Is there anything better than picking up a large chunk of a series you'd previously overlooked, reading it through from the beginning, and discovering a quality book you'll never want to miss again? That's one of the reasons I love trade paperbacks. But what are you going to do if there is no trade paperback? If you're already ordering from PREVIEWS through Rockem Sockem Comics, you can take advantage of the large number of comics which are "offered again" by various publishers each month. When a book is offered again, the publisher is generally trying to promote the latest issue of a series by making the back issues available for new readers. Or the publisher might be pushing the back issues in a month when no new issue is being offered. Usually, unless labelled otherwise, the books being offered again are mint condition first editions. This month you have a chance to take advantage of the system and pick up nearly complete runs of three very unique and deserving series.
 

LOST GIRLS #1-2 (Kitchen Sink Press)

 It's a shame, but younger comic book readers probably only know Alan Moore as a decent scripter of Jim Lee/Rob Liefeld superhero comics. In recent years Moore has mostly been writing issues of Image's WILDCATS or STORMWATCH or YOUNGBLOOD or somesuch, comics I just couldn't bring myself to buy. Moore is also mining the past, writing pastiches of 1960's superhero comics in series like 1963 (Image Comics, grade: B) and SUPREME (Maximum Press, grade: B+). Instead of breaking new ground, Moore seems to be focused on working the old ground until the fields go barren (which, in the world of comics, could take decades). Fortunately, for all of us, he still has one series which is challenging comics as a whole and reminding us old-timers why we once worshipped him: LOST GIRLS.

 Y'see, in the 1980's, Alan Moore was a god. The writer of such overwhelmingly acclaimed series as SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING (DC Comics, grade: A+), MIRACLEMAN (Eclipse Comics, grade: A+), WATCHMEN (DC Comics, grade: A+), and V FOR VENDETTA (DC Comics, grade: A+), he redefined the way stories about superheroes could, should, and would be told. And then he went beyond.

 In the early 1990's, Alan Moore was on the cutting edge. He left DC Comics and superheroes behind to pursue other topics: land development in BIG NUMBERS (MAD LOVE, grade: Incomplete), Jack the Ripper in FROM HELL (Tundra & Kitchen Sink, grade: A), and fantasy/erotica in LOST GIRLS. Unfortunately, BIG NUMBERS disappeared long ago into comic book limbo after just two issues in 1990. FROM HELL, which first appeared back in 1989, finally reached its conclusion just a few months ago. (It was well worth the wait.) And that leaves LOST GIRLS.

 LOST GIRLS is the story of three women who have all come by different routes to a fancy hotel in Austria in 1913. Lady Fairchild, a Brit who is in her sixties, is the black sheep of her family. She dabbles in writing erotica, using laudanum, smoking opium, and having sex with young ladies. Dottie Gale is one of those young ladies. She is an American who, having come into an inheritance, is determined to experience life to the fullest while partying across Europe. Mrs. Potter is the dowdy wife of an unloving jerk. The sexual repression in their marriage is painful to watch. Over the first two issues, the women slowly realize that they have something in common. Each has vivid memories of childhood fantasies -- fantasies that carried them to Wonderland, Oz, and Never Never Land. Yup, the women are Alice, Dorothy, and Wendy grown up.

 From this remarkable premise Moore weaves his tale of fantasy and sexual desire using all the tricks of the trade as only he can wield them. The first chapter is told through the reflections seen in a mirror belonging to Lady Fairchild. In chapter three, Moore illustrates the sexual repression of the Potters with an explicit shadow play on a wall behind them which contradicts their mundane evening activities. In the fourth chapter Moore follows one couple through supper to bedtime. Then, in the fifth chapter, he reuses half of that same artwork with new dialogue to show how a different couple spent that evening. Chapter seven not only ties Dorothy's tornado ride to Oz with her sexual awakening but has an astounding punchline regarding an old "No Trespassing" sign. Using the trick from WATCHMEN where a pirate comic and several book excerpts were included throughout, Moore intersperses pages from erotic novels in LOST GIRLS.

