CAPTION BOX - FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

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CAPTION BOX - FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
By Leroy Douresseaux
May 10, 2005 - 10:33

Caption box
Writer(s): A. David Lewis
Penciller(s): Taki Soma
Inker(s): Jeffrey LaJaunie

Caption Box’s contribution to Free Comic Book Day 2005 is MORTAL COILS PRESENTS… FREE BODIES, an anthology featuring four short stories. I’m reviewing this book without researching the company. When I read it I wanted to see how I would like this cold, getting it straight off the table, like a newcomer to a comic book shop on FCBD:

An obtuse and dense, vaguely fantasy, short story featuring two young women who wander around talking in circles and making historical references of an extremely “trivial pursuit” nature. Taki Soma’s storytelling shows promise, as does her drawing, but the strength in the art comes from new inker Jeffrey LaJaunie (who is also a creative partner of mine). In spite of the poor storytelling quality, there is still enough here to make me curious. C-

I’m guessing that Chris Srnka used charcoal to create this lovely art. Srnka would be right at home in those old Warren magazines with this ink wash like art. Lewis’ tale is actually a nice fantasy short story that obviously fits into something larger and ongoing. I found the characters, setting, and situation quite engaging, although there is quite a bit of extraneous dialogue here. Lewis and Srnka make an excellent team, and I hope this collaboration is part of a regular thing. B+

“Fetch”
CARTOONIST: Carla Speed McNeil

I’m a fan of Carla’s acclaimed, cult comic book series, Finder, since 2001, but I first fell in love with her work in the late 80’s when I met her in college. This is a three-year old story that showcases everything that has made Carla popular with a small, but growing group of readers (including Warren Ellis). She is an excellent storyteller and yarn spinner and a superb cartoonist who creates expressive characters in lively backgrounds. Her brand of science fiction is a mixture of history, sociology, futurism, pop culture, anthropology, feminism, and tribalism.
I really hope that the older readers who visited their local shop on FCBD got a chance to get this Mortal Coils book, because if they did, they will discover in Finder, a title they will want to read for a long time. A

“I Didn’t Know This Place had a Cellar”

Dan Taylor and Chris Fason’s Hero Happy Hour closes FCBD Mortal Coils with a tale by Fialkov and Keating. Fialkov’s story reminds me of the post-Watchmen superhero stories that appeared in the late 80’s, and there’s a vague Matt Wagner touch to Keating’s art. This is actually a nice little-one off tale, but it’s not strong enough to really draw more people to Hero Happy Hour. It’s an OK foot-forward, but not the best one. C