JUDGMENT DAY QUICK HITS!
Today I want to run through a few quick-hit reviews of some recent releases that I’ve quite enjoyed.
Aspen Showcase: Grace #1 (Aspen MLT) Written by Vince Hernandez; Art by Sana Takeda.The Aspen Showcase titles will feature one particular character from Aspen’s various regular titles including Soulfire, Fathom, Shrugged, and their new properties to come. Think of it sort of like those old anthology titles from Marvel Comics like Marvel Spotlight or Marvel Premiere. This first issue feature’s Soulfire’s heroine Grace as she journeys throughout time from the period of the Crusades to the year 2200, looking for a return of the age of magic. Highlighting the issue is simply gorgeous artwork by Sana Takeda with a moderate Manga look. Grade B+
Halloween: Nightdance #2 (Devils Due) Written by Stefan Hutchinson; Art by Tim Seeley. I really love Tim Seeley’s art and have been a fan for some time now. His rendering of Michael Myers is very well done. Michael is cold and almost mythological in this series. Hutchinson is doing a nice job presenting Michael’s driving madness, particularly in the way be painted one victims face like a clown before cutting her throat. But I’m having trouble wrapping myself around the convoluted storyline. The running first-person narrative from multiple characters makes the storyline difficult to follow. This series has enormous potential but needs to pickup up the juice a little bit moving forward. It was a boon for Devil’s Due to nail down the rights and it would be a shame to toss it away. Grade C
Urban Monsters #1 (Image Comics) Written by Will Wilson and Joanne Moore; Art by Tone Rodriguez and Rick Ross. Combine monsters with a good ol’ fashioned buddies on a road trip, and you’ve got Urban Monsters. Monsters are real and live in our world but they are strictly second-class citizens, doing the kind of drudgery work that no one else wants to do. Randy is a fishman, Eddie is a zombie, Arnaud is half man half goat beast, and Bet is a Sasquatch-like creature. When Randy and Arnaud read about an open casting call for monsters in Variety, the four friends hit the road from New York, heading to L.A. for what they hope will be fame and fortune. The buddy road trip plot is usually always fun and toss in monsters and you’ve got yourself an enjoyable first issue. I was surprised by the art as I thought they might go for a more minimal, cartoony look, given the subject matter, but the art was a real strength. I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series. Grade A-
