Definitely Not Reviews (10-20-10)

Wow, really late this week on doing these. Could this be the looming death of our only currently regular feature at Second Printing? Well, at least I got it out before the next batch of new releases hits the stands. I didn't get around to reading B&R #15 until Saturday, and on Monday I realized I hadn't read Sixth Gun #5 yet. I blame Netflix.

Batman and Robin #15 - Damn, I love looking at Frazer Irving's art. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it's absolutely unique in almost every respect, from his figure work to his color palette, it's just so... interesting. Which reminds me, when's Gutsville coming back?

X-Factor #210 - sort of a 'tweener issue with a lot of plot but not so much action. Loved the Rictor/Rahne/cabbie conversation, which is one of my favourite comic book moments of the year.

Sixth Gun #5 - this is a serious game changer, this issue, really setting out (or at least really implying) what the stakes are and what the deal really is with those guns. And for Lost fans, there's a hatch! Even if none of the characters resonate all that strongly with me, I still love this book.

Super-Soldier #4 - I don't like it when stories end with an opening for further stories, because just as often they don't materialize. I enjoyed Super-Soldier (even at $3.99 a pop) but why is it only a mini-series? Why not ongoing? Surely there's enough room for a Bucky-led Captain America book, and a Steve Rogers-led Secret Avengers team book, AND a Steve Rogers-led solo book, no? Or is this just leading to a new plot for those other two books to cross over with one another?

Legion of Super-Heroes #6 - What I find remarkable is that this relaunched Legion is centering around a Bill O'Reilly-like conservative blowhard super-hero, and actually making a real go of it, really getting to the meat of "Earth-Man" and his views. He's not just a caricature of the extreme right, but made understandable, even if you don't agree with his viewpoints. It's astonishing, really, and I'm surprised that the right - well, Colbert especially - haven't glommed onto this book and trumpeted the hell out of the most prominent identifiably conservative superhero currently on the stands.

Older stuff I finally got around to reading:

The Anchor Volume 1: The Five Furies - Phil Hester is one of my favourite writers out there. I assume he's more interested in his own work than work-for-hire since he's not really written for any of the books at DC and Marvel (despite having a long illustrative past at each), but then I do know that he's worked rather extensively on Top Cow books which I just can't bring myself to read no matter who writes or draws them. The Anchor is another really fab original idea from Hester and super-enjoyable. Volume 2 is a must-find for me.

Dr. Id - I found this curious one-off from 2006 recently in the bargain bin of a small indie comic shop in Vancouver, and it looked both fun and well illustrated, and it is. A satire of the Doctor Strange ilk, wherein the mystical Dr. Id takes on various physical manifestations of the psyche. It's funny, trippy and quite entertaining. The glorious black and white art is a hybrid homage of both Kirby and Ditko, and the whole premise that this is a "best-of" collection of a classic, forgotten character is well worn but otherwise inviting.