 Aiding Moore is the artist Melinda Gebbie. The artwork is as unique as the story. Gebbie works in a variety of media and styles to add depth to Moore's script. The layouts, too, are all over the board, using off-beat points of view and panel arrangements sparingly but effectively to offset pages dominated by six-panel grids. Her art alone would not have drawn me to the book, but I'm quickly coming to appreciate it. I'm reminded strongly of how dull I found Dave Gibbons' artwork until he did WATCHMEN. Now I seek out his every appearance.

 Some caveats are in order. First, this book is obviously for mature readers only. Not for children! Not for minors! Not for the faint-hearted! Adults only! It has graphic sexual content. If it were a movie, it would be rated NC-17 or XXX. Second, it would be generous to call this book's publishing schedule erratic. The first five chapters were originally serialized in the now-defunct anthology TABOO (SpiderBaby Grafix & Publications/Tundra, grade: A-) in issues #5-7 way back in 1991-1992. Kitchen Sink has reprinted those chapters and continued the storyline in LOST GIRLS #1, published November 1995, and #2, published February 1996. The all-original issue #3 missed its original publication date and is being re-solicted this month. Obviously, patience is a prerequisite for buying.

 So, for a cheap Alan Moore fix, I pick up SUPREME each month and get a few chuckles. But, for the real thing, I wait for the next issue of LOST GIRLS. Discover why it's worth the wait for yourself; discover a writer who still takes chances.
 
 

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Grade: A

(LOST GIRLS #1-3 are solicited this month in PREVIEWS on pages 294-296!)
 
 

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TYRANT #1-4 (SpiderBaby Grafix and Publications)

 One genre you rarely see translated to comics is the wildlife documentary. Well, TYRANT is just that -- the documentary-style depiction of an animal's life from birth to death. Of course, to put a comic book spin on things, the animal in question is a Tyrannosaurus rex named Tyrant.

 Stephen R. Bissette writes and draws the life of Tyrant in excruciating detail. The story is packed with every scientific fact known about dinosaurs and a good deal of imaginative conjecture. The first two issues show Tyrant's mother laying eggs and nesting. The third issue goes inside the egg to show Tyrant's development from just a handful of cells to a fetus to a young dinosaur ready to hatch. Some major drama occurs in the fourth issue as a nest-raiding dinosaur prepares to snatch one of Tyrant's siblings during the hatching.

 Like a good number of television documentaries, Bissette is not dumbing the material down for his audience. The narration makes heavy use of scientific terminology. The focus is as much on the general biology of dinosaurs as on the daily activities of Tyrant. The predatory life of the dinosaurs is displayed graphically and without judgement. Ten pages in the back of each book are devoted to letters, an ongoing essay about dinosaurs in the mass media, and footnotes explaining the sources of each issue's scientific facts. The technical detail of the book will intrigue mature readers, and dinocentric younger kids can focus on the beautifully drawn pictures and let the rest go over their heads.

 Bissette, best known for his long collaboration with John Totleben on the artwork for Alan Moore's SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING, reaches his artistic peak with TYRANT. He is drawing and writing with a passion that shows on each page. Though his prose may get a little purple or heavy-handed at times, the pictures are always dead-on perfect. He is truly creating a one of a kind project here.

 For more details, surf over to the TYRANT web page at http://www.edgeglobal.com/tyrant/.

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Grade: A-

(TYRANT #1-4 are solicited this month in PREVIEWS on page 322!)
 
 

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MINIMUM WAGE BOOK ONE (Fantagraphics Books)
MINIMUM WAGE VOLUME 2 #1-6 (Fantagraphics Books)

 Gen-X slackers are everywhere. Books. Film. Television. And, of course, comics. Sometimes it seems every other independent comic features slackers. Luckily, some of those comics are good.

