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UNTIL YOUR HEART STOPS v5.1
by Brian Domingos
Sixty-Five Percent
August 18, 2004
Here we are again. Six more reviews for of trade paperbacks, Original graphic novels and hardcovers. There are some really quality books this time. On with it:
 SPAGHETTI WESTERN OGN
Writer/Artist: Scott Morse
Oni Press
$11.95
SPAGHETTI WESTERN, the new Original Graphic Novel by writer/artist Scott Morse, tackles the genre of ‘spaghetti westerns’ just one more time. The term refers to inexpensive films about the American Old West, produced by Italian crews and mostly shot on location in Spain. The stories are known for their immoral characters and plots that usually revolve around a robbery or a heist of some sort.
Morse took this idea, and twisted it slightly to the left, looking at it from another perspective. He utilized the sideways pages, or ‘wide screen’ style lay out where instead of top to bottom, the pages are printed the long way, left to right. Using only single panel pages, Morse crafts a tale of two men, eager to go out in a blaze of glory with pockets lined with cash. At least it starts that way.
As the story unfolds Morse reveals the motivations of the characters, how they came to rob the bank and where they come from. It’s an unexpected turn of events and adds a nice level of detail to the script.
The artwork is typical Morse from start to finish. He has a firm grip of pacing and knows what to show and what to leave out of a page. In a book like this where it’s moment by moment, panel by panel, this is especially important. His unique style with its swirled line work and chalk highlights compliments the feel of the story.
At first glance this seemed like a competitor with AiT/Planet Lar’s LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS, due to the format and the source material, but really, you end up with two completely different books. SPAGHETTI WESTERN is a skillfully executed homage to the Spaghetti Westerns and definitely worth the twelve bucks.
 URSULA TPB
Writer: Fabio Moon
Artist: Gabriel Ba
AiT/Planet Lar
$9.95
It’s hard not to gush about this book, and I could easily join the legions of Bloggers in praising URSULA. I haven’t read any of those reviews because I didn’t want anything spoiled, so I have no idea what specific comments have been shared. I do know that most people liked it. I, on the other hand, adored it.
URSULA, to me, is near perfect comics. It was handpicked for reprint by publisher Mimi Rosenheim and it is truly a treat. It’s the creation of writer Fabio Moon and artist Gabriel Ba, twin brothers from Brazil with passion and enthusiasm about the medium. They make no qualms about what kind of book this is. It’s a Love Story (full on capitals) and they aren’t embarrassed about it.
The story opens with three childhood friends, Bruno, Miro and Ursula acting out scenes of a love story between a king and queen with their toys. Miro is distracted by the departure of his father, leaving yet again on business. Bruno just wants to play and have adventures. Ursula spends her time making eyes at Miro, a childhood crush on a cute boy by a cute girl. It’s that kind of deep, pure love you can only have without life getting in the way. It’s backed by innocence and the untainted belief that with this person, you will always be happy. Ursula soon moves away and nothing will ever be the same.
Cut to fifteen, twenty years later and Miroslav is grown up, heir to the thrown and he is told he must take a queen. His father talks of his options, his possibilities of a bride, but Miro’s already made up his mind; He did that years ago.
I won’t spoil the second half of the book, because that’s where the magic of the tale is. Moon threw his heart and soul on those pages and Ba made it come to life. The script could be seen as cheesy, but knowing that this was Moon’s ideal, that he had a story to tell and it’s as perfect as possible, rips down any of those misconceptions. It’s the love story, the faultless fairy-tale of young love, of faith, of Hope.
Gabriel Ba’s artwork has hints and shades of a few artists. The use of blacks and space in the panels themselves as well as the attention to detail is reminiscent of Eduardo Risso. The exaggerated storytelling of the first part is a little Humberto Ramos. These styles come together to make a exceptional book that needs to be read again and again.
I applaud AiT/Planet Lar in finding such a unique vision of how life, how love Should be.
