This new series from the DC imprint Wildstorm is a freak fest and I think it will continue to build upon the chills. Written by Aaron Williams (PS238) with art by Fiona Staples (Secret History of the Authority: Hawksmoor) the series is like a creepy European horror film that they’d only show on TV past midnight. With hints of BOOM! Studios’ Cthulhu Tales mixed with the nasty small town characters of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Deliverance North 40 launches from the gate like a crazed horse with flaring nostrils and bleeding hooves. We are the terrified jockey gasping for air and wondering where this strange beast beneath us is going.
The series is set in Conover County, which is the kind of town where everyone knows each other and where there’s nothing to do except drink, fight or gossip. That all changes after two foolish high schoolers open what looks like the book of the dead, Necronomicon. Now if you roll your eyes and start thinking this sounds like the plot of a cheesy ’80s film with bad lighting and rubber monsters, you’d be wrong. This is a genuinely atmospheric tale that happens at breakneck pace. Scenes never really last longer than to establish the various characters (veteran sheriff, bored young waitress, town outcast, etc) before horror knocks on their door in the form of flying vampire creatures, odd voices that order an arcane ritual and other assorted weirdness. Every character and scenario is interesting enough and Williams handles realistic dialogue colliding with fantastic chills with a superb blend.
Staples’ art is reminiscent of the light touch of Phil Noto, with few lines and muted colours. It’s not an approach I thought would’ve worked in this context, but it really does. Staples sells the environment dutifully, with its parched lawns and endless sky.
North 40 could just have easily been a Vertigo book and there’s an interesting behind the scenes 2 part look at how the series developed over at the new Wildstorm blog, with a glimpse below. Also included in this issue is a 3 page preview of August’s Red Herring 6 ish mini-series.
For fans of mature horror and people in desperate situations, North 40 will help you get freaky.
I read 
The Definitive Edition of 
Now I’ve probably read less than forty novels in my life, but my younger brother is a huge Star Wars fan and for the last few years has made a point to read every SW novel he can get his hands on. I too share his enthusiasm for George Lucas’ greatest work, but haven’t delved as deeply in to the Expanded Universe that broadens the scope of events seen in the films. I have read a few of the novels which centre on the vile Yuzzhan Vong however and have loved them. This alien race which despises technology and is immune to the ways of the Force is one of the best creations in the Star Wars world. It’s not easy to create credible enemies for the powerful Jedi, but as I read of the Vong I was instantly scared and sickened. I always thought they’d make an awesome enemy in a film, game or comic adaptation. And here we are. Dark Horse knows how to handle licensed properties like no-one else. They’ve taken Star Wars in to bold new places and this latest mini-series looks to continue that tradition. As editor Randy Stradley mentions in the afteword, now is the time for this comic.
I have a feeling that I’m going to lose any fanboy cred I may have with the next sentence, but I’ll say it anyway; I enjoyed Marvel Divas. Of course, I also liked Twilight, so perhaps it’s no surprise. The best, and most obvious, description of this four ish mini is Sex and the City in the Marvel U. It’s an apt indication of what lies in these pages. Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa’s playwright tendencies show through with great aplomb. He has a terrific handle on dialogue. Witty, casual and sometimes funny, it’s kind of like Kevin Smith or Joss Whedon. Kind of.
Mauro Cascioli wowed many with his painted art on the Trials of Shazam mini that moved Freddy Freeman to drop the Junior from his Captain Marvel moniker. These pages are lush and realistic, not in an Alex Ross way, but with texture and tone and superb backgrounds. These characters look foreboding and heroic and scary. Thank you Robinson and Cascioli for giving the JLA CPR. It is for DC fans, but Robinson also knows that some of these heroes are more familiar than others and doesn’t act on assumed knowledge. This is going to be an exciting series and thankfully, once it’s over Robinson will be taking his skills, and possibly his new crew, on to the ongoing JLA series.
“What do you think we do? We grab a couple of chainsaws and start hacking up walking stiffs.”
