Jayson > Recent Status Updates

Notes:
(1) This one's much better than issue #1. It's less puns and gags than a series of fully-formed, self-contained skits.
(2) Gonzo's drawn very birdlike—with feathers and a beak—like a dodo.
- Isn't the official retcon that he's an alien?
(3) Kermit tweaking out over too much coffee reminds me of that "Save By the Bell" episode where Jessie overdoses on caffeine pills.

Notes:
(1) This turned out to be less a story and more a concept dragging an issue-long chain of gags and puns.
- They're very hit-and-miss... mostly miss, though some are quite clever.
- So, it has a very cobbled-together feel: not very cohesive.
(2) There is also a very weird running joke about pies, which I don't recall being any particular reference nor element of lore.

Notes:
(1) I'm going to say something controversial. Fabok's a generational talent, but here he succumbs to one of my comic book pet peeves. That is, modern artists are often so scared of being called racist that they will deliberately dial back any racial aspects in their art.
- As a result, we get a Japanese couple who don't really look Japanese—mixed-race at best.

Notes:
(1) More than anything, this issue felt like a vehicle to tease out backstories through dreams/hallucinations.
- Rook's we know already, but we get glimpses of Dire Wolf's and Matterhorn's—whose name we learn is Elizabeth.
- I usually hate dream sequences, but this didn't feature any metaphorical absurdity, just flashback snippets—albeit with a few spider-headed men.

Notes:
(1) We meet Stag, who seems to be a kind of samurai/ninja. At least, that's what his katana and all the jump kicks tell me.
- Technically, more of a rōnin, I guess—as his erstwhile masters fled the planet.
- It begs the question, did Better-World know he was a deadly weapon when they hired him?
(2) Of course, Matterhorn's finishing move would be the running headbutt!

Notes:
(1) This starts with an 8-page fight scene, followed by a page-long recap of the first arc—which is nice.
- Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered skimming the previous trade.
- As for plot, there isn't much other than meeting new Wardens.
(2) From her name, I'd always assumed Donnica was Italian. But her father's Mexican, apparently.
- Could be her mother's Italian.

Notes:
(1) So, do we get any answers? Kind of—but no...
- It was a very "who cares?" final issue.
- Perhaps the big reveal would have actually meant something if it was the least bit foreshadowed or set up—but no...
(2) What this boils down to is truly exceptional art illustrating a lamentably vacuous plot, and therefore elevating it well past what it by all means deserves.

Notes:
(1) If Tom King ever writes a story NOT about lonely and depressed characters, I'll be there for it.
- In the meantime, loneliness and depression is what we get.
- I could do with some magic and fantasy in this supposed fantasy tale.
(2) In a story about a hidden sword-and-sorcery realm, the most dramatic and intriguing aspect is the ultimate fate of audio cassettes.

Notes:
(1) My main problem here is the trips into the fantasy realm don't mean anything.
- They're important in that they happen, but having no mission nor clear purpose means they're just fantasy gibberish.
(2) I like how the audio cassette interviews are being passed person to person.
- It's very Elder Wand, and sort of depicts analog media as relics of a pre-digital age.

Notes:
(1) So, it seems like the "present day" of this story is creeping forward in time, I suppose, until it reaches the actual present day.
(2) Helen recounts her journey to Lilith, who's been recounting this to Tom.
- The issue's essentially an oral history flashback within an oral history flashback.
(3) This went a lot quicker than before—more eventful and less baroque.

Notes:
(1) I hadn't planned on updates for every issue, and I still might not, but this is so dense that a break in between for reflection and assessment isn't the worst idea.
(2) Slower and less eventful than the first issue, but this establishes a clear narrative framework.
- The story's actually one long oral history flashback (like "Titanic") with the present day ~1990.

Notes:
(1) I've not read a ton of Tom King, but I've read enough to know that his true talent is in attracting top-tier artists to bring life to his nothing-special stories.
- This is super dense and wordy, like reading a Victorian novel.
(2) Evely's art is the star of the show—a real turn-of-the-century aesthetic.
- At times very Alphonse Mucha, at times very Sidney Paget.

Notes:
(1) Issues like this are tricky to assess, since most of what makes it impactful isn't until the final third.
- Frankly, most of it's a lot of yammering and running around, albeit with some narrative tidbits in the mix.
(2) Pranky, attempting to get on Oscar's good side, brings up how they brought down a child killer together.
- Ironic, given what ultimately happens.

Notes:
(1) While it's not unusual for flashbacks and dream sequences to be colored differently than normal, it's interesting how here it's all in red tones.
- It does make sense, in that it gets really bloody and coloring everything red sort of waters down the gruesomeness.
(2) Apart from being mainly a backstory issue, there's a good amount of reveals and plot development.

Notes:
(1) We get the origin story of Sister Hood. I don't want to say it's lazy—I liked the issue—but the origin portion is roughly half the length of other character origins and, even so, not much happens.
- She's a generic con artist fortune teller—nothing special.
- The only intriguing part of it is what happens to her sister, and that's after their Hyde Street arrival.

