Friday, September 28, 2007

CWR WEEKEND BLOG EXTRA

And I mean seriously extra. Because this book is still wayyyyy off in the distance, but you’re getting your first look Right. Fucking. Here.


The book in question? HAZED, written by Mark Sable and drawn by Robbi Rodriguez, and published by Image Comics: the real San Francisco treat.

HAZED is the story of Ileana, a college freshman who winds up going to a “second choice” college and nearly immediately regrets it. She’s got a vapid roommate named James (who is a woman, despite her name), a reasonably healthy sense of self and a decent body image, and enough smarts to fill multiple backpacks. But we find out early on that it all went by the wayside and she’s headed for a life of eating disorders and binge drinking. The question then becomes, as Sable begins building his parody: how did it all go wrong?

Honestly, taking shots at college culture is pretty much like shooting fish in a barrel, and being a college librarian, trust me: I know. To make it work, you have to do two things: have at least one good character to get behind, and some new, clever ways to deliver the snark. Sable’s best: the sluttiest sorority on campus is Sigma Tau Delta… the STDs. Funny stuff.

In the rougher spots where the story isn’t quite flowing, Sable has the best backup possible in the form of Rodriguez. As he’s proven on MAINTENANCE, he has a gift for drawing projects with a warped sense of humor, and he really delivers some terrific stuff here.

Nothing about HAZED screams “genius!” or “Eisner!”, but the first chunk I’ve read here does do a solid job of entertaining and putting a smile on your face. Can’t ask for much more than that.

Be back here through the week for site updates and/or friend us on MySpace. See you next weekend for the next edition of the Blog Extra!

/Mason
Ending the week with greatness... Gipi's NOTES FOR A WAR STORY arrives on our shores, and it's one of the best books of the year, period.

Read all about it.

/Mason

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Thursday... Vince Moore goes on the attack against When Fangirls Attack in the latest edition of OMNIUM GATHERUM! Plus: Marc reviews the hardcover collection of Frank Beddor's HATTER M.

What else do you want?

/Mason

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Wednesday shifts up a gear, as Matt Maxwell's FULL BLEED dives into superhero hate and asks the question "Where has the imagination gone?"

It's a good one, gang.

/Mason

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Scott Chantler's excellent NORTHWEST PASSAGE gets collected in an annotated hardcover edition. Folks, it's a beauty.

Read all about it.

/Mason

Monday, September 24, 2007

Manga Monday! Starting off this week, we have a look at PRETTY FACE, a manga that's actually pretty good... but a little penile-phobic...

What does that mean? Go see.

/Mason