DEAD @ 17 TPB
Writer/Artist: Josh Howard
Letters: Greg Gatlin
Viper Comics
$14.95
For a while it seemed like every where I went, someone was talking about DEAD @ 17. I knew nothing about the book other than the fact that I liked the title and the cover design was interesting. I tracked down the collection of the first mini series and sat down to soak it in.
The basic story comes off like “Buffy meets Powers. Sort of.” Seventeen year old Nara gets ambushed in her own house, gutted like a fish and left for dead. Her best friend Hazy ‘feels’ her death and she can’t figure out why someone would kill Nara. In steps Special Agent Raddemer who tries to get some information from Hazy.
Apparently Nara wasn’t as ordinary as she seemed. She kept a secret diary filled with pages of torment and ramblings that Hazy can’t understand. Things are nice and confusing and then Nara shows up. She’s back from the dead and killing zombies. Raddemer is part of an organization that trying to control the situation and says that Nara is the key to all this mayhem. The three of them, as well as Nara’s would-be crush Elijah and his current girlfriend go to stop the menace.
Josh Howard’s script is pretty decent as a whole. It’s not the most original idea, but it’s fairly well executed and doesn’t require any outside knowledge. It’s zombies and magic-things and hot chicks; an excellent combination for a comic. His scripting is pretty heavy handed, but his layouts easily maintain a steady pace. It’s high in dialogue and tries to avoid the exposition whenever possible. The artwork is like Michael Avon Oeming, but with a manga twist. The girls are big eyed and adorable and the guys tend to have a weird ‘P’ shaped skulls.
There is a lot of potential shown in DEAD @ 17. With firm storytelling and a good sense of drama, Josh Howard is a guy to watch. I’ll surely be checking out his next collection of comics work.
FIREBREATHER, vol. 1 TPB
Writer: Phil Hester
Artist/Letters: Andy Kuhn
Colors: Bill Crabtree
Image Comics
$13.95
FIREBREATHER hit the stands as a four issue mini-series in, early 2003, I think. Yes, it was the first week of January. It was part of the new line of ‘super’ books from Image long with the stellar INVINCIBLE, Jay Faerber’s VENTURE, Keith Giffen’s DOMINION, and the failed CLOCK MAKER.
Right out of the gate FIREBREATHER has a few things going for it. It’s written by the insanely talent Phil Hester who brought the critic approval of THE COFFIN, which gave him credit in the bank with the fans. Not to mention that he seems to script and plot better than he draws which is astounding. The next is artist Andy Kuhn who claimed legions of fans on REX MANTOOTH. His style is like a slightly cartoony Charlie Adlard, with an excellent sense of pace and timing. He has strong storytelling and an eye for composition and is skilled with his use of blacks.
Throw those two together (along with first-rate colorist Bill Crabtree) and you’ve got a potential hit on your hands. The result was the story of Duncan Belloc-Rosenblatt, the son of an oversized warlord of a dragon and a human woman. Duncan’s life is full of the typical teenage drama and angst, but when you mix in his unique heritage, things can only get worse.
We see his first day at his fifth school in three years, and things are already not going so well. The principal all but threatens him and he’s instantly shunned by his peers. He does his best to adjust and just try to blend, but it’s hard when your skin is orange and scaled. And, oh look, wings.
A big part of the book is Duncan’s relationship with his parents. He loves his mother and she does her best but it’s hard for the two of them to relate on some rather obvious levels. The situation with his father is even worse, since Duncan spends weekends with Belloc in his isolated, government mandated zone. Belloc has some specific plans for Duncan, wanting him to follow in his menace-to-the-world foot-steps but Duncan isn’t too sure that it’s for him.
Hester gently approaches these classic themes, blending them with his new twists and still maintaining a level of integrity. He allows the script to breathe and be realistic without leaning on the clichés.
