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!
B.P.R.D. Abe Sapien No. 2Everyone's favorite Amphibi-man Abe Sapien returns in the second installment of his solo series. Abe's been unconcious since a girl with psychic abilities shot him. Now he's awake just in time for the end of the world. His return to society, as all hell is breaking loose, sends him into a torrent of emotions and sends him on the run. This issue, he runs into a preacher selling end of the world hysteria, and things reach a boiling point toward the end of the issue.
Bag it or board it up? This issue has a little bit of everything that makes a good B.P.R.D. issue. There's a little bit of sneaking around, a little bit of detective work, and a good old fashioned riot! If you're following the series, then I don't need to tell you to pick this issue up. Every issue of every B.P.R.D. all seems to be heading toward one massive conclusion.
Mr. X: Eviction No. 1 of 3Dean Motter's swirling, dizzying comic about a drug-addicted detective continues to inspire in this new mini-series. Mr. X is on the hunt for a man who wants to make everything orderly. But the city, which groans under the weight of any small crisis, is being brought to a standstill by faulty traffic lights.
Bag it or board it up? Check these comics out. They're full of twists, turns, and dizzying artwork. I also love the premise of a city with architecture so confusing to look at that it drives the citizens crazy. Everyone develops neurosis because of the "Psychetecture" and it adds a blast of flavor into a classic detective story.
Shadowman No. 0The new series Shadowman has really been taking off. I've been guilty of letting it fly by my radar unchecked, but I stumbled across this "digital exclusive" issue of the comic and had to check it out. This issue, as with most issue zeroes, gives us all backstory. We get a little blurb about Shadowman himself, and then we dig right into the who's, what's, where's, when's, how's and... most importantly, the why's of our main villains.
Bag it or board it up? Gah! I love comics that take place in and around New Orleans. And this comic has an amazing artistic feel, beautifully illustrated. The plot is rife with interesting elements, and there's definitely something good to dig into. I hope the main series feels as nuanced and shadowy as this special issue.
The Colonized No. 2I don't need to explain anything about this comic other than the basic premise: An alien tractor beam accidentally reanimates a corpse, turning it into the first of many zombies. See? Sold, right?
Bag it or board it up? I really enjoyed this comic. The fact that the aliens of this story team up with the humans against a horde of zombies is incredible. I love seeing interactions like that. This comic is full of wit and very tongue in cheek. The artwork is a little campy, but it's lovingly drawn. Fans of genre-mixing take note: this is a hell of a comic.