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!
Kiss Me, Satan No. 1Barnabus was once an angel. When the big man upstairs kicked the devil and his other angels out of heaven, Barnabus was the only angel that wanted to go back. Now he spends his time in a werewolf-infested New Orleans keeping witches safe and running from the devil's personal assistants. When the kingpin of the werewolf mafia (yep, you heard me) finds out his unborn son won't be born a lycanthrope, he freaks out and attempts to kill all who know too much. So Barnabus is assigned protection duty and away we go!
Bag it or board it up? Even though the story and setting are a bit "all over the place," this comic is still a blast to read. The general conceit of the book may be something we've seen before, but i's an easy problem to forgive when the story and artwork (by Juan Ferreyra, artist of Colder) are this good. I'm excited to see where this story goes, and I will definitely be following along.
The Strain: The Fall No. 3The story about vampires with giant, pointy, deadly tongues is back thanks to Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. In this miniseries the evil vampires have taken over Manhattan and are looking to extend their reach. Traditionally vampires can't cross over running water, but after finding a loophole via the subway system things look grim for the world. Now an ex-luchador and the normal gang of investigators are on the case.
Bag it or board it up? Another great issue in a series that keeps on ticking. This is the type of comic that delights in stringing the reader along just as much as it takes pleasure in gore or scares. I, for one, am definitely along for the ride.
Buzzkill No. 1
What do you do if you have a substance abuse problem… which is also the root of all of your super powers? That's the question this dark and dreary comic asks right off the bat. It's the story of Ruben, a superhero who gets his crazy powers from becoming falling-down drunk. He's done some bad things, he's probably also saved the world… if only he could remember.
Bag it or board it up? This is not your average superhero story. I'm including it here because A) it's wonderful and B) it's very dark and un-superhero-like. This is a story about loss, regret, power, and evil mutant super villains. Works for me.
The X-Files: Season 10 No. 4The series revitalization continues with X-Files: Season 10. Picking up after the films, this comic follows Scully and Mulder as a huge and personal mystery begins to unfold. Scully's child is missing, she's being led around by a mysterious guy named Deacon, and Mulder can't find her anywhere. People are acting strange, and it's all set Yellowstone National Park. Can Scully find her child? Can Mulder find Scully?
Bag it or board it up? I'm torn. I'm really happy that this exists. I love when great old series (like Buffy) get a new life thanks to comics. But I'm not sure if anything really happened in this issue. Aside from a shocking ending, the whole comic feels like it's spinning its wheels until something cool happens. This is X-Files, we shouldn't have to wait that long for something cool to happen!