Comic Proportions

Published by IDW. Written by Gary Gerani. Art by Stuart Sayger.

The Deal: IDW presents the untold tale of the Demeter, the ship that was last seen in Bram Stoker's horror classic Dracula; if you remember, the Demeter was the cargo ship that unknowingly transported Count Dracula across the ocean to England. Well, this is the story of the crew that got sucked dry by the legendary vampire. (Get that mind out of the gutter!)

The Verdict: The story was fairly interesting, but the art — which looked way too washed out and was rife with storytelling problems (Those wordless panels just don't work for every artist, ya know.) — made it difficult to enjoy this comic.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis. Pencils by Chris Batista. Inks by Rich Perrotta.

The Deal: The writing team of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis — known for their acclaimed Justice League run — has taken over the creative reins of Booster Gold. And they seem to be taking the comic in a new direction — one that ties into the bi-weekly comics Brightest Day and Justice League: Generation Lost.

The Verdict: A few months ago, I put Booster Gold on my list of "Comics I Hate," so I was obviously skeptical when it came time to read this re-launch issue. Well, I'm happy (and shocked) to report that not only was this comic entertaining as hell, it was also one of the best comics that Giffen and DeMatteis have turned out in years. The issue contained everything you might have loved about those great old issues of Justice League International: humor, action, tragedy, great dialogue and great characterization. They even managed to pen an interesting time travel story (which I typically hate). On the art-side of things, Chris Batista also banged some of his best pencils ever, showcasing some exciting action sequences and some incredible moments of raw emtion. I can honestly say that I'm amazed by how good the comic was.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren't Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

The best comic book released last week, hands down, was Vertigo's brand-new horror/comedy iZombie No. 1. I wrote about it in my regular weekly column — check out the full review.

It's Wednesday, which of course means it's time for brand-new comic books. But before we check out this week's comics, let's wrap up a little of what last week had to offer:

American Vampire No. 1: The new Vertigo horror series written by Scott Snyder and legendary author Stephen King (yes, that Stephen King) debuted last Wednesday, and it's definitely a slow burner — but pays off at the end. Snyder's portion of the comic is filled some truly snappy, yet deceptively loaded, dialogue; and his tale closes on a truly chilling note. King's story — an offshoot of the lead adventure — though monstrous and slightly violent, is surprisingly fun. The art in both stories is skillfully rendered by Rafael Albuquerque, who seems to be a master of everything: storytelling, anatomy, emotion, and the kitchen sink. Good stuff.

X-Factor Forever No. 1: I guess Marvel's other retro mutant book, X-Men Forever, must be successful — because their really is no other reason to launch X-Factor Forever. I remember reading Louise Simonson's X-Factor comic — which, ya know, starred the original X-Men — back in the day, and it was truly awful. After reading this relaunch of that series (with it's old continuity attached), I see nothing has changed ... it still sucks balls. The contrived story lines and character interactions that just drip with bad soap opera influences are back front and center, just like the old days. Who the hell wanted this comic to return? Not me.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Siege No. 3

Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Pencils by Olivier Coipel. Inks by Mark Morales.

The Verdict: Oh come on ... how can you not like this?! Buy it. Like, now.

Published by Dynamite Entertainment. Written by Kevin Smith. Breakdowns by Phil Hester. Pencils by Jonathan Lau.

The Deal: Movie director and part-time comic book scribe Kevin Smith rolls out his brand-new version of the Green Hornet. This comic series is based on a screenplay written by Smith some time ago.

The Verdict: It's a decent read with some great, cinematic pacing and pretty good art — but it's not mind-blowing. If you're a fan of the Green Hornet (like me), it's nice to see the character back in action. If you're looking for a groundbreaking comic book experience, this ain't it. At the very least, it's much, much better than that GH series Now Comics used to publish back in the day.

Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Mike Deodato.

The Verdict: Wow. Who knew this series would be this good. This month's issue, as usual, is entertaining as hell. Tense, fast-paced with engaging dialogue and — honestly — the best lineup of characters in any Marvel comic on the stands. Buy it.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Andy Diggle. Penciled by Roberto De La Torre. Inks by Matt Hollingsworth.

The Deal: In this latest issue of Daredevil, Matt's life is falling apart (as usual) — but he runs a ninja army and a secret real estate development of some kind. Oh and the Kingpin is plotting something.

The Verdict: Am I the only one who thinks Daredevil needs a reboot — or maybe a jump start? The comic feels like its been running on one long story line since Brian Michael Bendis was handling writing chores. And it's getting tired ... as am I. It's waaaaay past time to switch things up in a big way.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.