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Off the Beaten Path

6/11/06

This is the 'inner' issue. Because everyone has an 'inner' something, be it good or bad, we all got 'em. Today's column is called "Inner Child, Inner Demons, Inner God and … Inner Bimbo!" I originally wanted to do a Sam Keith column, reviewing 'Scratch', 'My Inner Bimbo' and 'The Maxx' (since the series is complete in graphic novel form, including all of the extra stuff) unfortunately, several new comics hit the shelf this week, and I felt it better to review something current and save the reminiscing for a later day, let your 'inner' run free and as always…enjoy.

Title- Cobb

The Basics- We meet the main character Cobb as a child, a child wielding a baseball bat in the defense of the neighborhoods chosen target, a well-meaning nerdy kid. Fast forward to the adult Cobb, wielding his fists in defense of a stray dog, being stalked by a drunken mob, intent on kicking it for a field goal. Some things never change, think Brodie, from 'Brodies Law', very similar character, kick ass, take questions later, if anyone can still talk. The writing is fast and gritty, not unlike 'Brodies Law', Cobb is endearing in a rugged kickass kind of way. Cobb is an ex-serviceman, probably special ops, highly skilled, dangerous and bored out of his skull as a civilian. After his good Samaritan stunt lands him in the local 'honkey tonk' county jail, he's made an offer by an old associate, the offer is to work for a private firm, doing the dirty work. 'Off the record' dirty work as the case may be.

The Art- Is in black & white, not my usual fare, very few artists do black & white well, Eduardo Barreto is one of them. His art is very Frank Miller, the king (in my humble opinion) of black & white gritty, back alley characters and stories. In black& white, less is more, refer once again to the King, Frank Miller, and this book keeps this cardinal rule from beginning to end, each character is drawn with just enough detail, each background with just enough visible to create emotions, build characters and move the story along nicely.

The Verdict- If you liked 'Brodie's Law' and are a fan of black & white comics, or Frank Miller, this one's worth a look. Cobb was born to kick ass, carry a Louisville slugger and take names later!

Title-Shrugged

The Basics- First off F23K Michael Turner and Aspen! Why you may ask? This book has three issues published, count them 1…2…3 and the actual FIRST issue isn't even out yet, then there are the variant covers, the pencil editions, the zero and ½ issues, when the F23K does this book actually start! With that said, onto the review, Shrugged is not your typical book, the story centers on three characters, Ange (the good conscience from the otherworld city of Elysia), Dev (from the other world city of Nefario, the 'adventurous' and in some cases bad conscience) and Theodore (the boy who's life is lead, through suggestion, by Ange and Dev). Simple enough, I think not, enter the 'what if mafia', your 'good' guys and your 'bad guys' one super hot 'villain or hero'? Not to mention the regular everyday thoughts, actions and life of a 17-year-old boy, to really put a twist on things.

The Art- It's Aspen, what do you expect, the art is fantastic, the coloring is amazing, the characters are hot, sexy, bold, different and funny. Each character is drawn with their personality traits in mind. The backgrounds are full, and vibrant, giving many details to each character's personality and some of their history. Lot's of foreshadowing is done through the background art, pay attention. The art switches from fun and carefree to dark and edgy to light and breezy, fitting each character and plot point, which is very interesting and helpful in the overall storytelling.

The Verdict- If they ever get to the first issue, this could very well be one of the best books this year, just be prepared to buy, buy, buy and them buy some more! Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware!

Title- Emissary

The Basics- Jim Valentino (of Shadowhawk fame) created it, and Jason Rand's the writer of this new book exploring political, sociological (I lifted the last 4 words from news-a-rama's interview with Jim Valentino and added the religious part) and religious issues, when The Emissary arrives on earth. The arrival of a super being causes quite a stir, especially in Times Square where he levitates up to the sky and proceeds to announce his presence. To complicate matters, he is black, and most likely the first and only super being ever encountered in this Earth's history. Is he good, bad, indifferent, human, machine or god? One major question posed in this book, is how would the world have reacted if the first super being we were introduced to was black? What if Jesus returned tomorrow and he didn't match the waspy paintings we have all come to know him by? These questions will be answered over the next twelve issues according to Jim and the crew of Shadowline. I for one and intrigued, any comic book tackling issues of racism and societies views on what is the norm is a plus in my world.

The Art- Juan Ferreyra is handling the art on this project and doing a damn fine job, the characters are solid, the backgrounds are solid, and filled with many details which give the story a believable feel, such as the ads running on the monitors in Times Square, and the logo T-shirts worn by some of the civilians, these little details add flavor and originality to any book.

The Verdict- The Emissary is coming The Emissary is coming, and he's Black! I love it, a unique twist on a great theme. I wish this book the best of luck, pick it up and then discuss it in your Soc. 101 class.

Title- My Inner Bimbo

The Basics- Where do I even start? Sam Keith's newest outing is just as twisted and confusing as his other offerings, full of Psyche 101 and beautiful women. The characters are Lo (possibly the main character?) Betsy (Lo's wife, 17 years older wife), A cancer ridden cat (with quite possibly the funniest line in the book "I'm listening to my cancer spread"), The magic Trout (who or what he is, is a mystery), Dana (aka Mr. Blip, the all Trout knowing savant), The singing skin (which fell off of Bambi and is now locked in a box, fitting I think if you catch the symbolism) and finally, Bambi (Lo's Inner Bimbo). Are you confused yet? If you were a fan of the twisted existence, which was The Maxx, then this book will be like a homecoming for you and Sam. This opening issue introduces us to the cast, gives us some back story and then starts leveling question after question at you like the balls in a batting cage, the 100 mph section, the one for the pros. I think there will be answers; I hope there will be answers…

The Art- Once again, black & white fare, not my favorite version of Sam Keith's art, if you have had the opportunity to flip through his current work on Batman Secrets, you can see what amazing things he can accomplish with the use of color. In this particular case, he is able to convey feeling, setting, and location through his use of ink techniques, for any aspiring artists this is a great book to learn the technical aspect of inking from. Much of his style is derived from the combining and dizzying layouts he puts together from page to page, leading the reader from scene to scene, in the same manner of thought as each character, which is to say, some scenes are straight forward, some are jumbled and hard to read in order and some are completely out of order if not backwards all together.

The Verdict- Sickly twisted, mind numbingly deviant, and utterly impossible to put down or read only once…Buy it, read it, drink some Kettle One Vodka, read it again, have another glass, then read it again. Like Vodka, it gets better with age.