What I Bought 12/17/2012 - Part 4

What do you know? The world didn't end after all. Imagine that. Little disappointed I missed Turner Classics showing The Last Man on Earth. Even though I own it on DVD. No, it doesn't make much sense, except perhaps for the idea that if it's being shown on TV, there are other people out there watching it, too. We're sharing the experience in some way. And yet, I almost certainly wouldn't want those people in my home watching my DVD with me. I mean, I might, but given my mostly antisocial tendencies, the odds are against it.

Dial H #6,7, by China Mieville (writer), David Lapham (artist), Tanya & Richard Horie (colorists), Steve Wands (letterer) - The cover for 6 still lists Santolouco, but I suppose he's moved on. That is one incredibly detailed drawing of a hand. I'm jealous. Pretty sure I couldn't do that.

Issue 6 deals with the delicate topic of offensive superheroes. Nelson dials up Chief Mighty Arrow, and he and Roxie/Manteau agree it's better if he not go outside like that unless absolutely necessary. So Nelson sits and watches the news, wishing for something dire enough to merit his going out (because he's an action junkie), and we get a little more about Roxie. She's had some really terrible dials over the years, but that isn't necessarily why she wears the mask and cloak. That's to help her maintain her sense of self. Which is a nice touch, because Nelson's finding the memories of the heroes he dials are more resilient than he might like.

Issue 7 has the pair traveling the world to "centers of dial worship". Finally, one person knows something useful, with the proper incentive, and that's how they end up on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Manteau dials herself into The Planktonian (that's it on the cover; I had thought they were stars or something), and down she goes into an deserted outpost of Atlantis. The dial is already gone, but there's a large whale. Which promptly gets punched out by a mass of plankton. That was definitely one of the high points of this batch of comics. Stupid whales. Yes, the dial's gone, but there were still clues, so it looks like they're on their way to the Great White North. Better hope they can get it before The Centipede tracks them down. Or the "shadow on the line" that took Roxie's dial.

So Santolouco's gone, at least for the time being, and David Lapham is in. Lapham's a good artist, but his work is a bit too realistic, perhaps. His heroes look weird, which is good, but they lack some of the manic energy Santolouco brought to the table. He's very good at drawing an array of body types, faces, clothes, expressions. All that stuff is top-notch, so I can't complain too much. The Centipede has a suitably creepy smile, and is otherwise deadpan to a troubling degree. I will admit, a human Centipede triggers imagery I'd rather it didn't. And I never even watched that movie.

Give me a second to look at the whale-punching again. Ah, much better.

I think I really like where Mieville's going with this. He's putting other parties in play, because if the dials are well-known to the point religions have formed around them, there would have to be people who would keep an eye out, just in case. Assuming they didn't already know for certain about them. We havewhoever took the dial at the bottom of the sea, plus, the Centipede and his bosses, it's worth a guess the cultists have stumbled on one. And there's the shadow on the line, now out and about. My guess is he'll save it for a final threat, the big problem that looms over everything. Hopefully it'll show up every so often to remind readers why they need to worry.