SCC's Comics Talk

Ratings out of 5 stars. Mainstream comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura).   Patience Story/Art: Daniel Clowes Jonathan Cape The first all-new Dan Clowes story in over half a decade. Expectations are high here and I grab it from the shelves once it hit our shores. The story – love, regrets, and… time-traveling? 20pages into the story (total 178 pages), we jump to 2029 and things get really weird. It’s not quite what we expected. But what do we expect? More Ghost World, David Boring, The Death Ray, Ice Haven, Wilson and Mister Wonderful? You realized most of these stories were originally serialized in Eightball. So it’s time for Clowes to move on and tell whatever stories he want. Patience is it. And it is worth the wait. It’s weird, wacky and really life-affirming if you want it to be. Go buy!!! (4 stars) Back to the Future #6 Story:...

Ratings out of 5 stars. Mainstream comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura). Shipment only came in on Thursday this week. Through the Habitrails: Life Before and After My Career in the Cubicles Story/Art: Jeff Nicholson Dover One of the big comic news of last year was that Dover has entered the graphic novels market. What they did was to pick up titles that have gone out of print and reissued them. This has given many lost classics a fresh breathe of life. Through the Habitrails by Jeff Nicholson is one such seminal title. Jeff Nicholson is one of the pioneers of small press comics that no one has heard about. He started self-publishing in the early 1980s, drawing a parody of the Ulraman TV series called Ultra Klutz. He had enough bad experience in the small press that he did Jeff Nicholson’s Small Press Tirade (1989). The anger is seething,...

Ratings out of 5 stars. The mainstream stuff are available at Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura).   The Zodiac Legacy Vol 2: The Dragon’s Return Story: Stan Lee and Stuart Moore Art: Andie Tong Disney Press At the age of 93, Stan Lee is still going strong. He created the world of The Zodiac Legacy with Stuart Moore and Andie Tong a few years ago and the YA series is going strong. The Dragon’s Return is second book and sees the return of Steven Lee and his friends, recipients of the Zodiac power – each of them chosen to possess the strength and wisdom of one of the Zodiac animals in their fight against the evil Vanguard led by Maxwell. Steven is the Tiger and in this latest volume, he struggles to keep the team together as allies start to mistrust each other. By having Asian characters and background, The Zodiac Legacy...

Ratings out of 5 stars. Shipment was delayed to Saturday, 12 March. Comics couresy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura).   Dr Strange #6 Story: Jason Aaron Art: Chris Bachalo Marvel Dr Strange #1 was an impressive debut. The same creative team of Aaron and Bachalo continues and this issue marks the start of The Last Days of Magic crossover. The mysterious force known as the Empirikul have arrived on Earth to destroy all magic and mystical landmarks. Number one on their hit list is the Sorcerer Supreme. Others going down: Dr Voodoo, Scarlet Witch and Shaman, etc. Bachalo’s art has evolved over the years. For this series, he has adapted a style that reminiscent of Frank Miller and Mike Mignola. There is a backup story in this issue drawn by Mike Deodato and the story will continue in the Dr Strange: Last Days of Magic one-shot and the regular Dr Strange...

Ratings out of 5 stars. Shipment only came on Thursday. Swamp Thing and A-Force courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura).   Swamp Thing #3 Story: Len Wein Art: Kelly Jones DC Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson created the Swamp Thing 45 years ago and Wein returns to the character he is best known for (other than the Bronze Age X-Men). DC has paired him up with an artist who is firmly in the Wrightson school, Kelly Jones. This should be a dream team, except Wein is writing this title as if it is still in the 1970s. Not his fault entirely as Alan Moore’s retcon of the Swamp Thing’s origins (‘The Anatomy Lesson” of 1984) has itself been retconned in 2011 as part of The New 52. Alec Holland is back as the Swamp Thing and he is trying to be human again – what’s the point? In this issue, Matt...