It seems I told a fib dear readers. I promised you an extra long version of The Graveyard Shelf today and, alas, I was mistaken. I had it in my head that there were at least four or five comics that I didn’t get a chance to review in the last week – turns out there were only two. So, prepare yourself for an average-length Graveyard Shelf, but don’t confuse that with average quality, for you shall be disappointed!
Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child #2
As expected, Denys Cowan’s art looks fantastic. It might not be the polished and pristine art that so many people only want in their comics, but it fits the tone of this comic well. The monsters in this comic look awesome. Cowan puts soul into the eyes of these beasts. They’re not just mindless bad guys, they have heart and passion. They might be doing bad things but you can see their motivations in their faces, they think they’re right. This comic is going cool places, you should be on the train for it because it’s not stopping to make sure you’re ready.
Ragemoor #2
Corben’s art is just as good this time around and much like in the first issue he’s getting to stretch his legs into areas that his talent really shines in. There’s not a lot of room for repetition of the first issue here so the art excels at maintaining the credibility of the terrifying story but creating a horrific world that could only be done like this by Corben. Ragemoor is great. I fear that since it doesn’t have a vampire or zombie on the cover that it will get passed over by eager comic readers but I’m here to tell you it’s just as worthy of your attention as any other comic in your stack.
Fanboys vs. Zombies #2
This entry is slightly less annoying than the first in terms of horrendous dialogue and idiotic tropes, but they’re still there hiding in the shadows. The references within the comic to other geek culture elements are fun to spot and look at and you would think that with as good of an idea for a story as this is that it would be fun to read, easy to relate to, and entertaining on a level that some comics simply can’t be.
It’s not.
While it can be funny at times it is overly wordy and could do with fewer words and more brain matter spattered against the panels.
Hack/Slash #15
While sometimes the art and action beats are a little hard to follow it doesn’t happen enough to muddle the entire experience of the comic. After reading the entire arc that we’ve been through, I really appreciate it for what it is now. While there are no more real developments on the monster front it still utilizes of all the beasts that we’ve seen in the past three issues to their fullest extent. This is a series that any fan should be picking up, and while it might be hard to follow for new readers it’s still one hell of a ride.
Well that’s it folks, another Graveyard Shelf come and gone. Do come back next week and see what we’ll have for you then and DON’T FORGET, this Saturday (May 3rd) is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! Go to your local comic shop and support them while also getting plenty of FREE COMIC BOOKS. See you on the other side.
You can follow Spencer on Twitter here @ScarySpencer
