Category: Doc Abstruse

Dark Horse Presents 7 (May 1987)

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I never thought I’d miss Concrete so much.

I guess Tony Salmons’s Monq is the best thing this issue. It’s a really dumb environment story, but the art’s interesting if not competent. Some of the writing is really bad, especially the conclusion, which literalizes the otherwise existential story.

Mattsson writes two crappy stories this issue.

First is The Vitruvian Man, with Mark Badger art. There are a couple good panels and it’s decent overall. Shame the story turns out to be some kind of xenophobic rambling. It’s easily one of the worst scripts I’ve read so far in Dark Horse Presents, just because it’s lazy. No effort at all. The other bad writing at least has integrity.

Doc Abtruse closes the issue. It’s probably a little better written than Vitruvian Man, but Mattsson’s still weak. The strip seems to be included to waste the reader’s time, which it certainly does.

CREDITS

Monq, Message From Earth; writer and artist, Tony Salmons; letterer, Bill Spicer. Gene Shock: The Vitruvian Man, The Coming; writer, Steve Mattsson; artists, Mark Badger and Art Nichols; letterer, David Jackson. Doc Abstruse, Explains Infinity (More or Less); writers, Steve Mattsson and Jim Bradrick; artist, Bradrick; letterer, David Jackson. Editor, Randy Stradley; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

Dark Horse Presents 6 (April 1987)

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This issue drags.

It opens with Trekker‘s story line ending. Hopefully Dark Horse just gave Randall his own series so I don’t have to read any more of it. The story nearly gets okay on the last page, but it’s still got Randall’s awful writing to bring it back down. The art’s real lazy too.

Workman’s Roma continues to be a Love and Rockets knock-off, but at least this issue it’s a little more engaging. The strong design sense comes through a lot, creating a nice looking story, but not a particularly good one.

I’d like to say Concrete‘s back on track but only slightly. Chadwick does a Concrete in Hollywood–with hints at Concrete’s real identity (Ron). It’s supposed to be funny and the end is supposed to be funny but it’s really just mediocre.

Then, for the close, Mattsson plagiarizes some of Dune in a weak effort.

CREDITS

Trekker; writer and artist, Ron Randall; letterer, David Jackson. Roma; writer, artist and letterer, John Workman. Concrete, Little Pushes; writer and artist, Paul Chadwick; letterer, Bill Spicer. Doc Abstruse, Explains Warp Speed; writer, Steve Mattsson; artist, Tony Salmons; letterer, David Jackson. Editor, Randy Stradley; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.