BOOM Studios and IMAGE Comics sent two of the books below, Steve Niles sent one, and I bought the other. I let the reader know this because in some circles reviewing product you buy versus those that are sent to you has implications upon your reviewing bias. I am content that life is good, and that I am lucky to have review product sent, however and wherever it comes from.
A 42 YEAR OLD AGE REGRESSES
Today I am 13 years old all over again. I picked up MONSTERS ON THE PROWL from Marvel with the last remnants of my birthday money, and it made my hair stand up and sent me on a journey back into time. I was 13, sitting on my bed reading a stack of comics. My older brother and I talking about each comic as we read (we shared a room). Against parental rules we each have a smuggled can of mountain dew with us. And while my brother is blowing through his comics in a short amount of time, the one I have in hand I keep reading because it is so good, I want to soak it in. Like that time, that moment is the comic MONSTERS ON THE PROWL was written by Steve Niles with art by Duncan Fegredo. And it is perfect. You get a fun story about some tough guys and some smart guys fighting all the odd beasts who threatened New York City in old weird Marvel titles during the fifties and sixties. The dialogue is perfect. The story is fun. The art is ideal. Buy this. Buy this now.
GIANT MONSTER
Steve Niles and Nat Jones
BOOM! Studios, $6.99
Tempting as it is to say big monster destroys earth, earth fights back, there is much more to this than that. I’ve waited three years for this story as I am a great fan of Gargantuan sized monsters, and I have to say that it was a good result, worth waiting for and completely different than I’d expected. In this monster tale the being who becomes the beast is not altogether sympathetic and the humans fighting the beast are not what I’d say are recognizable templates from monster movies. Niles does his best when he takes a creature, makes it pitiable, and then goes to war with humans due to fear and differences. Here you see the genesis of the beast, but did not have time to emotively attach to the human who is host to the horror. What you have therefore is something quite unexpected, something that went beyond the cliché, and something that made me look forward to the second part soon. The production of the book is excellent, the writing excellent, and the art, while not to my taste, still fully able to tell a story that requires story telling ability every bit as much as pin up art. I liked this book.
LONELY TOMBSTONE
Steve Niles, Nikki Niles and Ben Roman
IMAGE Comics, $5.95
Sometimes you gotta wonder why people do not seek professional help. In LONELY TOMBSTONE Darla adopts a Tombstone and she develops a sort of relationship or sort of love for it. Spooky things happen and the end of the story leads to a sort of ending that is both emotionally satisfying and not too sweet as to spoil the dark edge of the work. The role of Nikki Niles found her in her first bylined work is unknown, however unlike other Niles works where the only mediums or genres they are similar to is the movies that form the reference material in Steve Nile’s mind, here there are many visual similarities I find to both Courtney Cumrin (ONI) and GloomCookie (SLG). That this evokes those works is high praise, and due partially to the fine art and otherwise to the story. I think that while this is a title that was not in my realm of taste that it was very good, and if Nikki wants to work with Steve or alone, she is worth watching as a writer. This title has all ages appeal as well as appeal to girls in the awkward stage of adolescence of being attached to tombstones and talking to them.
BATMAN: GOTHAM COUNTY LINE
Steve Niles and Scott Hampton
DC Comics, $5.99
Batman throughout the 1990s and early 21st century has been portrayed as a miserable prick. He is unconscionably rude to his friends, and worse to allies, enemies and bystanders. His quest for vengeance has nearly driven him to become something he himself would despise. And then there is the take upon the character that Steve Niles presents. Sure Batman is a bad ass. Sure he uses violence and force to resolve issues. But the creature beneath the mask is human. And in this story he is seeking to know, what happens after death. Is there life however different? This is a human question that you’d think would have occurred to Batman previous, but if it has I have not read it. There are some issues of note, Joker seems to know who Batman is, intuitively or through mind reading, and as was pointed out to me by close friend Michael May there are violations of DC continuity that are troubling. I do not know however why continuity should be a chain around an ankle. I liked this far more than any recent take on the Batguy. Read for what it is, I suggest that that most non typical Batman readers will enthusiastically return to the rest of the issues of this series. I liked it in all its component parts, production, story and art.
CALLING ALL READERS
Either upon message board or to me through e-mail please let me know who you think was the best writer, artist and writer/artist of 2005 and what work deserves the credit for the best of 2005. This is not a contest per se, as I do not have a great stack of give away material or special art pages or signed comics, I simply want to gain a feel for your picks of 2005. I think it is always important to know what others think because there is no way a person can afford to read all the titles that have come out, or works from even one of the big 6 of Dark Horse, DC, DDP, IDW, IMAGE, & MARVEL. When sending your list, if you can, tell me what you thought were the best comics vis a vis publisher. Finally when you send an e-mail please send a mailing address so that I might place all the names in a pool and pick one for something fun. Thank you.
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