If you missed the first miniseries (now collected as Resident Alien: Welcome to Earth!), this zero issue is a terrific starting point and an easy way to sample the series, one of my new favorites. (I previously called it “a nice little mystery with some sharp small-town observations.”) Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde #0 collects three short chapters that ran in Dark Horse Presents #18-20, but it’s so smoothly sectioned that I wouldn’t have known that just reading the story. […]

Bloodhound: Brass Knuckle Psychology reprints an excellent (but flew under the radar) series published by DC Comics in 2004 by Dan Jolley, Leonard Kirk, and Robin Riggs. I talked about the series history a little when the book was announced, since I was a fan during its original release. Kurt Busiek also addresses the topic in his foreword to the book. But that doesn’t matter, because what we have here isn’t nostalgia — “oh, I’m so glad a favorite is […]

You can read Faith Erin Hicks’ Superhero Girl online, but when the book is this pretty, I’d rather hold it in my hands. Some of these strips were previously available in a self-published collection, but The Adventures of Superhero Girl has more of the comics, plus it’s in color. Kurt Busiek’s introduction makes some wonderful points about how a funny superhero story that stands on its own isn’t necessarily a parody — it just seems that way if you read […]

Yay! Spike is back! He’s always been my favorite of the Buffyverse characters, mostly due to his wide-ranging character arc, from super-scary Big Bad to victim to lovestruck sex slave to redeemed savior of the world. That he’s not one of the biggest main characters allows writers to do more with him, too. Plus, his original attitude lets him snark off at the others when they’re being particularly drippy or self-obsessed, often reflecting the attitudes of the viewers. Issue #19 […]

Out this Wednesday is the second issue of the newest Spike miniseries, this time from Dark Horse. (Which means it’s at least reasonably priced at $3.) [Huge apologies — just realized that I got my weeks mixed up and this isn’t out until next week, September 19.] Spike is my favorite Buffy cast member, but he’s a tricky one to handle. You want to keep him snarky, but without ignoring all the soulful character development that’s become part of his […]

Although I enjoy each new Usagi Yojimbo volume just for the stories, I was particularly attracted to this latest collection due to the introduction. It’s by comic grand master Walter Simonson. As I would expect from such an insightful contributor, Simonson sums up beautifully the appeal of Sakai’s series: I have read this comic book, since its beginning, for all the right reasons. Regularly, like clockwork, it brings me the unalloyed joy of reading a well-told, well-drawn story, about characters […]

Resident Alien provides a sci-fi twist on a retirement tale. You’ve seen the story before, of a smart detective pulled back into work by the right case. Only this time, the investigator is particularly different. An alien just wants a peaceful life until he can be rescued from Earth and return home. The only time he uses his powers is to hide his appearance from his neighbors. However, when the town doctor gets murdered, he’s the only medical man left […]

Concluding the two-part story about feuding soy sauce makers by Stan Sakai, this issue provides a simple look at justice. SPOILERS follow. The rabbit samurai’s biggest challenge this issue isn’t the greedy rival merchant who’s escalated a business struggle into sabotage of the traditionalist’s warehouse sauce vats. Instead, it’s the fraidy-cat local lawman who refuses to get involved. After a slow opening, which recaps the premise if you missed the previous issue, we pick up with Usagi determined to force […]