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Witch King: Autobiography of a Dark Lord/120 pgs. & $19.95 from Phosphorescent/words: Christian Read; art: Paul Abstruse/sold at comics shops and www.phosphorescent.net.

Gavriel was a bookish boy who turned to the occult when neglected and abused by his father, the king, and his warrior siblings.

Venthrall Keep was a once mighty fortress that now lives in ruins because Gavriel unleashed a horror that he cannot control. His only hope for victory now lies in raising an army of the dead; he is responsible for their deaths.

And Witch King: Autobiography of a Dark Lord is the dark fantasy graphic novel that reprints the first five issues of the Witch King comic book.

Thank Gog.

Well-scripted and tightly paced, character driven and engrossing, Witch King is written in the tradition of the Lord of the Rings. It is a worthy companion, and that is high praise.

Its impeccable, anime inspired art uses anatomical exaggeration to visually punch home its message and establish a distinctive style. So power-ful is the visual, internal logic of this style that anatomical weaknesses are forgotten as the reader is driven to the climax of this epic.

Honestly, sometime a hand looks like raw cauliflower, perspective and fore-shortening are faked, and anatomical exaggeration becomes so distracting that suspension of disbelief is almost lost.

But the whole is greater than its dark and brooding parts, and you'll hunger to know what happens to Gavriel's sister in the next Witch King collection!

Witch King is excellent and recommended. MV

Review by Michael Vance

MINIVIEW: The Clouds Above [Fantagraphics] "These pages recount the terribly terrific and tremendously true travels of Simon and Jack" reads the opening volley. Simon is a little boy and Jack is a cat who travel up stairs to have an adventure in the clouds in this imaginative book drawn in a simple style for young children.

Review by Michael Vance

This comprehensive sampling of the work of zany master cartoonist Will Elder is simply magnificent.

It is so because of the size, format and quality of reproduction of this 391 page "trade paperback" that reprints this artist's groundbreaking and influential work from the early '30s to the present. A extensive biographical essay, and the inclusion of "paintings, portraits, still lifes, caricatures, and sketches" certainly recommend the volume as well. But this retrospective is simply magnificent for one primary reason. There is no cartoonist living or dead better than wacky Will Elder.

Whoa, there, Nellie. Gushing a bit?

Yep.

So, what distinguishes a great cartoonist from a competent one? Including a grasp of artistic technique and visual storytelling, there is:

1) Versatility--Elder mastered any style required by its subject, from 'big-foot' cartooning to abstract painting to photographic realism; 2) Unique personal style--his is instantly recognizable; 3) Unique viewpoint--there is no other way to write it: Elder drew crazy funny, and was extremely influential for his "eye-pops"—little visual and verbal puns peppered everywhere. 4) Mastery of many mediums including pencil, ink, wash, watercolor, and acrylic or oil paints; 5) Influence—in comics, television, editorial cartoons and motion pictures. In a nutshell (his natural habitat), there is only one "Villie" Elder, and the history of comics is much richer because of his great gift.

The Mad Playboy… receives the highest recommendation for adult readers (because of nudity) in the seventeen year history of Suspended Animation. Will Elder: The Mad Playboy of Art/$49.95 from Fantagraphics/sold at comics, book shops, and at www.fantagraphics.com.

Review by Michael Vance

MINIVIEW: Chicken Fat by Will Elder [Fantagraphics] "Drawings, sketches, cartoons and doodles" from master cartoonist Will Elder, most famous for his work with Harvey Kurtzman on Mad, Trump, Humbug, Help and Little Annie Fanny in Playboy. Highly recommended. Why? Because Elder is k-razy!!!

Review by Michael Vance

Actor Jack Nicholson recommended that actors let 'the costume doing the acting' when playing super-villains.

Vampirella is all about the costume, and her scanty clothing is all about lust. Nevertheless, under writer Archie Goodwin's pen, her adventures were more about the writer's homage to the myth's created by horror writers H.P. Lovecraft and Bram Stoker. Vampy was an alien from a planet were rivers flowed with blood. On Earth, she controlled her thirst with a serum that, like most of her ongoing cast, was created by Goodwin. Misunderstood and pursued by most as an blood-thirsty vampire, Vampy spent much of her time fighting the Cult of Chaos headed by evil from the stars (Lovecraft) and Dracula (Stoker).

It took Goodwin two poorly written and weakly drawn stories to find his artistic footing with Vampirella. Those stories, illustrated by Tom Sutton, kick off this volume.

By her third adventure, artist Jose Gonzales had taken a stake (groan) in the series, and Vampy eventually became the second most famous female in comics history. Those stories are also reprinted and, with Goodwin's improved writing, saved the series from being junk.

Gonzales' beautiful, reality-based art was as important to her success as was Goodwin's writing, and many of her first adventures from the pages of Vampirella (Warren) can be found in Vampirella VS the Cult of Chaos. Although not Goodwin's best work, this collection is recommended for light entertainment.

Vampirella VS the Cult of Chaos (1991)/originally $12.95 & 142 pgs., Harris Comics and Dark Horse Comics/sold at on-line and store front comics shops, and at on-line auctions.

Archie Goodwin will be inducted into the Oklahoma Cartoonists Hall of Fame in 2007.

Review by Michael Vance

MINIVIEW: Power of 6 [Alternative Comics] If you revel in comics about odd super- teams battling super-natural forces that are drawn as if by a ten-year-old child, prepare to party.

Review by Michael Vance

Need to get from point A to point B as fast and as safely as possible? Need a read that jacks up your adrenaline level with adventure, humor and mayhem?

The answer to both needs is the same: The Hire. Based on web episodes found at www.bmwfilms.com, The Hire trade paperback collects the four-issue mini-series from Dark Horse Comics about a gentleman simply referred to as "The Driver." His talent? He's the best there is behind the wheel, when you absolutely, positively have to get where you're going.

Let's start with the obvious appeal; The Hire is as much an adrenaline rush as a comic book can be. And, while it's admittedly light on characterization, by it's very nature as an action story, the individual writers do manage to keep the characters from being boring.

Did I say "individual writers"? I sure did. That's another appealing factor of this book. It's written by some of the biggest names in comics, including Matt Wagner, Mark Waid, Bruce Campbell, Kurt Busiek and Steven Grant. Seeing all of these writers put The Driver through his paces in their own unique way, back to back no less, would be a thrill for most any comic fan.

Keeping with the "anthology" feel of the book, each story also sports a different fan-favorite artist. Matt Wagner (penciling his own story), Kilian Plunkett, Claude St. Aubin and Francisco Ruiz Velasco all put their mark on this BMW property.

So, the long and short of it? If you're looking for something that's fun to read and showcases many different creative styles, The Hire is for you. And, even being largely a "wait for the trade" kind of guy, I'll still recommend any of the single issues, as they all stand alone very well. And, let's face it, no creator is everyone's "cup of tea."

The Hire, published by Dark Horse, 104 pages, $17.95 is recommended for all readers. Find it at comics shops and online comics retailers and auctions.

Review by Mark Allen