Every now and then, I like to mix it up with the comics that are chosen for reviews. But I also know that I can’t trust myself not to pick comics that I am going to like. So to make the process completely random, I have the agent at the Doc’s Corner News Agency pick books that I have no say i. I am simply hanmded a bag and told that these are this week’s reviews. That means that this week’s reviews are completely off the rails! Lets see what they gave me …
THE MUPPETS NOIR #1 DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Ironicly, I have a love/hate relationship with the Muppets. I can literally bing watch the original Muppets show for days. Statler and Waldorf, Lew Zealand and his Boomerang Fish, Crazy Harry and his endless explosions simply make me happy. Muppet movies, not so much. So applying the characters to a new medium seemed interesting. And with the new show coming out, it seemed inevitable. And Roger Langridge’s story walks that delicate balance as our story starts off backstage at the Muppet Theatre. Until a random brick knocks Kermit senseless and he falls into the world of a mystery novel he was reading. And while the comatose world Kermit finds himself in makes sense, it does also slip into some real acid trip weirdness. Langridge also does the artwork and manages to do a good (not great but good) job with the characters likenesses. Muppet fans should be excited with this one. There is just a little something off about this one for me though. 6 out of 10 Grahams.
GRIMM FAIRY TALES VOLUME 3 #1 ZENESCOPE
Well, Zenescope’s Flagship title gets a reboot but at least a new number one issue makes sense in this situation. As a new storyline starts with the focus being on creatures from the dark. As a team of mystical characters joins forces to face the oncoming evil. Mystere, Skye, and many others ally themselves with Keres, the Goddess of Death to send the evil back into the shadows. This new volume follows the tried and true system of Zenescope team up that have become commonplace after the first volume ended. And that might be the problem here. No longer the one off stories of the darkside of fairy tales, the creative team at Zenescope has become hugs believers in highlighting their shared universe. And sometimes that can be overwhelming. 7 out of 10 Grahams.
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #17 DC COMICS
Sigh, so much for me being able to brag that I had never read an Absolute comic from DC. I suspect that this one was handed over to me due to it being the introduction of the Absolute Poison Ivy. But that’s one of my main problems. I already have a Poison Ivy and she’s been around since Batman #181 (June 1966) and had some inspiration from Bettie Page, as writer Robert Kanigher wanted to add a seductive female villian to Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery. This one isn’t even close as it appears that this version of Ivy came straight out of the Kurt Russell Thing movie. And while her backstory maybe heartwarming and sad, this twisted multiple mouthed plant animal hybrid woman is simply horrible. And now that I’ve been given an example of the character of the Absolute Batman, I can’t say that I’m overly impressed. This one simply died on the vine. 4 out of 10 Grahams.