The Enforcers #2

Back online after the some cable issues resulting from Hurricane Irene. I'm continuing with my reviews from ComiCONN. This is the second indy book I picked up at the show.

Title: The Enforcers
Issue: #2
Date: November, 2010
Publisher: 3JP Comics
Writer: Carl Herring Jr.
Artist: Tod Smith
Colorist: Steve Kuster
Letterer: Steve Kuster

Detective Clayton Jagger is investigating a shipment of high-powered army weapons stolen by the city's top drug lord. Along the way, he has to deal with stonewalling from the feds and Army Intelligence, plus a horde of armed thugs in ninja-style getups who are out to retrieve one of the weapons that fell into the hands of a DEA agent.

Good cast of characters in this one. I really liked retired detective Tunney, who serves as an informant and something of a mentor figure to Jagger. Senator Fulton and Federal Agent Maddox Turner are also pretty intriguing. It's not made completely clear which side of the game they're on, but the intrigue levels are being nicely ratcheted up in their scenes.

The ending scene, featuring a washed-up cop who's lost his nerve, was also really good.

The only disappointment was the villains, who do a reasonable job of providing something evil for the good guys to fight against, but don't show the depth that the rest of the characters in this series have.

Tod Smith's artwork is solid throughout, and he does an excellent job with the clarity and pacing on the fight scenes.

Rating: 7/10

The Couch

Back from ComiCONN, which was a fun show in spite of a looming hurricane. I was running my table solo, which didn't give me a ton of time for shopping, but I did pick up two indy books, the first of which is today's review. That was going to be the extent of it, but someone was getting rid of a small stack of comics so I snagged them on my way out. As you might guess from the number of promo freebies I end up reviewing, my favorite word is "free" (my second-favorite word is "cheap"). So expect some reviews of some mainstream books in the days to come as well as the two small press books I brought home. Speaking of which, let's check out Tak Toyoshima's The Couch.

Title: The Couch
Creator: Tak Toyoshima

This is a "pitch book" and it was printed without any credits.

The book begins as a hardboiled cop story with a washed-out police detective who's got one last chance to solve the murder of a teenager.

Meanwhile, a girl shops for clothing for an amorphous creature that absorbs food through its skin, has the shape of a small humanoid, and just might contain the mind of the murdered boy.

The creature has also caught the attention of the local homeless community who believe it to be a demon that must be destroyed.

This was a really intriguing start, and the artwork was excellent. It had an interesting cast of characters, and a truly unique creature. I'll be interested in seeing how the story develops from here.

Rating: 7.5/10.

Reviewing Live From ComiCONN Tomorrow!

No review tonight, but Dandelion Studious will be appearing at ComiCONN 2011, tomorrow at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Stamford, CT.

Come check out our full line of Dandelion Studios comics!

I'll pick up a few items to review at the show and I'll try to get started with the reviews from the road tomorrow. Expect more reviews as we weather Hurricane Irene back on Cape Cod.