The Mighty Reviews 11/11/10

[wktf]

Sam Wilson’s Review

Birds of Prey #6
DC Comics
Written by: Gail Simone
Drawn by: Alvin Lee and Adriana Melo
Cover by: Alina Urusov

Waaay back in 1996 the first Birds of Prey one shot came to us via writer Chuck Dixon and artist Gary Frank. An all-female team book lead by the former Batgirl (aka Barbara Gordon aka Oracle, DCU’s resident super genius), Black Canary (duh), and that was kind of it in the beginning. The concept seemed to resonate with fans, and as time and creative teams changed so did their roster, leading to the birds golden days under writer Gail Simone. During that era the Huntress, Lady Black Hawk and occasionally Lady Shiva joined Barbara and Black Canary, and yeah. Enter one of my top five books of the last 10 years. Someone who is clearly a genius and a visionary at DC thought it would be a good idea to bring back Gail Simone and have her write the book again, and, well, whoever you are, I love you. Seriously…

Two issues past our initial story arc, let me recap things for you real quick. Dinah Lance has been having a rough year, quitting the JLA, leaving her husband Ollie (never liked him anyway), giving up her kid for adoption a few years back. Dinah could use some friends, which is when Babs calls her back in action, with Lady Black Hawk and the Huntress in tow. Soon enough the team is lured out into the open by a new villain who calls herself the white canary. Let me tell you, she’s pretty bad ass. She makes short work of the entire team and soon makes them GCPD’s most wanted, with the help of former allies Savant and Creote and the Penguin (who was pretending to be cool but turned out to be a real di**). The girls are joined by Hawk and Dove, but that doesn’t really help them and things go from bad to worse when Dinah quits the team (again) and heads off to Bangkok. Yeah, turns out what canary is the sister in a family that was mostly brothers, a family of fighters whom Dinah Lance beat and humiliated under the wing of Lady Shiva. White Canary wants revenge so she kidnaps Dinah’s adopted daughter Sin and her foster parents, and refuses to give her up unless Dinah formally challenges Lady Shiva to the death. Yeah, and of course this brings us to our current issue. The Huntress and Lady Blackhawk make it to Bangkok but are picked up by Dinah and asked to step aside while she handles her business. Of course that doesn’t happen and the fight with Shiva happens, just not with Dinah (gasp). Meanwhile, Hawk recovers from the injuries he received from White Canary and he and Dove decide to go after the Penguin, with Oracles disapproval, but even she doesn’t think that’s going to slow down Hawk…

Fans of the old series, rejoice. The girls are back. Gail more or less jumps back in continuity where she left off with the old series, and hasn’t missed a step. I’m a little disappointed Ed Benes didn’t stay on to long as the penciler, but it’s okay, Alvin Lee is fine and his style suits the book fine. Most importantly, the Birds are back and for the foreseeable future I’m thinking it’s going to be good…

Wktf’s Reviews

Avengers Prime #4 (of 5)
Marvel Comics
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Alan Davis
Cover by: Alan Davis

For me this issue has caused this series to officially jump the shark. Not there’s not some strong writing and dialogue here and especially not because the issue is lacking in strong art. No, though Bendis’ dialogue, especially coming from Stark, crosses straight into the annoying category, the disruption across the Nine Realms caused by Asgard’s displacement and destruction echoes what Fraction’s portending in Thor’s own book. And Hela’s point about the “relics of power” seeking and finding new owners to worship them, especially the relic Hela now grasps in her hand (proving yet again that there’s no concept Walt Simonson can create that doesn’t outlive it’s storytelling potential) is a powerful concept that’s potentially equally as powerful in its deployment. And Davis’ art, though a bit more hurried and far less tight than prior issues, is consistently stunning. Hela’s never looked deadlier and the ongoing battle between her and Amora is great fun to witness. Plus, nobody’s better invoked Kirby’s style better than what Davis does with Fafnir. And seeing Thor manhandle the giant dragon even without his hammer was a real treat.

