Image - Review - FA Online

All-New Hawkeye 1 & Howard The Duck 1.

I’ll be straight with you. In my head, anyone who isn’t Steve Gerber writing Howard The Duck is tantamount to comics blasphemy to me…

The Empty

Distinctive even among Image’s diverse lineup, The Empty meshes manga and European sensibilities in an intergenerational evolutionary saga.

Our hero here is a mystical doctor, taking a pseudomedical approach to the supernatural, here dealing with the traditional possessed kid. He wears a white coat and talks about parasitical infection by demons, and comes accompanied by a paramedic and some sort of weird anaesthesiologist, a mystical girl.

Reed Gunter 1

This is a lighthearted fantasy cowboy strip, in which Reed and his companion bear have adventures. This issue a female rancher is having problems with a giant snake eating her cattle. It was originally self-published in B&W, but is now in full colour – apparently there are four issues to be reprinted, then it moves on to new material.

Super Dinosaur 1

I’m not sure that the writer’s name will attract the right audience to this: it’s aimed at a young audience, and it hits its target pretty well. It feels as much like an animated TV show as a comic, really, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes one before long.

Undying Love 1

This is an impressive debut issue. The mode is sort of Buffyish, a horror vampire adventure story, though without any of the humour, and for once the attempt to step into that peerless territory doesn’t make your heart sink.

Elephantmen: Man and Elephantman 1

This is kind of a fake #1, and it fooled me. It’s sort of #30, really (and next issue is #31), but at least they give you a decent text intro so you know where you are: with some human/animal (mostly not elephants) hybrids created for a war that has now ended, and these ex-soldiers are struggling for a place in human society. Well, apparently they are – we see only one crude sign of any prejudice, and plenty of success.

Madman: All-New Giant-Size Super Ginchy Special

Immediate warning: the Allred content here is one 18-page story. The rest is stories by other creators, plus loads of pin-ups.

Nonplayer 1

This appealed because the drawing looked so lovely – the trailed comparison was Moebius, and I see that, but it reminded me a little more of Miyazaki on Nausicaa. These comparisons do of course overrate it some, but many of the panels are beautiful, there are a few very good faces, and the creature, costume and scenery designs are strong.

The Intrepids 1

I’ve moaned a lot recently about comics devoid of inspiration or vitality. This looked to have a decent idea, and I liked the look of the style a lot. I was quite hopeful that it would be enjoyable. I am now very disappointed.

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