THE UNEXPECTED (DC/ Vertigo, 2013; Softcover)
Collects
The
Unexpected
No. 1 and Ghosts
No. 1 (cover
dates December, 2011- December, 2012)
Writers:
Paul Pope, David Lapham, Dave Gibbons, Cecil Castellucci, Mary H.K.
Choi, Josh Dysart, Al Ewing, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Alex Grecian,
Selwyn Sefu Hinds, Geoff Johns, Mat Johnson, Neil Kleid, Joe Kubert,
Toby Litt,, Jeffrey Rotter, G. Willow Wilson, Gilbert Hernandez, and
Brian Wood
Artists:
Paul Pope, Dave Gibbons, Lelio Bonaccorso, Mark Buckingham, Emily
Carroll, Denys B. Cowan, Farel Dalrymple, Rufus Dayglo, Rahsan
Ekedal, Phil Jimenez, Joe Kubert, David Lapham, Jeff Lemire, John
McCrea, Amy Reeder, Robbi Rodriguez, Victor Santos, Jill Thompson,
Don Hudson, Gilbert Hernandez, and Andy Lanning.
Colorists:
Lovern Kindzierski, Angus McKie, Chris Chuckry, Andrew Dalhouse,
Andrew Elder, Lee Loughridge, Dave McCaig, Cris Peter, and Jose
Villarrubia
This
collects both 80 page one-shots, and it is all over the place in
terms of quality. This follows the EC anthology style tradition of
late '60s/early '70s DC Horror/mystery titles, albeit with a modern
twist. A “fresh coat of paint”, if you will.
Dave
Gibbons turns in a great story in The Great Karlini. The
legendary Joe Kubert's last work, The Boy And The Old Man, is
presented here in it's rough penciled form. Kubert had a long,
storied career at DC, and it is nice that he was able to do good work
until the end. Look Alive is probably the freshest take on the
undead that I've read in years. I had lots of fun reading that story.
Most
of the stories have their tongue firmly planted in cheek, making the
occasional violence and mild gore somewhat endearing. I really like
well done Horror anthology stuff, and this book hits the mark for the
most part.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.
The
OCD zone- DC's trade paperbacks of modern material are pretty
darned nice these days.
DVD-style
Extras included in this book: The
Unexpected #1 variant by Michael Wm. Kaluta.
Ghosts
#1 variant by Phil Jimenez & Andrew Dalhouse
The
Great Karlini breakdown by Dave Gibbons. (2 pages)
The
Great Karlini pencils by Dave Gibbons. (2 pages)
Paper
rating: 4.5 out of 5. Good weight glossy coated stock paper,
perfect for material with modern computer coloring. I am so glad that
Vertigo is done passing off that recycled toilet paper in their
books.
Binding
rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.
Cardstock
cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick waxlike lamination
which will provide years of enjoyment.
