Quickie Reviews (Apr 14 2010)

Four books to discuss this week. I enjoyed them all.

Daytripper #5: I loved going to my Grandma Flossie's place. She lived a couple of hours away, right in the middle of Amish country. She used to live somewhere else, but I only have vague memories of that place. I remember when she and Papa bought that house and my mom and my sisters showed up before anyone and had to wait on the back deck for someone to arrive and let us in. She had a giant backyard, there was a creek down the road where we'd catch minnows and crayfish, I had some friends there, three brothers all with names beginning with 'J' and we'd trade comics and play baseball. We had floats there and watched the same movies a billion times. I'd load up my bag with books and comics to read in the car there and back. Papa, after he got sick, had to sleep in a room on the first floor and we'd watch TV on Sunday morning and hear him fart in his sleep. I'm sure I didn't always show how much I loved going there, but I did. And Grandma Flossie was fantastic in that way that grandmas should be. Good times. [****1/2]

Punishermax #6: Fuck me if Bullseye doesn't work here. Jason Aaron continues to build on Garth Ennis and that works, too. Plus, Steve Dillon art. You aren't buying this book why? [****]

Siege: Loki #1: Kieron Gillen is doing some solid work with Thor's area of the Marvel universe and his Loki is deliciously evil and wonderful. He kind of reminds me of the Alex Ross/Jim Krueger Earth X Loki, the one that sees it all for the bullshit that it is and tries to break free of it -- and himself. He's not quite that far gone, but he definitely see the limitations of his existence and wants free of them, while doing things that draw him further in. Jamie McKelvie does a a great Loki. A pale, skinny, slightly androgynous guy... who reveals himself something of a badass and mugs to the camera. Nice issue. [***1/2]

The Unwritten #12: I need to buy an extra copy for my mom since she loves Beatrix Potter stories... fun issue that explores the concept of this book in that broader way I keep hoping it will. Also, a different art team working over Peter Gross's layouts is great. I hope they keep that up for stories like this. [****]

Now, to go and write reviews that pay...