Comics, more like comehics

Actually, it wasn't all that bad.

Picked up a couple of series that did rock my world and made me think, yes comics are ok.



Planetes
Just brilliant. Young man in space trying to find direction; finds love instead. Its just like The Graduate, but instead of boning an old woman he floats around in space picking up garbage. The art is really nice but the storytelling is just phenomenal! The story telling devices Makato uses are quite diverse but spot on for each situation.
Its a real joy to read, and i think its going to be a classic.



Street Angel
I like this cause its published consitently but more than its actually clever. Usually I'm not keen on genre mixing; its a western on the moon! i find its usually just fanboy wankery, covering up bad punchlines and poor characters. But i'm boring like that.
Anyway, Street Angel is good, really fresh, Issue 2 features an Irish astronaut that speaks in an Australian accent because everyone likes Australians. And there's ninjas, nintendo playing ninjas. Each issue has gotten darker and darker - which gives me hope that there is a reason for the madness in the first couple of issues. If not played right this could be one the biggest dissappointment of 2005. Until then, bring it on.


Y - the last man.
Vertigo was starting to look stale and once Preacher finished nothing was really striking me as interesting. The first couple of Transmetropolitan trades were OK but then i read they got worse so i didn't bother to go past volume three. I'm having trouble getting into Morrison's Invisibles, more so because of the art. I picked up the first couple issues of Losers and it was 'meh', the Hunter magician books looked lame. So i didn't go rushing towards the Vertigo stand at the comic shoppery. Then (god i'm long winded) I picked up the first 2 Y trades cheap. And it was good, the pace is cracking the characters are varied and feel true. Whilst i'd like to see some bigger picture stuff - not just centred around Yorrick (and I can do with the fanboy pop culture references) looking forward to volume 5.


Usagi Yojimbo
Its kind of embarrassing admitting that i read comics about a samurai rabbit but i went cold turkey after the ending of Lone Wolf and Cub I needed some samurai action. Ebay gave me the Usagi love cheaply. Been grabbing trades since and loving it. The pacing, dialogue, the plot - all gold. If it didn't have a cute little bunny rabbit as its main character people would be stepping over issues of Ultimates trying to get a copy.


Wildcats
Casey seems to always try something different, in popbot he tried too hard and alienated people. Wildcats , though, hit the spot. Dustin Nuygen's art is beuatiful and the cover design is the best in the field. I wish this got the acclaim and sales that ex machina is getting and i hope people see the stylistic connection between the 2 series and hunt down the Wildcats trades, giving DC the message to finish off the series in trades.

Otherwise other great reads are Palomar, Blankets and Summer Blonde (I'm a sad git)

Legion of the meh
-sleeper; season 1 rocked, starting season 2 was a mistake
-blade of the immortal; the art is just gorgeous but its dragging on a bit and would read so much better in trades
-Iron Wok Jan; its wearing a bit thin
Otherwise not a lot really since i don't mind dropping crap comics, which is different from me in the 90s were i'd hope "it'll get better, it'll get better"