DV8: Gods and Monsters
Brian Wood and Rebekah Isaacs, DC/Wildstorm, $17.99 trade paper (192p) ISBN 978-1-4012-2973-3
When a posse of 21st-century Gen-Active teens (most of the original crew from the bestselling Wildstorm DV8 series) get blasted to another planet populated by competing Paleolithic tribes who see them as gods, all hell breaks loose. The novelty of the original DV8 batch of deviant super-heroes was their distinctly unheroic personalities. Wood respects the original gimmick and does one better, turning the team into more evil and psychotic characters. These super nihilists don't waste any time exploiting their respective factions in order to achieve sexual or other kinds of gratification. The intergalactic experiment is revisited in tortured flashbacks, wherein the various alliances and dalliances of these genetically engineered marauders are described by the reluctant and guilt-ridden Gem. The story suffers from the absence of a dynamic plot line and some static artwork lacking fluidity in addition to any whimsical or imaginative dashes. The vivid coloring by Carrie Strachan saves the day in the end, but even something as dramatic as genocide is rendered as a cut-and-dried affair, devoid of emotional depth. (Apr.)
5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (and Other Useful Guides)
Matthew Inman, Andrews McMeel, $14.99 trade paper (160p) ISBN 978-1-4494-0116-0
Social etiquette, animals, rules of grammar, and more are critiqued in ways ranging from the educational to the bizarre in this collection of comic strips from TheOatmeal.com. While proceeding directly from the newspaper strip tradition, these Web comics present observational humor that's a little more vulgar, a little more clever, and a little more likely to end up with the reader actually learning something than would have been printed in a nationally syndicated comic strip. The humor, like many classic comics, is based on Andy Rooneyesque shared experiences, such as "10 Reasons to Avoid Talking on the Phone," "How to Use a Semicolon (The Most Feared Punctuation on Earth)," and "How to Track, Hunt, and Kill a Unicorn." These are presented in a text-heavy style supplemented with basic, XKCD-like drawings. While the collection is erratic, some of the best strips--many dealing with cats--hit the universal funny bone. (Mar.)
Emitown: A Sketch Diary
Emi Lenox, Image, $24.99 trade paper (408p) ISBN 978-1-60706-318-6
In Emitown, Lenox provides a whimsical illustrated account of a year in her life, joining the growing legion of 20-something female cartoonist autobiographers (Julia Wertz, Erica Moen, and many others). Living in Portland, Ore., and dreaming of a career in comics, Lenox chronicles nights out drinking, her love of her pets, the tedium of her day job, and her social set's adventures around the Northwest. While based in day-to-day reality, Lenox's world is also populated by a fantasy army of cats and the superhero Ocean Girl, both helping her navigate emotionally difficult territory. Song lyrics swirl through the pages, and each month begins with a playlist informing readers of their origins. The pages are emotionally revealing, but mercifully circumspect when it comes to the author's romantic life; in the age of the tell-all, Lenox keeps much to herself. As likable as it all is, at over 400 pages it's way too much minutiae, and the days become repetitive despite Lenox's considerable talents as an artist. But her struggle to escape a desk job for creative fulfillment will ring true to many people who have survived their 20s. (Jan.)
