This week’s theme: as much as I adore and endorse indie comics and their creators, sometimes I just want a spandexed dude punching monsters in the face.
In ‘Stark’ contrast to the other Marvel NOW! book relaunched this week (see our review of IRON MAN #1), DEADPOOL #1 has… zombies. Not just any zombies, but presidential zombies, drawn by an artist known specifically for his zombies (Tony Moore, of WALKING DEAD fame). The issue almost purports to be about politics on the first page before descending into sheep-slaughtering Satanic rituals and—once
more, for good measure—zombies. In short: it’s Deadpool. You either love it or you don’t.
While Deadpool is gutting Godzilla-creatures and zombies in New York, Spider-Man is busy fighting off fire-breathing veliceraptors in the Savage Land. But wait! He is saved from certain death by Devil Dinosaur, aka a giant red T-rex, and his ape-like Neanderthal sidekick, Moon-Boy. So much insanity. So many dinosaurs. My lizard-loving brain is about to explode from joy. Thank you, Cullen Bunn and AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #14.
Steve Niles’ CRIMINAL MACABRE: THEY FIGHT BY NIGHT also purports to be politically inclined, at first, except for the fact that this is Cal McDonald, and the issues he fights for always involve either claws and teeth or the right to drink booze in his newly acquired home. Werewolves happen to fit the bill this time, and it’s bloody and entertaining but also serves to set up some mysterious circumstances that will no doubt lead into the upcoming 30 DAYS crossover, FINAL NIGHT.
LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #2? Well, let me tell you: there are few things 
creepier than the Joker as rendered by artistic maestro Ben Templesmith. Who needs to know more?
In Dark Horse’s very disturbing COLDER #1, the character who grows ‘colder’, strangely enough, is not the freaky part of the story. It’s the somewhat imaginary, somewhat magical, somewhat spider-like creature called Nimble Jack who hangs prisoners with his own belt and crawls down walls like a goddamn spider monkey… the one who originally cursed our main guy, Declan, into suffering freezing temperatures. And we don’t even know why. It’s intriguing stuff. Amazingly cool. Highly recommended.
Finally, the Valiant comics reboot officially revisited SHADOWMAN this week with Patrick Zircher (IRON MAN) and Justin Jordan (the fabulous STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE) at the helm, and the results are expectedly fascinating. Mysterious pasts, New Orleans magic, the dead returning to life… been there, done that. But the giant assembly of carnage and body parts referring to himself as Mr. Twist? The prominent biracial heritage issues? The use of a pointed fist ‘heart-pierce’ in something other than onmyojitsu-themed manga? These are the things that I’ll stick around for. And the monsters with pointy teeth, of course.
