Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Quick thoughts on some new #1 issues

Orc Stain #1
by James Stokoe
Image

This book looks different than pretty much anything else out right now. Highly detailed cartoony pictures of orcs and their fantasy world make this one comic book where each panel needs to be looked at closely. The story starts out with an orc hoard laying siege to obtain the Ganga-Gronch. But there is a prophecy that a one eyes orc can only retrieve it.

I was entertained by this book. The story so far is just setting up the plot line, so I'm not sure where its going. But the characters and devices are very clever. With Flintstones technology, animals are used for safes to store valuables. Birds are alarms. And pretty much everything can be eaten. It's worth a look, but only for people who are not grossed out easily.

Demonic #1
by Robert Kirkman and Joe Benitez
Top Cow

Speaking of gross out, if you are sensitive to decapitations, this is a book you should skip. Robert Kirkman is the current man of the hour in comic book land since his Walking Dead series has firmly planted him in the upper echelon of comic creators. Demonic is part of the Pilot Season where are bunch of first issues are created and I guess we vote on the ones stories we like.

This book is about Scott. A man who seems to be possessed by a demon which requires sacrifices. Constantly needling Scott for souls, he goes out and kills criminals to satiate the demon. An interesting psychological story with some deeply moral questions. (Is one persons life more valuable than another?) I'd be interested in reading more of this story.

Joe the Barbarian #1
by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy
Vertigo

I really like Grant Morrison's work. Doom Patrol, The Invisibles, JLA, New X-Men. He has redefined many superhero groups and has pushed comic stories deeper, stranger places for decades. But the first issue of Joe the Barbarian is the setup for an 8 issue limited series.

Joe is a teenage boy who is a geeky loner who likes to draw. Picked on by other kids, Joe seems only comfortable in his own room where he can isolate himself with his pet rat and his action figures. Not nearly as gross as the other two books, and psychologically interesting as Demonic, I'm really curious to see where the story is going to take Joe and if it's an interesting trip, I'll be sure to pick up the collected book for the library.

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