Youthful Exuberance

I overheard a hipster looking lad chatting up a young lady at a coffee shop the other day. He was entertaining her with thrilling tales of his life as a globetrotting graphic designer. The way he made his job sound you would've thought he was goddamn James Bond with a stylus. I'm sure there are lots of jobs out there that are as epic as this 20-year-old doofus made his gig sound. However, I can tell when someone is grossly exaggerating just to get in them jeans.

When I was fresh out of school I had the fortune of working with my current partner in crime Paul at a publishing company. While the actual job wasn't very glamorous and I complained vigorously during my time there looking back it was a really fun experience. I got to spend 40 hours a week hanging out with my best buddy talking comics, going to long lunches and perfecting the art of goofing off. Our time spent at the publishing company eventually turned into our collaboration on this webcomic as well as the podcast that I'm sure you listen to religiously. I'd say it was time well spent. -Soss 

Gint's 11-25-15 Pull-List Review

After being tricked into buying JLA, and another fairly boring Chewbacca, we had four solid books this week.

Sixth Place:

JLA #5

What happens when Bryan Hitch is running behind on artwork? You get a fill-in issue by Matt Kindt, Rob Williams and Philip Tan. This is also the issue you get when you don't pay attention to the creative team and buy it anyway.

Seriously. If I knew this wasn't part of Hitch's greater JLA story, it'd have been a no-go. Rob Williams has been writing a pretty good Martian Manhunter story, and Matt Kindt has a good track record, but when you expect Bryan Hitch's JLA, this is really just a fill-in.

So... eh. No bearing on anything else. Adequate art from Tan and a so-so long-winded introspective story from the writers. Sixth Place.

Fifth Place:

Chewbacca $4

Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto continue their less-than outstanding run on Chewbacca. Chewie and Zarro plant a thermal detonator to send up to hopefully blow up a Star Destroyer. One problem: by issue's end, Chewie and Zarro are also sent up to said Star Destroyer.

The most interesting thing for me is Tyvak, the Shistavanen wolfman bounty hunter. He knows the only way to stop a Wookie is to kill him. He looks super cool and is pretty menacing. Chewie lights him on fire this issue so that'll do it for that bit of excitement.

Maybe there'll be some exciting bad guys waiting on that Star Destroyer to make up for Tyvak. Probably not and I'll just be stuck with Zarro. Meh.

Fourth Place:

Saga #31

Hey Saga's back! Guess someone (Fiona Staples) was too busy drawing Archie to focus on a much better book (this one). Hey, girl's gotta make that bank though! Sorry, cheap shot on Archie.

The book takes an eight-ish year jump. Hazel's now 10-or-so years old and living in a facility for enemy non-combatants on Landfall with Klara. So far Marko and Alana's whereabouts/situation are unknown. Its an interesting time-jump so I'm curious to find out more. Just when you think Brian K. Vaughan and Staples can't put this family in a worse predicament, they do.

Its nice to have Saga back. There's been a considerable lack of weird alien ding dongs on the Pull-List for quite a while now. And there was a big meat stick in this issue. Way to keep it real, Saga.

Third Place:

He-Man: The Eternity War #12

So, this King Hssss business is running a bit long. King Hssss wasn't exciting in the old series (and the toy was also crap), so having him play such a big role in this series is now tiresome. Give me some classic villains. All the Hordak stuff was way more exciting than King Hssss. Not to mention the bevy of classic Skeletor villains we haven't seen yet. C'mon, boys!

So basically, yeah, lets wrap it up and bring back He-Man vs. some worthwhile villains. The momentum that this book built through the series so far as been killed. Its still a heck of a book and ranks #3 this week, but there are better stories to tell on the other side of this one. I'm ready for Dan Abnett and Pop Mhan to get there.

Second Place:

Darth Vader #13

The second issue in the Vader Down story doesn't disappoint. The only conceit is that Darth Vader is capable of taking out an entire Rebel battalion all by himself. If he's capable of this, why doesn't the Emperor send him to clean house all the time? Eh, these aren't really canon anyway.

While Vader's tearing up Rebels, Doctor Aphra is busy kidnapping Luke from a broken down Jedi temple on Vrogas Vas. I figured the evil Threepio and Artoo owned by Aphra would meet the originals, and here it is.

