Day Men is on its fourth issue. About a year after its first issue. No one’s going to tell Brian Stelfreeze to hurry up and try to do a monthly and it seems the writers know the score on that one, because they still haven’t gotten over establishing the ground situation.

Gagnon and Nelson aren’t refreshing or starting over with this issue; they’re following up on all their old plot lines and story threads. But they’re definitely aware it might be the first issue a reader is picking up and they’re writing it for that casual reader, not the one who’s been around. Because there’s no other reason to introduce major plot points–like the protagonist having the unintentional hots for his vampire clan leader woman–other than to make Day Men seem fresh.

It isn’t fresh. It’s stale. Boom! should’ve just done a graphic novel, regardless of Stelfreeze’s art being awesome.

C 

CREDITS

Writers, Matt Gagnon and Michael Alan Nelson; artist, Brian Stelfreeze; colorist, Darrin Moore; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.

There’s an astounding amount of exposition this issue and very little inventive art from Stelfreeze. He does very well with what he’s got to do–the protagonist is on the run with a beguiling girl, the vampires are plotting–but none of the art really plays to Stelfreeze’s strength. At one point I even questioned whether or not he was still on the art.

The issue reads fairly well until writers Gagnon and Nelson start the false endings. Every time I finished one of the pages, I waited for the “to be continued.” There are a lot of natural endings in the comic, but the one they go with reveals their willingness to totally waste the readers’ time.

I suppose the action sequence is fairly cool–there’s only one. Stelfreeze does a great job with it. Unfortunately it’s not two pages longer, then it would’ve eaten into some useless exposition.

C+ 

CREDITS

Writers, Matt Gagnon and Michael Alan Nelson; artist, Brian Stelfreeze; colorist, Darrin Moore; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Maybe I’m just a cynic, but it seems wrong to brag about your movie deal in the end notes apologizing for the second issue of an ostensibly ongoing series being something like five months late.

I don’t remember anything about the first issue of Day Men except the concept–the jack of all trades human doing day time tasks for vampire crime families–and the Brian Stelfreeze art.

I assume the delay is because Stelfreeze is busy. Can’t help but notice Boom! kept the indicia date as August, but this comic just came out.

Anyway, there’s a lot of information. Gagnon and Nelson have scene where a bunch of the vampires talk and talk and talk about other vampires. So many names.

Thankfully, Stelfreeze makes everything digestible if not palatable.

Hopefully the next issue won’t be so ludicrously delayed; as long as it has Stelfreeze art, it’ll be worthwhile regardless.

C+ 

CREDITS

Writers, Matt Gagnon and Michael Alan Nelson; artist, Brian Stelfreeze; colorist, Darrin Moore; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.

I like Day Men. It’s really over-written at times–there’s a lot of narration from Matt Gagnon and Michael Alan Nelson for the protagonist and it’s not particularly neccesary. It’s set in a world with vampires, the lead is a human who does their day work for them.

The real draw is artist Brian Stelfreeze, of course. The script could be pretty much anything and he’d do a good job of it. Great action scenes in particular, even with the pitch black setting. Beautiful composition.

There are some good details, some fantastic character work between the humans and their vampire employers and a really good pace.

The narration goes on and on and on–Gagnon and Nelson go from using it to establish the ground situation to revealing background information about supporting cast–but the other writing compensates.

The end is distressing as they rush into the series’s second act, but Men’s good.

CREDITS

Writers, Matt Gagnon and Michael Alan Nelson; artist, Brian Stelfreeze; colorist, Darrin Moore; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Eric Harburn; publisher, Boom! Studios.