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PIPELINE COMMENTARY AND REVIEW #5
06 July 1997
by Augie De Blieck Jr.
http://www.nic.com/~augie/pipeline
THE SAVAGE DRAGON #39 came out this week and it's the best issue since
Dragon's little talk with God. I can't recommend it highly enough. Sure, a
good part of it is immature, but it's a helluvalotta fun and you can tell
Erik Larsen's having fun with it. This issue, Dung attacks. (For those of
you new to the ensemble cast of THE SAVAGE DRAGON, Dung has the power to
shoot, er, #2. Crap. The brown stuff.) Along the way, the subplots heat
up, a talking chicken flies the coop, and Dragon leaves the Chicago police
department.
I hear CYBERFORCE is being cancelled. SHADOWHAWK is gone. YOUNGBLOOD is
gone, but will most likely return for the fifth go-around later this year.
WILDCATs is on its half-dozenth creative team, not involving the original
artist on it. SPAWN still sorta has the same team, although Todd McFarlane
has foregone pencilling the book in the name of negotiating merchandising
deals. That leaves us with Erik Larsen, still writing, pencilling, and
inking his original Image title, 5 years later.
Top Cow will be publishing Warren Ellis' next creator-owned series, PANIC.
I'm really looking forward to this one. The high-concept on it is really
warped. This has been your obligatory Warren Ellis reference.
(TRANSMETROPOLITAN comes out next week, so I should be set for a reference in
the next issue of this column, eh?)
SAVANT GARDE #5 came out this week, further making me hate WildStorm. Maybe
it's not their fault. I can see why sales would be low on this book. It's
not bloody and violent and grim and dirty. It's fun, through and through,
and a book I could easily recommend to anyone. Alas, it doesn't fit in with
the company's New Vision of itself. So out it goes. Yes, I am getting
bitter.
In the meantime, you can fill up your fun quota with a couple of Marvel
comics: HEROES FOR HIRE and DEAD-POOL. DEAD-POOL #7 came out this week and
it's looking just as good as it always has. Nice, simple art with rich
coloring and a funny lead character. I can't believe I'm enjoying a mutant
title this much.
I'm even more bitter upon learning that Extreme Studios/Maximum Press/Awesome
Entertainment has no plans to finish printing the last NEWMEN series.
Beautiful Chris Sprouse art, wonderful Eric Stephenson writing, but it
doesn't fit in with the company's New Vision of itself. So out it goes.
Alan Moore will bring it back, and his vision of it seems completely
out-of-whack with what it always has been up to this point. ::sigh:: Add
another fruit of bitterness to that tree.
STARMAN #34 is a bittersweet tale. There's so much that's right about this
comic and this issue in particular. I know many have given up on it, but I
think it's getting better with age. Maybe that's because there are extra
layers added on to the story with all the background we have now. I don't
know. I just know I like it. But I want Tony Harris to be able to draw
faster. (This issue would have been wonderful if Todd McFarlane could
have drawn it like he used to draw Infinity, Inc. A couple of Mark
Buckingham's layouts reminded me of those stories.) The guest-pencillers do
excellent work, but the Starman I always picture is HIS Starman.
Likewise, the Spider-Man I always picture is Todd McFarlane's and the Batman
I always picture is Norm Breyfogle's and the Superman I always picture is
probably Dan Jurgen's. (Sometimes Tom Grummett's comes to mind though.)
None of this is wrong - I got chewed out one time for saying this. I'm just
a product of my time. These were the creators whose work I've read on those
particular characters and whose art I shall always associate with those
characters.
THUNDERBOLTS #5 and ASTRO CITY #8 were released, making this a pretty good
week for Kurt Busiek fans everywhere. I know I'm happy. Both stories were
excellent, although Astro City - just due to the nature of the story - had a
litte more impact. But Thunderbolts is still looking good. Cracks are
beginning to show in the Masters of Evil's plan just as the characters are
getting truly sympathetic and objects to almost be pitied. (Poor Atlas!) At
what price redemption, eh?
I've raved about Joe Rosas coloring before, and let me do it again and show
you a big difference. KA-ZAR #5 is out this week, too. His coloring
there has not nearly as much impact as it does in THUNDERBOLTS. Why? The
computer separators at Digital Chameleon ruin his work there. They add
textures to Rhino's costume and patterns to the museum floors. (One could
say they were making up for Andy Kubert's pencils, but even I'm not that
negative.) Joe Rosas works best in bright light. Not in darkened tones and
glitzy computer work.
And, hey - that Jolt. What a babe, eh? Makes me reconsider the yen I've
felt lately for Alex Wilde over in THE SAVAGE DRAGON. ;-) [And if anyone
cries sexism to this paragraph, I'll just swear I saw it on Seinfeld last
night!]
NEXT WEEK: I have no idea, but I'm thinking Uncle $crooge and Donald Duck
will be talked about.
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