Michael Vance   Mark Allen   Michael Vance Books
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Three cute little aliens escape from a planet that is one giant, intergalactic, food court. They end up on Earth in Ed's tree house, longing to find jobs and teleport their fellow food court slaves to freedom.

What a simple but fun idea! But is it worth the price of admission?

You'll be reminded of the best in animation as you read this well-drawn romp with Ed, who is probably eight or nine years old. The colors are vibrant and perfect for the minimalistic art. The visual storytelling is flawless.

You'll also enjoy the writer's vivid storytelling, characterization, and imagination. In 84 pages, the writer and artist create characters and situations that are guaranteed to
delight children and adults as well.

Ed's Terrestrials is highly recommended for adults who love to read to preliterate children, and for first readers.

Ed's Terrestrials/$19.95 from Blue Dream/words: Scott Christian Sava; art: Diego Jourdan/sold at comic and book shops, & bluedreamstudios.com.

Review by Michael Vance

So Mordy kills himself and ends up making pizza in this purgatory for suicides. Yeah, yeah, I know; why do dead people eat?

And he misses his girlfriend; he's happy when she shows up, a suicide as well. Nice guy, right?

He and his friend Uri search purgatory to find her. In doing so, they meet some interesting dead people.

That's it. That's the darn interesting premise of Pizzeria Kamakaze. To sweeten the deal, the art is intriguing, the dialog (loaded with profanity) rings true, and (thank God, thank God) this is NOT a graphic novel about the battle between good and evil! 

So, this one gets a 'highly recommended', right?

Pizzeria Kamikaze is recommended for adult readers who are tolerant of stories without resolutions.

Pizzeria Kamikaze/$14.95 & 100 pgs., Alternative Comics/words: Etgar Keret; art: Asaf Hanuka/sold at storefront comics and book stores, and at indyworld.com/altcomics. 

Review by Michael Vance

After exposure to a meteor rock, a young man named Gabriel experiences his world turning upside down. That's the VERY abridged version of what happens in the first issue of A-10 Comics' The Damaged. And, while it may not sound like much happens in this premier, I believe it merits waiting around for the next issue.

Created and written by Jason McKee, the story opens with Gabriel preparing for a trip to see his father, who is deathly ill. Nothing much comes of that, as the aforementioned chaos ensues on the flight. While very little in the way of characterization is accomplished, McKee does a good job of keeping the story moving, as Gabriel's life goes from fairly normal to nightmarishly abnormal by issue's end. All I'll say is it involves meteors (both large and small), a big alien and a mystery man who cooly remarks to Gabriel, "you have no idea how your life is about to change forever!" Despite not getting to know the main character that well, McKee manages to squeeze out some sympathy for him in his plight. No small feat for a writer.

The art is ably handled by comics veteran Mark Bright, with Nelson P.M. inking. Bright has aptly wielded his talent in both comedic and dramatic stories, and while this particular work tends to be heavy on drama, there is some light-hearted material, as well. I tend to think we'll see more in the future. Bright also excels at range of emotion in his characters, which I believe is one reason why he has been, in his time, a fan favorite.

The first issue of The Damaged is recommended for those who enjoy science fiction and mystery. It is for all but the youngest readers. Find it at comics shops, online retailers and auctions or at a10comics.com.

The Damaged #1, published by A-10 Comics, 28 pages, $2.99.

Review by Mark Allen

A family of time-travelers help protect humanity and the time stream over generations by preventing or allowing certain events in history. This is the premise of Glenn Whitmore's Captain Clockwork Special, a comic that turns out to be a pleasant diversion from today's multiple crossovers and gimmick-laden "events."

After years of service in the "family business" as Captain Clockwork, Professor Dean Walters develops robot sentries for the job, believing that humans are incapable of making the difficult decisions needed when dealing with the time stream, due to their "emotional involvement". He also finds out, to his displeasure, that his daughter Deanna has been training to be the next Captain Clockwork. More than the danger, however, Walters has been trying to protect her from a tragic event in her family history, an event which must take place.

Captain Clockwork is one of those projects which appear quite simple on the surface, but contain the pleasant surprise of complex characterization and motivations.

Also handling the art for the book, Whitmore's work should appeal to fans of Michael Avon Oeming and the late, great Mike Parobeck, as simplicity and dramatic story telling abound. Not a highly detailed job, or bathed in realism, his clear, bold lines and expressive characters are still an asset to the action contained within the pages.

All compliments aside, however, the dialogue for Captain Clockwork comes across as "stiff" and unrealistic at times, which could undermine the considerable drama of this book. I know a couple of comics professionals have likened the book to the fun four- color works of a simpler era, and I agree with that sentiment. Personally, however, I believe dialogue ought to be kept applicable to today's standards of story telling if creators wish to reach new readers. If Whitmore was going for pure nostalgia for longtime fans, however, he gets props!

Captain Clockwork is recommended for all ages. Find it at comics shops, online retailers and at captainclockwork.com.

Captain Clockwork Special, published by Captain Clockwork Comics, 32 pages.

Review by Mark Allen