parakkum

Star Wars: Tag & Bink Were Here (Kevin Rubio, Lucas Marangon) - Written by the director of the Star Wars comedy fanfilm Troops, Tag & Bink tells the story of two eponymous losers who, after ducking out of the gunbattle on the Tantive IV end up intersecting episodes 4-6 on a regular basis. Written in the mode of the Tom Stoppard play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Tag & Bink not only makes contact with the movies, it explains how Tag & Bink profoundly (and absurdly) influenced the outcome of key and not-so-key events in the famous trilogy. The second part of this trade collects a sequel that shows what Tag & Bink were up to as kids -- during the prequels. Good, noncanonical fun.

Tales of the Vampires (Joss Whedon and others) - Another Dark Horse production, Tales of the Vampires collects vampire stories from the Buffyverse and features a mix of talent from the world of comics and from the writing staff of the television show. Although set inside a framing story about young would-be Watchers meeting their first vampire, it's really just a chance for talented writers and artists to put together whatever vampire stories they want. That said, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Maybe it's the fact that all the authors were abiding by the basic rules of the Buffy universe, but it made the book feel less random than other themed anthologies I've read.

The Authority: Human on the Inside (John Ridley, Ben Oliver) - Having followed The Authority into badness and back out again, I can't ever say what to expect from a given Authority title. All too often, there's the risk that the writer will simply ape the flippant self-confidence developed by Ellis and carried on reasonably well by Millar. The result is exactly like watching a bad sequel that tries to match the original and overdoes it (I'm looking at you, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest). The opening of the book had me worried that Ridley was going there, but I was actually quite pleased with how this one turned out. I think it explores an interesting part of being human, as well as a little bit of just what it would mean to have these godlike mortals running around, trying to rule the world. I believe the Wildstorm universe is in the process of being rebooted right now. I don't know what this means for the Authority, but I suspect that any new take on the title will still present a big challenge for whoever ends up writing it.

The Middle Man: The Trade Paperback Imperative (Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Les McClaine) - I picked up The Middleman at the 2006 San Diego Con, which in all likelihood means I bought it from one of the two creators. It's a quirky, fun little action-comedy-adventure book with engaging art and fun writing -- I'm glad I dropped ten bucks on it. I really enjoyed the fun, slightly ridiculous adventure story backed by good dialogue and pacing. And the art. Did I mention the art? I liked the art. I really don't want to say too much plotwise, but if you see it, the first two pages should tell you all you need to know.

Harley and Ivy: Love on the Lam (Judd Winick, Joe Chiodo) - Much like the review I just glanced at (and linked to) at Fourth Rail, I was not especially plussed by this book. Many people like Joe Chiodo, but I get the impression this is because he draws the big boobies. The whole book felt like a bunch of paintings I wouldn't have bid on at a convention auction. Winick's writing is also fairly flat on this one. Given how much fun the Harley & Ivy episode of Batman: the Animated Series was, I'd expect a little more good stuff out of this concept in Winick's hands. Unfortunately, the story ends up just kind of moving along, without any particular standout moments. I can't recommend it.

Emma Frost Volume 2: Mind Games (Karl Bollers, Carlo Pagulayan, Dennis Crisostomo) - The original single-issue release of the Emma Frost series featured Greg Horn covers that might lead one to suspect it was a porn title. This trade format reworks that image entirely, downsizing the book into the convenient size and format of a typical manga title. This appears, along with Mary Jane and Spider-Girl, to be part of Marvel's attempt to crack the Shojo manga market. I imagine sometime in the last several years, a Marvel marketing person walked into a Borders or Barnes & Noble and noticed that they have shelves and shelves of Shojo, feeding a growing market in the U.S. that's driven by the continued mainstreaming of anime. Inside, the book isn't quite Shojo, but it isn't a traditional Marvel book, either. Telling the continuing story of a young, not-yet-evil-and-then-subsequently-redeemed Emma Frost, Emma Frost focuses heavily on young Emma's feelings and relationships. As with other successful titles that start with a superhero universe but step away from it into a "real(ish) world" (for example, the DC police procedural Gotham Central), Emma feels more genuine and less stuck in the mode of constantly one-upping itself with new and more stupendous threats. I approve of Marvel's attempt to breach the Shojo market. Now I'm going to have to go read some Mary Jane and compare.

Arrowsmith: So Smart In Their Fine Uniforms (Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco) - Set in an alternate early-twentieth century world that has some amount of magic integrated into most things, Arrowsmith is Kurt Busiek's take on the story of an American lad volunteering for the Great War in Europe. As with most Busiek titles I've read, I ended up wanting to write a story in the same vein, and genuinely cared about the characters' fates. Pacheco's art is clean and wonderfully crisp, supporting Busiek's writing quite well. This trade collects the complete six-issue Arrowsmith limited series, but that doesn't mean the story really concludes, as such. Busiek has apparently said he and Pacheco would like to continue the series if they get a chance. I'm not sure what the market's like for "alternate history World War I stories featuring magic," but it's Busiek and Pacheco, and I would like to see some more.