CBC Quickees: 9/8/05

No Buzzscope reviews this week as my both of my kids started school last week and I started today (online), so free time has been scarce. The past two weeks’ lessened output have been an unexpected but refreshing break as every now and then it’s nice to simply read comics for the pleasure. On that note…

The Adventures of BioBoy #1: Irreverant fun, beautifully illustrated by NYC Mech‘s Andy MacDonald. Creator/Writer Sal Cipriano’s got an intriguing concept here, with bonus points for two “complete” stories in this issue, but the next issue or two needs to flesh it all out a bit more to keep it on the pull list.

Elsinore #3: Still creepy, though it’s hard to remember everything that happened in the previous issues, and Lillie-Paetz jumps around a lot without much exposition, making things harder to follow than necessary. (A “Previously…” page would be a welcome addition to this title.) Presumably can’t count on a trade from Alias for anything not written or drawn by Mike S. Miller, so I may just stockpile a few issues at a time and read them all at once.

Gotham Central #35: The intriguing “Dead Robin” storyline continues with a surprise revelation that has to be a red herring. Some great dialogue between Robin and Stacy that perfectly illustrates what I love about this series. Why aren’t more people reading this?

Son of Vulcan #4: I still don’t love the art and coloring, but Beatty’s telling such a fun story, I’ve adjusted to it. How can you not like a comic where the hero gets beat up in a pawn shop holdup while trying to sell his main weapon, and the Coalition of Crime makes an appearance?

Karma Incorporated #2: I liked the first issue a lot, but this one takes a bit of an unexpectedly mean-spirited turn that I’m still on the fence about.

Vaistron #1: When I first contacted Andrew Dabb about doing an interview way back in the earliest days of CBC, he mentioned two upcoming projects, Atomika and Vaistron, and I figured the former sounded a bit more up my alley as the latter included the description “robot porn.” I was wrong, kind of, as Atomika left me a bit cold, while Vaistron is…intriguing. Still not up my alley, but it’s an alley I’m curious about checking out. Boussourir’s art reminded me of Cracked Magazine for some reason. The Tijuana Bible version, at least!

Araña #8: Okay, seriously, I just need to stop buying this thing. It’s not getting any better – in fact, the art is getting worse with each issue – and it fulfills none of my primary criteria for buying a comic book beyond some misguided sense of affirmative action. I can’t imagine it’s going to survive past its 12th issue, unless the digests are inexplicably selling gangbusters at Barnes & Noble. Disappointing.

House of M #6: Bendis apparently took Marvel’s 6-issue decompression template and tacked on two more. Next issue will presumably be the all-action issue where someone important gets killed, while #8 will offer an incomplete denouement which will be continued in yet another mini-series. I predict by the end of the year, I will be almost completely in the “wait for the trade camp” when it comes to Marvel.

Ororo: Before the Storm #1: Well, that was fun, if rather pointless for a non-X-fan like myself. And it seemed like an unnecessary retcon inexplicably stuck in an all-ages book that even most X-fans probably passed on.

Death Jr. #3: I’d never heard of the video game this mini-series is supposedly based on, but if it has even half of its action, humor and personality, I’m going to buy it! Well worth the pricey Prestige Format, and if you missed it, buy the trade!

Comics still on the read pile (and the relative order I plan to read them in): Fell #1; The Bakers #1; Shocking Gun Tales; Forgotten Realms: Homeland #2-3; Queen & Country: Declassified (Vol. 3) #2-3; Alan Moore’s Hypothetical Lizard #3; Mora #3 (not quite sure why it’s taking me so long to get to this one…); Action Philosophers #2; XIII #1; Banana Sunday #1; Sonambulo #1; The Tick: Days of Drama #1; Solo: Howard Chaykin; Rocketo: Journey to the Hidden Sea #1 (the format’s just not working for me). Plus, a ton of graphic novels and trades…

Written by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is the Chief Content Officer for LibraryPass, and former publisher & marketing director for Writer’s Digest. Previously, he was also project lead for the Panorama Project; director, content strategy & audience development for Library Journal & School Library Journal; and founding director of programming & business development for the original Digital Book World.