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!
The Maxx: Maxximized No. 1Cult classic comic The Maxx is finally getting the loving reprint it deserves. Overseen by series creator Sam Keith, the new reprint features all the same awesome story but with beautiful new coloring. Follow the weird story of superhero/homeless man Maxx as he struggles with this world, "The Outback" (a sort of netherworld), and a deeply evil man with very foul intentions.
Bag it or board it up? I never really got into The Maxx as it was taking the underground by storm (a bit too young, I'll admit - that was when I was in my prime Spider-Man age). Reading this reprint I can't help but wish I'd gotten in on it sooner. It's a much stranger story than I thought, and definitely worth your attention.
Criminal Macabre: The Eyes of Frankenstein No. 3 of 4Cal McDonald is a surly, heavy-drinking, paranormal detective. His best friend is a ghoul (essentially a zombie with a mind, emotions, and all the good human qualities). Cal's just recently become a ghoul himself. He's also befriended Frankenstein's Monster. Now the Monster (he calls himself Adam) comes looking for Cal's help when he begins losing his eyesight. Adam just wants to read his books and stay away from cruel humanity. The prospect of losing his vision is too much to bear, and the gang has found a suitable replacement pair of eyes.
Bag it or board it up? I really like this comic a lot. At first glance you may be tempted to write it off as a Hellblazer rip-off, but it's got a lot more to it than that. Give this comic a shot if you haven't jumped on board yet. It's a lot of fun, and this four-issue mini-series is a great introduction to the comic.
Zombie War No. 2
Here's another reprint from the good folks at IDW. I covered the first issue a few weeks back but here's the skinny. Written by Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), this comic first appeared in black and white. It's all about an alien that turns the military dead into warring zombies. In this issue, a lone pilot and the calamari-looking alien in charge of all this strike out against the zombie hordes. But is it too late?
Bag it or board it up? What a bad-ass comic. It moves quickly, the story is a little "light" and it leaves big questions in its wake. But who cares? This comic is all guns, blood, zombies, brains, gore, secret formulas, and more. Check it out. This one's a definite must.
The Walking Dead No. 117Rick and the gang set a huge trap for the very evil Negan and crew. With hordes of zombies breathing down their necks, the bad guys have to regroup, figure out what to do with their new hostage, and survive the onslaught of undead. Meanwhile, Rick's pissed off about how his plan didn't go exactly as he wanted it, and the group gears up for a big war.
Bag it or board it up? Part of me really liked this issue. It's got a few beautiful dramatic moments. There's a moment with Negan and their captive where you really see how he thinks he's doing the right thing. He has principals he won't break and he sticks to them. He's a complicated villain. But at the same time, this was another lull in the action… in the middle of a war! Come on, The Walking Dead, don't leave me hanging like this.