Dark Horse Presents Annual (1998) 1997

Dhpa97

For a Presents annual (or oversized special), this one has a lot of solid work.

Pearson’s Body Bags is a fun diversion. The art’s great and the story moves. It gets a little visually confusing, but it’s good.

And Verheiden (with Marrinan) finally produces a decent installment of The American. It’s a thoughtful story, very well written.

Arcudi and Musgrove’s The Oven Traveler is dumb. It’s a one page story dragged to four.

Aliens (from Smith and Morrow) is atrocious. It’s Aliens meets Westworld. If it weren’t terrible, it’d be an interesting genre mix—plus, Morrow can’t draw the aliens. They look awkward and goofy, not at all frightening.

Jillette and French’s Rheumy Peepers and Chunky Highlights is overwritten but mildly diverting….

Stephens and Allred’s The Stiff is decent, if too silly.

Then there’s a decent Pope finish. It’s a talking heads story, which seems like a waste of Pope.

Dark Horse Presents Annual 1997 (February 1998)

For a Presents annual (or oversized special), this one has a lot of solid work.

Pearson’s Body Bags is a fun diversion. The art’s great and the story moves. It gets a little visually confusing, but it’s good.

And Verheiden (with Marrinan) finally produces a decent installment of The American. It’s a thoughtful story, very well written.

Arcudi and Musgrove’s The Oven Traveler is dumb. It’s a one page story dragged to four.

Jillette and French’s Rheumy Peepers and Chunky Highlights is overwritten but mildly diverting….

Stephens and Allred’s The Stiff is decent, if too silly.

Then there’s a decent Pope finish. It’s a talking heads story, which seems like a waste of Pope.

CREDITS

Body Bags; story and art by Jason Pearson. The American, The Big Deal; story by Mark Verheiden; art by Chris Marrinan; lettering by Sean Konot. The Oven Traveler; story by John Arcudi; art by Scott Musgrove. Aliens, Tourist Season; story by Beau Smith; art by Gray Morrow; lettering by John Costanza; edited by Bob Schreck. The Adventures of Rheumy Peepers and Chunky Highlights; story by Penn Jillette; art by Renée French. The Stiff, Disappearing Act; story, inks and lettering by Jay Stephens; pencils by Mike Allred. Four Cats; story and art by Paul Pope. Edited by Jamie S Rich.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #116

Dhp116

Unfortunately, it’s a very loose issue.

Musgrove’s installment of Fat Dog Mendoza here is a big improvement over his previous work. Musgrove goes for cheap sight gags and a less narration while doing some decent artwork. It’s painless, occasionally amusing, but never funny.

Without the dogfighting element, Trypto is lost. There’s a space alien element introduced, which is a whole lot less interesting than what Mumy and Ferrer were doing earlier. Again, they give Leialoha a script he can’t render coherently. I’m assuming the ending—with dog and his boy owner kidnapped by aliens—means something will happen next time.

As for Rennie and Langridge’s Dr. Spin? The joke’s old and it’s only the second installment. Langridge’s art keeps the story going to some degree, but making fun of crossover events and grim and gritty comics needs some structure. Rennie just has it pop up everything. It’s a disappointing development.

Dark Horse Presents 116 (December 1996)

Unfortunately, it’s a very loose issue.

CREDITS

Fat Dog Mendoza, Lies (Sweet Little Lies); story, art and lettering by Scott Musgrove. Trypto the Acid Dog, Wheel of the Broken Voice, Part Four, Lost in Space; story by Bill Mumy and Miguel Ferrer; art by Steve Leialoha. Dr. Spin, Part Two, Sgt. Bananas and the Baboon Platoon; story by Gordon Rennie; art by Roger Langridge. Edited by Bob Schreck and Jamie S. Rich.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #105

Dhp105

Dark Horse had a misprint this issue. A couple pages were out of sequence on Niles’s Cal McDonald. Well, that misprint in addition to continuing Shaw’s Alan Brand and Musgrove and Chamberlin’s Pink Tornado.

What’s funniest about Shaw this issue is how lazy he gets. Lots and lots of white space here. Alan Brand started out interesting and then got idiotic very quickly. As it did, Shaw’s art got lazier and lazier.

As for Pink Tornado, the art’s a bit better this issue. Musgrove and Chamberlin have problems with eyes. They also, again, write poorly. It’s amazing someone at Dark Horse thought this material constituted quality. Given the subject matter (a fetus as a superhero), maybe they were just trying to get press.

