By Justin Leiter

May 21st, 2007 - Hey Kids! Comics!! You heard right, we’re talking comic books here, folks…step right up, one and all, and welcome to the First Edition of JL’s COMIC SHOP STOP, a weekly run-down of a select few of the past weeks best books. You’ll find anything and everything here – mainstream as well as indie books. There’s really no formula, other than good stories and art.

This first week runs the gamut from a tale of Satan’s possibly nefarious baby to short stories featuring classic X-Men characters to a graphic novel about disillusioned, rebellious teen girls in Anytown, USA.

For your purchasing info, we’ve also got a handy-dandy COMIC SHOP STOP METER: It works on a 1-10 scale, 10 being “Incredibly amazing, how can you not own this,” to 1, being “This is the biggest load of crap you’ll ever lay your eyes on.”. You’re unlikely to ever see a 1 on this list, though. For the most part, I’ll be writing about books I actually liked!

So, without further ado…this week’s picks…

SATAN’S SODOMY BABY one-shot
(April 2007; Dark Horse; $3.50; 23 pp. + 4 pp. of letters.)

Story and Art by Eric Powell

Originally solicited last year as part of Eric Powell’s regular on-going Goon series, Satan’s Sodomy Baby finally makes its debut in this over-the-top, gross-out one-shot. It had been held back because of a one-woman protest, by a Margaret Snodgrass of Alabama, concerning the book’s sure-to-be-deemed offensive storyline. That may or may not be the truth, considering Eric Powell and Dwight T. Albatross’s penchant for fooling around. The book definitely ups the ante on the regular Goonish goings on with a storyline involving a backwoods guy that gets raped by Satan and bears the anti-Christ--from the same anatomical region in which he was violated; it’s not a pretty sight. The Devil’s offspring appears in the form of a cute, fecal matter-dripping, little demon kid, part Hellboy, part Hot Stuff, of which the Goon and his side-kick, Frankie, must rid the world. Though the devil’s progeny is hinted at on the book’s (original) cover as being a truly malicious looking character, the actual comic finds him to be a friendly little guy. (Well, aside from the one scene where he douses a mob of hillbillies with his blowtorch of a, shall we say, “wee wee,” which in a funny, continuing bit grows progressively larger as the story advances.) A couple of back-up strips complete the issue, one starring Frankie, along with Goon sexpot Stella’s fleshier attributes. The art is classic Eric Powell Goon with terrific ink and pencil-shaded pages.

Either to draw attention to it, or to try and prevent more controversy, the originally intended cover art is printed as a second cover inside the book. The only art on the true cover is a large WARNING label which goes on at length about who might be offended by buying the book, all very tongue-in-cheek, while “Sodomy” in the title is replaced by shift key characters. The books come poly-bagged for those who might inadvertently open the book off the shelf (despite the cover warning!) and be upset by what they find inside. Definitely recommended if you’re a Goon fan (if so, you’ve probably already got it) and if you’re a fan of far out craziness!

THE COMIC SHOP STOP METER: 8
STORY: 7
ART: 9

X-MEN FIRST CLASS SPECIAL #1
(July 2007; Marvel; $4.99; 38 pp., including letters.)


Written by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Kevin Nowlan, Nick Dragotta, Mike Allred, Paul Smith, and Colleen Coover


The first annual of this recent addition to the X-Men family of comic books, First Class focuses on the original X-Men team from the 60s . . . Professor X, Jean Gray/Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Beast (in human form), Angel, and Iceman. This issue is a compendium of stories, mainly humorous, and all written by regular series author Jeff Parker. Kevin Nowlan provides the cover and art for the first one, “The Museum of Oddities,” a short 6-pager, which finds Iceman and Beast investigating some seemingly paranormal activity at an antiquities museum. The art is great, and I love Nowlan, but I’m still not sure what to make of the pencil-thin Jean Gray and pretty darn wiry Cyclops on the front cover. Madman creator (and X-Factor artist) Mike Allred provides inks over Nick Dragotta’s pencils on “The Soul of A Poet” (and it winds up looking just like Mike’s own work); Laura Allred provides her customary beautiful, soft, focused colors. This was my favorite story in the book; it reads like a scene from some long lost 60s mod film. It features a great splash-style page with the five X-Men embodying their namesakes in more literally interpreted forms, i.e., Iceman is a big snowman and Cyclops is a . . . cyclops. The last story in the book is also the longest and has veteran X-Men artist Paul Smith providing pencils and inks on a rather touching tale about Dragon-Man and his time with the team and Jean Gray. Scott tells Kitty, with her ever-present companion, Lockheed, about the days when the X-men first had a dragon in the group. With the team featured in their X-Factor outfits, the book contains some great action pages, some tender moments between a girl and her dragon, and a terrific coloring job by Pete Pantazis. Besides the main stories, there are one-page gag cartoon shorts and one-page bios/profiles on the X-Men members. It’s even got a letters page! Nice art, fun short stories, and good value for the price . . . recommended if you’re a fan of the artists and/or dig the original Lee/Kirby X-Men or X-Factor characters.