Still, there’s too much with this issue that just doesn’t sit right and causes it, overall, to be a disappointment. First off, Bendis really should pay better attention to the research he’s doing. While the warrior Hela calls up from Hel was, in fact, struck down by Thor in a critical pre-Siege battle, Hela’s pre-Seige realm was non-existant at this time. In fact, it wasn’t until after Siege that a grateful Hela was granted a kingdom courtesy of first Loki and then Thor’s efforts. So, where “in [her] vast domain” did this warrior come from? Certainly not from Hel, as we’ve established. Secondly, why would this great being be in Hel, rather than Valhalla, in the first place? And finally, we find him unable to lift Mjolnir because “Thor is among the living,” when this didn’t stop him from handling Mjolnir in Thor’s own book? I don’t know, these may feel like minor points but, combined with the rather goofy bromance among The Avengers Prime around the campfire, I felt like Bendis was taking too many shortcuts and making up too many of his own rules to suit his needs, all of which hurt the power of what he’s delivered here to this point, despite Alan Davis’ best efforts.

So, in the end, maybe because the rest of Marvel continuity has moved so far past the point when this story’s supposed to have taken place, the contrivances that are moving it forward have caused some serious steam to have left the stride of this tale. I’m too far in now to not pick up the next and final issue but, considering these characters (maybe with the exception of Amora) have all moved on at this point, the whole thing no longer feels relevant.

Chaos War: Thor #1 (of 2)
Marvel Comics
Written by: J.M. Dematteis
Drawn by: Brian Y. Ching
Cover by: Tommy Lee Edwards

I’ve said, and proven to myself, many times before that these big event tie ins are a waste of time and money. Blackest Night, for the most part proved me wrong. But, other than that expertly organized and crafted story, I’ve yet to find an event tie in that’s equal to the event (and that’s assuming the event, itself, is any good). But I’ve been having such a great time reading Chaos War, Thor is one of my favorite characters, and JM Dmatteis is one of Marvel’s most consistently strong writers (Hello? Kraven’s Last Hunt, anyone?) I figured I’d give this one a pull.

And so far so good after this first of two issues. Now, is this off-shoot story going to advance the overall story? Doesn’t really look like it. So, do you need it to enjoy or even understand Choas War? No, not at all. But, as an offshoot standalone story its relatively strong. Deep in space, where we left Thor and Hercules in Chaos War #3, Thor is battling a supremely powerful servant of the Chaos King. This being, here called Glory, is the embodiment of ten thousand vile, twisted and insanely violent gods and battles alongside the Chaos King because it wants to, unlike others such as Zeus and Ares who’ve had their wills bent to the Chaos King’s needs. This battle, beautifully and violently rendered by Ching feels terribly desperate, given how outmatched Thor is compared to his opponent. And, yet, Ching gives us a cosmic battle royal of epic proportions and dimensions where each foe seems to have been destroyed by the other (kind of like Superman vs. Doomsday).

In fact, Thor’s final (described) fate lends serious question to what possibly can be expected from the second half of this story which takes place, not among gods in space, but among far more mundane humans on Earth. As our memory stricken mortal must make sense of who and where he is, the scene shifts suddenly far away from the Chaos War itself and toward far more human problems and dimensions. And, if his memory truly is gone then is that indication that Thor’s fate truly is final? The hero who doesn’t remember he’s a hero goes as far back as the George Reeves Superman TV series but can be timelessly strong if written well. So far, this writer/artist team has delivered a first part to a story that’s heavily dependent on how it resolves before a final verdict can be rendered. Ching’s art isn’t nearly as strong in the second as in the first half, and Dematteis’ story feels a bit confusing, and even loses some of its strength, as it loses its cosmic backdrop. But I certainly am planning on coming back for the second and final installment to see how this team, and the Thunder God, can pull this one out.

Thor #617
Marvel Comics
Written by: Matt Fraction
Drawn by: Pasqual Ferry
Cover by: Pasqual Ferry

This issue may have caused me to turn a corner on this book. May have. Online critics have been praising Fraction and Ferry for taking the Thor series and expanding its cosmic storytelling elements so that, now, it feels more like where Lee and Kirby would take the title every so often. But, for me, Ferry’s one-dimensional cartoony style and Fraction’s uncharacteristic portrayal of Thor, on the one hand a grumpy bully and on the other desperately missing his evil brother Loki, had made this creative team feel so far off the mark as to make the title almost unrecognizable. This issue, again, refers to Odin as in a slumber when, for readers of JMS’s Thor work, we know he’s not only dead (not “slumbering”) but battling Surtur into eternity to prevent the demon from returning to Asgard and Earth. And Thor’s desire to resurrect Loki just plain feels wrong. Doesn’t Thor remember it was Loki’s manipulations that caused Thor to kill Bor, his grandfather, and facilitate his exile from Asgard? Or that it was Loki who partnered with Dr. Doom who vivisected the Asgardians to create his own Destroyer weapon? Or that it was Loki who pulled Osborn’s strings, caused the Siege, and led to Asgard’s destruction? This is the Loki whose company Thor so dearly misses? Was Thor hit on the head a bit too hard during his recent battle in Hell?

