13°
Capes and Cowls
Slice of Life
12:00 am Sep 6 - by Matt Knicl
You might not believe it, but there are a lot of comics out there. Each month, hundreds of titles from dozens of publishers are released. If I could, I'd talk about all of them. Since I can't, here is a small slice of what you can look at this week.
Ramayan 3392 AD (Virgin Comics)
The Western world remains virtually untouched by the Indian culture (no, Apu from The Simpsons doesn't count). If you haven't taken RLST 104, names like Rama and Lakshman mean nothing to you. Virgin Comics aims to change that. Their comics are heavily influenced by Indian culture, and Ramayan 3392 is no exception. A fantastic retelling of the Hindu Ramayana, this comic takes place in the future with a landscape filled with mutants and advanced technology. There seems to be a lot of dialogue, but when you compare the comics to the original texts, it doesn't seem so bad at all! The first series is collected in trade paperback and the sequel series, Ramayan 3392 AD Reloaded, is in stores monthly.
Action Comics #855 (DC Comics)
If you saw the season finale of Smallville, you witnessed the creation of Superman's evil, imperfect clone Bizarro. Originally from an opposite dimension, Bizarro was later ret-conned as a clone created by Lex Luthor. Childlike, but as strong as Superman, Bizarro returns to turn Superman's life upside down in this three issue story-arch by Geoff Johns and drawn by Eric Powell (Goon). Not much happened in this issue, but it sets up for a promising story.
Maintenance Vol. 1: It's a Dirty Job (Oni Press)
Maintenance is a hilarious comic that centers on two maintenance workers Doug and Manny who clean a building filled with mad scientists. Custodial engineering is tough work, and that is without the added pressure of cleaning up after aliens, cavemen and zombie kitties. I enjoyed this comedy book and look forward to seeing what messes these janitors have yet to clean up.
The Mice Templar #1 (Image Comics)
When I read The Mice Templar, released last week, I felt the way I did when I was in fifth grade and first started reading The Hobbit. Created by Michael Avon Oeming (Thor) and Bryan J.L. Glass, this story, yes, is another about talking animals and epic quests (see Watership Down, The Secret of Nimh and Redwall). What separates this story from the rest is that this story is crafted into the comic medium. Oeming's art is gritty and simplistic, and the fight scenes are beautifully paced. Personally, I can't wait until next month's issue!
Cable & Deadpool Vol. 7: Separation Anxiety (Marvel Comics)
"Your armor might be made of black magic, but my katana was forged by the same guy who made the one on Heroes." - Deadpool
I know a couple people who read only one series - this one. Using two characters from X-Books, that is X-men related Marvel comics, Cable & Deadpool is a book that focuses on the futuristic gun-toting son of Cyclops, Cable and the metafictional (that means he knows he's a comic book character) merc-with-a-mouth, Deadpool. I read this series for Deadpool - his witty banter and complete lack of morals - and you should too.
Amazing Spider-man #544 (Marvel Comics)
Marvel kicks off its four-part series, One More Day, this week, which will determine the fate of Peter Parker and Mary Jane's relationship. The story starts here, and will take place in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man #24 and Sensational Spider-man #41, finally concluding in November's Amazing Spider-man #545.
Matt can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com
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