"The Wrong Earth: Night and Day," #2 Was a Blast to Read

I've been a huge fan of any mini-series involving, "The Wrong Earth," and the latest mini-series, "The Wrong Earth: Night and Day," has been awesome. The series basically imagined if a grim and gritty hero traded place with a very campy one and went from there. They are Dragonfly and Dragonflyman and now they've finally met-up in yet another weird Universe. A Universe where their arch-villain is actually thought of as some kind of hero due to how he's cleaned-up that Universe's pollution...by sending it to the other realities. Tom Peyer has been writing the series and I continue to love it, with Jamal Igle and Juan Castro's artwork perfectly fitting the mixture of tones too. The publisher Ahoy comics really has been putting out some stellar stuff, with this comic being a prime example.

5 out of 5 stars.

Let's Celebrate Dragonflyman Day on June 16th!

I was a big fan of the mini-series, "The Wrong Earth," naming artist Jamal Igle one of my favorites of 2018 along with the series itself being a favorite mini/maxi-series. It had a clever hook in the same heroes from two universes end-up swapping places so that a campy one ends up in a grim-and-gritty World and vice-versa. It was a bit meta, very clever, and overall fantastic. There has been a prequel series since then, but I can't wait for more tales set after the original book's conclusion.

To mark the character turning 91 weeks old publication-wise they are having Dragonflyman Day on June 16th, with the whole thing clearly being a bit of a joke about how much Dragonflyman riffs on Batman who is himself a quite old character in years when it comes to publication. It is silly and clever, which is fitting for this comic. As a fan of mini-series featuring the character, I'm eager to celebrate his, "Anniversary."

Early-to-Middle-ish of March News and Links

Spring is Hopefully Close

It is the early-to-middle (or so) time of March. Spring should supposedly be here soon (the 20th). Let's bide our time until the weather hopefully gets nice by enjoying articles/links from the internet I thought were interesting enough to share.

Things to Mull Over

Champion for the people or villain profiting off of them?

Shall we start with something that might anger a lot of people? How about how, "JK Rowling was always this terrible," with its discussion of how Rowling maybe gave us some cool fantasy stories with her, "Harry Potter," books, but since their publication has continuously done a variety of actions that come off as pandering at best (declaring Dumbledore is gay despite not actually putting it in the books) to absolutely tone-deaf (using Native American culture as props, other racial insensitivity, questionable gender-role imagery, the list goes on). Rowling has seemed like a socially-liberal leader at times for folk, but she has over time revealed some toxic tendencies often witnessed in, "White Feminism," especially.

I am prone to saving basically all my emails, various sound files, images I've used for the blog, etc. but this article about self-described, "Digital Hoarders," covers people who take collecting and collating things to a whole new level. One interesting takeaway from the piece is how people who physically hoard things at times are depressed and isolated, but digital hoarders often love to share their collections of stuff with others and discuss it.

Considering how long comic-maker R. Crumb has been known for his eternally-horny state of being and oftentimes discussing very sexual matters in his comics, it is a bit strange to see him discussing a diminishing libido as he grows older in this piece by, "The Guardian."

I always felt that from what I saw of the movie, "The Passion of the Christ," it came off more like a weird simulated snuff-flick with religious overtones than some kind of incredible and important film with a special message. Instead of focusing on the messages Jesus brought for people to learn from, Mel Gibson zeroed-in on showing his death in the most bloody and grotesque manner possible, with dashes of Antisemitism thrown in too (he made good on those hints 2 years after the movie's release with a drunken tirade when pulled over for a DUI). That said, the movie was a smash-hit and The AV Club has a fascinating article covering how to this day apparently is still adored by a number of people as a supposedly great way to reinforce their beliefs and reassure themselves through buckets of fake blood whilst traumatizing their young children forced to sit and watch.

You know, everyone seemed to assume the, "Gambit," movie wasn't happening as the people who were rumored to be at all involved with it seemed indifferent to the whole thing other than Channing Tatum and his surreal insistence the the film get made. Apparently we can blame the most recent (and terrible), "Fantastic Four," movie for somehow sinking the chances of a, "Gambit," flick before Disney acquires Fox and proceeds to demolish anything Fox's movie studio has done with Marvel characters--besides making Deadpool worth a whole lot of cheddar.

Someecards may be full of clickbait articles and a bit junky at times, but I'll be damned if I didn't love reading this collection of, "The 18 best clapbacks at anti-vaxxers in internet history." Once I read the line where someone advised an anti-vaxxer who was concerned about measles but still refused to vaccinate their kids to try, "Thoughts and prayers," I was laughing heartily.

