Cerebus #230

Wednesday, 6 May 1998

For some reason, things have worked out such that two or three weeks will go by with only a couple of comics coming out that I feel like buying, and those being titles in which I have but a lukewarm interest, and then I'll get a week like this one, with four of my must-buys coming out.

Mage: The Hero Defined #7

I'm really enjoying looking at Matt Wagner's ink work. He's got some great, expressive lines coming off of his brush. I'm also enjoying seeing the gathering of heroes; especially the "Bear-Wulf" in the Grendel t-shirt who makes an appearance in this issue. I'm getting a bit bored with the story, though. Seven issues and I don't think the main plot has taken off yet. I think this is going to wind up being one of those comics that reads better when finished and collected than it does as a serial.

Preacher #39

Garth Ennis introduces us to a new character with a strange purpose in life, shows us what's become of Jesse, gives us a recipe for Leg of Starr in Red Wine Sauce, and hints at things to come.

Cerebus #230

Man, I've been reading this comic for 180 issues, and there are 70 to go, a bit under six years, until it ends. That's a big part of my life.

If you read Cerebus, there's pretty much nothing I can say about this issue without spoiling it. If you don't read it, you won't understand what I'm talking about. For the two people I know who might read this who used to read Cerebus but don't anymore, or anyone who's already read this issue and wants to know what I think about it, I'll say some more at the bottom of the page.

The Invisibles #16

Cool stuff happens but I only understand about half of it; the rest will make sense five or ten issues from now. What else is new?

StormWatch #6

I'm starting to lose interest in this title. It just seems like more of the same stuff over and over again. The three-issue story that just ended just didn't interest me as much as the previous one had, and that didn't interest me as much as the one before that. I may drop it.

Spoilers for Cerebus #230
That means stop reading here if you haven't read/seen it yet.

Jaka's back! Several times in the two most recent storylines ("Guys" and "Rick's Story"), Dave Sim has portrayed dysfunctional relationships between men and women with great wit, but it's annoyed me because I've got the nagging feeling (based on the Big Misogynistic Text-Barf from issue #180) that Sim seens these relationships as typical of all husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. In the latest issue, Sim portrays two people of opposite sexes genuinely enjoying each other's company in a way that makes me think he might not be totally sour on the whole idea.