The story is about responsibility and alienation and trying to live your life with the cards you were dealt. It’s a strong work by the creative team and hopefully there are more minis planned. There is a 48 page one-shot in October and Hester hopes to have more out after that. They seem to be committed to the project and that can only mean more good things.
TONY MILLIONAIRE’S SOCK MONKEY: Uncle Gabby HC
Writer/Artist/Letters: Tony Millionaire
Colors: Jim Campbell
Dark Horse Books
$14.95
Creator Tony Millionaire just released what could be the last SOCK MONKEY story. For those of you unfamiliar with the book, SOCK MONKEY follows the adventures of the titular stuffed toy named Uncle Gabby and his equally stuffed partner-in-chaos, Mr. Crow. Gabby comes across as the more logical one where Mr. Crow is the sort of by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of bird.
This Uncle Gabby hardcover starts off with Mr. Crow, and the insanely creepy cutesy doll called Inches, awaiting the arrival of “The Un-Namer” while sitting in the back of a miniature terrier drawn cart. “The Un-Namer” is, of course, Uncle Gabby, a newly popular poet, famous for lifting the descriptive names off things and returning them to the untouched beauty they once were. Uncle Gabby arrives and he reveals that there is a mystery unfolding and it is off to Ann-Louise’s house. This is the place where they were created and have lived out most of their lives.
The script takes a bit of a meta-physical turn as Uncle Gabby talks to Mr. Crow about memories and experiences and how sometimes he remembers things that couldn’t have happened. It’s an interesting discussion for two stuffed animals to have and fore-shadows the twists of the end.
They arrive at the house of Ann-Louise, and it is completely empty. They travel to the attic of the Victorian home to find the side of the house torn off, and a sea ship with wings and a giant eye hot air balloon to take them away. On board they find a treasure map and the voyage is on.
Millionaire’s unyielding scripts constantly throw these characters into unbelievable situations, testing their wills and teasing them with promise of adventures. The characters are instilled with proper manors and personalities you might find in a clichéd British gentleman which is an odd juxtaposition as moments become even more absurd. Gabby and Crow take it all with stride, always hoping it will be better around the corner. This gives Millionaire perpetual straight-men for his off the cuff jokes. The two of them are always ‘gad-zooks!’ and ‘zounds!’ as the weirdest things imaginable happen all around them.
It’s important to note that this is all portrayed by Millionaire and his classically trained artistic skills. He has a keen attention to detail, using meticulous line work and inventive designs to bring these stories to life. The storytelling is simple, but it’s simple in the same way Mike Mignola seems simple, by using careful layouts and comic timing to tell his tales.
By the end of the book, it’s easy to see this as a potential ending of the series. I sincerely hope this isn’t the case. Millionaire has released a couple of these hardcover SOCK MONKEY books and there’s plenty of room on my shelf for more.
KYLE BAKER: Cartoonist, vol. 2 TPB
Writer/Artist: Kyle Baker
Kyle Baker Press
$14.95
Kyle Baker’s career has a healthy stack of creator-owned work. Few creators in the main stream can say the same thing. He’s tackled everything from David of Hebron to television has-bins, from Y2K to socio-political satire, and even a few superheroes.
His newest, most recent outing, KYLE BAKER: Cartoonist, volume 2, is a sequel to last spring’s volume one and contains somewhere in the number of 120 pages of illustrated jokes and original cartoons spotlighting his comical family. It’s mostly one page gags and silly puns, but Baker has a knack for comedy and the artwork beefs up the humor. Even his ‘pun-ny’ bits are still worth a giggle or to, as he always seems to find The Moment that makes these sort of things funny. A few of his new classic characters make a reappearance which is sure to please the fans of Myrna Burner, Psychonaut and my personal favorite Sweet Sue, Defense Attorney. She’s a simple character that he plays straight and really she’s just damn cute. She should get her own book.
