TGWTG User Blogs

A couple of things: first, I don't read many mainstream superhero comics. Not that I have anything against them, it's just that my tastes run towards smaller publishing houses and creator-owned work. But I may buy a comic by the Big Two now and then. Second, I don't have a big comics budget, so I only end up buying stuff I really like. What you see is what you get.

With that, let's get to the comics, shall we?

Air #1

DC/Vertigo

Vertigo's newest ongoing series kicks off with an acrophobic flight attendant named Blythe, who just so happens to get tangled with a group of terrorists (not who you might think) and a mysterious stranger who likes to change his ethnicity each time she meets him. Odd setup for a comic, but this is Vertigo, the folks who gave us Preacher, the Sandman, and other assorted weirdness and will hopefully continue to do so. The team bringing us this comic, G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perkins, return after their successful debut GN Cairo. While Cairo jumped into middle-eastern myth almost directly in its modern setting, the first issue of Air takes its time, letting us settle into daily airport life in all its hectic and possibly dangerous glory before adding its fantasy twist. It's a fast-paced issue and not very heady, and at 32 pages should give you an idea of whether or not you want to follow this story. This team hasn't disappointed me in the past, so I'm willing to give Air another month to see if it'll hook me.

Dark Ivory #3 (of 4)

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For those unfamiliar: Dark Ivory is a coming-of-age story with vampires. That's about all you need to get started, along with the handy "Previously" section on the inside cover. This issue starts off by jumping away from Ivory's (yes that's her name) shocking realization and examines the two important men who are (or will be) in her life. This is good, because we've had so much Ivory in the past two issues that seeing the other people who populate her world. The downside is that this introspection slows the pace down somewhat. You win some, you lose some.

We finally get to see more of the vampire Esque, who so far has only appeared in two pages and a panel in issue 1 and mentioned briefly in issue 2. He's one of the most refreshing vampires I've come across lately. In a genre populated by angsty, jaw-droppingly gorgeous sex-on-a-stick "predators" (or slavering vaguely-human monsters, take your pick), Esque is, simply put, a bastard. A run-down, pockmarked, grubby bastard who just so happens to need blood to survive. And is a bastard about it.

And that's what makes Dark Ivory tick-- the earthiness and realism of the characters despite the somewhat formulaic "Be careful what you wish for" fable storyline. On top of that, there's quite a few mysteries yet to be unraveled--who is the mysterious Ma-ma? What exactly are the Fontaigne family secrets? And will Ivory's mom get a decent burial? Hopefully the next issue won't be as late as this one was!

Gargoyles: Bad Guys #4

SlaveLaborGraphics

Please tell me you remember the show Gargoyles. Okay, now imagine that the story continues after the end of Season 2. (The Goliath Chronicles didn't count.) Now, if you were a big fan and still are, go to your comic store right now and grab the latest trade.

The Bad Guys storyline runs concurrent with Gargoyles, and features characters that aren't featured in that series--namely, Dingo, Matrix, Yama, Fang, and a new Hunter. The first four are all contacted by Hunter for a chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of the world, but no one but Hunter knows who they are working for. The narrative jumps back and forth from the time each team member was added to their current mission. I have to say that I'm enjoying this spin-off better than its parent comic, possibly because the timeline-jumping is easier to follow, and the pacing much more suitable to a comic format (by contrast, Gargoyles follows several different timelines usually in hours rather than days or weeks, and nearly makes each issue equivalent to one 22-minute episode). At any rate, I've been a Dingo fan for quite a while, though Matrix really won me over in this series. Definitely pick this up if you're ticked that Buena Vista STILL hasn't released the second half of Season 2 on DVD.

Red Star: Sword of Lies #3

Archangel Studios

One thing I've noticed about the comics industry is that there's an issue of tardiness that runs around. Some issues get backed up a week, others come out several months overdue. So, when was the last time we saw the latest issue of Red Star? A year ago? It feels like it. Was it worth it?

The Red Star saga is rather like watching a Ridley Scott movie--great imagery, atmosphere, epic storyline--but only seeing about 15 minutes of it every year. This series is bursting with great ideas, goddesses and ghosts fighting against and alongside futuristic weaponry in an alternate-universe Russia, for starters. And the artwork is equally as engaging, featuring hand-drawn characters moving in environments fully rendered in 3d on a computer. The result is kind of like Titan A.E. meets Anastasia, only on a much grander scale.

But the time involved waiting for each installment is so great that the first thought in my mind was "Holy shit! They're actually still making this?" when I saw this issue on the shelves.

While I wouldn't recommend this issue for newcomers, I'd definitely recommend the hardcover collections of this series, nicely oversized to really capture the scope of the story. Just be prepared to wait another how many years for the story to finally finish. (Rather like my webcomic, actually...)

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This is my first review blog reviewing anything, so crits/comments are much appreciated. Also, suggestions for a title of this blog would be also great. Assuming anyone's reading this. To anyone who is, thank you!