DARK
HORSE NUMBER ONES 2017 (Dark Horse,
First Printing, 2017; Softcover)
Collects
The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1,
Lady Killer
#1, Black Hammer
#1, Dept. H
#1, Briggs Land
#1, Bounty #1,
Harrow County
#1, and Hellboy
In Hell #1
(cover dates September, 2007- August, 2016)
Writers:
Gerard Way, Joelle Jones, Jamie S. Rich, Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt,
Brian Wood, Kurtis Wiebe, Cullen Bunn, and Mike Mignola
Artists:
Gabriel BA, Joelle Jones, Dean Ormston, Matt Kindt, Mack Chater,
Mindy Lee, and Tyler Crook
Colorists:
Dave Stewart, Laura Allred, Sharlene Kindt, Lee Loughridge, Leonardo
Olea, and Andy Cotnam
I
am a sucker for these value priced sampler trades. While I am
admittedly old-fashioned in terms of my comic book tastes, I also
like to see what's shaking from time to time. This book features
eight first issues for six bucks. Even the tightest tightwad cannot
resist such an entertainment bargain.
Gerard
Way's The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1 is far too
self important and self aware to be taken seriously. It is so slavish
to the writing styles of Alan Moore and Grant Morrison that it's like
a parody. Dry, dull, and sterile, it's as brickwalled and
overproduced as you'd expect from the My Chemical Romance guy.
Lady
Killer is a breath of fresh air, big on gore and big on style.
It's a lot of fun because it's over the top without taking itself too
seriously. Joelle Jones and Laura Allred are a formidable art team.
I'm inclined to pick this series up.
Black
Hammer is an interesting concept, ditto Dept. H. I would
borrow the latter from the library for sure. Briggs Land
smacks of “IP”. It seems to be a comic only so that the creators
can sell off movie or television rights. Bounty is godawful in
every way, shape, and form. The best thing that you could do with
that comic is recycle it. I've read Harrow County #1 before,
and it is entertaining. There is a lot of positive buzz around this
series, and it's not unwarranted.
 |
| Recycle it! |
Hellboy
In Hell...I've never
gotten Hellboy, and the only work by Mike Mignola that I've enjoyed
were his 1980s runs on Rocket
Raccoon and Alpha
Flight. Hellboy and
Deadpool are two enduring popular characters that I have never
gotten, and I am okay with that.
All
in all, this is a real mixed bag read, and that's a good thing. Not
everything has to be for everyone, and just because I dislike
something doesn't mean that you will too. If anything, there's no
reason for you not to grab this bargain priced book and see what's
shaking for yourself.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5.
The
OCD zone
Paper
stock: Semi-glossy coated stock, which is fine for modern
computer coloring.
Binding:
Sewn binding.
Cardstock
cover notes:
Nice thick lamination.
Wow, you gave me heart palpitations with the Hellboy shade.....my heart, my heart!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, HELLBOY is THE best comic out there. Maybe one of the best EVER. Get to the library an check out a few volumes. Give the storyline a chance to grab you, and let Mignola have a few volumes to get into his groove. I can't recommend these books enough.
I do, however, agree completely about UMBRELLA ACADEMY. Ugh.
I couldn't get into Umbrella Academy either. Maybe I'll try again someday just because of how much it's talked about? But then again, maybe not.
ReplyDeleteHarrow County and Black Hammer both look really good. I hadn't heard of the others mentioned here (other than Hellboy, obviously), but Lady Killer looks pretty good too. I don't know why, but I tend to forget about Dark Horse as a publisher a lot lately...maybe it's just because Image is releasing so much good stuff too.