The Entropy Pump

by Mike Carey, Art by John Bolton

GStQ is about queen Titania of the Land of Faerie (this takes place in the same continuity where Sandman and Hellblazer are located, which makes this essentially part of the DCU) who gets herself de-throned by her predecessor queen Mab. The comic is about a half-human-half-faerie girl from London, who takes part in restoring queen Titania to the throne. There are some annoying bits about drug-usage, that feel like an attempt to make the story more serious, but who actually detract from it. There’s nothing here that makes this one stand out in any way. It feels kinda generic and like a done by the numbers Vertigo book, that is neither original nor does it sports compelling storytelling that makes you want to go back and re-read it again and again. Its competently done and does pass the time, but nothing more.

As for the art direction, as much as Bolton’s art has a unique look, I hate his style. Couldn’t stand it in the Furies and neither here.

Rating: 3/5

written by Ben Avery and Mike S. Miller, Art by Hector Sevilla
Lullaby: Wisdom Seeker collects Lullaby 1-4 (first series)
Lullaby: Power Grabber collects Lullaby 1-4 (second series)

This reads like the emo version of Fables, another series that tells new stories with known characters (albeit in re-imaginated form) from various fictional sources. Instead of taking place in the real world (like most of Fables did), this takes place in some fantasy world that is made up of different fantasy worlds from fiction (the world of Alice in Wonderland, the magic Land of Oz, etc.). Just to mention it, I dislike Fables as well, but what annoys me about Lullaby is quite different from what annoys me about Fables. The overall plot moves at glacial speed, if you can tell it a plot at all. Each mini series has a mini plot that gets finished, but when you look at both series, you’ll feel like you’ve just read the preliminaries.

Then there’s the annoying tendency of the writers to clatter every page with thought boxes, that detail the musings of nearly every main character. Neither are they really interesting nor do much for the story nor do they give the characters much depth, all you feel is that nearly every character is emo or slightly stupid and all seem to talk with the same voice in their mind. It also makes me feel like what the writers really wanted to do is write prose fiction instead of making a comic, but that’s how they stuck and so the reader has to suffer through their overblown word balloons of heated air.

Rating: 2/5

by Kean Soo (first third online)

I found this on the net around two years ago, in one of my occasional attempts at finding new and good webcomics. I was instantly enthralled. It’s one of these rare finds, a comic seemingly for kids that can still appeal to grown ups. It’s the story (first volume) of a girl that finds a purple monster alone in the woods at night and adopts him. It’s simple, but its simplicity is not because of ineptness to make a more complex creation, but because there’s no need for more. It’s elegant simplicity, conveying it’s story in a way that kids can easily follow, yet adults aren’t bored.

What makes Jellaby works are the characters and their interactions. Two of the main characters are kids, well realized, giving you the feeling that Soo can still tap into that place that allows you to understand how kids tick (which should be easy for anyone, but many writers are horrible when it comes to creating kids as characters). Then there’s the silent Jellaby, who still can convey much with just a shake of his head. This is where the excellent art comes into play, just with a few simple lines Soo makes his characters use the broad range of human (or purple monster) expression. Which can be quite funny, best scene hands down (made me go completely ROFL) was when Jellaby was buying a ticket for the train.

Can’t wait for the next installment.

Rating: 5/5

by Phil Hester, Art by Andy Kuhn

Following the first Firebreather mini from Image, this OGN shows further adventures of teenage half-dragon Duncan Rosenblatt. This time he’s on a school trip to London, where he has to face an old magic armor that has been created in the far past to take on his dad. What reeled me in when reading the first Firebreather mini was the art, not the deep storyline, but the neat mix of a typical teenager drama plot, a young person trying to get through school and who also happens to be a half-dragon turned out to be much fun. As far as actual plot goes, this OGN doesn’t deliver much in the way of furthering Duncan’s story (the whole growing up thing and the situation between him and his dad), this feels more like a snack. But since the art and the storytelling is good, even if it’s all very slim, it’ll do.

Rating: 4/5

by Ted Naifeh
collects Polly and the Pirates 1-6

Compared to his excellent series Courtney Crumrin this is lighter fare, missing all of the darker undertones that can be found there. Polly and the Pirates is about, as can be expected from the title, Pirates and treasures and having extraordinary adventures. Young Polly is living a ordered and uneventful life at a boarding school until she is taken away one night by Pirates who want her to help them find the treasure her mother had hidden years ago. The setting is that of an alternative reality where a character modeled after the self-proclaimed emperor of America, Joshua A. Norton, gained real influence. PatP is pure adventure fun for old and young people alike, nothing more, nothing less.

Rating: 4/5

by Jeff Smith

Bone is what you get when you mix high fantasy with newspaper comic strips. The main character Fone Bone and his cousins look like they stepped right out of one of the later. They aren’t really humans, more like white, smurflike creatures. They flee from their home, because one of them, Phoney Bone, just did one con too much on the people of Boneville. They land somewhere else, a place full of (realistic painted) humans. But their arrival is not as coincidental as they thought, and soon they are amidst events full of queens, knighs, dragons and all the other stuff you can expect from high fantasy.

Bone is an excellent mix of adventure with light-hearted humor, utilizing the two formative aspects of the series to the best effect. It’s gorgeous too look at, fun to read, and has enough twists and turns that you can’t ever be sure what happens next, but always want to read on. If there’s one discordant note, it’s the ending. I thought it so unsatisfying that it made me go a bit sour on the whole series. From the beginning I expected Bone and Thorn to get together. Sure, they aren’t even the same species, but this is comics and fantasy. I expected something like the ending of the first Shrek movie, instead the Bones just ride into the sunshine, leaving everyone behind. I dunno, but that was a letdown. On the whole it’s still a good read.

Rating: 4/5