Dark Horse Presents (1986) #137

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So Nazis versus Predator and the best Marz can come up with is a story set in South America? Castellini’s art makes up for some of it—even though he can’t draw the Predator, the rest of it looks good. But Marz’s writing is pretty dumb.

Seagle and Gaudiano have another My Vagabond Days, this time about the space program. Sort of. Seagle seems to think doing a lyrical narrative about growing up in the Sixties is inherently interesting. Even with Gaudiano’s artwork, it’s not interesting. Seagle, it turns out, didn’t grow up in the Sixties as a teen… have I already mentioned that fact? Regardless, it’s still a waste of good art.

Randall and Verheiden finally finish The Ark here. It’s yet another double-sized installment and, wow, Verheiden’s writing is really awful here. Randall still manages to turn in some decent work (except on the aliens, they’re boring).

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #136

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Another endless installment of The Ark. Verheiden’s writing gets really padded here, especially with the conversations. With the long page count–sixteen pages an installment–I wonder if it was intended to be a limited series then someone at Dark Horse realized no one in his or her right mind would buy it. So instead they stuck it in Presents, figuring by the time the reader got to this issue–with The Ark taking up one half and the awful Western (I’ll get to it in a minute) taking up the other–it’d be too late for them to give up. Randall–who I just remembered used to do Trekker–is a fine artist at this point, sort of an almost Paul Gulacy.

As for Smith and Cariello’s Tres Diablos? I tried having an open mind and Cariello’s artwork’s quite good, but Smith is an awful writer.

This issue stinks.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #135

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Macan and Doherty finish Carson of Venus poorly. Doherty’s artwork this installment is particularly bad and, though Macan seems to be trying, the characters are all weak. Macan’s attempts at humor are a woman getting slapped around by her husband.

So it kind of goes well with Brubaker and Lutes’s finish to The Fall, all about a guy who wants to murder women. It’s a good conclusion, but it needs an epilogue. While I can understand why Brubaker finished without resolution, he still needs it. It doesn’t compare to the first few installments though.

I was excited to see early Reis on The Mark, but he’s not particularly good. He’s not bad, he’s just mundane. Barr tells the whole thing in flashback, which seems like a bad choice, especially for readers unfamiliar with the character.

Verheiden goes on, again, forever with The Ark. At least Randall has some good panels.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #134

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Warren finishes up Dirty Pair and I guess it’s good. I mean, it’s a lot of well-drawn action and the jabbering is starting to grow on me. There really isn’t a story though, just scantily clad girls in action scenes. But Warren’s art carries it.

Macan’s writing is sort of better on Carson of Venus and Doherty has a couple good panels. Still, it’s a weak series and it makes me wonder if Dark Horse was just trying every Burroughs license they could get.

The Mask returns to Presents here for the first time in a hundred issues or so. Sibin’s artwork is fantastic so it’s hard to dislike it and Fingerman concentrates on the human protagonist. It doesn’t seem dumb until the very end.

Finally, The Fall. Brubaker introduces the first fantastic element into the narrative and it’s too soon to tell if he can finish it well.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #133

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Starting with The Fall, Brubaker introduces some complications and revelations here. I’ve read it before, but I can’t remember how it ends. This installment implies there might be some very bad things about to happen. Brubaker handles the change in tone well and Lutes’s art is great. He does fantastic night scenes.

Macan and Doherty’s Carson of Venus is pretty lame. Doherty seems like he’s just about ready to be doing profesional work… but not quite yet. And Macan’s writing is lame. He plots slow and his dialogue is terrible.

The Dirty Pair continues to be action-packed and sort of boring. The back and forth between the protagonists is occasionally amusing, but the whole thing feels artificial, like Warren was writing down quippy conversations and inserting them here.

Clugston’s Blue Monday is well-composed, but badly written. Would Dark Horse have published it if it were by a guy?