I was a big fan of the comic, "Black," considering it one of the best new comics of 2016 when the mini-series started coming out at the end of that year. It has had some spin-off books, but the first true follow-up, "White," reunites the whole creative team (of course including writer Kwanza Osajyefo and artist Jamal Igle) to give us an uncomfortably allegorical story about a racist President using the idea of superpowered black individuals as an excuse to enact horrific policies. Subtract, "superpowered blacks," and replace it with something like, "Migrant workers," and you basically have a story ripped from the headlines. I've backed its current Kickstarter campaign and would encourage you to do so as well.

Sometimes we really want a video-game to be good, and we want this so badly we deny how flawed and broken things can be (or acknowledge it but keep plugging along). This article from Kotaku says how sometimes, "It's Okay to Stop Playing." It took me till I was older and realized how time was too precious for crappy games to understand I can quit something if after awhile it just isn't doing it for me anymore.

Lastly, a whole lot of people (some pretty famous) seem to be in a great deal of trouble due to bribing big-name colleges into admitting their kids. Having attended colleges that both are lesser-known or supposedly impressive to have gone to, I'll tell you in my personal opinion the, "Name," of the school doesn't matter nearly as much as finding supportive educators to learn from and the work you do to make sure you grow as an individual. That's just my 2-cents.

Come On, We Need Spring

As I said at the start, Spring is close. After a mixture of snow, rain, thunderstorms, more snow, and general miserable weather I'd like some nice 68-degrees-and-sunny-but-not-too-sunny days. Come on, Spring, we've earned you after this miserable weather!

Mini/Maxi-Series of the Year--2018 in Revew

Limited in Length, Not In Scope
A mini-series (6 issues or less) and/or maxi-series (generally 12 issues) may not be as long-running as an ongoing comic, but that doesn't mean their concepts or effort are any more limited. This year one maxi-series I adored finished and a mini-series I am loving is nearing its end. I wanted to make sure and sing the praises of each of them.

Mini and Maxi Fun

Wildstorm: Michael Cray
While Warren Ellis has been offering his new take on the Wildstorm universe, this snazzy spin-off (of which there were supposed to be more, but only this one has happened so far) is doing all kinds of crazy and experimental stuff that caught my attention. Having finished this year, the 12 issues that came out had the titular Michael Cray basically tasked with taking-out terrible people threatening the safety of the world, and these people all happened to be takes on assorted DC heroes with just the slightest change making them often terrible, monstrous, beings. There are plenty of, "The heroes are evil in this Universe," tales, but Bryan Hill's writing gives it some extra oomph that elevates it to something special in having his hero--Michael Cray--possibly be the worst monster of all. Artist N. Steven Harris provides stellar artwork as well, with a style that is a little scratchy in a way that makes the kinetic moments of action really pop. For a barely-discussed little spin-off maxi-series this was one stellar comic, and Bryan Hill has been continuing to prove he is a talent to be reckoned with on books like this or the currently being released (and quite impressive) new Vertigo series, "American Carnage." Keep an eye on Bryan Hill, he's only getting better and better.

The Wrong Earth
Earlier in the previous week I discussed how much I love Jamal Igle's work on, "The Wrong Earth," and his artistic contributions are one major reason I love this mini-series. That said, the overall concept of a campy comic-world's hero switching places with the protagonist of a grim-and-gritty Universe is solid, and the writing of Tom Peyer is pitch-perfect in its satirical take on how as a society we seem to constantly mold and alter our favorite heroes to fit current societal tastes. It is clever, funny, and just the right mixture of critical and heartfelt. For the first comic to be released by new publisher, Ahoy Comics, they are coming out of the gate strong.

Comic-Artists of the Year--2018 in Review

Putting Pencil/Pen/Digital Stylus to Paper/Tablet/Screen
A comic-book isn't a comic-book without artwork, basically (yes, yes, we can debate this and break it down, but I stand by my statement). When you're reading a comic the first thing you'll probably notice is how it looks, and if that is pleasing to your eyes or makes you recoil in disgust. These three comic-artists made such ocular-delights that I wanted to spotlight them as my favorites of 2018.

