Review- THE COMPLETE JON SABLE, FREELANCE VOL. 7

THE COMPLETE JON SABLE, FREELANCE VOL. 7 (IDW, 2007; Softcover)

Collects Jon Sable, Freelance #34-39 (cover dates March- August, 1986)

Writer and Artist: Mike Grell

Mike Grell's writing gets better and goes deeper while his artwork gets sloppy and scratchy. Can this be the same person who, only a decade before, had shown the world some serious art in Warlord? How does an artist become so lazy? Is it self satisfaction that leads to it? Apathy? Experimentation?

Grell explored lots of dialogue and narrative free work here, with pages and pages of pictures. Some of it works for the story, some of it seems like padding. Innovative for it's time, it is now a common practice in comic books that I have grown to loathe.

Sable accidentally stumbles upon an Aryan Nation camp where they are kidnapping and impregnating white women in their attempt to “purify” the race. Next we see Sable hired to go on an expedition to Africa to retrieve a treasure of legend. Sable finally finds out who the killer of his family is. While this is not the end of the series it would have made a fine ending. I know that this is where I am getting off of this ride. The loose artwork was a real turn off.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone

Linework and Color restoration: The linework comes from the original film, while the recoloring is the worst that I have ever seen. I read the first six volumes in this line in the two Omnibus trades, which are smaller than a standard trade paperback. The smaller size greatly benefited the inferior techniques used to recolor this. Gradient shades, lazy airbrushing, sloppy coloring which seeps over the edge of the word balloons...it's all here!

Paper stock: Thick glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Embossed logos with spot varnish with the rest of the cover having a matte finish.

Review- JON SABLE, FREELANCE OMNIBUS VOL. 2

JON SABLE, FREELANCE OMNIBUS VOL. 2 (IDW, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Jon Sable, Freelance #17-33 (cover dates October, 1984- February, 1986)

Writer and Artist: Mike Grell

Long before we had “Mature Readers” or creator-owned comics, First Comics offered a home to creators like Mike Grell who grew weary of toiling for Marvel or DC, freely giving them their creations which they ultimately had no control over. Another benefit of their move to the indies was freedom from the Comics Code Authority. Nudity, sex, murder, blood...everything that a freedom-loving, red-blooded American male could possibly want is found in this title.

This is a fast-paced read. Grell seems to get a bit bored with the character, as the writing and artwork both became looser as the book wore on. It's still a solid enough escapist read.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I enjoy this softcover Omnibus format pioneered by Dark Horse Comics. It is smaller than a standard trade yet is large enough that you can fully enjoy the artwork and read the lettering clearly. They are easy to handle, especially given the page count.

NONE of the covers are included in this collection.

Linework and Color restoration: Linework is fine, but it is the coloring that looks iffy. Gradient shades and blends not faithful to the original publications. The original color palette is maintained, it is only the blends that miss the mark. This may or may not bother you, depending on how acute an OCD sufferer you are.

Paper stock: Bright white super glossy stock, not optimal for material with flat coloring. It is honestly quite garish.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Spot varnishing. The coating elsewhere is sufficiently thick enough to provide years of enjoyment.

Review- JON SABLE, FREELANCE OMNIBUS VOL. 1

JON SABLE, FREELANCE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 (IDW, 2010; Softcover)

Collects Jon Sable, Freelance #1-16 (cover dates June, 1983- September, 1984)

Writer and Artist: Mike Grell

I stumbled upon this book in a half off bin. I had never even heard of this title but love Mike Grell's work and scooped it up with nary a second thought. This may seem unremarkable to fans used to modern comic books, but when you read it in context of the era that it was originally published in you will see how far ahead of it's time it was. This was published by First Comics, so it was free of the constraints of the Comics Code Authority. An openly gay supporting cast member, over the top violence, sexual innuendo, and even some minor drug use are all on display. Comics supposedly “grew up” with Watchmen, but this predates that title.

Another interesting thing about this is how it is narrative free, something not common in mainstream American comics of the day but is now par for the course. Grell's fast paced action sequences are fantastic. These comics hold up really well three decades later, as these things are all common in today's mainstream comic books. I enjoyed the story where Sable rescues the secret formula for Coca-Cola. I have Volume 2 in queue and hope to read it someday.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I enjoy the Omnibus format pioneered by Dark Horse. It is smaller than a standard trade paperback and easy to handle, yet it's not so small that it detracts from the enjoyment of the artwork or makes the words so small that you need a magnifying glass. The only complaint that I have about this book is that all 16 covers are shrunk down to fit on one page. That type of thing drives me batshit crazy. Your mileage may vary.

Linework and Color restoration: The linework is fine. While the color palette matches the original issues, the computer recoloring is a bit on the sloppy side, with airbrush gradient blends where there were none in the original comics. You have to look close to see them but the trained eye can spot them.

Paper stock: Thick glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Decent thickness lamination.