PULL LIST 04-30 & 05-07-08 Glamourpuss #1 Local #11 Scud the Disposable Assassin #24 Maintenance #10 Jack of Fables #22 Black Summer #6 Buffy the Vampire Slayer #14 Flash Gordon #0

Glamourpuss #1
This is without a doubt, the weirdest, but most stimulating book of the last two weeks. I’ll start out by saying this book is not for everyone; in fact, it’s probably not for most anyone. There’s hardly a story in the traditional sense (outside of a few pages). This is a documentary comic, and it’s largely a book for fans of the comic craft. For 22 pages, creator Dave Sim goes into his thought process in creating his new book. And that’s the book. I’m sure people are falling asleep just reading me talk about it. But seriously, give this book a chance. You will not find better art in any book, and Sim is never at a shortage of things to talk about. Issue can’t come out soon enough. At the top of my short list for best book of the year. —5 out of 5

Local #11
Also on the short list is probably my favorite series of the last few years, regardless of any delays. They could put out an issue a year, and I’d still love it and if you’ve been waiting for the trade on this series, well, the wait is almost over and it will be worth it. If you’ve never heard the hook of this series, this is writer Brian Wood‘s excuse to explore twelve different cities and how they affect one character through twelve years of her life. This issue has that character, Megan, looking back at her life from the perspective of an art exhibit using items from her life. Every issue just packs a punch emotionally and not just the same emotion but everything a person goes through. Ryan Kelly‘s art is so powerful in getting those emotions across, and I can’t wait for his next project. Really, no compliment high enough for this series. Wood better live up to his promise and deliver the last issue in 30 days, but I’ll live if it’s late. —5 out of 5

Scud the Disposable Assassin #24
Broken record time, as we get another fantastic issue, this time the final issue of the Scud saga. It all comes down to a battle in Heaven, with Scud taking on an army of Angels, a face to face with a pissed off God, and the return of his girlfriend. I’m so glad creator Rob Schrab decided to come back and finish his story, because the last four issues have been so much fun, and it’s nice to see a book I loved ten years ago get the send off it deserved. This is another one like Local though where if you haven’t picked up the series, its best just to wait for the trade. Fortunately, Schrab has deemed us worthy to get a trade next month with the complete Scud saga, so definitely pick that one up. Again, just so much good comics. —5 out of 5

Maintenance #10
I’ve been spending the last half hour trying to figure out if this is the last issue of the series or if they’re just ending the arc, but I can’t seem to find any new issues solicited in the last two Previews catalogs. I sure hope the series isn’t at an end, as it’s one of the best humor book on the stands. Jim Massey and Robbi Rodriguez have created a whole universe of great characters, and I hope they bring the book back at some point. As it stands, it’s been a fun ride and I’d recommended to anyone to pick up the trades. Manny and Doug, the main characters, continue their adventure on the alien ship and they manage to rescue the girl and bring the whole crew back to Earth. It’s funny, it’s action packed, and it looks great. That’s all I need from a comic. —4 out of 5

Jack of Fables #22
Okay, so I’m gonna cheat and call this an Indy book, even though it’s released by Vertigo which is part of DC. It’s off the beaten path enough for me to count it though, so here it is. This is the start of a new arc with writers Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges telling the story of Jack in the old west, when he went by the name of Jack Candle (as in Jack jumped over the candle) and he lived his life as a pretty brutal criminal. Things are going fine for him until a certain former sheriff of Fabletown comes to bring him in. This is a much more somber issue than usual for the series, and the jokes are kept to a bare minimum, but that works as a nice change of pace, especially after last issues all humor issue. The art by Tony Akins continues to do a good job making the art similar enough to Fables artist Mark Buckingham, while still giving it his own personal stamp. Both Fables books are probably the best thing Vertigo is releasing these days, and they read even better together. —4 out of 5

Black Summer #6
Warren Ellis‘ dark superhero story rolls on, and we get some actual forward progress with the plot, as well as getting some good flashbacks on the characters. The concept here is that a superhero has decided to kill the President, and now that superheroes former partners must deal with it. It seems like something that we haven’t seen before, but really the story has been kind of boring, with a nice veneer of Ellis’ fascination with futuristic tech. But, the series has art by Juan Jose Ryp, whose hyper detailed, Geoff Darrow inspired art is always a wonder to look at, and he loves to draw these gore filled action pieces. There are a lot of gruesome pages in this issue, and you can just get lost in the details. Buy it for the art, but read it for the decent story. —4 out of 5

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #14
The Dracula team up continues in this issue, and I have to say that Drew Goddard‘s work on the last few issues may be the best of the run so far. Maybe it’s just because the story has focused a lot on Xander, which makes me happy, and he’s used the character of Dracula to inject a lot of humor into the series. Even Georges Jeanty‘s art, which usually bugs the crap out of me, isn’t annoying me as much. This is the kind of fun action and comedy story that endeared the TV show to so many fans. Everybody gets a good moment in this issue, even Dawn, although the ending was kind of a shock even though it shouldn’t be. This is exactly the kind of book I was hoping for when the series was announced, and I’m glad to see it finally living up to my imagination. —3 out of 5

Flash Gordon #0
This is a preview issue for a regular series coming out later this year, and the best thing I can say for it is that at least it shares nothing in common with the awful Sci-fi channel series from last year. This issue doesn’t have a full story, just a prologue of sorts, showing a bit of the conflict between Barin and Ming, updating it a bit to show Barin as more of a guerilla fighter trying to overthrow Ming, and showing Ming as a more misunderstood ruler who sees himself as Ming the Merciful. The actual title character doesn’t make an appearance at all. The artwork on it pretty decent, using a very animated, almost manga style, with a lot of computer coloring. It makes for a nice teaser, and fans of the property should be pretty excited to see a more faithful rendition of it, but to be honest I don’t know if I’ll be picking up the book when it comes out as a full series. —3 out of 5