Artistic Excellence

Jamal Igle for, "The Wrong Earth."
Igle is quite the talent, whether doing his fun all-ages stories in, "Princeless," or illustrating the clever and insightful, "Black." He has especially impressed me with his work on, "The Wrong Earth," however, which basically has a hero who is the equivalent of the Adam West Batman trading places with a version straight out of, "The Dark Knight," but even grimmer, wit their respective Jokers falling prey to the switcheroo too. As this is a comic from newer publisher, Ahoy Comics, it has an analogue in the form of Dragonlyman (campy universe) and Dragonfly (depressing universe), but the general concept is apparent, and expertly executed in the four issues of the mini-series that have come-out so far.

Part of the reason it has worked so well is Igle's artwork. He illustrates both the happy-go-lucky world and the miserably violent one, giving each Universe an appearance that has some similarities between the two, but a whole lot of differences. Igle's skill makes the dark world's look one of sharp edges and claustrophobia whilst everything seems softer and unimposing in the camp universe. Thanks to Igle a cool concept has a stellar artist to make sure the illustrations match the potential.

Kate Niemczyk for, "Man-Eaters."
Chelsea Cain and Kate Niemczyk astounded with the superb, "Mockingbird," series at Marvel that was cancelled well before its time with issue #8. Thankfully, that wasn't the end of their collaborations, with, "Man-Eaters," at Image comics being a fantastically clever and gorgeous read. Focused on a world where young women's menstrual cycles can cause them to morph into dangerous wild cats due to a unique strand of Toxoplasmosis, Niemczyk's drawing works for both scenes of violent and horribly cat-maiming-human moments, as well as illustrating an epic cut-out view of a building, or just quiet moments. Niemczyk is a stellar talent, and her works past and present show it well.

Finding a real picture of Burnett proved difficult.
This is his self-portrait from Twitter.

Dylan Burnett for, "Cosmic Ghost Rider."
I thought the Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw arc that occurred for, "Thanos," was solid, if not utterly amazing. I did quite enjoy the weird Cosmic Ghost Rider who appeared, a futuristic version of Frank Castle (the Punisher) melded with both the Spirit of Vengeance as well as the Power Cosmic. This mini-series follows the events of, "Thanos," and has Frank Castle attempting to traveling through time and make an infant Thanos no longer grow-up into the Universe-destroyer he does. It is solidly written, but the real impressive stuff if Burnett's artwork.

Whether he's showing us all kinds of unique futuristic Guardians of the Galaxy, drawing an imposing and impressive Galactus, or showing readers a seemingly idyllic and happy world of peace that actually hides a whole lot of misery, Burnett's style has just the right mix of kinetic and expressive that it compliments an over-the-top character such as the Cosmic Ghost Rider perfectly. Even if the overall story of the, "Cosmic Ghost Rider," mini-series was mostly just enjoyable-but-disposable, Burnett's artwork was something to remember and be treasured.

News and Links to Kick-Off November

It Has Been a Bit

I used to have an article or two full of news and links at least monthly. I haven't done that as often for a bit, so how about we rectify that and kick-off November with some things I found interesting/worth sharing?

Stuff to Learn About

Much in the same vein of that Nintendo NES Classic full of pre-loaded games people were going nuts over, the Playstation Classic has been announced and looks pretty cool. There are some games not included that have people scratching their heads, but most exclusions have their reasons as well.

With more and more news about Disney having plans for big-screen Marvel characters appearing in their small-screen streaming service, it makes sense the Netflix shows might kind of fade away. It makes some people really sad, but it makes sense.

While we are on the subject of streaming programs, it seems other people thought the 2nd season of, "Castlevania," looked good as I had thought too, as it had enough success to be renewed for a 3rd season on Netflix!

Here is some comic-business news for you. It was the case for some time that Dark Horse had as its majority owner a single person, Mike Richardson, making it the biggest comic-company that had a single person at the helm/with majority control. That appears to have changed with Richardson cutting a deal with a large company based in China where they now have more ownership and as part of the deal Dark Horse will expand its market into the Chinese market.

In, "Can this get any worse?" news, President (shudder) Donald Trump is trying to appeal to racist morons as the midterm elections draw nearer with claims he will try to get rid of birthright citizenship with an Executive order. This is of course not possible as it is contained in a Constitutional amendment and therefore can only be undone with another amendment, but since when has Trump cared about logic or the truth?

I had said the new, "Halloween," movie actually seemed promising, and it apparently was stellar. Also, it has been making a whole bunch of money at the box office, surprising some folk and giving Jamie Lee Curtis good reason to brag.

I'm a fan of Jamal Igle's work and thought this interview he did with The Comic's Journal website was a great read.

