Quick Alt-Comix GN Reviews

Teratoid Heights
by Mat Brinkman
Mostly wordless, these short tales consist of odd creatures moving and existing in surreal landscapes. They are oddly both comforting and disturbng, and in their own inhuman way speak to the human condition through the lens of the cutely grotesque. The cartoons remind me somewhat of the Jim Woodring's Frank, though Brinkman's beings are less identifyable than Woodring's cartoon characters, and thus more of a blank slate upon which we the readers can project our own fears and yearnings. Published by the now-sadly-defunct Highwater Books, Teratoid Heights is a prime example of why that publisher will be missed.
Rating: 4 (of 5)


Hickee
edited by Graham Annable
This anthology contains short humor pieces by the likes of Joe White, Nathan Stapley, Paul Brown, Ramzig Mavlian, Graham Annable, and several others. Unfortunately it misses far more often than it hits. For every fun bit like White's "The Bear" or Annable's "Dirty Trick" there are far too many pieces that rely on sophomoric gags about sex or bodily functions. Actually 'sophomoric' is giving some of the strips a bit too much credit, as deriving humor from someone called 'Ze Fartmaster' aims squarely at ten-year-old boys. It's maybe 25% good stuff, but that's not quite enough to recommend an anthology. But it's probably worth borrowing from a friend or the library.
Rating: 2 (of 5)


Quit Your Job
by James Kochalka
This charming little book finds 'Daddy,' a funny looking guy with elf ears who lives alone with his cat, waking to find a deep snowfall, and skipping work so that he and his cat can frolic in the snow. They find a magic ring and decide to journey to the North Pole, but get distracted at a coffee shop where their robot friend Jason X-12 works. I've never been much of a fan of Kochalka's, but this story mostly works, as there's a sense of joy, innocence and a tinge of saddness in Daddy's character. On the downside, the story meanders at the end rather than coming to a conclusion, and the occasional burst of profanity from the characters is at odds with the rest of the tone of the book. But still, this is one of the better things that I've read from Kochalka, and it's probably worth your attention.
Rating: 3 (of 5)

A Great Cover, but...

That's an excelent Frank Quitely cover to All-Star Superman #1, but shouldn't the cover to a brand-new super-hero title be, oh, I dunno, a little more exciting and action-oriented? It'd make a great cover for a second issue, but a first issue cover needs to grab the reader a bit more, I think.

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

On the cover to 1967's Strange Adventures #201 we have Animal Man vs. The Mod Gorilla Boss, illustrated by Carmine Infantino & George Roussos.

(standard disclaimer about gorillas not really being monkeys applies)

Image is courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

How on Earth (or Krypton) Did I Miss This?

Starting in March, Cartoon Network is airing a Krypto: The Superdog animated series.

The Superman Homepage has the story, and a gallery of pretty pictures.

In this fantastical universe filled with a kinetic sense of wonder and playfulness, a dog can bury a bone on the moon, and a game of fetch can span the galaxy. It's a colorful cosmic world in which weird techno gadgets fall into the hands of toddlers, where growth formulas accidentally create monster caterpillars, and where selfless hounds patrol the solar system for signs of trouble from villains intent on taking over the planet!

I don't care if it's targeted at kids--those drawings are sweet!

I hope that Beppo make a guest appearance at some point. A dog with the powers of Superman in cool, but a monkey? That Rawks!

(Big thanks to Mike Sterling for the heads-up!)

A Match Made in Gotham

After seeing this, I've decided that the perfect gig for Cliff Chiang once Human Target ends would be as the regular artist on Gotham Central. Am I right?

(thanks to BeaucoupKevin for the link)

You Too Can Be a Girl Genius

Later this year (or perhaps a bit later...) Steve Jackson Games will be releasing the Girl Genius Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game, based on the fourth edition of their flagship RPG, GURPS. It will be fully illustrated in color by Girl Genius creators Phil & Kaja Foglio, and is co-written by Kaja Foglio (herself a longtime GURPS player). Since GURPS is my RPG of choice, this is quite exciting.

Quick DC Super-Hero GN Reviews

Superman/Aliens 2: God War
by Chuck Dixon, Jon Bogdanove & Kevin Nowlan
The story is a fairly simple premise: After a spacehip infested with Aliens crashes on Apokolips, Darkseid allows an army of parademons wo be infected and then sends the army to New Genesis. Superman just happens to be visiting New Genesis at the time, and he joins with the New Gods to fight off both the hordes of Apokolips and the Alien menace. In fact, despite Superman's name in the title, this is much more of a New Gods story with Superman along for the ride. I've never been a huge fan of Bogdanove's, but this is some of the best art I've ever seen from him, as he and Nowlan manage to evoke a Kirby-esque look without being a blatant pastiche.
Rating: 3 (of 5)


Batgirl: Year One
by Scott Beatty & Chuck Dixon, Marcos Martin & Alvaro Lopez
Beatty & Dixon turn in a decent story that attempts to bring together the disparate parts of Barbara Gordon's origin as Batgirl to bring it in harmony with the current Batman mythos while also including some winking forebits towards her later Oracle & Birds of Prey days. Barbara is presented as young and a bit naive, and over the course of the nine issues collected here grows in her role as a fledgling crimefighter and comes to understand the seriousness of her undertaking. The real attraction with this book though is the art by Martin & Lopez, a cross between Tim Sale & Steve Rude that is stunning in the plentiful action pieces and smooth in the downtime moments. Without the contribution from the artists this would be simply another competent retelling of a super-hero origin, but with the art it becomes a compelling visual treat from some of comics brightest new talent.
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)