Captain Comics' collection reviews from the Comics Guides

[Border Mutt]

I'll be reposting Cap's Comic Guide collection reviews to this thread to make them easier to link to for the index.

[Border Mutt]

Posted in the October 14, 2015 Comics Guide

SATELLITE SAM DELUXE (HC)

STORY: MATT FRACTION

ART / COVER: HOWARD CHAYKIN

OCTOBER 14 / 400 PAGES / BW / M /$44.99

Here's a rarity: A story with a beginning, middle and end! It's typical Chaykin, though, with lots of sex (some of it kinky), so if that offends, steer away. But Fraction keeps the story on track through all the bedrooms (and dressing rooms, and telephone booths, and ... ) so the sex isn't gratuitous. Just plentiful. Anyway, if you want to read Satellite Sam, this is probably the way to do it, in one big book.

[Border Mutt]

Posted in the October 14, 2015 Comics Guide

DEAD DROP (TPB)

Publisher: VALIANT COMICS

Written by ALES KOT

Art by ADAM GORHAM

Cover by RAUL ALLEN

$9.99 US | 112 pgs. | T+

This turned into something I didn't expect, and while that's usually a good thing, I found this story a bit too clumsily staged. By the second issue, I could see the little man behind the curtain. I often tout Valiant books, so I felt it only fair to mention when one disappointed me.

[Border Mutt]

Posted in the October 21, 2015 Comics Guide

JUSTICE LEAGUE: A LEAGUE OF ONE (TPB)

Written by CHRISTOPHER MOELLER;

Art/Cover: CHRISTOPHER MOELLER

On sale OCTOBER 21 • 200 pg, FC, $16.99 US

I found the premise of the Wonder Woman story stupid, as I do any story that would end on page one if the main character would just trust her friends enough to tell them what she knew, instead of appearing to betray them. (I'm looking at you, Silver Age Saturn Girl.) But it turned out to be a pretty decent WW showcase for all that.

[Border Mutt]

Posted in the October 28, 2015 Comics Guide

THE COMPLETE LOVE HURTS (TPB)

Writer/Art/Cover: KIM W. ANDERSSON

FC, 240 pages, $19.99, TPB, 7” x 10”

The cover did its job, luring me in -- I found it attractive, plus it made me curious. The interior is a series of vignettes about love gone wrong, usually in an EC way. Sometimes I saw the twist coming, but more often I didn't, and overall I found it a good read.

[Border Mutt]

Posted in the October 28, 2015 Comics Guide

GREEN RIVER KILLER: A TRUE DETECTIVE STORY (TPB)

Writer: JEFF JENSEN

Art/Cover: JONATHAN CASE

B&W, 240 pages, $19.99, TPB, 6” x 9”

I was just going to sample this book one night when I was pretty tired, but found myself reading halfway through when I finally had to stop from fatigue -- at 5 a.m.! That's a pretty good indication of how much I liked it. The art is clear and un-fussy, and the story riveting.

[Border Mutt]

Posted in the October 28, 2015 Comics Guide

EMPIRE VOL 2: UPRISING

Writer MARK WAID

Art/Cover: BARRY KITSON

TPB • FC • $17.99 • 104 pages

Despite Kitson's beautiful, sunny art, or maybe because of it, Golgoth's world is both appalling and seductive. Similarly, Waid has fleshed out people who are gawdawful, and yet I find myself interested -- concerned? -- to learn their fates. I feel dirty after reading Empire, yet want to continue reading it.

Nice work, fellas!

[Border Mutt]

Posted in the October 28, 2015 Comics Guide

STORY OF LEE VOL 2 (GN)

Publisher: NBM

Writer: SEAN MICHAEL WILSON

Art/Cover: NAMI TAMURA

$11.99

The first volume of Story of Lee was about the joy, hope and infinite possibility we feel in young love, whereas this one takes the relationship between Lee and Matt to the next level, where the freshness has worn off and the hard part of building a lasting relationship begins.

And frankly, I'm not sure Matt has what it takes. I'm many years past my own courtship days, but he appears to be something of a thoughtless jerk, and perhaps a bit commitment-averse. Given that Lee is now in a foreign land with uncertain command of the language, his selfishness crosses over into cruelty. If not for Lee's uncle, things would have take a natural turn with the characters breaking up and Lee returning to Hong Kong. (The uncle's wisdom and insight borders on the magical, making him a sort of oracle that I'm guessing is a stock character in manga.)

So despite disliking Matt more and more, I found myself plowing on until the end, and wanting to know what happens next. I think that means I still like The Story of Lee.