As someone with a love of both Funko Pops and who enjoyed the recent, "The Predator," movie even if it was a bit of a mess, upon hearing there will be a Target-exclusive bundle for people with the Red Card (a Target debit or credit card) that includes the movie and a unique Funko Pop, that sounds cool to me.

Now to finish with something quirky: I'm actually allergic to avocado, so hearing there is now avocado beer simply makes me shrug with indifference as opposed to either getting excited or having some kind of snarky comment about, "Us wacky Millennials!"

Have a Great November!

I hope we all have a wonderful November as the weather continues to get cooler and the days get shorter (unless you live South of the Equator, in which case it will get hotter and your days longer).

Best New(er) Comics--2016 in Review

Relatively New

There are two books that have had some issues come out and which I feel both are starting strong. One is a mini-series that is about at its half-way point and the other is for now an ongoing, although it is up to the creative team how long they want to make it.

Black

I first heard about this comic when it had a massively successful Kickstarter campaign that also led to it being picked-up by Black Mask Studios. I wanted to check it out because it has an artist I like a lot--Jamal Igle--and has a killer concept. The idea is that a very small portion of the population happen to have super-powers, and they all also happen to only be black people. This is of course a really loaded concept, but writer Kwanza Osajyefo has pulled it off so far and Igle's artwork is of course wonderful. This title is a mini-series which just had the third issue come out and will feature a double-sized finale for issue #6, so it is about halfway done. Considering how much I've enjoyed the book so far I'm excited to see how the book finishes, and if any future stories set in this world may occur once this wraps!

Kill or Be Killed

Ed Brukaer and Sean Phillips basically are as in-sync with another as an artist and writer can be. There are not many creative teams that have worked together as much as these two, and their latest project of, "Kill or Be Killed," is a fascinating blend of crime-drama kind of like, "Criminal," but with a healthy dose of supernatural/demon aspects a bit like their work on, "Fatale." The basic plot is a college student named Dylan survives a suicide attempt but then is told by a demonic presence he has to kill people every so often or he will die. This leads to him being a murderer, but he seems to actually be killing people who it turns out are awful human beings, so is he crazy, or something else? As the book is only at issue #4 (I believe) a whole lot remains to be revealed, but for right now I'm extremely impressed with what I've read and look forward to seeing if at the end of the day our protagonist turns out to be kinda-sort a good guy, or just is flat-out evil.

Still Smells/Reads as Fresh!

Depending on where these books go during 2017 they may very well reappear when I'm going over everything at the end of the next 365 days (I know, I know, we had 366 this year). It is always good when a book starts strong, and even better when that strength can hopefully continue!

Rant-Reviews: Mini-Themes

Mini-Themes Today
I don't always have a theme for my capsule-style reviews, and sure enough today lacks much of an overall theme. However, I have noticed a few mini-themes between some of the comics that I felt was worth spotlighting.

Theme: Humans Are Violent and Terrible
These three comics illustrate that sadly humans can often be violent and terrible creatures. Whether it is through our racism, because we want to be entertained, or a desire for money, human beings can kind of suck, you know?

Black #2

Anything else aside this is a great hook: A comic imagining a world where only a small percentage of people ever happen to gain powers, and all of those people happen to be black. It's a pretty charged concept but to the credit of the creative team--which includes stellar artist Jamal Igle--it so far has been working. It is also addressed how something as shocking as this idea could remain a secret in the world, namely that the Government/s out there have worked their darnedest to make sure the populace doesn't know about such a super-powered minority. Whether this is being done in the guise of, "If people knew they would treat black people unfairly [with the irony being they already are discriminated against]," or if therre are even more evil plans in-the-waiting is yet to be revealed, but I doubt anyone murdering witnesses to super-powered black folk has kind intentions for those with powers.

Another element of the book I like is that while there are clearly bad-guys and good-guys there is plenty of gray situated between these black-and-white matters (pun not intended, but I'll take credit for it anyways). There is a white police officer who helps another investigating the conspiracy because he feels he isn't, "Like the others," meaning other white police officers--although he previously shot some black teens who, "Fit the description," of an APB, so he ain't that innocent either. This is just one example of the ways, "Black," discusses racial politics, but don't think this is just a dull treatise on race-relations--the aforementioned Jamal Igle illustrates scenes of action wonderfully and his skill as always is something marvelous to behold. Between the creative storytelling and superb art I am quite enjoying, "Black," and look forward to future issues.
4 out of 5 stars.

