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!
30 Days of Night No. 11
The armies of the undead are gathering in the sewers under L.A. As a squad of F.B.I. agents hunts down a coven of vampires, their leader, Eben, goes on a mission to find the remains of his long lost love. After a stand-off goes awry in an airfield, we see "the oldest vampire known to exist." And… scene!
Bag it or board it up? This is a great continuation of the newest iteration of 30 Days of Night. Even though this issue is a bit lacking in action, the narrative is seriously driving this comic. We see characters we love getting hurt, getting revenge, and getting their asses whipped. And when we finally see the oldest known vampire, it's an awe-inspiring payoff and a very abrupt end.
Godzilla No. 6
Mothra and the priestesses show up on the California coast along with Godzilla. Mothra and Godzilla stare at each other for a while. The priestesses that accompany Mothra speak to the U.N. about impending doom. And finally, a group of "monster killers" gets electrocuted by Mothra and sees visions of terrible beasts descending on the world. Make sense?
Bag it or board it up? Technically not a lot happens in this comic. We see some action, we see some monsters, but the monsters don't do what it is that makes us love them (fight.) Now I'm no bone-headed comic reader that demands high action if the story holds up (see above review) but how much story can you really have with a Godzilla comic? At least give me one sweet fight per issue.
Angel and Faith No. 15
This issue kicks off "The Hero of His Own Story" run of stories set in the Season 9 Buffy universe. We get two very different, very cool stories in this issue. First, we see Angel and Whistler having a heart to heart, with Whistler explaining a bit of the where and why of his life. Second, we get an awesome backstory to the half-demons Pearl and Nash, and a foreboding glimpse at what's to come.
Bag it or board it up? If you're a Buffy fanatic this comic is a must. It is very dependent on knowledge of the Buffy universe, but it's totally worth a read even if you're only tangentially interested in the series. With awesome backstories and this issue being a set-up for major future events, now's an awesome time to jump in.
B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth No. 100
Whew, okay, there's a lot to cover here… An angsty teenager who may have visions of the future gets a talking-to from Johann Kraus. An elite paranormal strike force faces off against hordes of mutated wildlife. Nazi scientists rush to finish a husk of a body to house the spirit of Rasputin. And said spirit may be residing in Lord Lazar, who walks among dead demons in an ancient time and awakens them to do his bidding. Wow!
Bag it or board it up? Issue 100! Woo Hoo! How does B.P.R.D. celebrate its 100th issue? By continuing with their awesome story and not giving in to corny retrospectives or gimmicky plot lines. This is a comic made by people who know exactly what they're doing and know how to deliver. The artwork on this comic is actively beautiful (check out the panel on the bottom of page 15 or so, where Lord Lazar sees into another realm). This is Pick of the Week material, it's one of the best horror comics running right now.