Continuing the tradition of drawing likenesses, Salvador Larroca does a great job on Han, an okay job on Luke, and can't quite get Leia right. This has been a theme through all of Marvel's Star Wars books. Funny how that's worked out.

First Place:

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953 – The Witch Tree; Rawhead and Bloody Bones

You don't get much better than a Hellboy book. Especially this 1953 series where we see Hellboy back during his first days with the B.P.R.D.. Mike Mignola has spent a long time fleshing out the entire world and timeline of Hellboy, but these stories are my favorites.

The simplicity of sending Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm around the world to take care of supernatural events and myths is at the heart of what Hellboy is. We even get to see Professor Bruttenholm get his hands dirty and fist-fight some skeletons.

The quick story at the end, Rawhead and Bloody Bones, is classic Hellboy. If you haven't read a Hellboy story and want to read a brilliant one with all the subtlety that Mignola can deliver, please look up this one. Brilliant.

Panel of the Week:

This image of Rawhead and Bloody Bones is so fucking awesome. Thanks, Ben Stenbeck.

-Gint

It's The Great Denzel, Soss!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving last night. I did what I was supposed to do and ate all day long until I was positively sick at bedtime. What a glorious holiday.

Today is Black Friday and America's cut-throat consumerism isn't the kind of fun ethnic-focused romp through stores led by the greatest black actor of our generation that I want it to be. I guess they all can't be Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

So happy Thanksgiving to all of you as we officially step into the Star Wars Christmas season!

-Gint

McSoss Podcast Episode 129: Dork Vader

This week we discuss the second season of Star Wars Rebels.

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Escape Plan

I finally got around to seeing The Martian. The trailers looked good, Matt Damon is mighty charming and Jessica Chastain and Kate Mara are exceptionally pretty. How could I not see it? And the first thing I thought when Matt Damon's Mark Watney explains his predicament was, "dude, just kill yourself." That speaks a lot about why I'm not a scientist or an astronaut.

It was also the first movie I've seen in 3D that didn't leave my normally perfect eyes irritated after a couple hours. Trying to watch the action scenes from Clash of the Titans or The Avengers in 3D was a lesson in trying to fight off a seizure. But the slow moving pans of still landscapes, and even something simple like Mark Watney's video diary looked amazing at no cost to my vision.

Ex Machina and Interstellar are still on my sci-fi watch list, and I'll get to those someday, but neither of those looked as fun as The Martian. As it stands, I'm more of an action/adventure guy than a straight-up thought provoking sci-fi guy. I'll leave that to super dorks like Ian. Zing!

-Gint

Gint's 11-18-15 Pull-List Review

Every week, Marvel releases a Star Wars book. And every week I think, "this is the week the wheels come off." This week was not that week.

Fourth Place:

Martian Manhunter #6

Rob Williams and Eddie Barrows have a plan here. Its not the plan I expected from this book, but they're really taking some interesting turns with J'onn J'onnz. Its not the Justice League Unlimited story I wanted, but its interesting enough.

By the books end, we get a singular version of J'onn back – not the split-psyche version we've spent the majority of the book with. Its refreshing, but seeing how much time Williams has spent on cultivating Pearl, Mr. Biscuits et al, there's no way they don't come back at some point.

This book's had some ups and downs lately. Sometimes I want to drop it, other times its plenty interesting enough to keep picking up. So here we are.

Third Place:

Star Wars #12

The entire setup for this book on the surface seems like something I would immediately shit on. Luke gets captured by a Jedi artifact collector and is forced to fight a giant monster in a sporting arena to the death. He's saved by Han and the gang (including Han's "wife"), after R2 outfits all of them with lightsabers. Sounds kooky right?

But it just keeps on working. I've read old 80s Star Wars comics and each one felt like an insane Elseworld's tale. These do too, but they're grounded enough in the Star Wars universe by Jason Aaron so it doesn't seem so batshit, even though it is.

Who knows? Maybe I have The Force Awakens fever and if I read these books a year from now they'll seem like all that old 80s trash. But for now, its working.

Second Place:

Captain Canuck #5

Ah, the best super hero comic on the market. Okay, maybe not THE best, but of all the super hero books I do read, its gotta be pushing the top 3. This issue focuses on Kebec, Canuck's French-Canadian sharphooter badass.