Fish Eye #1
This comic is a little bit of a mixture of, "The Truman Show," and a really violent Tarantino movie, with all the positives and negatives that entails. The plot of this comic is that our protagonist, a small-town cop named Travis, is actually the star of a reality show completely unbeknownst to him. Everyone around him is an actor in this town and his adventures have been broadcast to an attentive audience. The thing is, ratings are slipping so the creator of the show has agreed to kill-off Travis and proceed onto other projects. However, Travis is maybe too good of a hero in this story, putting up an immense fight for the fictional world he holds so dear.

Putting aside the logic-question of how this show could get away with literally murdering someone (there aren't any hints this is some kind of ruined-future where such a thing would fly, it seems to be indicated this is a normal world just like ours), it is a clever concept and seeing the creator of the show distraught about having to kill his, "Baby," e.g. the son he's secretly cared-for through all these years running the show--brings with it some interesting moments too. The atrocious thing is the idea of a star being killed by disinterest of the very fans who once loved him/her isn't that far-fetched in some ways. Right now the book seems to be working at getting its footing with all these ideas, and sometimes it seems unsure if it wants to be more focused on gory-fighting or exploring concepts of entertainment and morality, but it' is still a solid first issue and a series worth checking-out.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Deathstroke #7
I'm just so happy that Christopher Priest has come back to comics (occasional toe-dipping back into a short project here-and-there aside) and is writing such a stellar series in the form of, "Deathstroke." It is saying something that a character I never, ever cared about and who seemed to be defined by, "He kills people and likes money," suddenly is so fascinating to me thanks to a talent like Priest. One thing I love is that Deathstroke's adventures clearly stand on their own but as he is a member of the DC-universe that brings with it the baggage and benefits one would expect. We've seen Batman in previous issues and this one gives us a very perturbed Superman. The amazing thing though is that Priest has been telling his own awesome and epic story while incorporating all these characters in a way that feels natural and makes sense. I mean, the skill on display isn't surprising considering how much experience Priest has in the field of comics, but its always just wonderful to read something so good. As I said, before I read Priest's first issue of this series I couldn't care less about Deathstroke, and now this comic is one of the books I get most excited to read when I see it waiting for me at the comic-shop. That is a testament to Priest's abilities and my statement about why you should be reading this book right now!
5 out of 5 stars.

Theme: Belief Can Be Dangerous
The things we believe and entertain ourselves with can be dangerous. We may joke about Krampus and have all the bible stories about Noah and the flood, but these comics show that mystical creatures and conceptions of wiping the world clean are not a laughing matter. After all, the power of a belief can be immense.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #101
I realize I didn't actually review the 100th issue of, "Tarot," and feel a bit bad as it was of course a fun and great issue, with it being a huge accomplishment for an independent publisher to successfully hit triple-digits with a title. After all, how many publishers fold before even hitting a 10th issue with any of their books? Meanwhile, Broadsword (the publisher of, "Tarot,") has put out an issue of this book without fail every 2 months since its start (and other cool mini-series as well). That is a big achievement, and to the credit of Jim Balent and Holly Golightly they didn't rest on their laurels after hitting #100, they went and released this fun holiday piece that continues covering the, "Krampus," creatures that were introduced some years ago and have continuously caused trouble for Tarot and her sister (the start of this issue) Raven Hex.

The gist of this issue is that Raven tries to stop a number of Krampus (Krampuses?) from kidnapping and punishing naughty children, because even kids who misbehave don't deserve to be murdered, after all. However, in her effort to stop the Krampus-mayhem, Raven actually summons a horrific monster that destroys everything. It is pointed-out by a Krampus they aren't necessarily evil, they just kind of, exist, and it is because people believe in them they do what they do (e.g. kidnapping and punishing kids). The argument is made that Raven herself got revenge on kids who teased her when she was young and that she isn't too far removed from being a bit of a Krampus herself--so maybe there's a little Krampus in all of us? It's an intriguing concept if also a bit of a downer. Then again, if there is a little evil in all of us perhaps hopefully there is a lot of good? Whatever the case, another great issue of, "Tarot," was had!
4 out of 5 stars.

