Attack of the Killer Comic Reviews!		n o. 10

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Some stuff I've read recently:

Bill the Bull: One Shot, One Bourbon, One Beer 1 (Boneyard)
Clandestine 6 (Marvel)
In Rage 1 (CFD)
Krusty Comics 1 (Bongo)
No Hope 7 (Slave Labor)
Pickle 6 (Black Eye)
Real Schmuck 1 (Starhead)

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Bill the Bull: One Shot, One Bourbon, One Beer 1

The first story is a badly drawn misogynist piece of dreck, the second is
an oddly sensitive tale of mistaken intentions. Talk about a mixed bag.
($2.95, Boneyard, 17175 Simonds Street, Granada Hills, CA 91344)


Clandestine 6 

Well, at least Wolverine isn't on the cover, but a few other famous US
heroes show up there as Rory and Pandora run away to America to become
famous superheroes. I'm trying not to enjoy this book too much because I
won't be reading it after issue 8. The new writer slated to take over,
Glenn Dakin, has done some excellent work in the past (check out Harrier's
b&w Paris, the Man of Plaster), but I doubt he'll fare any better under
corporate interference and incompetence than Alan Davis. ($2.50, Marvel)


In Rage 1 

When you look at the muddy cover with the huge breasted sword-wielding
woman and the hulking knived monsters, you wouldn't know that this is a
benefit book for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Inside, there's a pair
of thoughtful essays on censorship and a great strip, probably a reprint,
by Shannon(Too Much Coffee Man)Wheeler. But most of the stuff consists of
juvenile rants (Look, they're mooning the censors. Ha, ha.) and passable
horror and adventure stuff. CFD should be lauded for publishing this book
(Are you listening, big five?), but you should buy it for the cause, not
for the comics. ($2.50, CFD Productions, 360-A W.Merrick Road, Suite 350,
Valley Stream, NY 11580)


Krusty Comics 1

Has the departure of the Vances affected the quality of Bongo titles? It
may be too early to tell, but this book seems to be a bad omen. Compared
to previous books, Krusty Comics is a step back. The writing is a bit
overbearing, the art is often sketchy compared to the clean animated style
of other Bongo comics, and the plot is just plain silly. ($2.25, Bongo)


No Hope 7

Don't let the cover fool you. In between issues, Jeff Levine has made a
giant leap forward with his art, the kind of leap that makes people wax
nostalgic for the old style. He's abandoned his simple, cartoony drawing
style for a detailed, expressionistic, abstract one. The stories have
become more introspective and, if that's possible, more depressing. Also,
he's announced that he'll be giving up his magazine Destroy All Comics.
($2.95, Slave Labor, 979 S.Bascom Ave., San Jose, CA 95128)


Pickle 6

Stories within stories within stories, like a Chinese puzzle box. What's
the secret of Hicksville, a town where there are no telephones, but you
can find even the most obscure comics from every corner of the globe? Does
it matter? The cover calls it "a delicious feast of New Zealand
cartooning," and I can't think of any better way to describe this book.
($2.95, Black Eye, 338 Kribs Street, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada N3C 3J3)


Real Schmuck 1

As if the original wasn't bad enough, here's the dark side of Real Stuff,
if such a thing is possible. Stories that are too sick or too strange for
Real Stuff, and a couple of hilarious parodies.  ($2.95/$3.95 ppd., Real
Schmuck, 2318 Second Ave., Suite 1131, Seattle, WA 98121)


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Attack of the Killer Comic Reviews is posted on rec.arts.comics.misc, rec.arts.comics.info, and Comics-L whenever I feel like it. An abridged version is sometimes posted to rec.arts.comics.alternative and the comix mailing list. Feedback is welcome and encouraged.

I also publish a print fanzine called Stick Figures which is in need of submissions and subscriptions. (Hint, hint) Comics and stuff sent to me will be reviewed here and possibly in Stick Figures.