By Martijn Form  Hi Vertigolovers, Today it’s all about "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly." The Ugly is easy because that’s me, haha. So let’s start with "The Bad," meaning the bad news. This week another Vertigo series ends. I'm talking about Crossing Midnight by Mike Carey and Jim Fern, which ends with issue #19: "War. That's what the Haras' simple wish for a safely born child has led to. Now, with destruction at every turn, the last battle is between Kai, Toshi and Aratsu, but how many of their newfound allies will die before their conflict reaches its bloody conclusion?"I have to be honest: I read every Vertigo book, but this one I dropped after 6 issues. It's strange that I dropped it because I'm a big fan of Mike Carey, especially his work on Hellblazer, and I'm rediscovering his Lucifer saga.  Crossing Midnight though didn't do it for me. It always saddens me when a Vertigo comic series gets cancelled, although I prefer the term "concluded." I wrote several reviews of Crossing Midnight, but I couldn't get past the weak coloring and Jim Fern's art. Even reading it in trade didn’t made my day. I have no clue what was going on with the coloring, but somehow it doesn't print well. My single issue copies look differently than both Crossing Midnight Vol. 1: Cut Here and Vertigo: First Cut. The shading and tone are different. Fern's art is too sterile for my taste. If you look at the preview art of Madame Xanadu with its detailed fantasy art by Amy Reeder Hadley, it's a different ballgame. I think Crossing Midnight would have been much better, at least for me, with more detailed art and different coloring. But pick up the first trade and you be the judge.So as one fantasy book (Crossing Midnight) leaves the stage, another (Madame Xanadu) enters front and center this week. I can't wait to pick up my copy. The second piece good news is that the Demo trade arrives in stores this week. Demo is written by Brian Wood with the amazing art of Becky Cloonan. I have hyped Cloonan before because she is one of the best independent artists out there, let alone the best female artist. Demo consists of twelve stand alone stories, connected only by the theme of normal folks discovering that they have super powers in one way or another. The series and the trade were first published by AIT PLANET LAR, and got some good reviews and critical acclaim. I think it's a smart move by Vertigo to decide to publish Demo in a new trade version because AIT PLANET LAR's trade version was smaller in dimension, and Vertigo will publish it in the usual comic book format. About the new version Brian Wood said on his website: - will be full-size, to fix some funky stuff that happened when Becky's ziptones were shrunk downBrian Wood is a man of his word. Usually that is a good thing, but in this case I would have liked that he wasn't because I would have loved to see the extras in this trade. Let me explain that a bit. The original Demo monthlies contained some nice extras, like sketches and Wood's notes, material that also appeared in Brian Wood's Local. Brian Wood said back then that these extras were meant for the fans who buy the monthlies. Therefore, they would never be reprinted in the trade. I think he is sticking to his words. Good for him. Too bad for us. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read anything by Brian Wood, this book is a great example of his writing genius.      So that’s it for this week! What? You want more Vertigo? You want more great literature to get you high? You got it! Let's look at some of the solicitations for Vertigo books coming out in September. All the books that are coming out in that month are worth a column by themselves, but that would overload your (and my) brain cells. So I picked several amazing titles that are more than worth your hard earned money. 100 Bullets #95No, I don't want this! I just can't handle the fact that this brilliant series is coming to an end. I demand a hundred more issues. Dear Brian Azzarello, why did you have to tell us that 100 Bullets will end with hundred issues. Damn you! The writing is so brilliant, and you and Eduardo Risso are still the best creative team in my book. Every single issue of 100 Bullets is at least worth 4 bullets, so I can’t wait for issue #95. Greatest Hits #1I can't wait to see Glenn Fabry's art in a whole comic book, and not just a good cover. My mouth waters at the idea of Greatest Hits, and when I get some preview art for this series, you will be the first to see it here at the "Vertigo Spotlight." The Absolute Sandman Vol. 4 HCSome folks who write me about the column think that I get my comics for free and don't buy them in my local comic store. Well, I'm a hard core Vertigo fan. I buy all the books that Vertigo publishes. Most of them in monthlies, and some in trades, but I have been buying all the Vertigo series for decades now. The week of November 5 will be a hard one for me, food wise. The Absolute Sandman Vol. 4 HC is a must-have for me, even though I will be financially set back by this. So a week of only bread and water will be the best solution. Crossing Midnight Vol. 3: The Sword in the Soul TP Hellblazer: The Family Man TP Northlanders Vol. 1: Sven The Returned TP Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm TP Un-Men Vol. 2: Children of Paradox TP Some cool trades coming out, don't you think? I got them all in monthlies, and I think they are all highly entertaining, especially Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm. That is a great book that will blow you away. That's it for this week. See you next week. And remember: A Vertigo book a day, keeps the doctor away. |
