Pull-O-Rama: November '09

[Stephanie]

It’s time for another comic book Pull-O-Rama, where we present an assortment of recent comics and let you know how much they rock, whether they’re not quite up to par ... or if you should skip them altogether. This time we'll flip through the pages of Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love, work up an appetite for Berserker #3, crawl through the muck with gangsters and oil men in The Darkness #81, and run for our lives in Resurrection #5.

Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love

Chris Roberson tosses the glass slippers and pumpkin carriages aside with the start of Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love mini-series, pencilled by Shawn McMannis. Forget what you think you know about the sweet and simple rags-to-riches girl and say hello to the high-heeled blonde bombshell grinning behind the false persona. The real Cinderella plays her dutiful part manning the stylish Glass Slipper Shoes store in Fabletown. But when she isn't nowhere to be seen, Cinderella caters more than durable and classy shoes to her fellow magical beings. Oftentimes she dons a pair of fashionable sunglasses and switches to undercover mode as a spy.

Beast (as in Beauty's fairy tale love) presents Cindy with her latest assignment: More than a few forbidden enchanted objects have wound up here and there in the Mundy world, and the chances of an ordinary human stumbling across one keep increasing. The Fables have dedicated centuries to maintaining their little society distinct from the actual Fable realm, and although they've recently won the war to regain their homelands, the discovery of their true existence apart from dusty books hovers over them as a continuous threat. Now the spell-bound, purse-swinging Cinderella must work to recover the prohibited items and stash them away where they can't do any harm. Tracking down the smuggler and his pack of goodies comes first, but is her target already steps ahead of her?

Roberson handles Fables with the same spark and color as Willingham, organizing an entertaining and revitalized trip through the pages of our beloved fairy tales. Even Fable animals—such as Puss-in-Boots, Jenny Wren, and the mouse Dickory—pop up in the issue as they help Cindy inch closer to the source of their latest problem. The result? A comic rich in Fables delight.

Berserker #3

The comic produced by Milo Ventimiglia and DiVide Pictures and written by Rick Loverd alongside Jeremy Haun's artwork reaches its third month this upcoming Wednesday. For a story fueled by gore and bloodshed that's inspired by the trauma of military engagement, it's strange to imagine pages filled with any other substance than what comes in the color red. The reality turns out quite the opposite. Berserker burns hotter than ever—there's more than blood hitting the splash pages.

Issue three arrives chock full of fresh undertakings, and Loverd reaches a new peak as he successfully masters the balance between the two main characters, Aaron and Farris. Both men, unable to properly control their bursts of outrage that have labeled them as extremely dangerous fugitives, are haunted by the more memorable individuals they've killed so far. For Farris, the ghostly influence takes the form of Clint, someone he once won a medal for stopping; Aaron connects with the presence of his dead girlfriend, Courtney. And as Farris vows to destroy the rest of the Berserkers through the strength of his own unbridled fury, Aaron comes face-to-face with an unlikely ally who clues him in to the history he now finds himself a part of. The protagonists are walking down fairly different paths, and it's only a matter of time before they meet—but will they work together, or are the people and events shaping them positioning them as future enemies, as well?

Regardless of the outcome that awaits us, a significant and incredibly well-plotted amount happens to Aaron and Farris in the comic. Berserker #3 grabs you by the innards and refuses to let go.

The Darkness #81

Jackie Estacado's hunt for the Sovereign most recently led him to the everglades in search for an ancient temple. Overseen by an Indian woman, her refusal to give them a tour of the swamp didn't stop Jackie and his crew—or the Sovereign's lackeys—from sneaking in after dark. The juicy bit? More than just mosquitoes and crocodiles waited for them in the mire, forcing Jackie to throw down against an old power of a swamp monster infamously called the "Bog."

A little drowning never could stop the Darkness bearer and his league of wise-cracking minions, the Darklings. Candace might be able to lean on her guardian for protection, but the threats aimed towards her and the alleged oil (as if that's what they're really after) residing in the depths of the land aren't over yet. The Sovereign's forces call in Scab, a gun for hire whose main asset lies in his inability to feel pain and his lust for bloodshed and a "good fight." However, Jackie's determined to track the woman down first; something she carries proves crucial to his declared war against the seemingly immortal Sovereign.

Scab mixes in a decent amount of entertainment through humor and a daredevil personality, and arguably his character makes the story at hand worthwhile. Jackie and Candace's interactions, on the other hand, fall somewhat flat—especially when the Bog enters the forefront. Phil Hester doesn't connect the dots quite as well in this issue, and much goes unsaid that could have been useful for bringing otherwise unfamiliar readers into the fold. The Darkness #81 doesn't exactly sparkle with flawlessness—most of the time the dialogue feels disappointingly shallow—but at least the issue offers fans a comic both written and drawn by Hester.

Resurrection #5

Resurrection, the alien invasion slash sci-fi comic series by Marc Guggenheim, is well into its second telling of conspiracy and extraterrestrial mayhem. This particular issue combines another chunk of the main story plus a backup feature titled "Resurrection Tales" (by Brandon Graham)—which looks into the life of a writer living underground, dreaming up stories while he longs for the surface world. Of course, when a comic's extra builds more intrigue than the central writing, the reader can't help but be left suffering from a bad aftertaste.

Not much happens in Resurrection #5. In fact, one of the best parts occurs right at the beginning, abandoning the rest of the comic as it tires afterward with each consecutive page. While the flashback inevitably adds more character depth and transformation, the climax of the issue sorely lacks magnitude. The remainder grows steadily choppy, particularly with the uneven mixture of gun-smoking action and rough dialogue. With the exception of a few well-crafted panels, the issue crumbles into a quick read with a confusing but entertaining secondary feature to support the cover price.

But as previously hinted, not everything about Resurrection falls a few aliens short of an post-apocalyptic world. Despite the unfulfilled nature of the comic and Justin Greenwood's otherwise mediocre presentation, the colors work to create a mood that puts you on edge with the numerous characters struggling to stay alive in the heat of sometimes merciless warfare. For what it's worth, the book just might read better off in the form of a trade, but the suspense that develops with the passing of each issue keeps Guggenheim's comic on its feet and running.

Good or bad, you can check out all of these comics in the Impulse Creations shop. Want to pick next month’s Pull-O-Rama comics? Email your suggestions and why to wita.gen@gmail.com.