Comics I've been reading...

I’m reading stuff on my phone more and more these days; while there are books that aren’t suited to the small screen (and I’m talking the big fat epics here) I find that short stories and novellas are just right. Is this an open invitation for short, self-published pieces? Maybe, let me think about that one (the reading pile is large enough as it is).
I’m also reading a lot of comics. While it’s not the same as having the actual thing in your hands, reading off the phone still lets me get lost in the artwork… Until the battery runs out that is :o)

I’m reading a lot of stuff from Dark Horse at the moment as the range on offer really lets me broaden my horizons beyond one shared setting. This means that the quality can vary but I’m happy to take that risk.
Here’s some quick thoughts on what I’ve read over the last couple of days (stuff that will hit the shelves next week, I think)

‘X’ #7 – Swierczynksi/Nguyen

This issue continues the ‘Dogs of War’ storyline, from #6, and is very much a bridging piece between all the mad stuff that happened previously and a promised spectacular finale. Unfortunately what this means is that not a lot actually happens, just a bunch of cops realising that they have been set up by their superiors. There’s some nice character work by Swierczynksi and while I like Nguyen’s art the Dogs of War look a little too canine compared to the more ordinary police officers. I didn’t like that contrast although I am hoping that it will bring out some of the more paranormal elements of Arcadia. Here’s hoping, I will be around to see how things pan out in the next issue (as #7 ends with a decent cliff-hanger)

‘Star Wars’ #11 – Wood/D’Anda

I go on about how Star Wars is losing its charm for me but I can’t help but keep going back for more (little kid at heart and all that). This time it paid off as Wood and D’Anda combine to give us a little piece of what Star Wars is really all about – space battles, double crossing and Darth Vader making an appearance. I loved D’Anda’s representations of Leia and Han while Wood really kept me guessing (which in turn kept me reading). It was all brilliant and I had a great time reading, I’ll give this comic another couple of issues to see if the momentum keeps up.

‘Clown Fatale’ #1 of 4 – Gischler/Rosenzweig

‘Clown Fatale’ is only running for four issues so I’ll probably see it through to the end but I’m not a hundred percent convinced by what I’ve seen. Rosensweig’s art, complemented by Dinisio’s colours, grabs the eye immediately but I’m not sure about how Gischler has set things up. I like the concept but I would have also liked to know a little more about what was happening. Given this is a mini-series it just feels like Gischler has left himself an awful lot to do in later issues. Unless everyone is just going to shoot loads of guns at each other that is (and I can see that happening). I’ll let you know how it goes…





I'm always open to comic book recommendations by the way, what are you reading at the moment?