Quick GN Reviews

Marvel Knights Spider-Man, vol. 1: Down Among the Dead Men
by Mark Millar, Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson
I was going to give this a favorable rating, until I reached the end and--there was no end! It just kind of stopped, with no resolution to any of the plots. People, when you're going to write for the trade you should, you know, actually WRITE FOR THE TRADE! When you pick up a book it should have a beginning, a middle and an end. This is not the case of a serial having some continuing plotlines. No. Not one thing is resolved by the end of this, and it ends on a big ol' cliffhanger. Bad Marvel, bad. On the positive side, Millar does some good character work in the opening chapter, the art is pleasant to look at (even if, in Dodson-World, women only come in one body type) and the plentiful action is easy to follow.
Rating: 2.5 (of 5)


CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Serial
by Max Allan Collins, Gabriel Rodriguez, & Ashley Wood
Gil, Katherine & Warrick are on the trail of a serial killer who is recreating the crimes of Jack the Ripper. Meanwhile in the B story, Sara & Nick try to determine of a young woman was killed by her lazy brother or her abusive boyfriend. In other words, it's exactly like an episode of CSI. And that's the problem; there's nothing in this comic that could not have come right out of an episode of the tv series. Perhaps that could be forgiven if the art was great, but it's not. Rodriguez's figure work makes the characters look stocky and deformed much of the time, and his faces are just close enough to the actors' likenesses to be annoying (he is much better when making up characters not from the show). So you can fork over $20 for this collection and get a perfectly okay CSI story, or just tune in next Thursday at 9pm Eastern on CBS and get a new CSI story for free.
Rating: 2.5 (of 5)


The Goon: Rough Stuff
by Eric Powell
In a depression-era city being overrun by the zombies of the Zombie Priest, The Goon struggles to protect the 'business' interests of the crime boss Labrazio as well as keep government G-Men off his back. Full of silly, over-the-top violence and macabre humor, it's ood, clean zombie-bashing fun. Plus, the first chapter features a Giant Zombie Chimp. That's right, a Giant Zombie Chimp. How can you pass up this kind of fun?
Rating: 3 (of 5)