New comic book Wednesday has come and gone. The dust at your local comic shop has settled. An eerie silence descends as you finish reading your last superhero book of the week. Now it's time for something a little more sinister. Welcome to Bagged and Boarded: comic reviews of the sick, spooky, twisted and terrifying!
Buffy Season 9 No. 20
Buffy and Xander are on the outs in this continuation of the beloved franchise. Tensions are boiling over for the watcher and the slayer as Dawn is fading out of existence. But if Xander and Buffy can't work together, there's not much anyone can do, until a mysterious villain takes Xander away… and an old friend finally comes back into the picture.
Bag it or board it up? This is an issue about crossroads. This is about characters making hard choices and choosing specific paths. There isn't a lot of action in this issue. There isn't even that famous quirky dialogue. It's just a very plot driven, well structured issue for the previously initiated.
Roadkill Du Jour No. 1
Here's a brand new comic from an indie publisher with a fun idea. A man living in the bayou's been cursed by Mama Houdoo. Along with killing his loved ones, she's condemned him to a rather lowly existence. To eat, he must feed on roadkill. And what he eats changes him. He morphs into the form of his long-dead meal. It's an exciting and disgusting premise.
Bag it or board it up? I love a good bayou tale. I love the setting, the accent, the general feel of a comic like this. While the artwork at times can feel a little frenetic and unfocused, I think this comic has a ton of potential. I want to see our hero, Du Jour, eat more roadkill and transform into different types of animals. I want to see how it all plays out. It's rare to feel that way with a tiny issue 1. Keep an eye on this comic.
X No. 0
The zero issue to this comic tells the story of a masked vigilante hunting down criminals in the city of Arcadia. Arcadia, now a burnt down crime haven, is being cleaned up by a guy the baddies call the X-Killer. He's brutal, strong, fast, and on the prowl. This issue shows the lengths X will go to in the hunt for his prey.
Bag it or board it up? This is a fun comic, with big spurts of blood and lots of cat-and-mouse chasing to it. If you like to see the bad guy get his in the end, I recommend X. The artwork is dark and gloomy, and very well executed. The bright red of the blood against the dark grays and blues really make the comic pop.
Mars Attacks No. 9
The Martians have fully conquered Earth. Most of the population is dead, and the rest are in hiding. One kid, a genius with machines and programming, has so far survived the invasion. He meets up with a fast-shooting apocalypse cowboy and they head off to rescue the only scientist who knows how to destroy the Martians.
Bag it or board it up? I usually don't like the Mars Attacks comics and spin-offs. I tried this issue out because it wasn't trying any gimmicks. It wasn't teaming the Martians up with Kiss, or something ridiculous like that. It was just a continuation of a Martian story. And I was rewarded. This is a fun issue. This is pretty standard alien invasion fare, but it was an extremely enjoyable read.