Thoughts On This Month's Box

I received my first box from Discount Comic Book Service yesterday, and have some quick thoughts/initial impressions on them so far that I wanted to share.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 - I've never been that big a Hal Jordan fan, I like the Kyle Rayner character and era that this book is setting up to replace, and had ordered this book for curiosity sake since it was only 74 cents.

The art by Ethan Van Sciver is incredibly detailed, and does a great job of setting and making the huge multitude of characters used individualized looking. His Carol Ferris is incredible looking, and made me want to know more about her from only the few pages she was on screen.

Unfortunately the story leaves a lot to be desired, as it seems to be about trying to convince readers of the greatness of Hal through dialogue. We are constantly told how wonderful he was and how much is missing without him there.

Yet it seems forced, and goes against what we are shown with Hal's history as a murderer and insanity given a huge focus. I wonder how Batman fans feel about his character being shown as a conspiracy nut, rather than just a pessimistic voice of reason too.

I'm sort of curious to see what happens next, but I must wonder who this book is for at times. Since it seems to be going in a direction that fans of the current character, with focusing on Hal and not Kyle Rayner. Yet also focuses on all of the negative elements that fans of Hal didn't like in the first place.

Teen Titans Go! Digests 1 & 2 - These wacky stories work even better in digest form than they did in larger format. If you've thought about giving the series a chance than here is the best way to do so.

My Faith in Frankie Digest - I'm still disappointed that this isn't in color, but I'm still pleased to see the book in a collected form. From a thumb through the gray shading is fairly decent, so should be fun to read.

Styx Taxi: A Little Twilight Music - It would have been nice to have had a little blurb on the inner front cover explaining what the series was about. Since it wasn't until I got to the end of the first story that I realized what it was.

This book about a taxi who takes dead souls anywhere they want for two hours, before they have to move on is an interesting theme. The first story by Steve and Dan Goldman is an interesting contrast at what various people want to spend their two hours.

The second story by Elizabeth Genco and Leland Purvis is my favorite. As one of the taxi drivers finds himself infatuated with a young female street musician, despite it being against the rules.

The art by Purvis shows how accomplished and confident he is in his talent. Since his use of white space, where the other two artists left none, shows that he has an understanding that sometimes less is more. Making his story more open and easy to read than the hyper realistic art of the first or sketchy unrealness of the third stories.

The third story about a mom who wanted to be a singer or something, was just not to my interest. The sketchy art just made me spend more time trying to figure out what I was looking at than I wanted to spend. So I gave up on it two pages in.


I've only read the first chapters of the next three books.

CMX Land of the Blindfolded #1 - This is a charming little series about two young teens, one who can see peoples futures the other their past is cute if not overly deep.

It does raise an interesting question of if you knew someone's future, could you change it and if so should you? How does one justify placing one's own beliefs of what is right for someone else?

CMX From Eroica With Love #1 - Three young people who have superpowers, pursue an fanciful male art thief who has taken a great romantic interest in the shy male brains of the three. Leading to some awkward humor in places, but a fun "chase movie" spoof none the less.

I was worried from reports that this book would seem too dated. Yet the art reminds me a lot of Maison Ikkoku with its open, cartoonish look. The dialogue is clever and the story reminds me a little of Jonny Quest with its mixture of humor and action. If taken to a slightly higher level of sophistication in its humor.

Sandman Mystery Theater: The Tarantula - A very nice first chapter that surprises me with a very interesting mystery that the hero will have to investigate. Yet what is most surprising is the sense of time and place the book has with its setting of NYC in the 1930s.

Despite the name, the book has had little of Sandman in it so far, Instead following a young woman of the 1930s whose life is most affected by the events the murder mystery is centered on. The look at the social issues of the time, women wanting to go out and be their own person having a good time. Isn't too different than some of the things young women go through today. Though some of the reasons might be a little different.