And yet, there’s an infectious energy to this issue that’s incredibly compelling. Ferry’s art, still cartoony as ever, is beginning to feel much larger and sweeping in scope, especially as it depicts the rebuilding of Asgard. And the conversation between King Baldar and Iron Man is really wonderfully handled as Baldar struggles with his own failure to protect Asgard from the Siege, his anger and disgust at Thor for “seeking the Fallen One,” and his acknowledging and accepting the impending threat from the coming World Eaters with saddened and defeatist resignation all just feels incredibly emotionally powerful. Iron Man’s stunned confusion in response to Baldar’s defeated tone also is equally powerful in its silence. And, by the way, Shellhead’s current artist could take a lesson from Perry on how to drawn Iron Man’s armor. Here the golden avenger looks positively elegant.

But it’s Thor’s search for the now resurrected Loki (equally confusing, by the way, since Thor lost the Odinpower long ago, which he required to resurrect his fellow Asgardians before, when Dr. Strange helped repair the broken Mjolnir) that is even more infectiously strong. The stunned, wide eyed look to the Thunder God’s face as he addresses the street urchin in Paris displays a moment of excitement and confusion. And the smile on Thor’s face (though I’m still having a hard time with his longing to reunite with Loki) is as warming as his prior look is filled with tense excitement. Could this really be a new beginning, a bit reminiscent of how Lex Luthor’s being treated today on Smallville, or is this more of the trickster’s ploys which, frankly, Thor should be able to sniff out at this point? Okay…I’m going to keep reading to see if this energy level can be maintained. And though I’ve panned the last two issues I’m giving this one my pick of the week.

[wktf]

Wktf’s Trade Reviews

Bruce Wayne has officially returned to the DC Universe this week (well, really last week, but this week’s got the final issue of The Return of Bruce Wayne). I don’t have an opinion on this story as I’d sworn an oath to never again read anything by Grant Morrison after Batman RIP and Final Crisis, but I am glad Bruce is back. Dick Grayson’s been doing a good job as Batman in the non-Morrison books I’ve been reading, but he hasn’t captured my attention in the same way Bucky did when he took on Captain America’s role (sorry, the comparison is unavoidable). Still, Bruce’s return is some cause for celebration and, in so doing, I thought I’d repost reviews of some of my very favorite Batman trades. Here we go!

Batman: Ego
DC Comics
Written by: Darwyn Cooke
Drawn by: Darwyn Cooke
Cover by: Darwyn Cooke

Several years ago I went on a bit of a Batman trade paperback buying tear. I just couldn’t get enough of The Dark Knight and I think it’s safe to say I may have more Batman books than books for any other character in a comic book library that spans three separate rooms in my house. I picked up Batman: Ego six years ago because, well, frankly, the way-cool art deco cover just grabbed me, flipping through it the stylized art looked great, and the book was thin enough at only 64 pages that I thought it’d be a quick and diverting read if I ever needed such a thing. I’d never heard of Darwyn Cooke, the book’s writer and artist and the unbelievable talent who later gifted us with The New Frontier, at the time that I bought it. It sat on my shelf for years. I think you can tell where I’m going with this so I’ll move on.