The Goddamned #5

I thought about putting this in the first theme about how humans are violent and terrible, because this comic has a ton of that. In the end however, the main reason all the humans in this story are so disgusting is because of belief. Jason Aaron has discussed before how this comic is his coming to terms with growing-up Southern Baptist before becoming somewhat irreligious. The story in these issues has concerned the biblical Cain fighting with the biblical Noah and it being clear that both men are doomed by an excess or lack of belief. The man cursed to roam this horrible Earth--Cain--believes in basically nothing, and the man who thinks he was told by God to build an ark and gather animals--Noah--violently forces others to assist him in his mission from God. The most depressing thing about this last issue before the next story-arc in 2017 is that right at the end when Cain feels like he may have found something to live for, it is violently taken away by yet another character who believes that eliminating something that made them weak/care was the right action. Belief in nothing or blind faith both bring little but ruin, as with everything in life there needs to be a balance of faith in self, others, and a higher power. Too much of anything just brings destruction, as this comic makes abundantly clear.

5 out of 5 stars.

Seven to Eternity #3
Man, this comic has just been gorgeous thanks to Jerome Opeña, and the idea behind it is clever, but the execution of the story just has left a lot to be desired for me. The concept of how a humanoid (there are all kinds of creatures in this series) developed the ability to give people their wishes in exchange for seeing through their eyes and was able to take over the world this way is smart  (a ruler who nobody realizes rules) but for some reason I just find the rest of the story isn't clicking for me. It is like I see all this potential (and again, it looks beautiful) but I'm not quite feeling it. Still, I love that idea of a man who people pledge allegiance to in exchange for their wish but in a process lose a bit of themselves. That is a good metaphor for how we will often give up much of ourselves in the hopes of achieving a dream or belief. I just wish the rest of the comic lived-up to that great concept and the visual splendor Opeña provides.
2.5 out of 5 stars, mostly thanks to the artwork.

Theme: Comics Experimenting With Form

I wanted to close with some delightfully different books. You see, the art-form of comics can be especially interesting when it experiments a bit. These two comics do some unique things with the comic-form, bringing in aspects of prose, or placing in-story, "Documents," into the book to further establish the world.

The Black Monday Murders #3 and #4

I know the 4th issue just came out (and it was great) but I wanted to talk about the 3rd and 4th issues together, if that's alright. "The Black Monday Murders," gives us these massive issues loaded with comic-pages as well as prose, faux police-records, and all sorts of interesting things; I feel that while the 1st and 2nd issue had to work at introducing the rather large cast, things really get going in the 3rd issue with the 4th being impressive too. Jonathan Hickman and Tomm Coker just are hitting it out of the park, as the saying goes. The overall idea of the story seems to be that fiance as we know it is a living and otherwordly creature--Cthulhu-esque almost. In order for the rich to remain rich they have to pay this force, and that payment is in blood. A lot of questions remain unanswered about a mysterious ancient language, and just how these strange groups full of arcane rituals and orders began. I'm eager to learn more however, and the clever incorporation of journal-entries, files, and other in-universe materials within the story continues to serve it well.
Issue #3: 5 out of 5 stars thanks to an awesome final scene.
Issue #4: 4 out of 5 stars for being great but a bit slower than the previous issue.

A.D. After Death #1

This is going to be three issues long and this first issue feels more like a mini-novel than a comic considering how it is both huge (it is quite taller and wider than a comic) and has a spine much like a book. From what I've observed, the present-day scenes take place in a world where death itself has been cured/beaten, but in the process of that happening Earth became a ruined planet we fled for what may be another dimension or a space-ship (it's not quite clear). These present-time scenes are also more in a general comic-format. However, when the character tells us about his background, growing-up, and seems to hint at how he's responsible for destroying Earth and curing death at the same time, in those segments everything becomes text-heavy with some pictures to establish the story but less in a comic-form and more like a picture-book with long strings of narration and an occasional image.

This format makes the story flow in an interesting way where the present-day scenes in comic-form breeze by much like the years of everyone's deathless lives and the past-tense moments are slow and methodical, breaking down small moments into long chunks of reading--almost as if simulating how when life was more precious we savored every moment, both the good and the bad. Scott Snyder is a writer who I've found to both create incredible stuff (I'm still waiting for more, "Wytches,") and terrible pieces just as well (his epic run on, "Batman," was itself full of peaks and valleys), and Jeff Lemire is both a stellar writer and magnificent illustrator who's drawings compliment the quiet melancholy of this book perfectly. Parts of, "A.D. After Death," are mysterious and make little sense, but I'm betting before too long a lot more will be clearer and just as fascinating.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Mini-Themes Are Now Mini-Done
I hope my reviews of these latest books made for good reading--and that if you pick-up the books I recommended that they make for good reading in your opinion as well!