November
20 Reviews: Rasl, X-Files #1, Batman Cacophony #1 .

"Rasl: The Drift" (Cartoon Books, black and white, $13) collects the first three issues of Jeff Smith's new sci-fi series in a nice, oversize format that includes new pages. The first of three volumes, "Rasl: The Drift" is above all else a comicbook. It's not written like a move, drawn like a movie or intended to be like a movie in any way — and it's incredibly refreshing to find such a thing. But it's also good — the concept of a rough-and-tumble kid tramping through dimensions stealing artwork is executed with the kind of craft and care that makes you want to find out what's next. While it may not find the same large audience as "Bone" — this isn't an all-ages project — it's still an excellent example of what mainstream comics can be. Grade: A-

"Marvel Chronicle: A Year-by-Year History" (DK Publishing, 352 pages, color, $405) is a handsome coffee-table/gift book that breaks down the company's history by year, starting in 1939 and running all the way through 2008. The book benefits from being written by a group of experts that includes Marvel history expert Peter Sanderson, current Marvel exec editor Tom Brevoort and former Marvei editor in chief Tom DeFalco. The nature of the format means this is good for casual fans or those who need some brushing up on their Marvel history, rather than those looking for deep analysis or new revelations. The production value is on the whole quite high, though there are a few nitpicks — most notably a number of spreads featuring blown up images of comic panels that have been relettered with a rather lame looking computer font. Also, some of the image quality varies. But on the whole, this is a nice overview for especially new fans of Marvel. Grade: B+

The X-Files #1 (WildStorm, 32 pages, color $3.50) is good enough to be mistaken for a stand-alone episode from one of the long-running show's good years. Writer Frank Spotnitz — who was a writer, producer and exec producer on eight of the show's nine seasons and co-writer this summer's feature film — successfully recreates the show's classic feel even as there's no indication of when this story took place in relation to the series or the movie. The art by Brian Denham helps immeasurably with excellent likenesses and the kind of clarity in storytelling that's often missing from this kind of project. Grade: B

Batman: Cacophony #1 (DC Comics, 40 pages, color, $3.99) is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Batman comic written by director Kevin Smith. It's a talky tale in which the Joker and Deadshot go off on long rounds of occasionally scatalogical repartee. It's not the grand, cinematic opera of "The Dark Knight," but with good clear art from Walt Flanagan, it's also a pretty solid, entertaining comicbook. Grade: B-

"Heroes, Vol. 2" (DC Comics/WildStorm, 272 pages, color, $29.99) is the second hardcover collection of webcomics based on the popular NBC series. These are mostly short bits that fill in the blanks for some of the characters and, as such, is hardly essential reading. But the quick-hit serial nature of the whole thing is engrossing in its own way. It's almost like looking what comics would be like if they retained the kind of periodical nature of comics in the 1970s and 1980s, complete with consistent and commercial-looking coloring and lettering. The quality varies immensely, with the art in particular having more than a few rough spots, and as such may not be worth the $29.99 price tag for casual fans. A third volume is planned, though after two volumes of mini-stories, it would be a good change of pace to see what could be done with a longer story featuring the main characters in the series doing things that wouldn't work on TV. Grade: B-

Push #1 (WildStorm, 32 pages, color, $3.50) is a prequel to the upcoming feature film starring Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans. Writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman weave a tale of covert missions and superpowers that in some ways defies expectations in that the story comes through despite nothing being directly explained. It's confusing at times, and I found myself wondering how much I gleaned from the comic itself and how much was left over from my attending the Comic-Con panel on the film. Either way, there's at least a few clever, videogame style kicks in here — even if the whole picture isn't crystal clear. Grade: C+

"Northlanders, Vol. 1: Sven The Returned" (DC/Vertigo, 200 pages, color, $9.99) collects the first eight issues of the viking adventure series. The most immediately notable aspect is Davide Gianfelice's art, which evokes the action and grittiness of "300" and is just pretty to look at. The script by Brian Wood tells the tale of Sven, who returns to the Norse village of Orkney in 980 A.D. to find it ruled with an iron fist by his uncle Gorm, who stole the crown from Sven's now-dead father. Sven, of course, fights to liberate the village and restore his famiy's honor even as the Saxons invade. It works pretty well on an action basis, but there's also a modern, urban vibe (Wood's normal setting) that complicates and slows down the book. It doesn't go deep enough to satisfy the brain and isn't fast enough to thrill. Grade: C+