Where Monsters Dwell #1 (of 1) - Marvel (2005)

In the proud tradition (1 issue so far) of Devil Dinosaur #1 we now have Where Monsters Dwell. If you read my review of Devil Dinosaur (or, gasp, picked up the comic) you know what to expect from this one. Unlike the first of these Monster-related one-shots, WMD (nice initials, there) contains three new tales by Keith Giffen, Peter David and Jeff Parker along with a spectacular cover by Eric Powell which ties them all together:

The Giffen story is my favorite (for the credits banner, alone) but they're all good reads and the art is high-quality all the way through. There's also a reprint of a classic crab-the-size-of-Montana story at the end.

The image of the splash page below does NOT do it justice! Lovern Kindzierski faithfully recreates the pointilist, four-color style and lays it over Giffen's Kirby homage bringing about a stunning combination of nostalgia and post-modernism that makes me want this Bombu cat to get his own series. Woah! I got all "comic-blog lit crit" on you there. Sorry about that. Er, check out the groovy page:



So, don't buy any of these monster comics if you're, y'know, averse to fun.

The Goon: Fancy Pants Edition - Dark Horse (2005)

I got my copy of The Goon: Fancy Pants Edition last Wednesday despite the fact that it apparently doesn't hit the shelves until tomorrow. Eric Powell lives around here so I'm guessing that's why we got ours early.

I wasn't going to get it but I flipped through it and noticed that it only cost $25! Holy crap! I'm new to The Goon. The first issue of the comic I picked up was # 12 (review link) and I have been making plans to get the trades so I'll have the background.

Then this thing comes out. Wow.

It's got The Goon's story presented chronologically (including the two self-published issues) along with a soupçon of never-before-published material. This is exactly the thing I've been looking for.

I haven't read it yet (review forthcoming) but this thing is beautiful! I'm not a hardcover guy when it comes to comics but I'm glad I gave this one a second look. It's a class act right down to the endpapers. Well worth a couple of sawbucks and a fin. And, hey, the thing's even signed by Powell. Way cool.

Devil Dinosaur #1 (of 1) - Marvel (2005)

Eric Powell!

Devil Dinosaur!!

Kirby-inspired!!

That's pretty much all I need to say in this review. You'll make up your own mind about what those elements mean to you.

However, I will go into a bit more detail:

This story takes place in a time before recorded history. When things were simpler and gods walked the earth, barely noticing the lesser creatures around them. I am, of course, referring to the Silver Age.

Powell (writing & drawing) and Tom Sniegoski (writing) knock this one out of the park. It's a silly, bombastic story with time travel, fightin' and aliens in Kirby suits. The page below has most of the artistic elements that make this book the most fun thing I've read in weeks:



As you can see above, J.D. Mettler's colors are spectacular. The page which puts it all together is best shown in a larger size than my blog can handle so I provide this link.

This issue also contains a reprint of a 1960 Jack Kirby/Dick Ayers story which features the first appearance of Xemnu who shows up in a few early Defenders issues, this one, for example. It's is a bargain at twice the price!

If the other ones in this series are this good, I'll buy the individual issues and consider picking up the inevitable trade just to loan to my friends.

Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities #3

This is awesome. The first issue was quite good even though I had a few problems with the art. With this third issue, the art (by Kyle Hotz) has really grown on me. It does a great job of portraying Eric Powell's writing and the creepy stuff in this issue is damned creepy.

Billy and the rest of the freakshow he's been hired to travel with ride into a village in search of a jewel which is in the possession of Dr. Frankenstein. Yes, that Dr. Frankenstein. Powell's characterization of Frankenstein is excellent and Hotz draws him and his hideous creations spectacularly. Powell's colors are lurid and they look great on top of Hotz's pencils and inks.

Another reason I like this mini-series is that it's four issues long. This is exactly the number of issues that the story is going to require. I am sick and tired of six-issue series or story arcs which are only that long because that's what fits into a good-sized trade. This series would work well as a trade but I am so glad to see that Powell didn't try to stretch it into a shape it couldn't hold.