THE COMIC SHOP STOP METER: 8
STORIES: 7
ART: 9

THE PLAIN JANES
(Minx, 2007, $9.99, 149 pp. of main story, 1 p. creator’s bio, 23 pp. of previews)

Written by: Cecil Castellucci
Art by: Jim Rugg

The Plain Janes is the first release of DC’s new MINX line of paperback-sized black and white graphic novels. Written by young adult novelist Cecil Castellucci, (Boy Proof, The Queen Of Cool), with art by Jim Rugg (Street Angel) this hip and stylish new book (and the entire Minx line) seems aimed at teen girls, but its themes are universal. High Schooler Jane has had a traumatic experience, being involved in a café bombing in Metro City. She survives, only slightly injured, and, after spending some time in the hospital, becomes attached to a fellow survivor, who’s in a coma in the same hospital. There was no ID on him so he becomes a John Doe. Jane stays at his bed, reads to him, and keeps dear to her the sketchbook she found him with. Her parents, upset about the rise of terror attacks in the city, decide to move to Kent Waters, a quieter suburb an hour out of town. Jane isn’t happy there and feels she’s missing out on everything the city has to offer, with its people, museums, and excitement. Here, at her new school, she doesn’t feel like she fits in with any of the other kids. Ironically, in the cafeteria, the cheerleaders’ table asks her to sit with them, but she refuses, deciding instead to sit with the nerdy girls, the ones that only eat together because no one else will eat with them. When she introduces herself, it turns out all the girls are named Jane. From there, the girls form an alliance and decide to wake up the lives of these “small town” folk. They create P.L.A.I.N. – People Loving Art in Neighborhoods. Yeah, it’s a bit clunky, but it’s got its charm. They’re the PLAIN JANES, perpetrating subversive acts of art overnight and having the stunned town discover their handiwork in the morning.

Main Jane (protagonist) is the art Jane, along with Theater Jane, the wannabe thespian, who’s offered only a role on the crew for the school play; Sporty Jane (aka Polly-Jane), the uni-browed sports nut, and Brain Jayne, the science genius round out the secret club. The book deals with feelings of isolation and, loneliness, rejection and fitting in with the crowd, as well as themes of independence from the family unit and the power of art to inspire and enlighten people. P.L.A.I.N.’s use of art is more about ideas than the finished product, sort of a Yoko Ono take on positivity. Messages left after an “art attack” might just say “sing” or “dance.” There are multiple layers to the story, with scenes of Jane narrating the tale through her letters to John Doe alternating with scenes of her relationship with her over-protective and paranoid mother, and of her flirting with a boy from school who turns out to be more important than first thought. Some elements to the story fall outside of the realm of reality, as when overnight, the girls somehow manage to litter the local police station with dozens of garden gnomes. Where they came from isn’t explained. In a film, story elements like this would need a bit more explanation, but within the confines of the comic world sometimes we just use our imaginations to fill in the blanks or just go with what the writer is trying to convey, without bothering with the details. In this story it works, since there’s almost a dreamlike feel to the story. Jim Rugg’s art, in turns evoking the likes of Adrian Tomine and Daniel Clowes (with a dash of manga inspired panels, notably in the renderings of the police captain), is clean and precise yet at times naive in its occasional simplicity. It is however, always pleasing to the eye and perceptive in its renderings of the stories varied characters. Some beautiful brushwork and gray tones for texture are well suited to the book’s story and mood. With its almost 150 pages of story and art, plus an additional 23 pages of previews for three upcoming Minx titles, the $9.99 price tag makes this shelf-worthy, fun, and affecting read a great deal.

THE COMIC SHOP STOP METER: 8
STORY: 8
ART: 8