Dark Horse Presents 80 (December 1993)

Are there Art Adams fans out there? He’s not bad, but his faces are awful. I’ve never seen someone vary his perspective of a face so much—it’s like he does these three dimensional faces, except the nose. The nose is 2D. I guess he drew the monsters well. Monkeyman & O’Brien is not terrible. It’s just mediocre.

Then it turns out I read the last Hermes installment wrong—I didn’t notice Campbell had a visual framing for flashbacks—so we do get to see the supervillains in their costumes. It also turns out they’re responsible for the fight between Hermes and the Eyeball Kid. Campbell puts in a “Simpsons” reference, which is odd, but it works. Very nice installment.

Shadow Empires continues to be poorly written and enthusiastically, if amateurishly, drawn. Moeller signs the last page and it’s a little sad. It’s a full page panel and the art’s awful.

CREDITS

Monkeyman & O’Brien, Tortorus; story and art by Art Adams. Hermes versus the Eyeball Kid, Part Five; story by Eddie Campbell and Wes Kublick; art by Campbell, Peter Mullins and April Post; lettering by Campbell. Shadow Empires, The Passage, Part Two; story and art by Chris Moeller; lettering by Vickie Williams. Edited by Randy Stradley.

Dark Horse Presents 79 (November 1993)

Ever have a friend who could draw really well? Moeller’s art on Shadow Empires is like a friend who can draw well. He takes time with it, he works at it… but it’s still totally not ready for the big leagues. It’s somehow even rougher than some of the worse art Presents has published. The writing’s pretty lame too (it’s like Dune again).

Campbell and company turn in another fine episode of Hermes here. While the Eyeball Kid is in hiding, Campbell concentrates on the supporting cast. It’s awesome how little the fight has to do with what Campbell does with the story installments. This issue a trio decides to become supervillains in a rather hilarious conversation (I only hope Campbell shows them in the costumes they discuss).

Davis’s writing hits a new low on Paleolove. Every time I think I’m through reading him, Presents publishes yet another dumb story.

CREDITS

Shadow Empires, The Passage, Part One; story and art by Chris Moeller; lettering by Vickie Williams. Hermes versus the Eyeball Kid, Part Four; story by Eddie Campbell and Wes Kublick; art by Campbell, Peter Mullins and April Post; lettering by Campbell. Paleolove, Part Three; story, art and lettering by Gary Davis. Edited by Randy Stradley.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #78

Yolen and Vess have an absolutely fantastic fairy tale story here. It’s not technically a fairy tale (it’s layered, a nursemaid tells the story to a child, who it directly concerns) but it’s just wonderful. Vess’s art here is superior–he’s able to convey action, antiquity and fear. There’s one moment where it confuses, then it all becomes quite clear. Yolen comes up with a great narrative though. Her writing is the real boon.

Paleolove continues. Davis is on the second of a third part story and there’s no reason for a third part if this one is any indication. Not because it’s bad (it’s not good, but like most Davis, not exactly awful), but because the narrative is already stretched then as this entry closes.

Campbell reveals another character’s backstory in Hermes this installment. It’s so good. The details are indescribable due to imagination and complexity. It’s outstanding work.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #77

Oh, I finally get it. Paleolove means love in the Paleolithic era. To pay Davis a complement (my first?), he’s never tried so deliberately to tug on the heartstrings until now so I never really gave the title a thought. What amazes me is the artwork. He hasn’t gotten any better with figures since his first Paleolove story, sixty or so issues ago in Presents. At least he’s not getting worse.

Campbell and company don’t explain everything this installment of Hermes and Eyeball. I fact, I don’t think they explain anything other than the Eyeball Kid and the false oracle are in cahoots together. Again, it’s excellent work, very self-aware and very charming–which isn’t easy given the Eyeball Kid. He’s kind of gross looking.

Lang and Lieber’s Nanny Katie story is a lovely little story about an English nanny who can commune with nature. Delicate writing, great art.

Dark Horse Presents 78 (October 1993)

Campbell reveals another character’s backstory in Hermes this installment. It’s so good. The details are indescribable due to imagination and complexity. It’s outstanding work.

CREDITS

King Henry; story by Jane Yolen; art and lettering by Charles Vess. Paleolove, Part Two; story, art and lettering by Gary Davis. Hermes versus the Eyeball Kid, Part Three; story by Eddie Campbell and Wes Kublick; art by Campbell, Peter Mullins and April Post; lettering by Campbell. Edited by Randy Stradley.

Dark Horse Presents 77 (August 1993)

Lang and Lieber’s Nanny Katie story is a lovely little story about an English nanny who can commune with nature. Delicate writing, great art.

CREDITS

Paleolove, Part One; story, art and lettering by Gary Davis. Hermes versus the Eyeball Kid, Part Two; story by Eddie Campbell and Wes Kublick; art by Campbell, Peter Mullins and April Post; lettering by Campbell. Nanny Katie, An Edwardian Nursery; story by Jeffrey Lang; art by Steve Lieber. Edited by Randy Stradley.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #52

The Bacchus story is a really upsetting story of Simpson, Bacchus’s sidekick, and his journey through hell. I’m not up on my Dante, but it seems like it follows Inferno a little bit. It’s a good story, but it’s a real downer and very different from the other Bacchus entries so far.

The Heartbreakers story features some really dumb plot developments. But Bennett may have gotten the narrative to a good starting point. Finally.

Then there’s Sin City—two installments in and I’m really sick of it. Half the story looks like Miller’s drew Batman then replaced him with Marv (trench coat as cape) and the other half is filled with the crappy dialogue. Without Mickey Rourke saying it, it doesn’t work. It’s just too stupid. Rourke being able to sell this dialogue is the testament to his ability (though it’s over a dozen years before he would speak it).

Dark Horse Presents 52 (July 1991)

The Heartbreakers story features some really dumb plot developments. But Bennett may have gotten the narrative to a good starting point. Finally.

CREDITS

Bacchus, Afterdeath; story and art by Eddie Campbell and Wes Kublick. Heartbreakers, That Uncertain Feeling; story by Anina Bennett and Paul Guinan; art by Guinan; lettering by Willie Schubert. Sin City, Episode Three; story and art by Frank Miller. Edited by Randy Stradley.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #46

You know, the Aliens stories in Dark Horse Presents, for whatever reason, never bugged me. However, this Predator standalone… it’s really out of place. Maybe it’s because Arcudi’s writing is so lame (he does have a good twist, but Walton’s art makes it hard to appreciate as everyone looks the same). It’s not so much bad, just really lame.

Harris’s Crash Ryan is just getting better. He does a bunch of action (and gets two story slots in this issue) and then has a fantastic reveal. He mixes the awkward politics–it’s pro-worker, but anti-Soviet and anti-Nazi. Awesome conclusion has American big business getting in bed (albeit unknowingly) with Hitler….

The Bacchus story is the origin story. Dark Horse really owes Campbell–Bacchus has added a legitimacy to Dark Horse Presents. The retelling’s great, mixing periods and tones. It’s an essential history lesson (of an inessential subject).

Dark Horse Presents 46 (November 1990)

CREDITS

Predator; story by John Arcudi; pencils and lettering by Rob Walton; inks by Armando Gil. Crash Ryan; story and art by Ron Harris. Bacchus, Defining the Divine; story and art by Eddie Campbell and Wes Kublick. Edited by Randy Stradley.