Superhero comics about warring dual personalities are pretty common. There’s Bruce Banner and The Hulk, Doc Connors and The Lizard, Kirk Langstrom and Man-Bat, Harvey Dent and Two-Face, and those are just the examples the come straight to the top of my head. As far as dual identities, rather than dual personalities, the mid 1980s saw a little about-face on the Superman and Batman persona stuff. Prior to the Byrne and Miller reinventions, Clark Kent was the bumbling façade for Superman and it was Bruce Wayne who had to put on the mask to become Batman. Then Clark became the Superman character’s core personality and Bruce Wayne the mask, the façade for the true personality of The Batman. What Darwyn Cooke does in Batman: Ego is actually split Bruce and The Batman into separate personae, much as we’ve come to learn that Bruce Banner and The Hulk are not two sides to one person but two separate entities inextricably integrated together. And, deep in the bowls of the Batcave, while Bruce is dealing with guilt and fatigue from a recent case-gone-wrong, one that has driven him to cast off the mantle of the Bat, do these two face off against each other. The Joker is a driving force that instigates this conflict. He appears at the beginning, throughout the middle, and at the end. But, unlike other hero vs. arch villain stories, this tale is an analytical exploration of what drives both Bruce and the Bat as they seek both, at first, to throw off their dependence on each other and then see if they can reconcile. The Joker is a catalyst but not a central player in this conflict of two integrated creatures’ souls. This is anything but a typical superhero or even Batman tale but one that’s still full of terror and tension. It’s almost a “Heart of Darkness” Batman story where we fear that Bruce, having confronted this primal power, as in Conrad’s classic tale of evil, may not survive to rise at the end.

Darwyn Cooke used to work on art and storyboarding for Bruce Timm on The Batman/Superman Adventures and, later, Batman Beyond. And you can really see that here. His style looks like a blend of Timm and Steve Rude, with a dash of Kelly Jones sparingly thrown in at times. The Batman Ego persona is monstrously large, more than twice the size of Bruce Wayne’s Id, and his form and jagged mouth bear an uncanny resemblance to Clayface from the old animated series. And, as with The New Frontier, Cooke’s plotting, pacing and script blend wonderfully with his art to give us a haunting and terrifying tale that brings the reader deep into the intimate workings of The Batman’s psyche. We realize that The Joker may have some competition for the title of Batman’s greatest enemy, that it may in fact be Batman himself. This comic book debut of Cooke’s may well be the perfect companion piece to Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One to help the Bat fan understand what makes The Dark Knight tick. No Bat fan that delights in Batman canon should be without Darwyn Cooke’s Batman: Ego.

Batman: Mad Love and Other Stories HC
DC Comics
Written by: Paul Dini, with Bruce Timm
Drawn by: Bruce Timm, with Rich Burchett, John Byrne, Dan DeCarlo, Klaus Janson, Glenn Murakami, Mike Parobeck and Matt Wagner
Cover by: Bruce Timm

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or never owned a TV set, there’s really nothing to be said about the creative team of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm that hasn’t been said already. Rarely have two so perfectly matched writers and artists come together in the history of comics or cartoons. I mean, certainly, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby come to mind. Chris Claremont and John Byrne often get similar nods. But these guys took what Frank Miller started with Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, Tim Burton then picked up with his Batman and Batman Returns films, and gave us, with Batman: The Animated Series, the world of Batman that set our pulses beating a little faster, teeth grinding a little harder, and (non-maniacal clown-like) smiles coming to our faces a little quicker. These two GET Batman, Gotham, and all the miserable characters and personalities that inhabit this strange, dark world.

Since I already own the TPB version of Mad Love and Dangerous Dames & Demons I almost didn’t pick this up. But sauntering through Midtown Comics in NYC I saw it displayed prominently and really couldn’t stop myself from buying it. I read this beauty from cover-to-cover in my hotel room and felt like I’d just finished the most perfect piece of pie with ice cream I’d ever had. Mad Love, of course, is Dini and Timm’s first ever comic book collaboration and is appropriately subtitled, “Psychotic, Mass-Murdering Clowns and the Women Who Love Them.” This tremendous tale, winner of the 1994 Harvey Award for Best Single Story, tells the tale of Harley’s origin and desperate love for her puddin’, and how she could do everything right and yet get it so completely wrong where The Joker’s concerned. Of course, Batman is as much known for the sharpness of his mind as for his brawn and weapons, and we’re given a Dark Knight who’s able to take an absolutely hopeless and lethal predicament and pull himself out with only the slightest of manipulations. Timm’s art goes from terrifying, to serious, to goofy and then back again as he shows the depths of character development and portrayal that can be accomplished with only minimal line work. And Dini’s psycho-drama is, as Frank Miller has stated, “…the best Batman story of the decade.”