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #132

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Cooper brings Dan & Larry to a very disturbing conclusion. I mean, he really goes for it here–after backing down from going too far a few issues ago–but here, Cooper sort of leaps off the cliff and makes the installment just plain disgusting on a dozen levels. It’s great.

As for Warren’s Dirty Pair story, I don’t know what to say. Warren’s artwork is generally good, but since he’s fitting a style for the two protagonists, there’s a limit to it. He lays out his panels well for an action sci-fi comic and I suppose the writing’s all right. Doubt I’m its intended audience.

And then Brubaker starts getting towards the core of The Fall. This installment is particularly nice because it changes so much throughout–the beginning never suggests the end (at least to the protagonist). Lutes does a great job, particularly with on the last page.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #131

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Where to even start.

Beto’s got a good girl future story with Girl Crazy. It’s about a lovesick robot. He takes his time establishing it (then has to hurry towards the end) and finishes the story on a good joke. It’s a very cute story, sort of not what I expected from him.

Then there’s The Fall, from Brubaker and Lutes. It’s this amazing dramatic piece about a working schlub who does something stupid and ends up working for his boss’s wife. Complications ensue. Brubaker has very close, careful third person narration and Lutes’s artwork is fantastic rendering the mundane setting.

Cooper goes a little crazy on Dan & Larry, garnering a lot of sympathy for poor Dan here. It’s gross, it’s funny, it’s great.

Then there’s Nixey’s story about a kid who captures the scary monsters under his bed. Nice art, lots of humor. It gets jumbled, but it’s good.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #130

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Wow, so Presents dropped Shane Oakley’s Stiltskin, one of the best things it’d published, before it finished? Swell.

For a replacement, we get the endless Wanted Man, from McEown. McEown is a good cartoonist, though his writing is self-indulgent and seems only to serve putting topless little cartoon girls in his story. It’s a waste of time.

Cooper’s Dan & Larry this installment expands the story’s world, which is cool. It’s not as disturbing as usual, just vaguely creepy at times. There’s still a lot of solid humor and Cooper’s art is excellent.

Murray and Gregory’s do a biography of Mary Walker, who was a Civil War surgeon. It’s okay… Gregory’s art is nearly up to par. Murray’s script concentrates on the Army’s misogyny, so it comes off poorly at times. Weak (non-factual too) ending.

Weissman’s Phineas Page is rather amusing (crossing over with the Marquis de Sade’s Justine).

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #129

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Wow, Kelley Jones likes the phallic symbols doesn’t he? The character’s called The Hammer, but it doesn’t look like a hammer on his head… Anyway, it’s fine. Nice artwork, some decent scenes. The ending flops though.

Stilkskin continues, this issue turning its dwarf protagonist into a porn star. It’s a change from Oakley, who didn’t have a lot of events in the previous two installments, but somehow he makes it work great. Being in the city (set in the late seventies, which leads to some anachronisms) works great for the series. Gives Oakley a lot more to draw. Once again, fantastic.

Then there’s Cooper’s Dan & Larry and it’s slightly less disturbing than last time, but still incredibly strange. Cooper actually doesn’t take it over the edge, which he could have. It’s good… even with a weak last page.

Mahfood’s Zombie Kid is pop culture blather pretending to be a strip.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #128

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Wow. Dave Cooper’s Dan & Larry might be the most horrifying thing I’ve ever read. Cooper is creating this psychotic, awful version of the standard cartoon buddies. One’s a duck, the other’s a… something or other. And he does awful, awful things. Great art, amazing ideas… it’s awful and strange and wonderful.

Metalfer is a bit better this installment. Manoukian and Roucher spend their pages doing an action scene. The art carries the story and it even gets amusing towards the end. I wish every installment were this good.

Oakley outdoes himself on Stiltskin (once again). This installment covers some more of his protagonist’s formative years. Oakley’s does a lot with just the narration and the story really affects the reader. His art, like before, is solid, good work… but it’s his writing where he’s phenomenal. An excellent installment.

Weissman’s Phineas Page one page strip is great as usual; very funny.