Notes:
(1) So, I'm only reading this because I like Bilquis Evely's art. Otherwise, I can take or leave Tom King, and the story's not really something I'm naturally inclined to read.
- The whole barbarian pulp x semi-portal fantasy sounds a lot like a storyline from Mark Millar's "The Magic Order," though I'm sure it's completely different.
- Really, I have no expectations.

Notes:
(1) You know how they say when you cut a worm in half, it becomes two worms? Well, that's this story.
- Except instead of two Unutes, one's a Dwayne Johnson-looking (later Keanu-looking) Mini-Me.
- So, I guess it's more akin to the movie "Twins."
(2) Theosebeia? Zosimus? Lugaltur Dûmu Biritum?
- Can I get at least one principal character name I can pronounce?!

Notes:
(1) The silver lining to finishing this is that I don't have to read any more of this stupid series—specifically, the dreadful Sam Johns parts.
- That is, of course, unless someone's braindead enough to hire them for a series I must read. In which case, WTF... SMH... FML.
(2) I could list all the ways the last few issues drove me nuts, but then I'd have to relive it.

Notes:
(1) Is it possible to want to DNF a comic before even turning a single page? Because I got to the end of page one, winced, shook my head, and groaned "Aw, f***! This was a mistake..."
- Granted, maybe for extreme sex and violence, but this was just blah articles, maps, etc. on a computer screen.
- That's more or less how it went after every page, come to think of it.

I'm repurposing my Vol. 4 Preamble:
"(1) I've been putting this one off for a while. I don't want to read this, I don't need to read this, yet I must.
- Frankly, I've already read the whole thing in singles, but I've read and reviewed all the previous collected trades and my OCD won't let me skip one.
(2) Sam Johns is without a shadow of a doubt the worst writer in comics."

Notes:
(1) The last two issues are almost all fast-paced, chaotic action.
- At the expense of clarity, though. Which isn't ideal... you know, in any case, let alone to end a years-long story arc.
- I don't know about you, but I'm awfully tired of authors expecting me to do all the heavy lifting in figuring out what happened and what things mean.
- Just spell it out for me!

Notes:
(1) I sort of regret not skim-reading the other parts since I know I'm missing nuance.
- Though, it reads fine on its own. A broad-strokes knowledge of the plot hitherto is perfectly sufficient.
(2) I like how each of the issues so far have had their own distinct flavor.
- A trait they do share, however, is how characters are all super-inclined to theatrical oratory.

Notes:
(1) This has been on my to-do list for a long time. Frankly, there's been no reason to pick it up since I've already read and reviewed the whole thing in singles.
- Also, my tradition of reading the preceding trade to refresh my memory before a new run of singles doesn't apply, since this series alternates its arcs, and this book finishes the Volumes 1, 3, 5 trilogy.

Notes:
(1) We solve the mystery of why the world's turned into a goth Wonderland.
- Though it's replaced by an equally perplexing end reveal.
(2) I'm not a prude or anything, but should Spring really be dressed so all-the-way low-cut?
- I get that they're going undercover as sexy art goths, but still.
- She's also awful mean to Summer... perhaps she's going through a phase?

Notes:
(1) So far, we've only had brief flashbacks of Jessica's apprenticeship. This issue is entirely flashback.
- Or rather a flashback within a flashback, since the whole arc's a flashback.
- It's a deep one—I'll have to give it a reread (or two) to settle how I feel.
(2) That can't be how Cecilia's hair turned white?!
- We'll see, but it must be artistic license, right?

Notes:
(1) More satirical poem than a Seussian book.
- Albeit still Seuss in its rhyming and look.
- A hospital visit and gripe on old age,
All snarky acceptance: no sadness nor rage.
(2) While being so wry keeps it firmly afloat,
What's holding it back is it's very one-note.
- It beats a dead horse, you get more than the gist,
Not really a plot, just a long grievance list.

Notes:
(1) Like "Fox in Socks," just not as fun,
Though tons of tough tongue twisters spun.
- All such random rhymes—most one-and-done,
And, personally, no real home runs.
- No book-long narrative nor story,
Just feels like excess inventory.
- Like "Fox in Socks" deleted scenes,
if fine enough and plenty keen.
(2) Overall, it does the job.
- This coming from a rhyming snob.

Notes:
(1) A sequel: it's Marco of "Mulberry Street"!
- He's still a daydreamer—a reasoned reheat.
(2) Wash illustrations, both color and grayscale,
They alternate here—every page of the tale.
- Why? I don't know. It just doesn't make sense.
Possibly, just to save dollars and cents.
- Appropriate art (re: the tale's piscatory),
And more than makes up for it lacking a story.

Notes:
(1) Bartholomew from "500 Hats" is now the king's page boy.
- May as well be a new character—he's just a generic boy scout type here.
(2) The art is exclusively graphite, with chartreuse green highlights.
- Eh, the whole sketchbook aesthetic doesn't do anything for me.
(3) This is the last non-rhyming Seuss book.
- It won a Caldecott, you'd think he'd have continued.

Notes:
(1) This is another non-rhyming early-Seuss story.
- While it does have rhyming in it, they're not particularly good rhymes, and only in the "Harry Potter" Sorting Hat sort of way.
(2) While fun, I would've like this better if it had some internal logic to the magical hat gimmick.
- Something as basic as being cursed by a witch or whatever would have been sufficient.