Curtis Van Impe Comic Reviews

With American Vampire on hiatus until later this year, fans have been desperate for any bit of the series they can get their hands on. Thankfully, The Long Road to Hell is here, giving readers an incredible, if short, story in the American Vampire universe to help ease the suffering while we wait desperately for the fall.

A better issue then the last several have been, but it still lacks something. A book about Earth 2 characters trapped on the main New 52 Earth (New Earth, Earth 1, Earth Prime?) should feel a little more connected to the DCU.

Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy are both highly respected creators, and have reaped a huge audience for their respective works. Given the amount of hype for a new collaboration from the two, it would have been easy for them to cash in some rehashed story thats been told a hundred times before in comics. But thats not like these two. Instead, theyve crafted an intriguing new world with a sinister mystery lying beneath, all depicted through stunning art that warrants a purchase on its own. So far The Wake is off to a great start, and I cant wait until the end of June to see where Lee Archers saga takes her next. Whether youre fan of Scott Snyder, Sean Murphy or neither, this is a book you should definitely be reading.

This week presented a return to form for Lemire, and his story based on Buddys superhero movie proved to be an interesting juxtaposition to Buddys life off screen, and provided some strong emotional scenes with the help of guest artist John Paul Leon. Unfortunately, putting this story right after the cliff hanger from last month put a break on the suspense and prevented the issue from achieving true greatness.

While Charles Soule presented a strong first issue for his run on Swamp Thing, in this month's issue he was unable to keep the mix of unique flair and traditional Swamp Thing storytelling that made the first issue so successful. While there were a few excellent pages devoted to Alec's nightmare about the Green and its motivations, Soule spent most of his time showcasing Superman battling the Green that Alec inadvertently had attack Metropolis. While this would have been great for a Superman comic, it doesn't work well for Swamp Thing. Luckily some strong art from Kano keeps the issue together, and an intriguing final page seems to point towards a more traditional Swamp Thing story in the near future.

While many fans may have been disappointed to see Snyder and Paquette leave Swamp Thing, worry not: DC has left the title in more than capable hands. More an introductory issue than anything else, Soule and Kano have managed to create a distinct, unique and most of all fun style for their run on Swamp Thing, and it'll be exciting to see where they'll take the comic in the coming months.