Attack of the Killer Comic Reviews!		no.2

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Better late than never, that's what I always say. :)

This week's haul:

Destroy All Comics 1 (Slave Labor)
Excalibur 85 (Marvel)
Face 1 (DC/Vertigo)
From Hell 6 (Kitchen Sink)
Palooka-Ville 6 (Drawn & Quarterly)
Sin City: The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories (Dark Horse)
Strangers in Paradise 2 (Abstract)


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Destroy All Comics 1

Despite the whiny letters complaining about how Jeff Levine "sold out" by
taking his zine to Slave Labor, DAC looks the same as it always did. It's
not a magazine, it's a giant zine. It's got reviews, a bunch of great
comics, and interviews with Chris Ware(Acme Novelty Library, a fantastic
book) and Jamie Crespo(Narolepsy Dreams). ($3.50, Slave Labor, 979 S.
Bascom Ave., San Jose, CA 95128)


Excalibur 85 (regular edition, of course)

Warren Ellis' last several issues have given rise to the hope that there
might be another good X-book again. This issue, the conclusion of a three
part story, seems a bit rushed, as if he had to cram everything in there
to finish it up before January's Big Crossover. If Ellis can find his way
without too much editorial interference, Excalibur might turn out to be a
great book again. ($1.50, Marvel)


Face 1

This is the first "Vertigo Visions" book I've read, and the sub-imprint is
off to a good start. Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo have crafted a
terrifying story about an arrogant, self-obsessed plastic surgeon who is
hired to operate on a legendary painter on his Mediterranean island. If
all the "Visions" are this good, the imprint will have a bright future.
($4.95, DC/Vertigo)


From Hell 6

What can I say about From Hell that hasn't already been said? It's
brilliant. However, I think he is going a bit overboard with the
historical cameos. This issue we see Aleister Crowley in short pants and
W.B.Yeats. Other than that, I have no complaints. From Hell an
astonishingly brilliant and intricate work, and it's convinced me that the
good doctor is the Ripper, even if Moore doesn't think so himself. ($4.95,
Kitchen Sink, 320 Riverside Drive, Northampton, MA 01060)


Palooka-Ville 6

Seth continues his search for the mysterious cartoonist Kalo, taking a
train ride to Kalo's hometown. I'm sure everyone expects Seth to end up in
the New Yorker himself eventually. I'm just wondering what's taking so
long. ($2.95, Drawn & Quarterly, 5550 Jeanne Manse St. # 16, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada H2V 4K6)


Sin City: The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories

The bulk of the book is the title story, which was serialized in Diamond's
Previews. But when they said "other stories", I assumed they meant other
stories, instead of a couple of lame three or four pagers, one of which
has also been printed in Previews. Avoid this, it's a rip off. ($2.95,
Dark Horse/Legend)


Strangers in Paradise 2

In this issue, we learn more about Katchoo's mysterious past, chock full
of shocking revelations. Moore does a nifty "Wizard of Oz" thing with a
few color pages. The big mystery: what's with that prose piece on the
inside front cover? ($2.75, Abstract Studio, P.O.Box 271487, Houston, TX
77277-1487)


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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 posted to  the comix mailing list and alt.comics.alternative(which doesn't appear at my site, so vote yes for raca!). 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.