Two links. Some Khunds.

Remember that link to the Who's Who entry for War Wheel that I posted last week?

Good wunnit?

Well, it turns out that the fella who wrote it has written brickloads more about Who's Who and it's all just as brilliant as that War Wheel post. Some of his analysis is wee-your-pants funny, some of it is the kind of thing that will have you rubbing your chin sagely as you mutter, "ah yes" in a scholarly voice. Cracking stuff. Link HERE.

Back in Blighty, I was very happy to see that Paul O'Connell, the man behind The Sound Of Drowning, has happened across London Loves Comics. He commented on the Tiny Texas post I shoved into the ether a couple of days ago, which very much made my day. I've recommended The Sound of Drowning before, but I'm happy to do it again because it's as good a comic as you'll read - check it out for nowt HERE and if you like it - buy it!

That's it.

I leave you with a pic of some nasty Khunds...

Scan from DC Who's Who, 1985

Comic reviews

Evening chums, it's been a while since I bored you all with any reviews hasn't it? Here are some for you now.

Wake up at the back!

Thor Ages of Thunder
Despite Matt Fraction's admission that he hates all things fantasy, he's actually penned a damn good Thor book here. It's certainly much better than the ongoing Straczynski series which I dropped after two mind numbingly dull issues. I've heard from a few people that It's got better since then, but really two issues of Thor hanging around in small town America doing nothing was enough to turn me off for life.

Let's face it, Thor might have an introspective side to his character, but when it comes down to it he's the God of Thunder, he's got a fucking big hammer and he's good at smashing skulls. This should be the basis of any Thor book and, thank Odin, Fraction knows it. Within a couple of pages of Ages of Thunder our hero is bashing crap out of angry frost giants. Huzzah!

That's not to say that this is just a beat 'em up comic. Fraction's Thor is a different animal to the one I'm used to reading about, pretty Conanesque really. He's a surly bugger who does things his way, occasionally rising from his shagpad to clear up the latest mess that Loki has made. That might not do it for all Thor fans, but it works fine for me, and I'd be more than happy to see Fraction writing a lot more Thor.

Crawl Space #4 XXX Zombies
It makes the old EC comics look tame, but there's a whiff of EC spirit about Crawl Space, a feeling that Rick Remender and Kieron Dwyer are pushing their luck, testing our tolerance and breaking taboos for fun.

I read this issue on the bus and let me tell you, within two pages I was hurriedly ensuring that the person next to me couldn't see what I was looking at. It's genuinely sick stuff which could provoke a real outcry if it were to fall into the wrong hands.

Seriously, in 24 pages we get a nun giving head, an orgy, an anal rape, multiple murders and a souvenir poster of a zombie birth! Fffffuckkkk, I doubt that's a recipe we'll be seeing repeated in the soon to be relaunched House of Mystery.

Obviously Remender's tongue is firmly in his cheek (indeed the dark sense of humour provides another link to those old EC stories) but there are also times when XXX Zombies gets pretty damn nasty. Reading it is a bit like being clubbed over the head, but for all it's excesses (or maybe because of them) Crawl Space is a fine horror comic, the only truly horrifying one on the market in fact.

Green Lantern #30
Part two of Geoff Johns' Secret Origin arc, and one of the best issues in what remains my favourite ongoing DC title.

There's plenty of ammo here for those who castigate Johns for being a mawkish fanboy. After all this is yet another retelling of John Broome and Gil Kane's classic silver age origin story AND one which (once again) draws on Alan Moore's Tygers to boot.

For me though, Johns' interweaving of these two very different tales is a masterpiece of mainstream comics. He seamlessly knots the stories together adding his own spin to make something completely new. It's brilliant to watch and rather than replacing that classic origin story, fleshes it out.

Great stuff.

The Sound of Drowning #11
It's always a pleasant surprise to see this little British independent back on the racks. For those of you who missed it, I recommended the last issue HERE.

If you didn't give it a shot then, try it now. The latest issue features the a post apocalyptic take on Happy Days, a potted history of psycho-schematics, a disturbing tale of Artificial intelligence and a maniacal William Shatner.

Nightmarish, pamphlet sized goodness featuring the Cunningham family as you've never seen them before. What more could you want? If you can't get it in your comic shop, then you can order it through The Sound of Drowning website

The Call - online!

One of my favourite comics last year was The Call. I talked about it HERE in case you missed it.

Well good news, The Call is now online.

Go forth, interact and ponder what it all means HERE

London Loves Comics Recommends...

...The Sound of Drowning.

I have the fine folk at GOSH! comics in London to thank for The Sound of Drowning. They have this habit of slipping obscure indie titles on the shelves right in amongst the spandex mainstream. An admirable idea that tempts lazy superhero fans like me to broaden our horizons every now and again.

So it was that some time last year I happened upon a strange little British comic sitting next to Ultimate Spider-man. The Sound of Drowning couldn't be more different than those glossy American floppies, it's smaller, uses thicker paper and looks and smells like it's been put together on an old black and white photocopier in someone's shed.

It's an anarchic, dark and often tasteless little pamphlet full of nightmarish collages and oddly phrased stories, but it's also funny, arty and pretty poetic. The latest issue (number 10) is a homage to the Choose Your Own Adventure books of the 80's. I thought it was the best thing I've read in a long time: Fighting Fantasy as it would have been written by Samuel Beckett.

Perhaps that sounds like bollocks, but don't be put off! This is top quality stuff which wouldn't look out of place in a modern art gallery, but which also works damn well as a comic. I really, really, REALLY loved it and urge anyone who wants something different from their comics to give it a go.

You can get hold of it through the official website HERE or pick up a copy at GOSH! opposite the British museum in London.

If you do visit the website, make sure and have a look at all the strips which have been put online. Them's some great comics folks!