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| Obie starring in "Operation Pancakes for Mercy" |
Friday Slice of Heaven - The Continuing Saga...
Beware of Spoilers
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| Chew #18 |
Chew #18 - Written by John Layman and illustrated by Rob Guillory, published by Image Comics. Chew continues to be one of my most highly anticipated monthly books and this month continues the trend of greatness. This issue finds Tony and Colby being assigned deadlier and deadlier assignments as Applebee gleefully sends the pair off on what he hopes will end in their deaths; maybe Colby should not have flaked on him from the past Thanksgiving.
They are assigned to assist the USDA and its team of versatile female operatives and their gang of deadly animal partners (not joking about this, see the parachuting squirrel with the cybernetic eye) to remove the threat of General Jontongjoo who is said to be developing a deadly bio-weapon. Tony and Colby, who are looked upon as being a couple of worthless, pain-in-the-ass FDA officials, are tasked with using the mysterious ultimate weapon of last resort, the nature of which is highly classified. When the mission goes completely tits-up, Tony is forced to engage the weapon and unleashes...forget it, just go read it. All I will say is that it is awesome and left me laughing and cheering. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| Who Is Jake Ellis #3 |
Who is Jake Ellis #3 - Written by Nathan Edmondson, illustrated by Tonci Zonjic, published by Image Comics. My LCS finally pulled through on this one and I was able to read it on the day of release...weird, but cool beans in my book. This issue finds Jake convincing Jon to regain control of his life by finding the "Facility" which had supposedly experimented on him. After securing some cash and a minimal disguise, Jon picks up some necessary supplies and speaks a language that neither he nor Jake remember having known, deepening the mystery of both characters. The pair abduct one of John's abductors and begin to formulate a secret plan of their own. Who is Jake Ellis, the invisible man who seems to exist solely in Jon's head? And for that matter, who is Jon Moore and what happened to him before and at the facility? Two more issues to go, and supposedly WIJE has been extended to a monthly comic as opposed to just a mini, so hopefully there will be some answers and hopefully we will have more of this excellent story for years to come. One thing to note in this issue is the beautifully colored pages of the nightclub when Jon walks across the dance floor to get his mark, which provide a stark contrast to the secluded corner where he and Jake were talking. I just felt I had to mention those pages. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Cyclops #1 - 3 - Written by Matz and illustrated by Luc Jacamon, published by Archaia. I have been meaning to check out Cyclops for some time now and was pleasantly surprised when Archaia handed out issues one through three at their Wondercon booth; I now need to pick up issue four as soon as possible and get this title on my pull list.
In the year 2054, the U.N. has outsourced its military missions to Multicorps Security, Inc., the private security firm that won the first round of bidding on the contract. Multicorps in turn equips all of its soldiers in the most up-to-date equipment with the main component being a single microcam attached inside the soldiers' helmets that provide recordings that are then broadcast to the world at large. With both ratings and share price dictating the players and the focus of the war, where does this leave ex-soccer star Doug Pistoia, who only wanted a job, but now finds himself on the frontlines of both the war and many highly-rated television programs.
Echoing the current state of warfare and depths of greed found in corporate interests in today's world, this series hit far too close to home. The art is beautiful and the story intense, but I also found that it took a couple issues for me to fully sympathize with Doug Pistoia, but by the end of issue three I was hopelessly hooked. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| The Nobody TPB |
The Nobody
- Written and Illustrated by Jeff Lemire, published by Vertigo Comics a DC Comics imprint. I know, if Jeff Lemire is involved, it is fairly safe to say that I will like the book, and this continues to be the case with The Nobody. When a stranger bandaged head-to-toe comes to the small town of Large Mouth, the residents have never experienced so much excitement. Vickie, a teenager from the diner down the street, befriends the man, John Griffen, who opens up to her about the accident that left him permanently disfigured, but he continues to hide a terrible secret. Fear and paranoia begin to set in when a local woman goes missing and some of the more bored townsfolk begin to suspect the stranger in her disappearance.
The Nobody is an incredibly well-told look at the nature of fear and mistrust and how the two can forever alter a town and the lives of everyone living there. Lemire keeps to a black, white and blue color palette and fully utilizes his unique character designs and large paneled layouts. Not for those who wish to be left smiling afterwards, but that is the case of most of Lemire's work. A beautiful study of mood and the darkness hidden in our society. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Slice Into the Woods
My Particular Copy of The Nobody - Damnit! I picked up this book at Wondercon and was thrilled to find a vendor selling tons of TPBs for 50% off and hidden in the Marvel section I came across a copy of this amazing book. I nearly danced with joy as I paid my $6.00 and skipped off into the mobs of people toward the next booth.
- Damnit! I picked up this book at Wondercon and was thrilled to find a vendor selling tons of TPBs for 50% off and hidden in the Marvel section I came across a copy of this amazing book. I nearly danced with joy as I paid my $6.00 and skipped off into the mobs of people toward the next booth. Back home, after a particular grueling day at the jobby-job, I skipped exercise and decided to alleviate my bad mood by reading the work of one of my favorite creators, Jeff Lemire. I consumed the pages in one sitting, with the climax of the story looming before me, everything came to a screeching halt as the story ended abruptly. What? Did Lemire plan to continue this in a second volume? What the what?! I later located another copy (and read it) and found that the one I read at home was missing the last seven pages. Now everything made sense, but I was pissed that the now-long-gone booth sold me a defective copy, but you get what you paid for. I will rebuy this book at a later date, one that is hopefully in tact. The Nobody minus the last seven pages is still good, but with all of the pages intact...VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Grrrrrrr...annoying.
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