Five Ghosts

Weekly Pull Review: 4/8/15

This is, to say the least, an astonishingly large amount of comics this week, at least compared to what I have been getting in my pull of late.

Saga #27- Image

Saga, of course, takes top billing. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples abandon the triptych format of the last few issues for an issue that just buckles down on Marko- and it’s a doozy. Marko spends the issue tripping balls on a bad batch of fadeaway, and Prince Robot and Ghus are trying to figure out a way to pull Marko and Yuma out of their overdosed state. This issue really provides a sense of catharsis for much of the tension that built up over the last arc. The rest of the family getting kidnapped, though providing a slam dunk cliffhanger ending for the last arc, nonetheless really failed to provide emotional closure for Marco, and Saga has been building towards this issue for a while now. Both Marko and the story have a much stronger sense of direction now. Since it’s already one of the single best comics coming out, well… If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to fanboy out for a little bit.

ODY-C #4- Image

Saga and ODY-C in one week? Fuck yes. Odyssia and her crew have to escape from the cyclops’ den, and the comic gets more than appropriately visceral in the most literal sense this outing, leading eventually, to, well… some windy conditions. (Hah. Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.) Matt Fraction and Christian Ward are really getting into the swing of things here. Ward’s art continues to amaze- even my curmudgeonly roommate who hate comics, science fiction, kittens, and fun loves Ward’s art. (He has very, very strict views on the Odyssey, however, so he’s not sold on the story yet, though if I can get him to actually sit down and read it, I have high hopes.) I’d honestly say that ODY-C is one of the chief contenders for best art in my pull- Saga is the only competitor this week, though there’s plenty of other great art on display.

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Weekly Pull Review 1/11/15

Sorry it’s late, I know. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks.

Satellite Sam #11- Image

“Is that a gun?” “No, I’m just happy to see you.”  Satellite Sam returns after a lengthy delay (I’m not sure exactly how long of one, I jumped in following issue 10. I picked up all the back issues in September, though, so… at least that long? Yeah, looked it up, September.) Generally speaking, I’d throw Satellite Sam below the divide, just for the cover art (I guess so as not to shock some random visitor to my site, maybe?), but the cover on this one is pretty tame compared to usual. While much of the attention Satellite Sam gets is focused on all of the sex, office politics, and backstabbing, I actually enjoy the hole it pokes in the image of the 50’s the most. Over the years, I’ve grown thoroughly sick and tired of people glorifying the 50s- they were a vile, hateful time, and Satellite Sam wallows in some of the worst of it. Not seeing it sugar-coated for once feels pretty good. Black and white art is also something I usually avoid- I think that Satellite Sam is the first black and white miniseries I’ve had in my pull since Snapshot, and that came out a couple of years ago. I just usually don’t enjoy black and white. I’ve tried several times to get into The Walking Dead, but the black and white art just doesn’t do it for me. (Plus, I’m not especially excited about the idea of reading through the sheer amount of back-issues there.) Satellite Sam, however, manages to get past my dislike of black and white comics, largely through its use of detailed backgrounds and easily distinguishable characters.

Thor #5- Marvel

The new Thor starts to settle into her role as Thor, and we finally get to leave the Roxxon floating fortress. (Seriously, four issues in one spot? My attention span is way too short for that.) We also get to see Odin being his pissy, self-important, argumentative self, his brother, Cul Borson, god of fear, big bad of the Fear Itself crossover event (have I mentioned that I largely hate crossover events? Because I really do) has returned at his side to serve as Asgardian Minister of Justice (which can’t possibly go wrong, can it? Surely he won’t turn on Odin and be a bad guy. Surely. Also, I just bought a bridge from a trustworthy looking fellow.) Meanwhile, Thor beats up the Absorbing Man and Titania (watching her punch out Creel with a thought balloon saying “That’s for saying feminist like it’s a four-letter word, creep” was pretty satisfying) and chats with Freyja. Unworthy Thor is still trying to figure out who the new Thor is. (I’m still betting on Roz Solomon.) Also, he’s drinking a lot. Overall, I’m pretty happy that they’re finally out of that damn fortress.

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Weekly Pull Review

You may have noticed by now that my reviews are very overwhelmingly positive. This is, of course, because this is my pull we’re talking about here, so why would I be keeping any bad comics in it, unless I was perhaps not reviewing them to hide my shameful secret? That would be absurd, of course, and completely unlike me. Completely.

 

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1952 #1– Dark Horse

I’ve been a Hellboy fan for years, but I hadn’t added Hellboy to my pull until recently, largely due to the sheer amount of Hellboy their was. (I couldn’t afford that). Then, a couple of months ago at Rose City Comic Con, I won the complete collection of Hellboy Library editions. So…  yeah, I immediately jumped on adding it to my pull then. The same issue remains for anyone else wanting to buy Hellboy. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D is a side series meant to explore Hellboy’s early days with the paranormal government agency. So far… well, it’s up to a slow start. That’s not a bad thing with Hellboy, though. It’s a traditionally slow burning, or at least unusually paced series. Alex Maleev’s art isn’t quite up to the standards of Mike Mignola’s, but then, whose is? It’s still excellent art in its own respect. This seems like a decent starting point for a new reader wanting something for their pull, though I still think you should start from the beginning.

Five Ghosts #14– Image

This isn’t a bad issue, but I’m used to a much faster pace from Five Ghosts. Getting to see Van Helsing is cool, but the promised fight between him and Fabian Gray (possessed by the ghost of Dracula) (if you’re unfamiliar with the series, Fabian is a pulp action treasure hunter with the ability to channel the spirits of Dracula, Merlin, Miyamoto Musashi, Robin Hood, and Sherlock Holmes, hence the title,) doesn’t actually even start until the very end. Slow is pretty relative, too- Fabian and Van Helsing still kill dozens of ghoul-things throughout the book. The art remains as awesome and pulpy as ever, and Five Ghosts remains one of the absolute coolest books in my pull.

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