Awakening Comics #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Awakening Comics
Issue: 1
Date: Summer, 1997
Publisher: Awakening Comics
Writer: Steve Peters
Artist: Steve Peters, Doug Sheaff, Dave Sim, Paul Pope, Mark Oakley, Matt Feazell, Scott Roberts, Steve Remen, Greg Hyland, Joe Chiappetta, Rick Veitch, James Kochalka, Sam Henderson, Oscar Stern, Rob Walton, Jimmy Gownley, David Nowell

This is an anthology comic that is mostly Steve Peters' solo work, but also includes a jam scection featuring a big cast of guest artists.

The stories cover a range of mystical and surreal topics, including a dreamer visiting an island and joining a battle against invading lobsters, a Hindu afterlife tale that takes a turn in the Norse direction, and a discussion of a long-abandoned roleplaying game campaign.

There is also an alternate dimension of super-powered kids, and a man trapped in a Circus of Heaven.

These were all prtetty interesting, and I especially enjoyed the discussion of what happens to the gaming worlds we invent after we stop playing.

The jam segment in Circus of Heaven was a bit choppy, but that is the nature of jams, and it featured a pretty stellar list of contributors.

Rating: 8.5/10

Swamp Thing #68

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Swamp Thing
Issue: 68
Date: January 1988
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Rick Veitch
Penciller: Rick Veitch
Inker: Alfredo Alcala
Colorist: Tatjana Wood
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Karen Berger

A fun bit of nostalgia in the "Meanwhile" editorial by Dick Giordano expressing his excitement for the soon-to-debut Star Trek: The Next Generation (and hyping DC's comic adaptation).

The story in this issue has four threads. By far the most disturbing is an attempted truck-bomb attack on the Galaxy Communications skyscraper in Metropolis, which becomes more unsettling reading with the benefit of hindsight.

While the attack plays out in Metropolis, the Swamp Thing shares experiences with his previous incarnations among the Parliament of Trees in a sequence that does a nice job of expanding the pantheon and mythology of the Swamp Thing.

The other two storylines occur in Houma. Chester faces temptation by a reality TV star looking to cash in on Chester's association with the Swamp Thing.

And in a heartfelt segment, Abigail helps Liz in her struggle with PTSD as they try to get through a simple run into town for errands, only to find Abigail's past rearing its ugly head. Swamp Thing during this time period was great at slow-build character development, where the events of the stories had lasting effects on the characters, and this issue did a very nice job with Abigail, Liz, and Chester as we get insights into them through quiet moments, small actions, and bits of dialogue.

Rating: 8/10