CHILLING ADVENTURES PRESENTS BETTY THE FINAL GIRL #1
This one definately peaked my curiosity. Some of the horror titles from Archie Comics have done a very good job of being both Archie and scary. And while I am not the biggest fan of the realistic art and Riverdale TV series designs, they do have the ability to enhance the spookyness. And of all the gang in Riverdale (comic universe!), Betty is indeed the character I’d expect to be the Final Girl. Unfortunately, the stories shown here have potential, the wraparound story that holds them together is a confusing mess that leave too much to the reader’s imagination and seems to skip simple yet necessary facts which does little to help the reader. Are the short stories supposed to be streaming movies that Betty is watching? And why does she keep falling asleep during each film? What are these little clues popping up the story that seem to go nowhere. Had this been some sort of series with a to be continued on the last page, I’d be ok with it. But this is a one-shot that ends on a Twilight Zone cliffhangar that makes no sense. And while I did get a kick out of the Josie and the Pussycats short, it couldn’t make up for the rest. 5 out of 10 Grahams.
ACTION JOURNALISM #5 ONI PRESS
Finally, the tales of Kate Kelly are starting to form an ongoing story. After 4 issues of really well done independant shorts, we pick up where we left off in issue 4. And boy what an inventive tale we have. A super-meme that would turn anyone into a superhero (most recently Kate!) and the fanatical miltary man hell-bent on using it to create an army under his control. That’s just good stuff! Yet another example of what comic perfection flies under the radar. 9 out 10 Grahams.
BATMAN INCORPORATED #5 DC COMICS
Well, unfortunately, we end on a rather anti-climatic ending. A fight, some interesting words and the two teams of Batman Inc walk away with nothing solved. Luthor’s team walks away free and Ghostmaker’s team take the high ground and walk in the other direction. No great questions are answered, no ethics lesson is taught. No one is right and everybody is wrong. I guess this was always going to be the case. Which after reading this first story arc, I really wanted to see that whiny little Phantom-One get it in the end. After a good butt-whooping, which he did sort of get. Oh well, moving on. I give it a 6 out of 10 Grahams.
DANGER STREET #3 DC COMICS
Before we dive into this one, can I just point out that it is about time that a variant cover was done by a classic artist that is connected to characters featured in the comic. Ramona Fradon’s Metamorpho cover is a tantilizing reminder of his 1960’s series. The charm and the wit that her drawing contains makes me homesick to a time when a trip to Gray’s Drugstore of the local Rexall Drugs would have rewarded me with comics like this. Sigh!
Meanwhile, random pieces of Fate’s puzzle start coming together. The Dingbats have discovered who the blue man is. Metamorpho’s diamond arm has become a possession of the Green Team. Manhunter shots Codename:Assassin, then is shot by Codename: Assassin. Starman and Warlord begin negotiations with the Green Team while Metron deals with Darkseid and Highfather. And Lady Cop (Stop caller her that, she hates it!) finally gets the color to work on the printer. Tom King is on a roll here. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
