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Snapshots for 10/26/05
There's no way that Don and I can cover all of the material we have for review in full reviews, so these capsule reviews will offer some brief comments on other recent releases.
 The second issue of Fell proves that the first was no fluke, and I don't think I'm alone in thinking this is Warren Ellis's strongest work since Transmetropolitan ended. The dialogue, full of Ellis's twisted and dark sense of humor, just crackles, and the stories are a perfect blend of strange elements found in the course of Ellis's research. In a lot of ways, Fell reads like the slick, stylized and unashamedly gory crime investigation of TV's CSI crossed with the taste for the bizarre that drove Transmet, Planetary and some of Ellis's other works. Fell is also tightly paced and plotted, with each dialogue balloon carrying an extraordinary amount of information or a clever witticism, and Templesmith works great in the more tightly controlled panel layouts, although he breaks away from a straight 9-panel grid to good effect in several places this issue. Fell is a moody, perfectly-executed example of the crime investigation genre given a twist of the strange to make it really stand out, and it would be a must-read even at the industry standard $2.50 or $2.99 an issue. At just under two bucks, it's a steal.
NOBLE CAUSES #14
by Jay Faerber, Fran Bueno, Freddie E. Williams, Ron Riley & Ryan Vera (Image Comics)
 Noble Causes has benefited from a bit of a makeover in year two of the new ongoing, and I don't just mean the design elements like the swanky new cover design. The addition of the Blackthorne family (a supervillain counterpart to the Nobles) in the previous issue threw an interesting monkeywrench into the status quo, and this issue's focus on Zephyr Noble is another indication of one of the most endearing things about Noble Causes, that Faerber is not afraid to make changes and shake things up. Zephyr has grown from the flighty, sexy free-spirited daughter to someone haunted by a tragic personal loss who is trying to reshape her life, and watching her try and do that makes for very interesting reading. Faerber structures the issue as a straightforward story with flashbacks showing how Zephyr got to where she is, and it's a storytelling trick that works very well, providing a lot of information in relatively confined space and allowing the story to roam a bit into the Blackthornes as well. The twist at the end is a bit predictable and maybe a little bit too much of a coincidence, but if you can swallow it, it has a lot of dramatic possibilities, so it's fairly easy to forgive the contrivance. If you're enjoying Image's Invincible or Savage Dragon, definitely check in to see what Noble Causes has to offer.
 Though I stand by my initial assessment that Red Sonja is not as good as Dark Horse's Conan, I have to admit that this second issue features some pretty spectacular action storytelling and the mystery in the plot is beginning to draw me in as well. Oeming's story is still maddeningly slow, especially when compared to the more self-contained nature of the Conan tales, but there are some very compelling questions raised in this issue about the celestial one being worshipped in the city and just how exactly Sonja is going to escape what looks like a pretty final fate on the last pages of the story. The highlight of the issue, though, really is an extended action sequence that pits Sonja against an army of foes and then one monstrous beast, and Rubi, Rodriguez and Isanove serve up flashy, colorful artwork that is definitely the equal of the artwork of Kubert and Isanove on Marvel 1602. Conan fans hungry for more might want to give Red Sonja a look, and those who come only for the T and A of Sonja's skimpy costume will probably find that there's more story than they expected as well.
STAR WARS: EMPIRE #36
by Welles Hartley, Davide Fabbri & Christian Dalla Vecchia (Dark Horse Comics)
 The last time this team collaborated, they turned in the excellent "To the Last Man," introducing Imperial officer Lieutenant Sunber. Now they're back, and so is their protagonist, an honorable man in the dishonorable position of being part of the Empire, and looking at things from the Imperial perspective offers up a freshness to this Star Wars tale that might even nab those who have grown tired of the property as a whole. Hartley gives an interesting look into what goes on when the Imperials are fighting rebels, traveling between systems or dealing with a damaged Imperial freighter, and he presents the story of an undercover Rebel operation with the viewpoint of an Imperial who is unaware of it. It's clever writing, and the doubts nagging at Sunber, as well as his non-iconic status in the Star Wars universe, gives the story an uncertainty that's exciting to read. In addition, the artwork, by Fabbri and Dalla Vecchia, is spectacular to look at, with exquisite technical detail on the starships and a general style that reminds me of Richard Corben crossed with Tony Harris. I believe this is the last Star Wars: Empire storyline before all the Dark Horse books relaunch, and if that's the case, the book is definitely going out on a high note.
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