Of course, jammed with over 200 pages of story, not to mention commentaries by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, as well as additional cutting-room floor art and a cover gallery, this book offers up lots more fun once Mad Love’s been finished. Many of Batman’s rogues gallery make an appearance, including Clay face, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Rocket, Catwoman, the Ventriloquist and Mr. Scar Face. Plus, we get treated to Batman’s supporting cast, including Commissioner Gordon, Montoya, Bullock, Batgirl and even Jason Blood/Etrigan in a nice little tribute to Jack “King” Kirby. Every story’s a gem as Dini and Timm take us into and out of the swirling, mind-numbing intensely character driven, often times funny but too frequently scary psychotic world of Gotham City. Packaging up material that appeared previously in The Batman Adventures: Mad Love, The Batman Adventures Annual 1-2, the Batman Adventures: Holiday Special 1, Adventures in the DC Universe 3, Batman Black and White 1, the Batman Adventures: Dangerous Dames & Demons, Batgirl Adventures 1, Batman Gotham Adventures 10, and Batman Adventures 3, this beautiful HC is a keeper, well worth the cover price of $19.99.

Batman: The Long Halloween
DC Comics
Written by: Jeph Loeb
Drawn by: Tim Sale
Cover by: Tim Sale

So the story goes, the late great Archie Goodwin corralled the creative team of Loeb and Sale, just after their having completing Wolverine/Gambit for Marvel, with two thoughts integrated into one. One-up yourselves on the great series of Batman Halloween themed one-shot stories printed in Legends of the Dark Knight, and since collected in the Haunted Knight trade, and revisit the gangster strewn world of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One with a follow up story involving Carmine “The Roman” Falcone and his Gotham City crime family. With Frank Miller’s blessing in-hand to revisit the world he’d created, what resulted from that meeting was a surge of creative genius that resulted in a 13 issue series that solidified the team of Loeb/Sale as one of the greatest creative teams in modern comics and produced one of the single most powerful Batman stories in the history of the character. And obviously that’s saying a lot, given this character’s rich history.

Why thirteen issues? This tale follows the calendar and, more specifically, the various holidays in each month of the calendar, from October to October, from Halloween to Halloween (making it “The Long Halloween”), and tracks the murders of the Falcone family and crime syndicate on each one of those holidays. What this also means is that this trade volume is 370 pages of story, a real commitment for the reader, but Loeb and Sale weave a tense, intricate and action packed tale worthy of the greatest crime novels and movies. This book is so totally worth the ride, and the best part of it is that, even when the story ends, it’s clear the whole thing’s not over. I’ll explain that in a moment and try not to give too much away.

Bruce Wayne has faith in Gotham City, and he’s made an oath to his parents to rid his city of the evil that took their lives. While this is a well known part of The Batman lore, it’s a central theme in The Long Halloween. And “The Roman,” with Catwoman’s claw marks on his face from Batman: Year One, and his crime family both are core to the opportunity Batman sees to actually fulfill his oath. Forming a pact with Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, these three men, unified in their vision to bring justice to Gotham, agree to an alliance against The Roman. However, a new killer named “Holiday” is targeting members of the Roman’s family each month, starting on Halloween and beginning with Alberto Falcone, The Roman’s own son. Chaos erupts in Gotham as The Roman’s empire starts crumbling, rival gang boss Vincent Marconi exerts his influence, Gordon and Dent, both of whom are also struggling to keep their families together, and Batman scramble desperately to bring their city under control. Plus, all this activity brings Gotham’s “freaks” to the fore, and Batman must face off against the likes of Solomon Grundy, The Riddler, The Calendar Man, and The Mad Hatter. The Joker, enraged that Holiday has stolen his thunder as the most notorious killer in Gotham, vows to murder everyone in the city. Perhaps Batman’s most desperate battles are against Poison Ivy and The Scarecrow to whose poisons he succumbs, almost to the point of his undoing. Catwoman proves his greatest ally as well as a canny, incredibly sexy foe. And in this terrible tale we also witness the unraveling of Harvey Dent and the birth of Two-Face. Loeb and Sale twist and turn this plot to bring all of Batman’s rogue’s gallery, Falcone and the Holiday mystery together for a finale that still leaves nearly all the major players in the dark.

