Sweet Tooth #16: Its all out war in this issue as the crazed tribal army storms the militia compound where Gus and the other hybrids are being held. Writer/artist Lemire perfectly captures the frenzied chaos and destruction of battle as the fence crashes down and the armies collide. Jeppard's plan has worked up till this point, but he must avoid the clatter of death that surrounds him and rescue Gus before it is too late.
This issue had me on the edge of my seat as the bloody events unfolded. Sweet Tooth seems to get better with each issue, and the trend continues here. The whole time I was reading I knew that even the smallest delay could keep Jeppard from rescuing Gus, and when that delay comes, as I knew it would, it was way crazier than I expected. The next issue is gonna be insane.
Skull Kickers #3: I haven't been the biggest fan of this title since the get go, and that right there should have been good enough of an indicator for me to spend my money elsewhere, but I'm a stubborn bastard at best, so I stuck around to see if this one would get any better. Well, it hasn't. I can't directly point to one thing that sticks out as the defining factor as to why this comic isn't my cup of tea, it isn't that it is a terrible comic. Far from it. It just doesn't engage or interest me on any compelling level. I don't feel invested in the characters, I don't feel invested in the plot, I don't care where the story is going, and I don't instantly crave the next issue as soon as I have finished reading the current one. Basically this comic is the polar opposite of Sweet Tooth. So, I won't be reading Skull Kickers any more. It just isn't for me.
SIDE NOTE: Kudos to the creative team for the cosmically-trippy double page spreads in this one!
Doorways #2: GRRM is back with another installment of Doorways. I wonder how much he is really involved in this comic? It doesn't feel like I'm reading a comic written by GRRM. Maybe they are just working off his old TV scripts and someone else is adapting it. Anyway... this issue is fairly similar to the first; lots of running, gunning and explosions. The cool thing about this issue is we get a taste of the bad-guy, Thane, who Cat, the traveler between worlds is running from. Yeah, he's a tough bad-ass. One thing I can't figure out is why Thomas, the doctor fellah who is caught up in all this, continues to let himself be caught up in all this business. His motivations are murky at best. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and there are only two issues left, so I'll probably stick around to see if they get answered.
Dracula The Company of Monsters #1: Yeah, I know, reeeeally cheesy cover, but it's whats on the inside that counts and Dracula The Company of Monsters is pretty damn great on the inside. First off, its created by Kurt Busiek who's been a successful comics creator for years. Secondly, it is written by Daryl Gregory, the dude who wrote Pandemonium and Devil's Alphabet two novels I read, reviewed and enjoyed earlier this year. Thirdly, I got recommended this one by a trusted source, so I decided to give it a shot. Definitely worth it.
The comic follows a guy named Evan who works for a powerful corporation. He's been given the task of deciphering some archaic scrolls and spells, which his Uncle, who also happens to be the company's CEO, wants to use to bring Dracula back to life and use as a tool in the company's corporate schemes. The issue weaves in some historical flashbacks which introduce Vlad the Impaler. Vlad used the spells Evan is trying to translate to further his reign of terror and to also become Dracula.
I liked that Evan, despite working for the family business, is simply caught up in the flow of events, and is just a regular guy who is in way over his head. Just when I thought I had reached vampire saturation, this comic comes along and delivers a nice twist to the vampire genre. The first issue has great writing and some fine artwork as well. A great first issue, and I look forward to reading more.
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