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TOMORROW STORIES #12
Neutral (4/10)
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DC Comics/America's Best Comics
Greyshirt/Cobweb: "Strands of Desire" & "Shades of Grey"
Pencils: Rick Veitch
Inks: Hilary Barta
Colors: Bad@$$
Letters: Todd Klein
Jack B. Quick: "The Facts of Life!!"
Artist: Kevin Nowlan
The First American: "The Death/Marriage/Son of the First American of the Future!"
Artist: Jim Baikie
Colors: Bad@$$
Letters: Todd Klein
Writer: Alan Moore
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $2.95 US/$4.95 CAN |
Greyshirt/Cobweb: In this teamup story, Moore seems to try and poke fun at super-hero cliches, but the satire doesn't come off as clever. Instead, Moore ends up trapped in the same cliches that he's trying to parody. The ending, like the cover, comes off as rather... juvenile, really. Maybe that's what Moore is going for here, but it just doesn't work for me.
Veitch and Barta's art is serviceable, but it never really grabs me either. The Eisner influence is clear, but honestly, I was looking for more in the way of inventive backgrounds. One of Eisner's trademarks was his use of backgrounds not only to establish mood, but to communicate information. Buildings became letters, and that's the sort of thing I'd love to see going on here.
Jack B. Quick: The Jack B. Quick features have been my favorite Tomorrow Stories features ever since this series debuted, and that holds true for this issue as well. Moore offers up a funny, clever story that's essentially an extended play on words. The odd mix of innocence and a more adult outlook reminds me a little of Judd Winick's Barry Ween, Boy Genius. This tongue-in-cheek look at life as an adolscent and beyond is a hilarious send-up of the North American lifestyle that we're programmed for, whether we like it or not.
Getting Nowlan to contribute regular to this series -- even if it a sporadically publisher one -- was a real coup. His detailed, sleek style is rarely seen; it seemed like one only ever saw his stuff on the occasional cover, or as inks over a more conventional artist. I only wish we saw more of his work.
First American: In his most outrageous satire feature, Moore takes aim at comics continuity and fan fiction, and his point is clear: the writer services his own ends in writing any story, and the influence of others will always make for inconsistencies and distortion of the original material. It's a cute story, but as is usually the case with First American stories, it's just too over the top for my tastes.
Baikie's art reflects that extreme storytelling approach. Fortunately, the script for this piece isn't as densely populated with minor characters, so there's a greater sense of clarity in the art this time around.
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