ho hum. Dull, predictable (c'mon, now, don't tell me that once the High Admiral mentioned a daughter, you had no idea that it was Raader), characterless, cliched, silly, all of the above. Even the Guice art wasn't up to snuff. It's a shame that Butch --- oh, excuse me --- Jackson is being wasted on such tripe. TALES OF THE BEANWORLD #1 (Beanworld Press, $1.50) [D+] This advertises itself as "A most peculiar comic book experience". It's hard to argue with that; it's certainly, ah, different. The first time, to my knowledge anyway, that anyone's done a "funny vegetable" comic. Here, we follow the lives of the sentient legumes of Beanworld as they are invaded by a jolly green giant (would I kid you about a thing like this?). Everything about this comic strikes me as very juvenile, which is both its downfall and salvation. If you have young children or, like me, anticipate that someday you *might* have young children, then you may want to pick this up. I don't care much for this comic, but like NEIL THE HORSE, I'll probably keep buying it, because it should be a *great* story to read to very young children. Otherwise, unless you're into whimsy for its own sake, pass it by. --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA) UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian ARPA: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA
jsdy@hadron.UUCP (Joseph S. D. Yao) (03/21/85)
> CLOAK AND DAGGER #1 (Marvel, $.65) [D+]
I also have rather liked C&D everywhere that they appeared. But in
their new first issue they appeared so flat. So did everybody in
the rag. I especially hated the new characterisation of Dagger's
uncle, who is now just a blindly thundering preacher-man instead of
the caring friend and priest he'd been before. And C&D were just
caricatures of what they had been. Reminded me very much of the
"characterisations" in Secret Wars.
Joe Yao hadron!jsdy@seismo.{ARPA,UUCP}
Hadron, Inc. {seismo,prcrs,luhsavs,netex,isi}!hadron!jsdy