Grotesque Anatomy
Monday, March 08, 2004
Quick Cuts: Goons, Ghosts, and Gods
THE GOON #5 - This issue was interesting because it involved the most continuity I recall seeing in the series thus far: Several characters who were introduced earlier (The Zombie Priest, Buzzard, Dr. Alloy) appear in this issue, but Powell handles their re-introductions well, giving the readers everything they need to know about the characters without being too tedious about it. Of course, since this is The Goon, there's plenty of Powell's trademark humor on display (my favorite sequence involves a psychic seal who just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone), but there's also some touching sentiment to be found as a character attempts to escape the anguish caused by mistakes he made long ago.
8 ½ GHOSTS - A charming story about a filmmaker of questionable scruples who stumbles upon the ultimate special effect for his new horror movie -- real live ghosts! (Well, "live" probably isn't the right word, but you know what I mean...) Rich Tommaso has crafted a great comic with delightful art (I like how the mean poltergeists are distinguished from the nice ghosts by the "tough-guy" hats they wear), and Alternative Comics has put everything together in an attractive oversized package. I'd try to describe the basic plot, but I'd probably botch it or give too much away. Go here if you want a quick summary of what the book's about, and to see a large image of the book's wonderful cover.
MY FAITH IN FRANKIE #2 - Not as good as the first issue, but still plenty of fun. My biggest disappointment was that Dean Baxter (Frankie's back-from-the-dead boyfriend) turned out to be eeee-vil. I think it would have been more interesting to pit deity against regular ol' mortal, but I'm still interested in seeing where Carey goes with this. And the art by Liew and Hempel continues to be a treat.
And since I was on vacation for two weeks, I've decided to run the Vacation Photo of the Day feature for another week. (Plus, I know how much Rick Geerling has been enjoying the photos.) Enjoy!
THE GOON #5 - This issue was interesting because it involved the most continuity I recall seeing in the series thus far: Several characters who were introduced earlier (The Zombie Priest, Buzzard, Dr. Alloy) appear in this issue, but Powell handles their re-introductions well, giving the readers everything they need to know about the characters without being too tedious about it. Of course, since this is The Goon, there's plenty of Powell's trademark humor on display (my favorite sequence involves a psychic seal who just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone), but there's also some touching sentiment to be found as a character attempts to escape the anguish caused by mistakes he made long ago.
8 ½ GHOSTS - A charming story about a filmmaker of questionable scruples who stumbles upon the ultimate special effect for his new horror movie -- real live ghosts! (Well, "live" probably isn't the right word, but you know what I mean...) Rich Tommaso has crafted a great comic with delightful art (I like how the mean poltergeists are distinguished from the nice ghosts by the "tough-guy" hats they wear), and Alternative Comics has put everything together in an attractive oversized package. I'd try to describe the basic plot, but I'd probably botch it or give too much away. Go here if you want a quick summary of what the book's about, and to see a large image of the book's wonderful cover.
MY FAITH IN FRANKIE #2 - Not as good as the first issue, but still plenty of fun. My biggest disappointment was that Dean Baxter (Frankie's back-from-the-dead boyfriend) turned out to be eeee-vil. I think it would have been more interesting to pit deity against regular ol' mortal, but I'm still interested in seeing where Carey goes with this. And the art by Liew and Hempel continues to be a treat.
And since I was on vacation for two weeks, I've decided to run the Vacation Photo of the Day feature for another week. (Plus, I know how much Rick Geerling has been enjoying the photos.) Enjoy!