 MINIMUM WAGE tells of the evolving relationship of two young residents of NYC. Rob Hoffman is a 24-year-old aspiring comic book artist. Alas, he must toil at drawing silly strips for porn mags and humor rags until he can realize his dream. Rob's girlfriend, 28-year-old Sylvia Fanucci, manages a hair salon by day and spends her free time loving and tormenting Rob. BOOK ONE covers their decision to move in together. VOLUME TWO #1 finds them apartment hunting, while #2 gets them to moving day. This all leads to an inevitable question in #5. Along the road the couple has to deal with a voyeuristic young nephew (#2) and a comic book convention (#4). Jealousy rears its head when Rob wants to collaborate with an attractive performance artist/porn star/writer (#5). Rob spends #6 hating everyone else in NYC and fruitlessly taking his portfolio around to various magazines. While most of these topics are handled in a light and amusing manner, issue #3 changes pace drastically to tackle abortion.

 Writer/artist Bob Fingerman shows quite a bit of talent, something I hadn't expected after his previous effort, the race-swapping fantasy WHITE LIKE SHE (Dark Horse Comics). He handles slice-of-life storytelling well. Having recently searched for a new rental myself, I found the apartment search and parody of realtors especially true to life. The lead characters are strong, and the side characters are all funny or colorful. Every character, including the leads, is presented with flaws as well as good points, making them all very human. Fingerman's cartoonish drawing style is very accomplished and helps differentiate and define the many friends, co-workers, family members, strangers and acquaintances who appear throughout the series. My complaints are minor: the pacing of the stories is a bit slow and uneven, and the plot sometimes changes course in mid-stream.

 I must warn y'all that this book is for adults only. Fingerman depicts full-frontal nudity and graphic sexual situations, because, after all, sex is another part of daily life.

 Each issue features a different guest artist doing pin-ups on the back cover. So far, contributors include (in order, issues #1-6) Pat McEown, Kevin Nowlan, Dave Cooper, Dave Johnson, Mike Mignola, and Kyle Baker. Stephen DeStefano, Evan Dorkin, Ted McKeever and Bill Wray all add interior pin-ups to issue #4. Also, a thinly-disguised Evan Dorkin ("Kevin Orkin") appears in the comic convention issue offering sage advice and assurances to Rob, who is promoting his first solo comic book.

 If you want a quality book about a couple of struggling twenty-somethings, sign up for MINIMUM WAGE.
 
 

Grade: B+

(MINIMUM WAGE VOLUME 2 #1-7 are solicited this month in PREVIEWS on page 270!)
 
 

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A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (DC Comics/Paradox Press)

 My expectations were low when I bought A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE earlier this year. Previous books published under the Paradox Graphic Mystery imprint of DC Comics have been rather generic crime/mystery thrillers lacking in thrills and mystery. Maybe it was those lowered expectations that allowed A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE to blow me away. Or maybe it was the fact that this is a well-written, well-drawn thrill ride. Regardless, this book packs a wallop.

 Tom McKenna is just a typical guy. He owns a little diner. He's got a loving family. Then a thwarted hold-up gives him instant fame, and his cozy little world is shattered. Suddenly, mafia hitmen are following Tom around. They seem to think Tom is a man who killed and stole from the mob years before and disappeared. Is this a case of mistaken identity, or does Tom have a secret (and several bodies) buried in his past? And when the mafia men decide to err on the side of vengeance, will Tom and his family survive?

 John Wagner spins one heck of an intense yarn. It's better than most of the mafia movie thrillers I've seen in the last five years. I think of movies because Wagner's dialogue and Vince Locke's layouts are so cinematic. This book could easily be transferred to film. Wagner's scripts on the JUDGE DREDD comics just did not prepare me for this level of workmanship. Locke, meanwhile, continues to draw in the raw, sketchy style that won me over in SANDMAN and SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATER.

 Only one farfetched twist near the end detracts from -- but does not ruin -- this nearly flawless work. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE is one of the few books deserving to be called a "graphic novel." Don't miss it!
 
 

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Grade: A-

(A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE is solicited this month in PREVIEWS on page 111!)
 
 

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