Kalman Andrasofszky takes this issue to give us a little backstory on the character we don't know much about until this point. We see flashbacks of Yvette Arsenault coming up through the army ranks while in the present, she's mounted a one-woman rescue mission to get Canuck out of Mr. Gold's stronghold.

Straightforward, well-told superhero action is what this book is all about. No wasting time redefining characters or explaining away why there are now two Spider-Mans in the same universe. Great stuff here from the Captain Canuck team.

First Place:

Vader Down #1

Oversized issue time! $4.99 for the kickoff of the crossover that'll run in Darth Vader and Star Wars. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Mike Deodato, it'll tell us how Vader gets stranded alone on a secret rebel base.

So far Aaron and Deodato really know what they're doing. Like I said above, the plot seems kooky, but Aaron's dialog makes it all work. Aside from another unnecessary encounter between Luke and Vader (why do they insist on doing this?) everything plays pretty naturally. Han's dialog really sells it and makes it feel like its a natural part of the Star Wars mythology.

The book finishes with Vader surrounded by the entire Rebel ground forces. Its all very badass. Next issue (Darth Vader #13) I expect to see a lot of Rebels get their body parts handed to them.

Panel of the Week:

Quebec Nordiques reference? Fuck yeah, Captain Canuck.

-Gint

 

McSoss Podcast Episode 128: A Mullet Longer Than Tommy Gunn's

This week we talk Star Trek with our guest Larry Ganni from The GuestRoom Podcast.

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Misrepresentation

The inspiration for this strip comes more from my love of Denzel Washington than the film Malcolm X. I’m what the podcast Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period refers to as a Denzealots. I can honestly say that I’ve liked him in every film I’ve ever seen him in, even if that film was a flaming piece of shit (we’re looking at you Out of Time). 

My ranking of Mr. Washington’s movies goes like this:

1. Training Day
2. American Gangster
3. Flight
4. Man on Fire
5. Remember the Titans

Since I know I can’t stop you feel free to drop me a line and tell me this list is crap and I’m a dope on Facebook or via Twitter. -Soss

Soss' Suggestion 11-19-15 Universe #1

Universe #1

Universe is a series distributed through Panel Syndicate with  Albert Montey handling the art and writing duties. Panel Syndicate is an exclusively digital publisher that features a "pay what you want” donation system for its books. It is also the home of the brilliant Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin. I thoroughly enjoyed that comic so I figured that I’d cough up a few bucks and give this latest offering a try.

Universe is a series of self-contained sci-fi tales that have some recurring elements and themes. There aren’t any main characters to follow  so the fun lies in seeing what crazy distant or not-to-distant future you get to visit each month.

The first issue features Thomas Marriot, an ordinary furniture salesman from the 3000’s. Thomas thanklessly works long hours for Wortham Industries under the watchful eye his tyrannical boss Alex Worthham. Did I mention Wortham is a undead cyborg head floating in a fishbowl? Yeah, he is the worst kind of boss. When this furniture and housewares company accidentally stumbles on the secret to time travel Marriot is chosen to make the trip back in time. Surely Worthham will want to use this device for good right? Of course not.

Montey’s has a very cartoon driven style which is a perfect compliment to the tone of the story. There is a lot of silliness in his characters even the monstrous Alex Worthham. The nature of this story as well as the second issue felt like The Twilight Zone with a large helping of humor.  

This past year I’ve been desperately looking for comics that are outside the norm and Universe fits the bill perfectly. You can download the first three issues at panelsyndicate.com. –Soss

Panel of the Week: This week's assignment from your boss. 

Overreacting To The Overreactors

The Starbucks Red Cup Controversy of 2015 might be the dumbest thing that I’ve witnessed in quite sometime. Thankfully it only lasted a week. Sadly it took a horrific act of terrorism to get people to stop being outraged about coffee cups and start posting about things that matter. -Soss

Gint's 11-11-15 Pull-List Review

I'm the big DC Comics guy in the McSoss Machine, but if you look at the Pull-List's lately, I may be pushing Ian for chief Marvel Zombie.

Fourth Place:

Chewbacca #3

I'd really like to say a lot about this book, but it doesn't offer much to boast or hate about. Its your basic comic book. Take the movie Deep Blue Sea for example – ultimately its a bad movie, bit its infinitely entertaining. Chewbacca here doesn't have that kind of dichotomy of something being overly great or bad.

