This is Wednesday. New comics day. A lot of comics come out every Wednesday. Some good. Some bad. Some kind of in the middle. Not every comic has what it takes to be a Book of the Week. It takes a special breed of comic. Not just a good comic. It takes a DARN good comic.
OK, I'll give you a break on the phoney "Dragnet" narration for a while, but I can't promise it won't happen again. This week's Book of the Week is Dream Police by J. Michael Straczynski and Mike Deodato. These guys recently worked together on the controversial "Sins Past" story arc over in Amazing Spider-Man, but this book comes from Marvel's creator-owned Icon imprint. What that means is, we are getting something here unlike anything these creators have done before.
Dream Police is the story of a pair of cops, Joe Thursday and Frank Stanford, who patrol the Dreamscape beat. The Dreamscape is the place where all of our dreams actually happen. It's a huge city filled with dinosaurs, paranoia, orgies, naked people in meetings, frustration, symbolism, phobias and monsters in the closet. All these dreams, and the people who make them, have to play nice so they can co-exist. When things go wrong, it is time to call the Dream Police.
JMS goes all out to put together a story that is both fun and funny. Some of the humor comes from the silly circumstances faced by our completely serious heroes, and some of it comes from the craziness of the dreams themselves. Deodato's very subtle and realistic art helps ground the crazy proceedings by making everything feel down-to-earth and plausible, even when it isn't. Not only is this a great story from a pair of great creators, it is a completely self-contained, one-shot story. How often does that happen nowadays?
What we know so far: This week's Book of the Week-Dream Police. It's a comic. It's funny. Great art. Great story. Guaranteed. Buy it. Read it. Sleep tight.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Astro City: The Dark Age #1
A world full of super-heroes would truly be a cool and amazing place full of action, excitement and really wild things! If you were one of the super-folks. If, like everyone reading this, you were a regular, everyday person-no cosmic rays, no super-armor, no exposure to radioactive animal bites of any kind-things might not be so peachy.
That is the premise behind Astro City: The Dark Age #1. For the people of Astro City, their daily life is constantly being disrupted and endangered by alien invasions, super-people knocking buildings down and throwing cars at each other, giant spiders, and trolls coming out of the sewer. The constant turmoil in their lives really takes the edge off the "awe and wonder" of living in a world full of super-heroes.
The Dark Age specifically focusses on the lives of two brothers, Royal and Charles Williams. Royal is a petty criminal who is just about to dive even further into a life of crime. He takes advantage of the chaos in Astro City to prey on others and look out for himself. Charles has the unenviable job of being a police officer in Astro City. He tries to keep the chaos at bay, and tries to protect the normal citizens in this crazy world. Clearly, these brothers have a few issues between them.
The Dark Age is written by prolific fan-favorite scribe Kurt Busiek. Busiek does a great job here of combining everyday human drama with larger than life super-heroics. The art is by the equally respected Brent E. Anderson, and his slightly rough style truly captures the real-world feel of this series. Top that package off with covers by everyone's favorite super-hero painter Alex Ross, and you've got a trio of A-list comic book talents putting together a book that can't miss.
If you like your super-heroes with a little bit more real world appeal, or if you just enjoy reading a great, dramatic story, you can't go wrong with Astro City: The Dark Age #1. This promises to be the start of one of Busiek's most ambitious projects yet. You don't want to miss it, and you have no excuse not to try it out now while it is Four Color Fantasies' Guaranteed Book of the Week. Just remember, super-heroes may be cool but it wouldn't be so great if the Hulk leveled your house or Superman got knocked through your office building!
That is the premise behind Astro City: The Dark Age #1. For the people of Astro City, their daily life is constantly being disrupted and endangered by alien invasions, super-people knocking buildings down and throwing cars at each other, giant spiders, and trolls coming out of the sewer. The constant turmoil in their lives really takes the edge off the "awe and wonder" of living in a world full of super-heroes.
The Dark Age specifically focusses on the lives of two brothers, Royal and Charles Williams. Royal is a petty criminal who is just about to dive even further into a life of crime. He takes advantage of the chaos in Astro City to prey on others and look out for himself. Charles has the unenviable job of being a police officer in Astro City. He tries to keep the chaos at bay, and tries to protect the normal citizens in this crazy world. Clearly, these brothers have a few issues between them.
