Peanuts / Loeb Batman / Dream Hunters
Apr. 6th, 2005 04:44 pmCharles M. Schulz, The Complete Peanuts: 1950-1952
The Complete Peanuts: 1953-1954
Yay Peanuts! The first four-plus years of my favorite comic strip collected in one place (starting in October 1950). Watching the characters turn into their familiar selves is fascinating: Lucy in particular grows up from being a baby that Charlie Brown has to keep an eye on to "World's Greatest Fussbudget." Amazing stuff, and still quite funny fifty years later.
Jeph Loeb / Jim Lee, Batman: Hush
Eh. Apparently a super-hyped story with a SOOPER SEKRIT villain. News flash: if you introduce a random new guy from Batman's past, people are going to assume he's the bad guy, because they've seen this schtick before. Other than that, it felt like the typical cavalcade of villains, plus the obligatory fight between Batman and Superman. Unimpressive, especially considering it was released in two volumes. I pity the people who spent money on this.
Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale, Batman: Haunted Knight
Far better. Three (four?) one-shot Halloween stories, including one genuinely creepy one involving Scarecrow. Short Batman stories are generally better than the long arcs, I'm finding. [Obvious exceptions exist, like Year One.] Good to know that Jeph Loeb's reputation isn't wholly unfounded.
Neil Gaiman / Yoshitaka Amano, Sandman: The Dream Hunters
Fantastic take on a traditional Japanese tale ("The Fox, the Monk, and the Mikado of All Night's Dreaming") with gorgeously painted artwork. The saddest thing I've read in ages.
Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween
An exception to the 'short Batman better' rule I just came up with. Thirteen issues, each about a differnt holiday (well, except that #1 and 13 are both Halloween), each another grisly murder (except for April Fool's). Good stuff, well-written, and a good mystery.
The Complete Peanuts: 1953-1954
Yay Peanuts! The first four-plus years of my favorite comic strip collected in one place (starting in October 1950). Watching the characters turn into their familiar selves is fascinating: Lucy in particular grows up from being a baby that Charlie Brown has to keep an eye on to "World's Greatest Fussbudget." Amazing stuff, and still quite funny fifty years later.
Jeph Loeb / Jim Lee, Batman: Hush
Eh. Apparently a super-hyped story with a SOOPER SEKRIT villain. News flash: if you introduce a random new guy from Batman's past, people are going to assume he's the bad guy, because they've seen this schtick before. Other than that, it felt like the typical cavalcade of villains, plus the obligatory fight between Batman and Superman. Unimpressive, especially considering it was released in two volumes. I pity the people who spent money on this.
Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale, Batman: Haunted Knight
Far better. Three (four?) one-shot Halloween stories, including one genuinely creepy one involving Scarecrow. Short Batman stories are generally better than the long arcs, I'm finding. [Obvious exceptions exist, like Year One.] Good to know that Jeph Loeb's reputation isn't wholly unfounded.
Neil Gaiman / Yoshitaka Amano, Sandman: The Dream Hunters
Fantastic take on a traditional Japanese tale ("The Fox, the Monk, and the Mikado of All Night's Dreaming") with gorgeously painted artwork. The saddest thing I've read in ages.
Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween
An exception to the 'short Batman better' rule I just came up with. Thirteen issues, each about a differnt holiday (well, except that #1 and 13 are both Halloween), each another grisly murder (except for April Fool's). Good stuff, well-written, and a good mystery.