I suppose Marvel's Star Wars run is going to have its ups and downs. The bulk of the books have been fantastic (Lando) but some (Princess Leia) have been ultimately forgettable. Its looking more and more like Chewbacca will fall into the forgettable category.

We're halfway through and nothing of note has happened yet. Surprising coming from two creators I love (Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto). Maybe the second half has something more exciting to offer than the first.

Third Place:

Darth Vader #12

Alright, Kieron Gillen, its time to shake this book up a little. We're coming up on the Vader Down crossover, and this may be the perfect time for it. For twelve issues now we've had a really solid book, but nothing has been mind blowingly great. Its been running at the same tone consistently, but its time to shift gears.

Darth Vader reminds me of Brian Azzarello's New 52 Wonder Woman run in that it was really good, but never felt like it was getting anywhere. Like a good Hans Zimmer score, its all build and no finish. If everything that's been setup so far dovetails in Vader Down, I'll be happy.

Lets make it happen, team! I'm not ready to drop this book yet, but I don't want to get near the point where I have to think about it.

Second Place:

Descender #7

It shocks me that I spell Descender correctly every time. Honest.

There was a bit of a break between issue #6 and #7, and it had me second guessing Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen. Was this book as good as I first thought? Shouldn't I be more excited about this issue? And I guess that's where my concern comes in: I'm not super excited about reading this book, but I'd like to be.

Between the intricate story and world building and Nguyen's incredible watercolors, its been a pretty fantastic story. But something is missing that's keeping me from holding this in higher regard. Well, Lemire and Nguyen may have hit on it this issue introducing a mysterious robot bounty hunter who turns out to be exactly who you think. Its a simple twist, but it hooked me right back in.

If you liked the first arc, I recommend sticking around for the second where things look like they may be really kicking into gear.

First Place:

Secret Wars #7

Dominic and I had a funny talk at the comic shop Wednesday about just when Marvel decided Secret Wars should go more than the original eight issues. Its this issue right here. I thought the #7 of 9 on the cover looked odd. That's because it used to be 8. But if that's what Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic need to really wrap this thing up properly, let them have it.

Secret Wars has been a lot of fun. Confusing at times for this non-Marvel diehard, but fun and entertaining. Hickman gets some shit for being too convoluted, but a lot of what's great about this book IS its convolution. Hickman plays it perfectly too. The setup puts everything in an understandable order, so when you get to the pure ass-kickery in this issue, you can just enjoy it.

Hickman and Ribic are taking Marvel's mandate to fold their universes together and making it entertaining, not just a reason to have Miles Morales in the same universe as Peter Parker. Well done, gents.

Panel of the Week:

Maybe its the Han Solo on Hoth similarity, but this simple panel really stood out.

-Gint

Thanksgiving, We Hardly Knew Ye

In this first world of trivial problems that I live in, few things incense me more than how our culture has slowly glossed over Thanksgiving in a mad rush to get to Christmas.

Growing up, Thanksgiving always got it's due. It wasn't Christmas Time (proper noun) until Thanksgiving was put to bed, tummy full of turkey and gravy. Now we have memes that take jabs at the phenomenon of Halloween-to-Christmas, but to me, the acknowledgement of such just makes it more official. If we just ignore it and don't make ironic jokes about it, maybe things will go back to the way they used to be.

I know. That's ridiculous.

I'm not even a huge Thanksgiving fan. Bland-ass turkey's for chumps and the rest of the meal is just as bland. You like Thanksgiving dinner if you have GERD. I'm also not a huge fan of autumn, but the month between Halloween and Thanksgiving was to appreciate the season. The leaves have turned. You can put on your hoodies and sweaters... there's plenty of time for Christmas and winter later. Just slow your roll.

But time and the majority's desire to rush to Christmas can't be slowed. So in the meantime, I will become more crotchety and more bitter and enjoy Christmas less and less than I already do.

I guess this is a little earlier than my usual "bah humbug" posts, but this is what society has wrought.

Bah humbug, everyone!

-Gint

Soss' Suggestion 11-12-15 All-New All-Different Avengers #1

All-New All-Different Avengers #1

All-New All-Different Avengers #1 is Marvel's latest attempt to relaunch/rebrand/renumber/refresh their properties for a new generation of readers. The title alone makes me want to burn this book. 

