Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
I know that many ZONErs are Punisher fans. If you fall into that category, then you’ll probably want to check out Newsarama’s exclusive six page preview of Punisher: Frank Castle #66. It’s written by one of my favorite new authors, Duane Swierczynski with art by Michael Lacombe. Fan favorite, Dave Johnson, provides the cover. 
On Wednesday, SlashFilm.com reported that Warner Bros had acquired the rights to a French 3 issue graphic novel series called “Headshot.” It’s about a hitman and cop who, when their partners are killed, form an uneasy alliance to get revenge on the powers that set them up. You just know this story sounds like something I’d dig. And I the art, by Alexis Nolent, looks to sweeten the deal. I’d love to see an English edition… and plan to keep an eye out on the movie’s progress.
I’m not expecting a classic, but “Punisher: War Zone” continues to look better and better. There’s a new clip at the official web site.
My admiration for Kyle Baker’s talents are well known. He recently posted 
I know a lot of ZONErs like horror. I also know that many ZONErs enjoy westerns. When the genres are combined and the end result is a good as The Wicked West Volume 1 or The Wicked West Volume 2, everybody wins. Dead Irons may take us all back to victory lane!
Over at Zuda comics, they’ve started their October 2008 competition. Evan Bryce [an artist whose praises you’ve heard me sing before] has teamed up with Doug Wagner and Vin-Luan Luu to create a crazy mix of action /adventure / scifi that they call Hammer Sound.
If you’ve got a few minutes, I’d appreciate it if you’d take a look at Hammer Sound. If you like what you see go ahead and rate it. If you really like what you see, then by all means rate it as one of your favorites. [That’s the rating that will help Evan and company the most.] Tell your friends and encourage them to vote. Then take a look around at some of the other comics at Zuda. Who knows? You may find some others that you dig… but not quite as much as Hammer Sound.
Can’t wait for “Watchmen” to reach a theater near you? Then you might want to check out CBR.com’s report on a special “Watchmen” screening complete with a question and answer session with Zack Snyder!
Whoa! Some how I missed the fourth installment of Newsarama’s interview with Tim Bradstreet. Have no fear, you can read it here along with the fifth and concluding segment. 
Wow. Hard to believe after all the, uh, not so great stuff we’ve seen, but this trailer for Frank Miller’s movie adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit actually looks viewable. I still have no illusions that it will be on par with Sin City or 300, but it now looks MUCH better than other trailers and clips have presented it.So, that begs the question: Is this just a well cut trailer hiding a really bad film?
Charlie Adlard, the artist on my favorite monthly comic, The Walking Dead, has jumped feet first into the 21st century and set up his own website!
If you’ve been following along with part one and part two of Newsarama.com’s interview with Tim Bradstreet, then here’s part three [it even has a couple of images from Archetype!]
ComicBookResources.com has an 18 page preview of Steve Niles new comic series: City of Dust: A Philip Khrome Story #1.
Who doesn’t love Jason Pearson’s art? And when Pearson kicks it into high gear to write and draw Body Bags, who can resist? Of course with a title like Body Bags, you can guess that the violence is over the top. If that doesn’t bother you then check out this interview about the latest Body Bags One Shot and six page preview!
If you’re a fan of Sean Phillips & Ed Brubaker or well done crime stories then check this out.
Crossed #0 [written by Garth Ennis with art by Jacen Burrows] is available now. That’s the wraparound cover by Jacen pictured above and it should give you a good idea of what to expect. At first glance, you might think it’s another zombie comic, but it’s not… at least not exactly.
An event happens which causes a good portion of the population to go crazy. Normal folks in a small town are suddenly surrounded by friends and neighbors killing each other and worse [much worse in some cases]. This introduction by Ennis is smart in that it places us in the middle of things as the insanity spreads. There are enough inspired touches that we understand that this is not a limited event and the world will never be the same. The most frightening scene in my opinion wasn’t any of the attacks by the infected, or the bomb blast, or the widespread shots of carnage all around. To me the most creepy shot was of a plane crashing — we see it strike a clock tower as it hurtles to the ground and then Jacen gives us a close up of the cockpit. In it we see two flight attendants in the background fighting, an infected passenger with an evil grin killing the co-pilot as the infected pilot laughs maniacally as he dives the plane into the ground.
Crossed was definitely good enough that I’ll be back for more. Jacen Burrows provides the pencils and inks and this is his best work yet. Greg Waller provides the colors and did a great job in capturing the mood of the book and complimenting Burrows’s line work. Garth Ennis’s story leaves me wanting more. He knows how to hit all the right notes but be aware that he’s not afraid of going over the line when it comes to shocking gore and violence.
Crossed isn’t for everyone. However fans of horror and the zombie genre [although the infected aren’t zombies… at least traditional zombies] might want to check it out. Issue 0 would be a great place to start. It’s only a buck and available now.
