What I Bought 5/4/09 - Part 1

Who's ready for some reviews? *sound of yawning* Well, don't all speak up at once. My comics are here, so I am happy, and amongst those comics was the Spider-Man 2099 Volume 1 trade, so I'll have to dig into that soon. For today and tomorrow, though, reviews. I feel like working chronologically, so oldest stuff first.

BloodRayne: Prime Cuts #3 - Look out, Rayne! It's the Ringmaster, and he's right behind you! I'm sure the Circus of Crime can't be far behind! Though I doubt she'd actually have much trouble with the Circus of Crime. So the two-part mini-series became a 4-part mini-series, due to popular demand. For those who weren't reading my reviews last spring, each issue of Prime Cuts consists of a number of short stories taking place at various points. I think they're primarily an opportunity to toss some interesting concepts out there (see last year's "nunchucks that open dimensional portals and release demons"), or maybe just some dark humor.

Of the three, stories in this issue, we have one that takes place immediately after the opening movie from the first game, another that may have been a dream sequence that relates to the first mission from that game, and the 3rd involves a potentially dangerous exhibit at a freak show. I think I liked "First Impressions", the best, because I was expecting one thing, then it went differently, then the last 3 panels were almost sort of comical. Plus it had the use of hand grenades and heads being booted off their bodies like soccer balls. Can't go wrong there. "Princess of Darkness" was kind of intriguing, as it brings up the whole question of who or what "Dark Rayne" is, but I've seen her enough that I'm at the point of wanting some answers, which isn't the purpose of the story. It did introduce an enemy I'd like to see Rayne actually tangle with someday, since big monsters always make for a fun fight. I can't really figure Rayne's motives in "Bowels of Beliar". She seems to go to an awful lot of trouble given the circumstances.

Each story has a different artist (Pow Rodrix on First Impressions, Oscar Bazaldua on Princess of Darkness, and Chase Conley on Bowels of Beliar), and I think they all do a solid job. Rodrix seems to use more small, sketchy lines in the work, but also seems a bit more creative with page layouts and having the action flow from one panel to the next. Bazaldua's style is a bit more simplified, and the layouts are not adventurous, but makes sure the story gets told (which is, you know, kind of the key in my opinion). Conley's style seems to use shadows and shading more than the other two, especially with faces. he also seems to like having objects or hands pointing toward the front of the panel or to the back, and then drawing them very large or small accordingly. I guess that's proper perspective, but it throws me at times.

It's not my favorite issue of Prime Cuts (I think #2 holds that distinction currently), but it was still pretty entertaining.

Faith the Vampire Slayer #24 - You cannot be surprised by this. Faith shows up in the comic, I buy it. A simple formula. Faith and Giles help a rookie Slayer, she tells them of a Slayer Sanctuary, for Chosen who don't want to Slay. There's another Watcher there, he's a right bastard, Giles and Faith trounce the baddie, and prepare to deal with lots of vampires at the end of the issue.

That was solidly OK, I guess. I don't understand the demon. It feeds on regret, so kids or vamps would be easy because they can't control their feelings of regret? I'd think children would be too self-absorbed to be worried about regrets. I'd also think the old would have more regrets, what with having lived longer, and merely supressing it, hiding it behind a smile, wouldn't suffice. And if it feeds on regret, why eat them? If it didn't eat them, it could keep feeding off their regrets, couldn't it?

Clearly I'm not entranced by the plot. I did like the dialogue for Faith and Giles, though I wish they'd been able to banter back and forth a bit more, but maybe in a future installment I have to think their path is going to loop back around to Buffy's eventually. Cliff Richards is, I think, trying to come close to Jeanty's style (unless this is simply Richards' normal style, and that's why he was chosen for the issue), and does a fairly good job, though some of the faces that aren't in the immediate foreground seem a little dodgy, lacking in detail. Might be the coloring, or just a lack of space due to panel size.

Moon Knight #29 - That's some nice work by Dell'Otto on that cover. Even has some blood getting smacked out of the wrestler's mouth from Moon Knight's Palm Strike of Back the Hell Up.

So Jake's in costume, and Palo has gifted him with a "Norm Breyfogle drawing Batman" size cape. This thing is billowing even when he's indoors. It's damn impressive. Carmen has flown the coop, fights off two guys planning to collect the reward on her, then our Tag-Team Brothers show up and help her out, then they get attacked by guys with machine guns mounted on their pickups and helicopters. And one of the brothers is a Huey Lewis fan! I knew they weren't all bad (or they are all bad, depending on your opinion of Huey Lewis). They seem to buddy up to Jake (who catches up to them), but appearances can be deceiving. Once again, an issue ends with Moon Knight, the Punisher, and the Toltec all eyeing the same target, this time Alcantara's stronghold. That's kind of getting old, as I have a hard time believing this Toltec, who so seems to enjoy killing Alcantara's people, wouldn't have attacked the Zapata brothers last issue.

Also, Frank Castle kills Russian mobsters by dressing in drag, and delivering liquor to them. One of the mobsters totally grabs his butt (before he knows who it really is), and compliments him on it. That'll make an interesting entry in the War Journal. Little surprised at Frank going that route, with their still be ladies in the room and all. He didn't harm any of them, but a machine pistol seems a bit reckless, considering Castle's usual concern for the innocent. It all worked out, though. Palo's art is still pretty good, still drawing faces where the eyes are narrowed, pupils rarely visible. Coloring is a little odd at times, as one panel makes Frank look like he painted his face for KISS concert. All I can say is, for as long as Benson's been building up this arc, next issue better go off LOUD.

And that's it for today. Tune in tomorrow as I hit four more books!