Mark Waid and artists Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar handle this first issue which is a standard introduction of the new lineup. Kubert's pencils didn’t feel particularly inspired. It's disappointing to see some of my favorite artists of the 90’s start to lose their touch.

Waid’s story is heavy on introducing who is on the team but not why they are on the team. I wanted desperately to care about any of the heroes on this all-new, all-diverse team. Unfortunately this was just another misguided Marvel title with little substance. I really wonder how Marvel stays on top of the sales charts with such lackluster, uninspired offerings. -Soss

Panel of the Week: You said it dude.

McSoss Podcast Episode 127: Ivana Dragova

This week the McSoss crew has a conversation about the Rocky films, discusses the upcoming slate of fall movies and gets into some Star Wars: Battlefront talk. 

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Have You Seen This Boy?

There are only 37 more days until Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in theaters and we still have yet to see a glimpse of everyone's favorite Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker. He doesn't make an appearance in any of the trailers and there's not even a hint of him on the official poster. 

I'm actually kind of pleased that we all will have to wait until the film's release to get a peak at Mr. Skywalker. I have a feeling that audiences everywhere will explode with applauses when we see that green lightsaber ignite once more. -Soss 

Gint's 11-4-15 Pull-List Review

Nothing like a short and sweet week of comics. On one hand, I'm sad DC is dropping the ball with so many books I used to love. On the other, spending $8 a week on comics ain't so bad.

Second Place:

Star Wars #11

The biggest issue I had with this book was the introduction of some metal that a lightsaber has a hard time cutting through. To the best of my knowledge a lightsaber doesn't have a problem cutting through anything. Forgive me if I don't want the lore of this incredible weapon lessened by giving it a weakness.

Other than that the book was pretty good... per usual. Jason Aaron and Stuart Immonen are a pretty solid team. What I didn't expect from Aaron is his knack for writing C-3PO dialog. You may as well have Anthony Daniels reading the book to you over your shoulder. Though I'm not excited about the James Robinson "how Threepio got his red arm" one-shot, it IS nice to see Threepio get some real play and respect in this issue. Especially after his castration in the prequels. Its time to respect C-3PO again.

Wow. I'm a little surprised at my passion for a good C-3PO. Huh.

First Place:

Nailbiter #17

The mystery deepens three weeks later. This is a bit of a problem for my dumb brain since I don't remember what happened last issue. We're sort of caught up to speed, but I'm still like, "okay, I'm just gonna roll with it."

The plight of Agent Barker is really bumming me out. If that's the goal of Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson, then mission accomplished. Quite a while back she was captured, and (from what I can remember – it was a long time ago) she was forced to watch people get tortured and dismembered. This has resulted in Barker having crazy murderous visions leading the reader to believe she's going to be the next Buckaroo Butcher. I hope not. I really like the character and want to see her overcome this psychosis.

Heck of a book being created buy these guys. The three week jump was a touch confusing but the reset of the new status quo has a lot of potential going forward.

Panel of the Week:

The coloring on this panel of C-3PO getting electrocuted (courtesy Justin Ponsor) is realyl spectacular.

-Gint

McSoss Podcast Episode 126: The Sexual Awakening of Lando

This week Paul and Ian share their thoughts on the Supergirl, AMC’s Preacher trailer and review the first two issues of Chewbacca.

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At The Ready

From the perspective of the potential home invader, aside from the initial scare when the victim wakes up wearing that mask, its the realization that this "victim" had this all planned... so then it becomes who's the victim??? (cue spooky music)

I think I'd be terrible in a home invasion scenario. Wearing that mask would be my only bit of solace when hearing someone rustling through the house in the middle of the night. Though by the time I get to put it to use, I'd probably be passed out from inhaling my own carbon dioxide for a couple hours.

Why a Pennywise mask? Because Pennywise is my personal face of fear. Tim Curry's portrayal when I was a young lad has left an indelible mark on my psyche. Sure, there's other scary imagery – Kyoko from The Grudge, Slender Man, the Babadook is no walk in the park – but Curry's Pennywise will always be the front runner.

Welp, that'll do it for a restful night's sleep for me tonight. Happy Friday everyone!

-Gint

Of Paramount Importance

This past Sunday I watched most of Harry and the Hendersons (it still holds up). Strangely, it has NOTHING to do with this comic that I wrote and drew over a week ago. Funny how things like that work out sometimes.

