Sketch Reviews (June 16 2011)

I actually bought comics yesterday. This week, I got to go into work an hour early, which meant leaving an hour early, which meant leaving in time to get comics. Read them late last night after the girlfriend went to bed. And, then, I finished reading Noah's Turn by Ken Finkleman before watching the first few episodes of his latest TV show Good Dog. The book came out in the fall and was a gift from my buddy Adam. I just got it on Monday because he's horrible at mailing things. It was a pretty decent read. Nothing too surprising if you're familiar with Finkleman's work on TV. A Crime and Punishment-influenced book that reminded me a little of Woody Allen. Lots of concerns over class and money, of proper behaviour and the superficialities we erect in a society. Funny without making you laugh sort of comedy. Kind of like Good Dog, which many would say is like Curb Your Enthusiasm, but in genre only. Whereas Larry David is an engaging and sympathetic character much of the time, George Findlay rarely is. He's petty and selfish and cowardly. Though, his interaction with a little person pedestrian in the fourth episode is hilarious. He goes places David would never. I can't wait for the DVD. And, if you want to see Finkleman make an interview horribly uncomfortable and funny, check this out.

Deadpool MAX #9: The 'Non Kyle Baker' issue. Shawn Crystal isn't bad by any means. I like his manic, stiff, over-the-top cartooning here. Well, sometimes. Sometimes, his faces get this weird quality that looks awful. But, many times, I stopped and thought "I should like this more than I am" and that's because he's following Kyle fucking Baker and going for an entirely different tone. Look at the cover and then what's inside and it's two entirely different beasts. Lapham's writing needs that Baker approach to balance off the goofier and dumber elements of his script... otherwise, it's just a cartoony comic that isn't nearly as funny or interesting. [**]

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #3: That first issue was a fluke, wasn't it? The writing and the art continues to slide, continues to do the opposite of the first issue... Then again, Cyclops talking to his dead mommy just doesn't do much for me. [*1/4]

Later