Niles’s story ends. It’s bad, but fine.

This installment of One Trick finds Pope plotting a very European twist. The cliffhanger’s sort of confusing, but excellent overall.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #104

Dhp104

Musgove and Chamberlin have a Helen Keller joke in this installment of The Pink Tornado, presumably because they thought it makes them edgy. They’re really just incredibly stupid and rather terrible writers. Their dialogue’s endless and their art’s bad.

As for Niles’s Cal McDonald, it’s fine. I mean, it’s bad, but it’s Jones’s fault. Niles writes an action story and Jones isn’t capable of illustrating an action sequence. It’s maybe the best thing I’ve ever read with Niles’s name on it, as he doesn’t profusely narrate the action sequence.

Shaw’s Alan Bland is, again, weak.

But then there’s Pope and The One Trick Rip-Off. Pope injects magical realism into his urban gang story here. While Pope’s art does lend itself towards the fantastic, his story is set–until this installment–in reality. It’s an odd development, one he handles beautifully.

Oh, and another harmless Pekar and Sacco one pager.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #103

Dhp103

I want to take back all the nice things I said about Shaw’s Alan Bland. This installment is annoying and idiotic–Shaw has so many sight gags, he eventually runs out of space on the page. And the script thinks old hippies (who look more beatnik) are hilarious. It’s atrocious.

Pope’s got second slot, which is nice… makes the issue more digestible. One-Trick continues, with Pope complicating the heist aspect of the narrative. It’s such a delicate mix, overall, between genre and tone. Lots of concentration on race and culture here.

Musgrove and Chamberlin contribute The Pink Tornado. No surprise from Musgrove, it’s decently illustrated and terribly written. Presents‘s emphasis on cartoonists continues to fail.

It has to be bad (besides the Pope) because Niles’s mystery is actually the second best story in the comic. There’s less bad dialogue, only because there’s less dialogue, and the mystery’s mildly interesting.

Dark Horse Presents 105 (January 1996)

Niles’s story ends. It’s bad, but fine.

This installment of One Trick finds Pope plotting a very European twist. The cliffhanger’s sort of confusing, but excellent overall.

CREDITS

Cal McDonald, Hairball, Part Four; story by Steve Niles; pencils by Casey Jones; inks by Bruce Patterson; lettering by Sean Konot. Alan Bland, That’s Mr. Painter to You, Part Four; script and art by Stan Shaw. The One Trick Rip-Off, Part Five; story and art by Paul Pope; lettering by Michael Neno. The Pink Tornado, Part Three; story and art by Scott Musgrove and Darick Chamberlin; lettering by Konot. Edited by Bob Schreck and Scott Allie.

Dark Horse Presents 104 (December 1995)

Shaw’s Alan Bland is, again, weak.

Oh, and another harmless Pekar and Sacco one pager.

CREDITS

The Pink Tornado, Part Two; story and art by Scott Musgrove and Darick Chamberlin; lettering by Sean Konot. Cal McDonald, Hairball, Part Three; story by Steve Niles; pencils by Casey Jones; inks by Bruce Patterson; lettering by Konot. Alan Bland, That’s Mr. Painter to You, Part Three; script and art by Stan Shaw. The One Trick Rip-Off, Part Four; story and art by Paul Pope; lettering by Michael Neno. Felipe Alfau; story by Harvey Pekar; art by Joe Sacco. Edited by Bob Schreck and Scott Allie.

Dark Horse Presents 103 (November 1995)

Musgrove and Chamberlin contribute The Pink Tornado. No surprise from Musgrove, it’s decently illustrated and terribly written. Presents‘s emphasis on cartoonists continues to fail.

CREDITS

Alan Bland, That’s Mr. Painter to You, Part Two; script and art by Stan Shaw. The One Trick Rip-Off, Part Three; story and art by Paul Pope; lettering by Michael Neno. The God Trilogy (excerpt); pencils by Jack Kirby; inks by Mike Royer. The Pink Tornado, Part One; story and art by Scott Musgrove and Darick Chamberlin; lettering by Sean Konot. Cal McDonald, Hairball, Part Two; story by Steve Niles; pencils by Casey Jones; inks by Bruce Patterson; lettering by Konot. Edited by Bob Schreck and Scott Allie.