Hot nerd-on-nerd action since 2008

It is rare indeed when DC out does Marvel for me, but to have a week with ZERO Marvel books? That is a Blue Moon. A day late, because I’ve been busy playing with my new kitten, so let’s get this show on the road!

Green Lantern #43
The Unwritten #3
Wednesday Comics #1
B.P.R.D. #1
Green Lantern #43
The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #3
North 40 #1

Green Lantern #43
The Adventures of Gothy the Goth Boy in GrimDark Land! I’m going to side with Greg here and say that this was probably the single worst comic I’ve read all year. Yes, there are WORSE comics out there, but I chose not to read them! I’m looking your way, X-Men Forever. But, I do NOT expect this level of intolerable tripe when I dig into a Green Lantern. Johns could not be more heavy handed with his bullshit characterization that he copied from the Serial Killer Wikipedia entry. Johns just BEATS it into the audience that this guy is fucking DARRRRRRRK. Parents owned/ran a funeral home, killed animals as a child, isn’t comfortable around “moving” humans, costume made out of body bags, sleeping in graves… ugh. And don’t think I didn’t notice that the Black Lantern logo is the same as his parents’ funeral home. I flopped this issue back onto the table when I was done with it and saw the cover staring back up at me. I hated it even more. The stupid morbidity of the character, mixed with the cheap exploitation of the gravestone just pissed me off. I’m not sure where the hell Blackest Night is going, but if I have to deal with more of this bullshit, I’m going to be pissed off. Oh, and Guy Gardner better save the day.

The Unwritten #3
I’ve been enjoying this series from the first issue, I love the artwork, I love the intercontextuality of a strong literary tradition, and I enjoy riding out the mystery. This issue on the other hand, was a little boring. That is, I suppose, the trouble with a serialized format. You have to sometimes take the time to explain things and be a bit boring. I doubt anyone was particularly impressed with all the different horror writers justifying their craft, or why the hell they are even in this issue in the first place… This one just seems to stall the impending action that the previous issue set up. So, on a whole, incredibly boring.

Wednesday Comics #1
I love when comic companies try something new. I was elated to see DC attempt something like this. I stopped reading newspaper comics years ago after I realized that they were all fucking terrible. But there is a sort of mystical joy to it. Big, bright pages with tons of stories. Did I enjoy all the stories in this? No, not really. I liked most though, and was glad to see DC pull in some artists and writers that we don’t see every day. I’m excited to see where most of these are going, and actually enjoy the format. It’ll be fun, if anything. Another thing about this that I enjoy is the genuineness behind it. It is something that must be purchased to enjoy. The large pages, the newspaper…it has to be held in your hands to be experienced fully.

The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #3
This series is a stand out for me from month to month. The art is beautiful, the story is compelling, and the voice of the character of Lovecraft is spot on. Basically, for any Lovecraft nerd, this is a must-read. It reads a little bit better all in one shot, as the pacing from issue to issue keeps a steady momentum painfully separated by weeks at a time. I personally, would love to see this as a film.

B.P.R.D.:1947 #1
I have to admit, I am not into the Hellboy universe as much as I should be. I borrowed most of my little brother’s collections some years ago, and haven’t read any of the B.P.R.D. series at all. That said, I really enjoyed this. In fact, it could have been completely unrelated to Hellboy, and I still would have liked it. The characters of the investigating troops are actually interesting, and the case they have to solve seems like it will be pretty solid. So, damn, looks like I have
another series I’m going to have to buy.

North 40 #1
I bought this book COMPLETELY on a whim, knowing nothing about the creative team or this series in general. But, damn if I didn’t finish impressed. North 40 weaves a world of (I’m sensing a theme here…) Lovecraftian horror in a small, shit-kicked, rural town. One minute, everyone knows everyone else in town, the next a man is devouring the head of the man sitting next to him like a human garbage disposal. It very cleverly sets up the environment with introducing us to a series of characters – regular people of a town, each with their own story. Some lead simple lives, others have heartbreak, others a life of duty, some simply want excitement. Things change. These stories that we can immediately identify with are warped in a cosmic horror and no one is the same…and yet, we still know them. With beautiful art, and a fantastic first issue, I can’t wait to see where this series takes me. Also – I’m excited to see Wildstorm actually DO something with itself. Country-fried C’thulhu fhtagn.

Book of the Week: Easily, North 40. Admittedly, this was a light week all around, but this was a fantastic read. Creative, clever, beautiful, and suspenseful enough to have me wanting more. Green Lantern better start bringing its A-Game again, or I’ll drop it altogether.