Man Goat & The Bunny Man #2 Review

 Writer: Joe Brusha

Artist: Guillermo Fajardo

Rating: 6 of 8 

Man Goat & The Bunny Man #2

There's nothing quite like an action misadventure story. Especially if that adventure involves two guys hopping from place to place, rescuing people from the unholiest of monsters. It's a tried and true vehicle for telling some of the most reliably entertaining stories.

It worked in Supernatural and Buffy for years, so why can't it work for a Man-Goat and a Bunny Man? Some of the best of these tales involve two guys knocking heads in a clash of personalities. It helps to ignite a real spark into the story, making it more than two men hunting down some monsters and killing them.

Though they don't get much of a chance to interact, Phil and Floyd certainly do that, as they meet in a clash of ideas and desires. You see, Phil wants to investigate a local cult - but his partner just wants to go on a date!

It's a decision he could come to regret, especially by issue's end. Though it's not like Phil has an easy time of it himself, as he faces a group of hunters that want to see him dead - not because he's a Man-Goat, but because he had an affair with their leader's wife! It's relatively tricky for him and his friend, though he's not without a few fiery tricks up his sleeve.

Throughout, Fajardo does well in keeping the action fast and fluid, while most of the characters, especially the two leads and the head hunter, pop with expressiveness, easily letting you know what most of the characters are thinking or feeling. The issue ends on a cliffhanger, leaving you wonder just how our leads can get out of their current predicaments.

Overall, a pretty good issue, though some of the dialogue could've been put a little better than it was. Otherwise, a decent romp through romance, friendship and the not-so-wonderful world of cults. 

 

 

The Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters Review

 Writers: Al Ewing, 

Alex Paknadel and David Vaughan

Artists: Juan Ferreyra and 

Kevin Nowlan

Rating: 7 of 8

The Immortal Hulk

Time of Monsters

True monsters never stop. The cries of mercy fall on deaf ears. You beg for reason and you're ignored. You just want them to stop, but there's a rage there that won't be quelled, even though they could ignore it any time they wanted...

... But that's the problem. They don't. In Time of Monsters, we see two tales where a man could listen to their better angels, but refuse, wreaking only pain, fear and death. In the opening tale, the village elder, desperate to feed his village, sacrifices one of his own to do it.

What he unleashes is a very different kind of monster. One born from death, pain - and a glowing, Green Door. It's here that Ewing and Paknadel incorporate Immortal's death and rebirth mythology and we meet the One Below All. If you're the right kind of monster, He's the one you meet on the other side.

Though He does grant you gifts, they might not seem like it at first. But for the right person, this incredible power and hate might be exactly what they're looking for. Such is the case for Tammuz, whose thirst for vengeance empowers his hate - and power.

It's here that Ferreyra unleashes an incredible milieu of horror, delivering just the kind of body horror Immortal Hulk is known for. Vaughan and Nowlan present a different kind of horror in their tale, as Bruce visits an empty Kansas town, looking for a show. What he finds is a boogeyman named Scarecrow and a very different kind of show.

Nowlan envelops the story in black and white, a fitting callback to classic monster movies like Frankenstein and The Wolf Man. Hulk's inclusion fits, as you see one hulking monster stalk another and both his colour and size make for a great contrast.

This issue is just fantastic and the opening tale alone is worth the cover price. I don't really think it needed another, but it was a good tale nevertheless, even if it doesn't match up to the previous one.

Silver City #1 Review

Writer: Olivia Cuartero-Briggs

Artist: Luca Merli

Rating: 6 of 8

Silver City #1

What happens when we die? Some think we go to Heaven, or that we're damned to Hell. Others think we get reincarnated and that we're given a second chance at life. Other people, though, believe that when we die, that's the end and there's nothing more to it. The truth is that we really don't know and because of that, death remains one of our most enduring - and terrifying - mysteries.

When you die here, you wake up in the Silver City, a place where you can sleep around, drink, sing and even fight. Luckily, one of the things you can't do is age, though less lucky is the fact, if you get hurt, you can't heal. It's a surprising thing to have to deal with as, when you die, you'd think you could never get hurt again. Pain, though, is something Ru is all too familiar with.

Instead of joy, she found fear. Instead of life, she found death - and instead of love, she found pain. It's in this pain that a fiery rage fizzes up and explodes, where she refuses to let the same pain find another innocent girl. It'll be interesting to see whether this power emerged from her death, or whether it was always there - and if so, why?

Also, is the Silver City just as it appears - or is there more to it? Mick certainly thinks so. Despite his youthful appearance, he seems to know more than you might expect. Though, given he's been dead for at least 30 years, it only makes sense. 

He believes a secret society named the Time Keepers is the only thing keeping the lands of the living and the dead separated and that an ancient being known as the Silver Knight is the only one who can set things right. It's not something his roommate Victor believes, though Ru isn't so sure.

One of the most beautiful parts of the issue's definitely the art. Merli fills the city with an eerie kind of beauty, where it's an almost perfect balance of light and dark. Then, when Mick's recounting how the world used to be, he grants the dead a fittingly otherworldly quality, while the rest of the scene shimmers with gold.

Later on, he and Cuartero-Briggs deliver a simply great scene, in which Ru's anger flares as she sees sinister figures trying to do an innocent girl harm. We see her eye glow gold and sharpen, as she remembers a time when she was severely punished and her cries fell on deaf ears. It's a brilliant contrast, done in very little time and space.

Overall, it's a pretty good debut, with my only criticism being that not a lot happens. Though given it opens with a massive amount of death and introduces a whole new world, there might not be a need for anything else.

 

Eden (One-Shot) Review

 Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Dalibor Talajic

Rating: 6 of 8

Eden

You never really know who's gonna walk through your door. Could be your friend, your brother, or someone you haven't met for a long time. Or, it could be the love of your life; and all they have to do is walk through that door...

For Niles, such uncertainty isn't always part of the job. As a tattoo artist, he usually knows who's going to come on through, but one day, a real mystery walks into his life. A mystery called Eden. Every couple of weeks, she comes in wanting a tattoo and though she knows what she wants, she never wants it drawn up first.

She wants the very first time it's drawn to be on her skin. Though it's an unusual way to go about it, surprisingly, it always works out. Stranger still, though, is the fact that, every time she returns, her last tattoo is gone - and yet, when asked, she says she didn't get it removed. Is she just lying, or is it something stranger?

Fittingly, one of the best parts of the tale's the art. Though some of it's just fine, others are simply outstanding. Even in the opening page (above), Talajic infuses it with a real artistry. By laying the tattoo into the background, it packs a sense of life beyond the scene, while the inky flourishes indicate one of ease - and pain.

Bunn, meanwhile, paces the issue well, ensuring it never drags. At times, though, he indicates the tale's going back further than it is, which is odd. When he finally reveals the truth behind the mystery, we get a strong sense of horror - and pain. After that, we see just how deep Niles' pain really goes - and just how far he'll go to end it.

Overall, a superb issue and, despite any small mistakes, it's certainly one worth checking out.