Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Rapid Reviews - 17 March 2004 - Part I

Aquaman #16: I would be enjoying this a whole lot more if the solicits hadn't already given away most of what happened in this issue. Sure, there is fun in the details, but knowing what's going to happen makes it less enjoyable on the whole. It's a mix, sometimes you want some information about a book before you order it, and sometimes you don't. Anyway, I think this is a pretty cool issue altogether. The art is growing on me even more, and you can't beat an Alan Freakin' Davis cover. It hasn't quite hit 4 and a half starfish yet, but it's close. As it is, I can recommend this one to any and all. Go hook yourself a copy and let me know what you think. 4 starfish

Hellboy Premiere Edition: Got this via Wizard, through Carol (who collects Hellboy regularly). I also got a stuffed Abe Sapien based on the movie Abe who looks a little too alien, but was too cute to turn down. Anyway, this has two stories, "The Penanggalan" set in 1958 and starring Hellboy, and "B.P.R.D. Born Again" featuring Roger, Liz, Abe and Johann. I gotta admit I liked the second story better, mostly because I didn't really "get" the ending to the first one. It took a couple of reads to understand. In addition to the two stories, there's a six page sketchbook of monster drawings by Mike Mignola, done while working on the movie. A pretty nice package, all in all. Complete with a certificate of authenticity. 4 starfish

Wizard: Edge: I got this pretty much entirely for the Powers short story. I wasn't convinced that this would get any further out onto the "edge" of comics than the regular Wizard, so I wasn't really expecting much. I think I got a little more than expected, but much, much less than I would hope for. The 9 page Powers story delivered, but Wizard didn't go very far out on any edges in giving us "indie" press. Akiko? Milk and Cheese? Madman? Ghost World? I didn't think I was that far out myself, but this didn't have much of anything new or interesting to me. Maybe I didn't read closely enough. Or maybe I am that far out on the edge. Anyway, I guess the best audience for this, and probably the target audience, is superhero fans that want to try something new. And you don't want to miss the "Diary of the Hulk" in the back by James Kochalka, even if you don't get the book. 3 1/2 starfish

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