Abstract Comics: The Anthology is an impressive collection of old and new work with unique pages covering exactly what the title says. Fantagraphics’ bold book covers the years from 1967 to the present, with a selection of abstract comics from over 40 artists.
Things kick off with a great piece from 1967 by R. Crumb, as originally seen in Zap #1. As you’d expect, it’s only 3 pages, but packs a lot of zest, with rounded figures, cheeky expressions and wild imagery. For the next 200 plus pages I was bombarded (in a good way) with every form and technique imaginable. I never knew what each turn of the page would bring. Black and white, pencil sketches, colour paintings and more – it’s all accounted for. Most of the works are only 3 or 4 pages long, with little or no text and some semblance of structured panels. I found myself treating the book like a portable art gallery as I let the images wash over me and tried to grasp their meaning. With close looks, there are stories of sorts to be told here, but as Molotiu mentions in the intro, abstract comics don’t have a narrative. I couldn’t help myself though and on some occasions examined the shapes in an attempt to form one. However, like all art the point is the enjoyment of the work first and foremost, rather than a desperation to cram it through out structured reasoning.
Molotiu’s work, The Cave was definitely a “wow” moment for me with its bold colours and gem like qualities, as was Andres Pearson’s work, with its swirling organic structures. Through some pages I could see how the panels, or the shapes within those panels, related to each other, which gave clarity to Molotiu’s introductory definition as to why this is different from abstract work done in other fields, such as cinema. James Kochalka’s (American Elf) work is exuberant and playful, as is Mike Getsiv’s. Blaise Larmee’s I Would Like To Live There is simple yet elegant while Life, Interwoven by Alexey Sokolin is 6 pages of increasing fury.
There’s a real weight behind this title thanks to the power of the name behind it. I grew up on many Mark Waid written comics. He was one of the creators that cemented my love for sequential art, and primarily superheroes. I can picture Waid typing away at the keyboard with an evil cackle, twirling his moustache and then perhaps tying a damsel to the closest railway tracks while he creates this series. Irredeemable is the product of Bizarro Waid.
The first issue of this rather special 9th century crime series from Image sold out, which was no surprise. This follow-up is not a suitable jumping on point for newcomers to the title, as they’ll be scratching their heads over what exactly is going on. Even regular readers may be too, with its bi-monthly release schedule. Saying that, this was almost as enjoyable as the debut ish. A lot less actually happens, and there is very little dialogue in the first half of the book, but that serves the desolation of not only the environment but also Egil’s loneliness well.
I’m looking at my hefty haul of new comics this week, including the cheaper edition of the 2007 DC Comics Covergirls, which is a very pretty coffee table book focused on DC’s female stars from the last 7 decades. I’m also looking at three issues with strong female leads. Justice League of America #34 is the last ish written by Dwayne McDuffie, which is kind of a shame, especially since he’s just starting to introduce his Milestone characters into the DCU. However it’s no surprise, as he was getting 
It begins with the leather clad redhead chasing a crim called Rush for information, before a brief encounter with the new Batman, ie, Dick Grayson, who gives her an unnecessary hair care tip. We then see Kathy have a breakup at a cafe before she talks to her stepfather, a Colonel who seems to be her Alfred stand-in. With the visit of pale Alice to Gotham, the new leader of the Religion of Crime and a gun-toting Batwoman staring her down it’s obvious that something odd is being set up. Odd in a good way though. With this new direction, it seems like a Vertigo book in the middle of Gotham. Williams’ fight scenes are beautifully choreographed and he makes the pages his own. When Batwoman kicks butt, wow is the only appropriate response. The dialogue and exposition scenes are designed with more restraint which makes the action scenes pack even more punch.
Relevant Books was a spin off of the 
You know what Berserker is like? It’s like a Rob Zombie film on paper. This first issue will make sense if you’ve already read the excellent #0 primer, but there’s enough going on here to not be completely perplexed.
I met self-taught artist Cassandra Reyes through 
comicbookjesus 