Review: Wulf & Batsy # 4

Well, well. Bryan Baugh has struck again. The saga of Wulf & Batsy continues with this issue from Crypt Logic Comics, which contains the second chapter of the "Bizarre Experiments" storyline. Nice cover illo. by Josh Howard, who has something of a decent cult following, but dare I say Baugh's own piece on the back cover is superior?

The illuminated horror fan should appreciate Baugh's razor sharp humor contained in both the dialogue and art. Always a hidden laugh somewhere in here, for those in the know. These characters and Baugh's style have become favorites of mine in a short matter of time, as the material never takes itself too seriously and always provides what a good comic should no matter the genre: entertainment.

Now, if my order from Captain Bloodclot would finally get here...

Review: Plan 9 From Outer Space Strikes Again!

What a trip! I'm a fan of Ed Wood and his films, so I was a pleasantly surprised to see this title. If you are also a fan of the Plan 9 movie, you'll probably find this issue a treat. Don't expect a dead-on (no pun intended, really.) rehash of the film. As the title clearly states, it is essentially a Bluewater Comics "sequel," for lack of a better term.

Being a Bluewater publication, you are getting top notch production values. Full color, slick paper, et. all. I've said this all before in other reviews, but I may as well restate it for the uninitiated.

Giovanni Timpano does very well on the interior art. I appreciate his craft more each time I see it. He's much better than some of the stuff being put in print these days. I suppose he did the cover also, but I didn't see any cover credits anywhere. Alex Sollazzo is the colorist, and he brings out the proper mood for this story with his work.

Darren Davis & Chad Helder are credited as writers. They basically run with the concept of "what if it happened again" and have fun with it. This time though, it would appear a murky branch of the government is trying to lure the aliens of Eros back to Earth in order to capture technology. Mayhem ensues. We are treated to cameos of all the old familiar Plan 9 characters in one form or another amidst the fast paced chaos. Yes, there's much going on, and you may find the plot slightly askew, in the best of Ed Wood tradition. Personally, I found page four to be worthy of a chuckle and grin, and if you buy this book I'm sure you will, too.

The book ends on such an unusual Woodish-note, that I have no idea if this is intended as a series or a one shot. Either way, it was a fast and fun read.

http://www.bluewaterprod.com/

Review: DUSK Vol. One

Dusk is the brainchild of writer David Doub and promises a different take on the world of vampires. Volume One is a four chapter black & white graphic novel, although I couldn't find a page count and I'm far too lazy to attempt one, hehe. Anyway, production value is pretty standard with the highlight being nice cover stock featuring a superbly moody work by Brett Middleton.

The interior art varies from chapter to chapter. Credits go to Maki Naro, Jerry Gonzales, and Franc Czuba. Obviously each has their own style, but all seem influenced to various degrees by manga and underground comix. Workmanlike efforts, unfortunately there were a couple scattered panels that were hard to follow.

The heart and soul of this work is the writing of Doub. Both plot and dialogue are above par, and one becomes immediately intrigued by his creations. The chapters mostly revolve around the female character of Eve, who is something of a mortal "enforcer" for the vampire Ash. They are somehow involved in what could be construed as a vampire "justice" group, although the specifics are never made clear in this volume. To loosely paraphrase Henry Hill, they seem to be "a police department for vampires." Strangely enough, I was reading the chapter in whence a vampire is "arrested" for collaborating with the National Socialists, just as Cleveland resident John Demyanyuk (sp?) was being extradited from the US to Germany for accussations of war crimes. Weird.

A plea to ALL aspiring comic writers: use NARRATIVE PANELS! They go a long way in giving the lowdown to the reader. Also, if you are working with underdeveloped artistic talent, I would shy away from panel after panel of action w/out text.

Oh, here is a much deserved bit of praise to whoever (the letterer?) laid out the dialogue balloons in this book. Great job! I see WAY too often in indy comics word balloons with horrible placement, in which you end up reading out of sequence. Not the case here. Kudos!

Regardless, it certainly is a different look at the world of vampirism, and with the interesting characters laid out within, this reader can hardly wait to get the scoop on unanswered questions (and there are MANY items not adequately addressed) when Volume Two comes around.

www.comicspace.com/David_Doub

On with the show...

Hey, Creeps!! Been a little while since my last entry. I intentionally did not post in the remainder of February as a "homage" to the late Lux Interior. March and April? Well, I got sidetracked with home renovations, etc.

So, I want to thank anyone who submitted material for review and have been waiting patiently to see your work detailed here. Reviews are again on the way! See you all soon...