Sirk TV Comic Review: IDW Advance Previews [11-21-18]
These batch of comics revel in the perceived ideal of loyalty and what that means both in terms of the larger journey but also in context of one day how they will see their history and possibly different choices they could have made.
Bubba Ho Tep: Cosmic Bloodsuckers #4 Like "Evil Dead" with Ash, whenever one looks at Bubba Ho Tep, Bruce Campbell's face comes to mind. However in this iteration, the mug of Elvis and his merry band definitely give the proceedings the kind of wit and suspension of belief that can happen in comics or an animated series. The continuing homages here including to "The Walking Dead" & "Black Dynamite" key in further to the sense of tone and dread. Much like "The Dirty Dozen" or "Inglorious Bastards", each member of the team is undeniable but the texture of humor and lighting really shines through. The team of the Blind Man & Woman really stand out in this issue between mowing down a demon with a semi and a bit of witty banter between the woman and a young kid who wonders how she "sees".
Dick Tracy: Dead Or Alive #2 The texture of an old school hero like Dick Tracy always runs the risks of being dated especially in the grey world that most heroes live in nowadays. However the reflection that plays in this iteration is that corruption seeps into the center of everything. Tracy is only a stone's throw away from being shut down. In this iteration, Big Boy has been executed in the electric chair but his money has gone missing. A new big boss must seize the throne but like evolving criminals, and unlike Big Boy, it is not about bombast but strategy. Brute force doesn't work and Dick Tracy has to adjust. Ultimately it is he who must adjust to understand how he is manipulated but also how to appeal to the better nature of man in the police force when he sees everyone around him on the take.
Judge Dredd - Toxic #2 In the continuation of the storyline regarding Offies (workers that work below the surface of Mid City cleaning up and purging toxic gases that could threaten all above), this issue does little more than exacerbate the situation without much headway. The Symbiotes, aliens that feed and sustain the workers at the depths, are being killed off while some have achieved the essence of asylum. Dredd, ever the basis on a black and white world dispensing justice, makes the situation worse but knows how to manipulate information to his advantage. As the issue ends, the aspect of conflict that is brewing is much more tense and effective but rings too close to part of the storyline of the most recent "Dredd" reboot film.
Night Moves #1 Black Crown continues its possibilities of pulp sociology and horror with its series. While "The Lodger" and "Euthanauts" take a little more getting used to in terms of tone, this idea is much more palpable even if it gets undeniably gory. Like stories in films like "Bangkok Dangerous" or "Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call - New Orleans", the lead character has enough charisma to sustain a story even though one knows that the resolution can only end badly. This series is based on an older version of the character telling a story he really doesn't think through. The themes are both resonant and thought through and the art is dark, liquid and at times lurid with a sense of the symbolic.
By Tim Wassberg