A Surreal Collection of Dreams
I love anthologies. Whether it's the horror anthologies of film and TV or seminal comic publications like 2000AD. Dark Horse Presents had a long run from the mid 80's to the early 2000's. This is the third volume of the series and if you combine them, it's technically issue #194. I've rated the stories individually and taken the average for my overall score. The stories are as follows:
The first story features Big Guy and Rusty. If you're not familiar with the characters you're definitely missing out. Originally by Frank Miller and drawn by Geof Darrow, this time around Darrow writes and draws the duo in a brief fun story. Darrow's art (also featured on the cover) is breathtaking as usual. The story is fun, but its biggest strength is my nostalgia for the characters. Some pinups are also included of Big Guy and Rusty that showcase some more great art. (4 STARS)
The second story is "Kabuki" by David Mack. This is the strongest story in the book. The art is phenomenal and I found myself completely sucked into a dream world. I'm intrigued by the cryptic but compelling story lurking beneath the surface of the exquisite art. I'd love to read more of this. Mack is best known for his covers for Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Despite that notoriety, I'd say he deserves even more for being a brilliant artist, and as he proves here, a solid writer. (5 STARS)
"Resident Alien" by Peter Hogan and drawn by Steve Parkhouse is the most "traditional" of all the stories. There's a cohesive plot about a fairly powerful alien trying to finagle himself some cash from a Vegas casino. It's a pretty simple premise, but Parkhouse's art (especially his use of lighting) is super effective. The result is a sleek cool neo-noir sci-fi tale that leaves the reader wanting more. I'm pleased that this is the cover story for the next issue of DHP. (4 STARS)
The next story is a completely surreal dream appropriately titled story called "Dream Gang." Brendan McCarthy is a name I must follow from now on! His acid visuals are glorious and his juxtaposition of monochrome and colors with the first two pages is amazing. The writing, also by McCarthy is a great fast paced non-sequitur in the style of Grant Morrison's trippiest Doom Patrol or Invisibles work. The imagery in this story is wonderfully colorful and exciting. (5 STARS)
Fan favorites Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray are up next in the penultimate story. I've heard many good things about their Jonah Hex run, but never got a chance to read it, so I was very excited to read this. Gray's art reminded me a lot of the Bruce Timm animation style here. It's pretty straight forward stuff. Divorced dad/ boxer spending time with daughter driving through the southwest to Vegas. They stop in a ghost town and his daughter is snatched up by something mysterious and vaguely demonic. I don't know what it is about this story, but I honestly didn't care for it. I do not feel compelled to read a follow-up. (3 STARS)
The last story, featuring Sabertooth Swordsman, is complete madness. I think this character has cropped up in Dark Horse publications in the past. I appreciate work like this that defies conventional style, but it's not for me. I don't like the art which is a little reminiscent of stuff I've seen in Mad Magazine. There's little writing to speak of otherwise. (3 STARS)