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Franz, Sophie – The Experts #1
If there was an emoticon for a repulsed shudder, I think I’d leave that as the review for this comic. But that would be lazy, and my thoughts on it are a bit more complicated than that. And really, it would be be hard to look at that cover and not come away with that impression. As for the comic, this is either the first issue in a series or an act of cruelty, as it’s mostly questions with very few answers. We see things from the perspective of one of those creatures on the very first page, as it’s look at a dog on a pier. The dog seems calm enough until the creature makes a gesture, at which point it starts freaking out and scares the creature away. From there we meet the three inhabitants (outside of the dog) of what appears to be an underwater science facility of some kind. I don’t think that’s ever explicitly stated, it’s just the impression I came away with. See, mysteries everywhere. Anyway, Frankie has the head of a fish, Cheron recently had a finger bitten off by one of those creatures (and is dealing with the side effects of it), and an unnamed redhead. They’re researchers of some kind but have been without contact from any kind of leadership for a long time. They’re also starting to question what they’re doing there and dealing with odd lapses in memory. An incident towards the end of the book changes the fundamental dynamic, things change even further, and yeah I’m leaving all that vague on purpose. It’s intriguing, that’s for sure, and I very much look forward to finding some answers to all the questions that were raised in this issue. Unless this is the only issue that’s planned which, again, would be cruel. Those creatures are creepy on a visceral level, but they seem to make every effort to be friendly. At least outwardly. Agh, clearly this one is going to be in my head for a bit. Hard to think of a better recommendation than that. $5
Minter, Kenn & Pruitt, Clarence – The Experts #2
The Experts #2
Is it insulting to call this smarter than it probably should be? Yes, that is almost certainly insulting. I only mean that if you’re one of those people who judge a book by its cover (and quit it if you do), you might not have high expectations for “Mad Motorcycle Mayhem!” Well, you’re only hurting yourself. I missed the first issue so I’m largely making this up, but this appears to be about the adventures of a team called The Experts (duh), and this issue focuses on a few of them specifically. There sure seems to be plenty more of this team, at least judging from the inside cover and next issue blurb, but this issue only deals with Ninja Witch, Frost Queen, and that woman driving the motorcycle on the cover. I don’t know if they ever mentioned her superhero name, but it’s a minor point. Things start off with Frost Queen telling the other two heroes all about the Silver Muse, a telepath who they’re going to have to stop. Her powers are strongest against men, which is probably why none of the men appear in this issue. The merchandising rights of their toy line is also mentioned, and the strong impression that their impending saving of the town is more about selling action figures than anything else. Anyway, the Silver Muse robs an art show (apparently she likes really stupid rock sculptures) by taking the men under her control and making the women sick. Ninja Witch resists, she grabs up her partner whats-her-name, and a merry chase ensues. I didn’t like this one as much as the other Minter/Pruiit book (It Sure Is A Super World!), but it’s hard to talk too much trash about a book that looks this good and manages to have at least one genuinely funny line per page. There are also two other short pieces in here, one was included in that other book I mentioned (“Z-Squad”) and the other appears to be a new shortie about their Thing substitute bemoaning the fact that nobody ever asked his opinion in the new tell-all books from his old team. I’d say start with the book I reviewed before if you’re interested, the maybe get the first issue of this series so you’re not trying to catch up like me. I’d say these two are people to watch, assuming they keep at it… $3
