Michael Vance   Mark Allen   Michael Vance Books
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     In vaudeville, the headliner was always the last to take the stage.

     Someone at Checker Book Publishing must be old enough to remember vaudeville because the best of X-Files: Vol. 1 is certainly at the back of the book.

     Regrettably, someone at Topps Comics was not been old enough to remember what made the TV series successful. And someone at Checker Book must not have cared, because they have just released a collection of the less-than-satisfying issues 18-21 and the somewhat satisfying 0 originally published by Topps.

     Almost everyone remembers The X-Files television show, of course. Its twisting plots and foreboding, dark atmosphere are still being imitated by other TV dramas today. 

     You remember the aliens, flying saucers, mutated human beings and that greatest of mysteries, why someone couldn't come up with a satisfying ending after nine years.

     Unlike you, the Topps artists in issues 18-21 forgot the dark, ominous setting. In fact, they forgot what Mulder and Scully looked like from panel to panel. In particular, the first two titles that open this show are more than a bit weak on anatomy and other artistic techniques that help to suspend the disbelief of readers. 

     Writer Roy Thomas and artist John Van Fleet come closest to recapturing the nuances of the TV show in issue 0, an adaptation of the series pilot at the back of the book. One question remains for Mulder and Scully. Will this less than glowing review stop die-hard X-Files fans from buying this collection?

     You kidding?! 

     The X-Files: Volume 1/$19.95 & 200 pages, from Checker Book/various artists and writers/ available in comic shops and at www.checkerbpg.com.

     Review by Michael Vance

MINIVIEW: Krazy & Ignatz: 1933-'34 [Fantagraphics] Like caviar and Spam, the cat and mouse comic strip Krazy Kat is an acquired taste. (So go ahead, hit me with a brick 'cause I don't like it, already!) Acquired fans will still covet this first volume of a projected complete reprinting.

     Review by Michael Vance

     Though not a big fan of the contemporary horror genre of ANY medium ("contemporary" being of the bloody "slice-and-dice" variety), one comics project which I recently enjoyed whole-heartedly was Image Comics' The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  Adapted and illustrated by huge comics talent Bo Hampton, the project brings all of the terror and chills evoked by the original "long short-story," but with an added element of alarm and dread provided by a realistic sequential art style.

     Originally published in 1993, this adaptation will be a welcome, and very accurate re-presentation for the reader who doesn't easily recall Washington Irving's original masterpiece of fear (I hadn't read it since Jr. High School).  Hampton, in his desire to preserve the integrity of the story, retained "nearly all the main text and character interactions" (from his introduction).  The result is a tale which contains not only horrific ingredients, but successful forays into humor, as well. 

     Ichabod Crane is an absurd, clownish character, yet still manages to elicit the sympathy of the reader, not just in his flight from the infernal headless horseman, but in his contest for the heart of the young Katrina Van Tassel. Hampton's mastery of his craft lends him the enviable ability to render some of the most emotive characters ever enjoyed in comics, while bringing them all together in a richly-illustrated world that goes from beautiful to unpleasant, and downright monstrous, as needed.  He also proves once more what Irving demonstrated with this story initially... that horror needn't be nauseating or repugnant.  We can be scared without being disturbed; thrilled instead of disgusted.  Call me a purist, but that's what I call "good readin'!

     The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is recommended for those who enjoy evocative storytelling filled with intensity, emotion, and a good ol' fashioned "creepiness" factor.  I find it suitable for all but the very youngest of readers.  Find it at comics shops, comics conventions or online auctions.

     The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, published by Image Comics, 64 pages, $7.95.

     Review by Mark Allen

     Webster's defines an homage, in part, as "anything given or done to show reverence, honor, or respect."

     This happens a lot in comics, and usually serves to remind readers of what great works and people have been influential on the medium.  One of the finest examples of this in the last couple of years is Supreme: The Story of The Year.

     Written by comics superstar Alan Moore, Supreme: TSOTY is the first of two trade paperbacks collecting his entire body of work with the character.

     Moore, known for breathing freshness and new-found originality into old properties, takes readers for an interesting ride with a character which, on the surface, is nothing more than a Superman knock-off. The originality comes into play when Moore's characters (various Supremes from different times) recognize the "revisionism" which occurs when comics publishers update a character for a new generation, instituting changes big and/or small.  In Supreme, however, those revisions are seen as "unfathomable periodic changes in space-time."  Those who have been "revised," or phased out, arrive shortly after at the Supremacy, a vast "city" built BY revised Supremes, FOR revised Supremes.

     The homage's to past creators takes place through flashback sequences of Supreme's past, as well as that of other heroes.  As Moore takes readers on a tour of Supreme's golden and silver age adventures with the Allied Supermen of America, and The Allies (think DC's Justice Society and Justice League of America), artists Rick Veitch and Keith Giffen, through various art styles,  remind long-time readers, while showing new ones, why comics' early years are so fondly remembered, and still influential.  Combined with the work of artists Christ Sprouse, Joe Bennet, and many others, this volume will entertain not just Supreme fans, but perhaps even those who haven't picked up a comic for a couple of decades.  It is, therefore, recommended for all readers.

     Find it at comic shops, conventions, or online auctions.

     Supreme: The Story of The Year, published by Checker Book Publishing Group, 332 pages, $26.95.

     Review by Mark Allen

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