So, I'm no cryptozoologist, but as far as I can tell, Bigfoot has more in common with humans than apes. So if humans can contract the zombie virus, Bigfoot should also be able to, right? Same fault rules apply, but killing a zombie Bigfoot has got to be a lot harder than a standard zombie.

I still have no idea where this nonsense even came from. Seriously. None. All of a sudden it was just up there. If you agree or disagree, please let me know. I'm curious to see where the Bigfoot zombie debate will shake out.

-Gint

 

Gint's 10-28-15 Pull-List Review

Seems the Pull-List gets whittled down a little more each week. This week Superman was the book to get cut. One person doesn't make all the difference, but if we all quit buying, maybe DC will go back to some likable stories and characters.

Fourth Place:

Chewbacca #2

For as cutely entertaining as issue #1 was, #2 takes a step back. I hope Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto have a couple tricks up their sleeves because this story turned pretty pedestrian this issue.

I shut my mouth after #1 saying, "maybe we do need a Chewbacca solo mini," but after #2, it seems like we're getting your basic filler story. That may sound a little harsh. I DID enjoy this book. Its a quick fun read with a little heartstring tugging looking back at Chewie's past. But unlike Lando where you're invested in the new supporting cast, I don't give a shit about anyone in this book but Chewbacca... and the hit man trying to kill him.

The cliffhanger ending tells me Duggan and Noto do have something interesting planned going forward. I really want to like this book, so don't let me down, guys.

Third Place:

Prez #5

It was only a week ago that I was considering dropping this book. Not because its bad, but because maybe it just isn't for me. I'm a fairly simple guy that political satire usually gets lost on. But there's been enough in this book to keep me hooked.

This issue has given it a stay of execution. Seeing Beth Ross go on an apology tour of all the countries that hate the U.S. is fun. Seeing a sentient killer robot called War Beast look to the church for guidance is also a lot of fun. Mark Russell and Ben Caldwell keep introducing future tech and concepts that are so out there, but ideas you can totally see being created in the next twenty years.

Its a bizarre book that is completely unlike anything else on the book shelves. But Russell and Caldwell have such a tight vision it makes it hard to put down.

Second Place:

He-Man: The Eternity War #11

Quite a while ago Dan Abnett and Pop Mhan had the balls to kill off Man-At-Arms and Roboto in one fell swoop by sending them on a suicide mission to take out one of Hordak's satellites. Its been so long since that issue that I was getting concerned they really did kill them. But this issue covers what exactly happened to Man-At-Arms during that time.

Duncan winds up clashing one on one with Tri-Klops and we get to see him be a total badass. Seeing Duncan have to fight hand to hand with just his wits about him shines a light on just how badass this character is. You get the sense Man-At-Arms could fight Batman to a stand still.

I've got some technical questions about just how King Hsss is going about doing the business he's doing, but this book has been so tight, I can't imagine Abnett and Mhan covering all their bases and getting us readers completely caught up.

First Place:

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953

This is the first time Hellboy has been featured on the Pull-List. For years, I've only gotten Hellboy and B.P.R.D. stories via trade paperback. It is absolutely one of my most beloved universes in all of comics. Mike Mignola and his various co-creators over the years are responsible for some of my favorite works in comics. I'm sure I'll get this book when its collected too, but I felt like I needed a new Hellboy story now, so I bought it. And it was excellent.

Having Mignola dive back into Hellboy's early years and cases is a brilliant idea. While everything from Seed of Destruction to Hellboy In Hell is wonderful in its scope and vision, its these little stories of Hellboy fighting a disembodied hand that really make the character who he is. For my money, you can tell me a story of Hellboy fighting some strange ghost or monster over and over again and I'll never get tired of it.

These two stories, The Phantom Hand and The Kelpie, written by Mignola and drawn by Ben Stenbeck do just that. Mignola is a master of taking real world myths and legends and folding them into his Mignolaverse and having Hellboy punch them out.

Mignola's been able to tell consistently good stories since he launched Hellboy in 1993. Heck of a career.

Panel of the Week:

The title panel with font treatment and location introduction is as much a part of a Hellboy story as the scrolling text before a Star Wars movie. It provides a certain comfort knowing what's to come.

-Gint