3/13/08
Killing Joke HC
I reread this classic for this review, although I really didn't need to. Like most people I know, I got hooked on comics by the Killing Joke, and almost all the dialogue, as well as the masterful art by Brian Bolland, are seared into my mind. On a fresh read, the only thing I had trouble with was the coloring, which was apparently only done by John Higgins because Brian Bolland was late on his deadline. That's the biggest reason I'm picking up this hardcover edition of one of the best comic stories ever told: Bolland has gone back and recolored the whole book (for reference: the cover of the original is colored by Bolland). This makes for a brighter, more vibrant look to perfectly offset Alan Moore's dark, existentialist characterizations. If you're not buying this book this week, I'm not entirely sure what you're doing in a comic book store.
Dark Tower
This new miniseries signals the start of the real project of the Dark Tower comics, since the last one didn't actually contribute anything new to the story, but rather recapped an already-published book. The biggest draw of this one (which Marvel hasn't done nearly enough to promote) is that it actually adds a new story, a new chapter to the Dark Tower mythos. Even if you thought the last one dragged a bit, check out at least the first issue of The Long Road Home. The art, by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, is moody and textured, and the writing is a bit crisper.
Logan
Brian K. Vaughan says he thinks this miniseries is as good as, or better than his recent smash Dr. Strange book, which should be reason enough to plunk down a few bucks. If you've never read BKV and are wondering what the hype is about, a Wolverine book is about as accessible as you can get, and if you're already a convert, you know that when he says he's done good, he means it. This story wades hip-deep in the mostly unexplored Japanese era of Wolverine's past, and is drawn by Eduardo Risso, whose landscape work here is breathtaking. After reading the first issue, I can definitively say that both BKV and Risso lived up to my expectations, and I enjoyed this as a Wolverine miniseries as well, as much for what it didn't have (there's no "I'm the best at what I do" line, thank God) as for what it did (the scene where he breaks out of an interrogation cell is classic). Well worth checking out, especially since (unfortunately) there's only going to be three issues.
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