Too Much Hopeless Savagesby Jen Van Meter, Christine Norrie, Ross Campbell, & Chynna Clugston-Major
I really enjoyed the first two Hopeless Savages volumes, but this third is something of a disappointment. Part of the fun of following the punk rock Hopeless-Savage clan is seeing them intereact with the normal world, an aspect that made the second volume particularly fun. But this third story finds the family jetting off to Hong Kong for an action-chase-heist story which never really succeeds in coming together. Not helping matters is the art, which is all over the place. Oh, it's pretty good to start, with Norrie handling most of the story and newcomer Campbell doing a fine job with the flashbacks. But with the third chapter Norrie works over Clugston-Major's layouts, causing a stylistic shift, and then in the final chapter Campbell does the main story over Norrie's breakdowns, with a style that is much weaker than the one he uses in the flashback sequences. So the title may seem to be slightly prophetic, but I hope not; I'd like to see the Hopeless-Savages return soon, back to their previous top form.
Rating: 2.5 (of 5)
Jason and the Argobots, vol. 1: Birthquakeby J. Torres & Mike Norton
In an indeterminate future world, young Jason finds a giant robot burried in the desert, just in time to use it to stop a prison break by meta-powed criminals. There's really nothing new here, but the story is clearly told, the characters are interesting, and the action is exciting. Norton's cartoonish art fits the story perfectly; in different hand the story could seem ponderous, but Norton keeps it light and flowing. It all makes for a fun, if a bit quick, read.
Rating: 3 (of 5)
