Review- TEN GRAND VOL. 1

TEN GRAND VOL. 1 (Image, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Ten Grand Nos. 1-6 (cover dates May- December, 2013)

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

Artists: #1-4: Ben Templesmith; #5, 6: C.P. Smith

J. Michael Straczynski has typically been a must buy author for me. This series tries so hard to be so many things at once that I found myself not even caring by the second issue. Oh, the guy is a hitman. Okay. No wait, he is doing some kind of private eye thing or finding someone or whatever. Uh, yeah. Right. No no no, now it is an occult tinged tale of revenge and retribution of love from beyond the veil! I'm out. This tries to be so many things at once and it doesn't succeed at being any of them.

There are a handful of entertaining moments for sure, but the artwork doesn't seem to work for this type of story. I wouldn't call it bad by any stretch, but this book just feels disjointed to me. Things never seem to gel. Normally art (and by art I mean the format of a comic book) moves me on some level. I feel excited, I feel happy, I feel angry, I feel something when I read a comic book. I felt nothing when I read this, and that is the worst thing of all. If art cannot move you then it has failed. I won't be back for Volume 2, but I haven't written JMS off yet. I'm still in for the forthcoming Sidekick trade paperback.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 1.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes high quality books.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: #1, Covers B-I, #2 Cover B, #4 Cover B (all one page each).

Evolution of the cover (2 pages).

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Heavyweight coated stock paper with a slight sheen. It gives the book some heft and makes it feel like something of value.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. High quality laminated cardstock.

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