Barbelith Underground > Comic Books > Steve Yeowell Talks! As does Bryan Talbot!

Gee thanks guys! More on the content? I'm always wary of going into too much detail and depth as it looks a bit single focussed but, what the heck.

The original comic material first - The lead Dredd strip is pretty much Wagner by the numbers, but that means a solid story told well, even if it's a little uninspiring. Asbo Block sees a family of social delinquents relocated to a block with a strict A.I. that tempers their behaviour. It could, in truth, have been told at any point in the last 30 years with only the references dating it but still, it's Wagner and Dredd. Anthony Williams art is distinctive and as ever it's the little details he adds that make it stand out for me. Ragged finger nails, hems and wrinkles to clothes, and the like anmongst his otherwise sparse and simple art is the sort of thing that sells it to me.

Anderson kicks off with an opener that is visually stunning. There's a double page spread of the city that is almost literally awesome. The Dave Taylors art is some of the best I've seen in a long time and I like the fact that the pallette of colours matches the one Arthur Ransome has used for x number of years making the replacement of artist after such a long time feel smooth. As for the script, well Alan Grant is another writer with a solid track record with the character and the Big Robots theme makes it different to the usual psi-fi stuff. Has a wait and see feel though.

Simping Detective wraps up a five parter where little happened, entertainingly though. Practically all the plot happens in this episode which probably makes it a better read than average for a newcomer, if you follow me. Si Spurrier has the tec voice down pat and clearly loves a kooky metaphor like Norman Bates loves his mother, but I suspect it helps if you find the single joke that powers the strip amusing otherwise you'll be left cold. Fraser Irvings art won't win anyone over but if you like him usually you'll love him here. I do and did.

And then there's Blood of Satanus 3. The best thing that can be said is that you'll be looking a long time before you see art like this anywhere else. There's one particular sequence in a supermarket that is...well...urgh. But the script. 2K fans owe Pat a lot. His recent Slaine and A.B.C. Warriors have been better than the last decades worth and Savage is the nuts. His Dredd? Oh dear.

The reprint material is a solid Mid 90's affair no doubt influenced by low slung jeans but any script that inspires Ian Gibson to put some effort in is a good thing. He's become notorious for putting as much effort into his art as he thinks the script deserves. He must have liked this one.

The small press story is visually very atractive but the story did nothing for me. I'll follow the artist with interest.

As for the features, well, I love Steve Yeowell and enjoyed the interview but it's not perfect. Less talk about the weather would have helped but that's the sort of thing that always annoys me with interviews. Bryan Talbot is one of the best communicators of passion and art that I've ever come across and the focus on Alice in Sunderland can only be expected really. I preferred the Talbot interview but would have liked clearer, larger images to accompany it. The Yeowell article is at least visually stunning featuring art from nearly all his 2k work.

The text article on Zombie Comics is preferable to the film reviews at the back and is a decent overview of the recent boom in zom(bie) com(ics).

For £3 it's pretty decent value despite the recent downsizing of original material and this is the best it's been since the recent revamp. The Meg may just reach 300.