The Dark Age is written by prolific fan-favorite scribe Kurt Busiek. Busiek does a great job here of combining everyday human drama with larger than life super-heroics. The art is by the equally respected Brent E. Anderson, and his slightly rough style truly captures the real-world feel of this series. Top that package off with covers by everyone's favorite super-hero painter Alex Ross, and you've got a trio of A-list comic book talents putting together a book that can't miss.
If you like your super-heroes with a little bit more real world appeal, or if you just enjoy reading a great, dramatic story, you can't go wrong with Astro City: The Dark Age #1. This promises to be the start of one of Busiek's most ambitious projects yet. You don't want to miss it, and you have no excuse not to try it out now while it is Four Color Fantasies' Guaranteed Book of the Week. Just remember, super-heroes may be cool but it wouldn't be so great if the Hulk leveled your house or Superman got knocked through your office building!
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
There aren't enough comics out there for kids to read! There are way too many super-hero comics! We want more diverse material featuring other genres! Excuse my exclamation points, but those are just a few examples of complaints from fans about the current state of the comics biz. Sure, the big publishers bring us a lot of great stuff, but many people feel that there is just too much of the same old thing out there.
Unfortunately, when something new and different comes out, especially in the family friendly category, it is all too common for those books to sit unnoticed on the shelf. Maybe it is because people don't immediately recognize the title or maybe they don't want to risk money on an unknown quantity. That is why you should pay attention to this week's Book of the Week, The Stardust Kid.
This new title, published under Image's Desperado imprint, is brought to you by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog, the creators of the critically acclaimed Abadazad. Both creators are known for quality work, and Stardust Kid certainly lives up to their reputations. DeMatteis's story is both clever and insightful, full of fantastic concepts and believable characters. Ploog's art is lushly detailed, perfect for this story's otherworldly elements.
The first issue introduces reader's to Cody DiMarco, a 12 year old boy with a very unusual best friend. Cody's mother isn't quite sure what it is that bothers her about Paul Brightfield, but she knows she would rather her son didn't spend so much time with him. Cody's former best friend Alana also feels that there is something not quite "right" about Paul. Neither of them has any idea just how odd Paul really is. Not only is Paul not normal, he is not even human. Paul is really a shape-shifting magical entity, one of the last magical beings left on the Earth. He is also at the center of events that may completely destroy the world as Cody knows it...
The Stardust Kid #1 is the start of an epic fantasy adventure, appropriate for younger readers but substantial enough to interest even the most jaded comic book fan. Share it with your kids or treat your own inner child, but try out Stardust Kid now while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week!!! Obey the exclamation points!!
Unfortunately, when something new and different comes out, especially in the family friendly category, it is all too common for those books to sit unnoticed on the shelf. Maybe it is because people don't immediately recognize the title or maybe they don't want to risk money on an unknown quantity. That is why you should pay attention to this week's Book of the Week, The Stardust Kid.
This new title, published under Image's Desperado imprint, is brought to you by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog, the creators of the critically acclaimed Abadazad. Both creators are known for quality work, and Stardust Kid certainly lives up to their reputations. DeMatteis's story is both clever and insightful, full of fantastic concepts and believable characters. Ploog's art is lushly detailed, perfect for this story's otherworldly elements.
The first issue introduces reader's to Cody DiMarco, a 12 year old boy with a very unusual best friend. Cody's mother isn't quite sure what it is that bothers her about Paul Brightfield, but she knows she would rather her son didn't spend so much time with him. Cody's former best friend Alana also feels that there is something not quite "right" about Paul. Neither of them has any idea just how odd Paul really is. Not only is Paul not normal, he is not even human. Paul is really a shape-shifting magical entity, one of the last magical beings left on the Earth. He is also at the center of events that may completely destroy the world as Cody knows it...
The Stardust Kid #1 is the start of an epic fantasy adventure, appropriate for younger readers but substantial enough to interest even the most jaded comic book fan. Share it with your kids or treat your own inner child, but try out Stardust Kid now while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week!!! Obey the exclamation points!!
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