Sunday, April 18, 2004

Rapid Reviews - 14 April 2004 - Part V

Dodge's Bullets: This is a grim 'n gritty detective story set in Seattle. The artwork is wonderful, and captures the look of Seattle quite well. The opening splash, with "snapshots" of Seattle landmarks over a map, is very nice. I wouldn't mind a print of that. As far as the story goes, it's pretty strong. The artwork does a good job with the storytelling, which is important during the numerous short fight scenes. Overall I only have one small nit, and I'll forgive it as there are a lot of reasons it might have worked that way. So I'll recommend this to anyone who likes straight up hard boiled detective tales. 4 starfish

Fallen Angel #10: I don't know. I really don't know. This book is simply confounding. It doesn't make much sense, and yet everything makes a lot of sense. It's like attending a philosophy lecture by a really good professor. You want to keep reading, you want to keep following, but you aren't sure. And this issue has the whole good/evil insanity... I just don't know. I keep reading it, but I'm not sure what it pulling me back. 3 1/2 starfish

AIT/Planet Lar box random pick number two: Last of the Independents.

Last of the Independents by Matt Fraction and Kieron Dwyer: This is practically a storybook in some ways. The layout is the first thing that jumps out at you. It comes in a nice wrapper so it will sit properly on a shelf, but the format is landscape, more like a storybook than a graphic novel. You have three characters that you quickly start to like... who just happen to be bank robbers. They've made a critical miscalculation, which is followed by a few more, but they're tough and they fight through it. The artwork is strong and evocative, and the sepia coloring makes for a symbolic sort of read. It's very strange, but definitely worth a look if you are into crime stories. It's a good use of the form. 3 1/2 starfish

Still to review: 1602 and Common Grounds.

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