Who is Holiday? Batman suspects his unstable friend, Harvey, but also, possibly, Catwoman. Then, it could be The Roman’s sister whose family runs organized crime in Chicago and has their sights set on Gotham. Marconi, the number 2 crime boss in Gotham, also is an obvious suspect. But just as we discover what seems like the impossible answer to this question we discover this truth is incomplete. And even with that next possible revelation this story twists further away from Batman and Gordon to yield another horrible, hidden answer. Loeb has crafted a brilliantly dark story, and Sale has delivered the goods as he always does. Batman’s huge, muscular body, long ears and swirling cape, more like a shroud than a cape, give him an imposing and almost supernatural look. And in Sales’ hands, Batman’s freakish villains look truly monstrous, especially The Penguin, with his tiny pointed teeth, The Joker, with his huge piano key-like smile, and Ivy who looks positively, ironically, unearthly. (Tim Sale was cool enough to do a Batman and Joker head sketch in my son’s Long Halloween HC at last year’s Boston Con, along with a personalized note to him. He’s a great guy.) The HC version is long out of print but available on eBay or Amazon. The SC trade probably will be in print forever. No Batman fan should be without this book. It’s a long, complicated read but I promise it’ll suck you in and keep you there until you finish it. And then, as I have, you’ll eventually come back to it again and again.

Batman: Year One Deluxe Hardcover
DC Comics
Written by: Frank Miller
Drawn by: David Mazzucchelli
Cover by: David Mazzucchelli

Wow. Even if “Batman Begins” had been a bust, I’ll be forever grateful to that film if its release is the reason for this book’s publication.

What can I say about this story that hasn’t been said before? I read this story when it was first published twenty years ago in Batman #404-407 and have reread it many times in trade form since then. I reread my tpb version again this past weekend in preparation for this HC release and, once again after all this time, it just gave me the chills.

Miller and Mazzucchelli once took Daredevil out of his costume for the majority of “Born Again” and they applied that experience even more effectively in this story. Batman is struggling to get out of the young Bruce Wayne and, as Sam described in his review, Batman’s birthing process is so painful it nearly kills him. The story begins and ends with Bruce out of costume but the catch at the end, as Bruce is handing Jim Gordon’s kidnapped baby boy to him, Gordon’s wife looking on from the bridge above them, is that he now is fully realized as Batman. When he says to Barabara Gordon in the last chapter while she’s holding a gun on him, “Mrs. Gordon. You have to trust me. I won’t let your boy die,” well, it’s just a great moment and the reader is grateful that Bruce is able to make good on his promise. Literally, I have a chill down my spine as I’m typing this. This also is a Year One story for both Jim Gordon and Catwoman, and their stories are equally as riveting. I actually wish this creative team would tackle the pre-Gotham Jim Gordon in Chicago and explain what forced him to leave that city and come to Gotham. I bet it’d be a hell of a story. But, back to this book, both Miller and Mazzucchelli are at their finest with this story. Neither has done better work ever in their careers.

This deluxe hardcover also has other great features, making it well worth the $19.99 cover price and a fan boy’s dream. It includes new introductions by Miller and Mazzucchelli, loads of reproductions of original pencils, promotional art, unseen Mazzucchelli Batman art, Richmond Lewis's color samples, script pages and other concept art. If you haven’t bought this book you need to leave your computer right now, go out, and get it. Period.

[Jesse321]

BOP # 6 was AWESOME!!! That and Red Robin were the best reads this week.

I LOVE SHIVA!! And the fact that she showed such respect to Huntress was just incredible.

[protector2814]

Damn, 1st time I've skipped Thor since the re-launch and it sounds like I shouldn't have. Just my luck.

[abarron]

Great reviews as always.

Couldn't agree more on Long Halloweeen. Fantastic story.

Avengers Prime is dragging a little too. As you say this is meant to take place before the main Avengers title that is now at #6. Wrap it up already. I saw issue 5 isn't out till January

[supahman]

Agreed... Long Halloween.. is one of the best Bats Stories ever.. Thanks for ttrade reviews guys.. I never appreciated Ego .. till i read that review..

Oh..N i Picked up Universal Monsters Cavalcade.. thanx to your reviews..

[bat_collector]

I remember reading Long Halloween when it first came out.

Loved it then, loved it now, own the Absolute edition.