Everyone thinks their kids are the cutest and Baker doesn’t hesitate to show his crowd just how much. “The Bakers” strips are funny anecdotes of what we must assume are real life occurrences and he doesn’t miss a beat. Nothing here is all that outlandish but the innocence and naivety of the children and utter confusion that Baker seems to be in is really funny. It seems as though no matter what he does, life is utterly unpredictable. The comics are easy to relate to and Baker does a great job at putting the reader in the room with the family.
The jokes, while usually clever and funny are often spread out over a number of pages and in the end the book feels a bit empty. I wasn’t unhappy with the quality of work, just the quantity. I could read phone books of Baker’s work every day and it wouldn’t get old. I’m hoping there’s a volume three due out soon.
Upcoming:
Books of note shipping today…
JUN040030 GOON DH ED #8 $2.99
JUN040197 BATMAN: DEATH AND THE MAIDENS TPB
DC Comics
$19.95
This is the collection of Greg Rucka and Klaus Janson’s nine issue maxi-series featuring Batman and Ra’s al Ghul. Fans weren’t too kind to this title at the end of the story, but that might have had a lot to do with the pacing of the story and printing delays. I’m hoping it’ll be a good read in one fell swoop.
JUN040808 EX MACHINA #3 (MR)
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$2.95
Buy this, or it will be canceled. Don't let what happened to WILDCATS v3.0 happen here.
JUN040398 GREEN ARROW: ARCHER’S QUEST TPB
DC Comics
$14.95
Here’s a chance to get Brad Meltzer’s GREEN ARROW run in soft cover. I splurged for the hard cover last year because I thought the story was worth the twenty bucks. The three of you who like IDENTITY CRISIS will like this.
JUN040401 HAWKMAN #31 $2.50
JUN040816 I AM LEGION THE DANCING FAUN OGN
Humanoids/DC Comics
$6.95
More John Cassaday is never a bad thing. At least it’s not X-men.
JUN040812 WILDC.A.T.S/CYBERFORCE: KILLER INSTINCT TPB
Top Cow/Wildstorm/DC Comics
$14.95
I really never thought I’d see this released in trade paperback. I thought this storyline was cool when it came out, but I was 13 so who knows how it still reads. Jim Lee’s artwork was amazing, though, with nice colors by Joe Chiodo. At the very least, check out the quadruple page spreads in WILDC.A.T.s #5.
JUN041355 DEEP SLEEPER: OMNIBUS
Image Comics
$5.95
Image has collected the two Oni issues of DEEP SLEEPER in a nice bumper for anyone who wants to get on board for the third issue next week. It’s a really cool read.
JUN041380 ULTRA #1 (Of 8)
Image Comics
$2.95
ULTRA has been talked about as “Sex in the Super-Powered City.” The Luna Brothers have scripted and illustrated the series. The script is decent, judging by the sample pages and the artwork looks like Josh Middleton, which is always nice. It’s worth a look.
JUN041626 DAREDEVIL #63 $2.99
JUN042124 DEMO #9 (Of 12) (MR) $2.95
JUL043089 PLASTIC FARM #5 & 6 PACK
Plastic Farm Press
$5.90
My pal Rafer Roberts is giving out a double-dose of his book PLASTIC FARM. If you see these sets buy a couple packs.
JUN042646 RENT GIRL OGN (A)
Last Gasp
$24.95
I’ve been eagerly awaiting this to come out. I don’t know much about the writer Michelle Tea, but the artwork is by the marvelous Laurenn McCubbin. I loved her work on XXX LIVE NUDE GIRLS and this should be even better.
MAY042851 SCOTT PILGRIM: SCOTT PILGRIMS PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE, VOL 1 OGN
Oni Press
$11.95
Lastly is Bryan O’Malley’s follow up to last year’s LOST AT SEA. Everyone seems to love this book and I was a fool and forgot to pre-order it. How, I don’t know. Anyway, as soon as I can find it, that sucker is MINE.
That's it for today. Go read Chris Lamb's new column VAPOR TRAIL.
Brian Domingos is the Columns Editor of PopImage dot com.
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