BEOWULF – Trade Paperback
Based on the Screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary
Written by Chris Ryall Art by Gabriel Rodriguez
IDW Publishing

When I was kid, Beowulf was one of my favorite stories. I read it somewhere in a book filled with short stories, and it was more about Grendel than it was about Beowulf. I loved it, and it instantly became a part of me and my reading habits, guiding me to horror masters Stephen King and Clive Barker. Now, many years later, we have an animated film bring it to life. While last year’s Beowulf and Grendel with Gerard Butler had mediocre success in the translation, it still beats that crappy Christopher Lambert flick that was far, far from anything related to the classic story. The transition from book to animated film to comic book is much easier and acceptable as the roots in the film are geared more toward a comic book than the poem. In other words, they don’t speak Shakespearean or even worse… Thirteenth Warrior-ian. No, it tells the story like it was told to me as a kid: In common English. IDW Publishing does a great job adapting the animated film brought to us by the masterful writer Neil Gaiman (Sandman) and the not-too-shabby wordsman, Roger Avary (Killing Zoe). The writer and artist of the comic book don’t have a heavy task, and they pick and choose the best scenes for each panel to make it feel like the movie. After reading it, I was pretty excited in seeing the movie come to life on the big screen… in 3-D! (You should already know I’m a sucker for 3-D after reading issue #3 of Bad Planet!) The only disappointment in the trade paperback is the missing translation of the original poem featured in the single issues that were released weekly before the film. This would have completed it and made it essential for the comic book collection. But if you go see the movie, this is a good handbook for those midnight quote cravings or “Beowulf vs. The Dragon” sword fights in the backyard. Just please use a plastic sword and don’t taint it with a lameass lightsaber. This is the world’s oldest English poem, for cryin out loud. Show some respect, Darth.

GRADE: A- COMPARED TO MOVIE? It’s pretty faithful, at least from the 10 sneak peeks I’ve seen on Spike TV this week.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER – Issue #8
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Brian K.Vaughn Art by Georges Jeanty

Buffy vs. Faith. Round 12? Looks like Faith is finally fed up with Buffy’s “quip first, punch second, then listen” approach, and hell, I don’t blame her. It’s been the most annoying attribute for Buffy throughout her seven seasons, and it would piss me off so much while watching the show, that I would cheer every time Spike or a bad guy smacked her around! Take a chill pill, babe. Issue eight leads us to believe that Faith really doesn’t have a future, and it scares me. Faith is one of my favorite characters, and Brian K. Vaughn has been writing her very well. I just hope he’s not writing the swan song. I’ve already lost my beloved Anyanka and Gwen. But it was good to finally have Lady G get her ass stomped by the Big B. You can only handle so much posturing before you want their face smashed in. But like usual, Faith makes things complicated by saving Lady G’s ass and unintentionally throws down with Buffy, almost drowning her in the process. And finally, somebody says it. Faith tells Buffy simply to just “Shut Up”, though I would have liked a “The Hell” in the middle of it. Bout time someone had the balls and breasts to say it. This is a great cliffhanger to the final segment of Vaughn’s run, and though that cover for issue nine is gorgeous, I’m terrified to read it. I guess I should have a little “faith” in Brian though, huh?

GRADE: A CONTINUE READING? If you’re a diehard fan of Faith like me, I’d use extreme caution in picking up issue nine. Fingers crossed.

FREDDY VS JASON VS ASH – Issue #1
Dynamite Entertainment
WildStorm Entertainment
Written by James Kuhoric Art by Jason Craig

Finally!! Some proof to this rumor that Ash would take on two of horror’s biggest icons at once: Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. While it’s not a movie, a comic book format will do. Dynamite Entertainment lends their chinny hero with a chainsaw for a hand to WildStorm’s bosom buddies in blood for a story that…well… uh… drowns. That’s where we have a little bit of a problem, and might be the reason why this movie never got made. The first issue picks up on our survivors from the movie, Freddy vs. Jason, and has them wiped out pretty quick by the goalie that doesn’t allow hat tricks. The writer, James Kuhoric, tries to be sneaky with the narrator, but instead, loses the audience when “the trick” is revealed as it doesn’t really pertain to the character’s core personality. It should have been straight out who it was following in the book as that would have been more meaningful and dramatic. This shows a big hole in Kuhoric’s writing of the titular character, and to be honest, I cringe if this is how Ash will be written for the rest of the series. Fortunately, we’re saved by Jason Craig’s art, capturing the bloody atmosphere and zaniness from the Freddy vs. Jason film encounter. It’s much more alive and energetic than his previous effort with Zenescope’s Seven series entry, “Pride”, and keeps this book from being a total disaster. The approach to this series is out in left field rather than home plate, and why this path was chosen is a big question in my book. After the success of Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, I figured this book would get it right. Nope. I’m thinking this might be on the WildStorm side since some of their horror books like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and A Nightmare on Elm Street haven’t done so well either in the writing department. This book is a huge struggle at times to read through. In fact, the second caption of the first page has notable grammar issues, and that’s something you just don’t miss with a title like this. It’s unfortunate that Craig has to carry this book on his back right away, but to the editor’s credit, this is only the first issue. Things do change, and hopefully for Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, they do it pretty quick. I’m looking to be entertained, not disappointed and wanting my money back.

GRADE: C+ CONTINUE READING? Once Ash starts getting groovy, I’m sure this book will pick up the pace. More fingers crossed.

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