Scouring out the weekly singles scene … in comics!
With all those stupid Syfy mixed-up animal movies (i.e. MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID), it’s high time the concept jump to comics. And luckily, someone had the good sense to parody it, in Image’s SEA BEAR & GRIZZLY SHARK #1. Two stories are told, at 24 pages apiece. First up, ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN artist Jason Howard tackles Sea Bear, which kills all vacationers aboard a boat, but one, who grows up to take revenge. Robots and other crazy characters are included. Then, INVINCIBLE‘s Ryan Ottley arrives with the forest-dwelling Grizzly Shark, full of black humor and gratuitous gore. Both are awesome, making for one outlandish, funny one-shot.
Peter Porker returns, in SPIDER-HAM 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 — or “anniversay,” as it’s wrongly printed big ‘n’ bold on the cover. Oh, well, it’s the thought that counts. The triptych of funny-animal stories here find Spider-Ham facing off against The Swinester Six, which includes Dr. Octopussy and Sandmanatee; Peter’s daughter, Swiney-Girl, battles Crayfin the Bunter; and Spider-Ham turns into — gasp! — a human, in a “Why Not?” feature, itself a parody of Marvel’s old, wonderful WHAT IF? tales. Writers Tom DeFalco and Tom Peyer try their hardest to ape the all-out fun of the Peter Porker comics of the ’80s, but can’t quite duplicate the vibe. Still, it’s good enough that I’d regularly read such a title, were it to be revived.
I’m wondering why Marvel called this one-shot IRON MAN: KISS AND KILL #1 instead of the more logical IRON MAN TEAM-UP. Two tales of the metallic man are presented, and it’s a mixed bag. First up is “Iron Widow,” in which he and that redheaded hottie Black Widow infiltrate an illegal arms factory in Georgia to retrieve some stolen armor. Brian Chiang’s art is terrific, but Joe Ahearne’s script left me confused at several points. Closing is “Glitch,” in which Iron Man and Wolverine join forces to track a destructive female thief known as Glitch. Inverse of the first story, Karl Kesel’s script is easy to follow, but Eric Nguyen’s art is harsh and off-putting. —Rod Lott
Related posts:
- SERIOUS ISSUES >> 12.8.09
- LOUIS’ SERIOUS ISSUES >> 2.21.07
- Spider-Man Family
- SERIOUS ISSUES >> 8.3.09
- SERIOUS ISSUES >> 9.21.09
