COMICS WEDNESDAY! READ KABUKI AND LIVE HAPPY!

Finally some more Kabuki! Does Spidey's the Other get the axe from my pull list and I give Wraithborn some much needed attention this week.

KABUKI #5
To be a single leaf, Kubuki is a gust of wind. Not restrained by being a panel to panel picture play of literally illustrated drama, here consciousness stream with commentary amid a chorus of character introspection and unbound visuals. I'm explaining in the simplest of possible terms that David Mack is taking us all back to school, and showing us all what the format, the art form of comics truly holds in it's potential. If you have never even heard of this title, or character, have never touched or seen a prior issue, but have sat down at any point with a sketchbook, a writing pad, or even some play dough or Lego's with a quantum length of creativity in your soul, you should read this issue of this title, and consider sleeping with it under your pillow. Read it in church. Share it on a plane. Discuss it with your therapist. The art form has struggled for almost twenty years to pass the dramatic zenith of Watchmen. Here the forms most primal molds are broken to be so much more, much as the narrative describes the state of our protagonist. Kubuki could be seen as a thinly veiled clarion call to the comics industry to evolve or die, in the spirit of synchronicity, one of the many subjects of this most recent issue, I'd consider transitioning to the Spider-Man arc "Evolve or Die". For all that could and should be said about Kabuki, you should privilege yourself with such a motivational devotional to the glory of creativity in all its forms. KABUKI #5 sets the bar for what a 5 out of 5 is.


THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #525
This arc started out DAMN strong and in fine form, but every issue has been getting weaker and weaker. It doesn't seem to be Peter David's fault, either, actually, I don't like reviews that are all about blame, unless some fuckhead kills a a movie for instance, like Brett Ratner most likely will with X3, and Micheal Bay may be destined to do.... but maybe not, with Transformers. This Spidey book... okay, it's better than Transformers, but just so mediocre. It's not pretty, or anything close. The art is almost loveless. I admire guys who can churn out sketch after sketch of clean pro-slick comic art, I really do. I can't. I have to labor over every piece. I can't phone it in. Of course, if you read this plot, you'd phone it in too. This poor art team had to live with this for 22 pages... 22 pages of "Peter's condition is terminal, he's dying of" (that was the first issue, strong opening remember) "Tune in next week to find out to..." That was last week... "MAYBE WE'LL SAY IT NEXT TIME!!!" Fuck this arc. 22 pages of to be continued. Asinine. Almost stupid. I'll buy it next week like a sucker... unless it's a big week. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #525 Gets walked up to the gallows (but is still alive) with a phoned in 3 out of 5



WRAITHBORN #2
As pretty as the plot is typical, so much so the former forgives the latter and your eyes go home happy. Your brain is still fried from reading Kabuki. Here's what a comic looks like when a penciller loves drawing anything! Slurpee cups, mitey monstrosities, school girls, Bluish demonic chicks that glow... unhinged and almost gory violence. Plot? Screw it, it's serviceable. Brunette Buffy gets powers to kill wraiths or something like that... No, it's not original, but it goes great with a soft drink! WRAITHBORN #2 Gets a GRADE A guilty pleasuring Quadruple Cheeseburger without the bypass, 4 out of 5!!!!!