The Dreamer #1 (IDW Comics)
By Jeb D

The romance comic isn't what it used to be. In fact, these days, it mostly just isn't. What was once as much a staple of the four-color world as the superhero (and, at times, even more so) has pretty much fallen by the wayside, as regular comics reading (as opposed to the consumption of trade paperbacks, graphic novels, or manga collections) has become more and more the province of post-adolescent males. The teen girl today who might have been reading Archie or Millie the Model in a bygone day is now swooning over teen vamps in the Twilight books, or snogging her way through London with Georgia Nicholson. If she ever read a comic, it was probably Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and it's that juxtaposition that allows author/artist Lora Innes to update the romance comic here with a keen ear for today's teenspeak, and a sharp eye for the sometimes fuzzy border between dreams and reality.

Our heroine, Beatrice Whaley  is a modern teenage girl who, when she falls asleep, finds herself involved in adventure and romance in the period of the American Revolution. The dreams are "real", in the sense that they are the place where Beatrice can be the person she believes herself to be. Of course, she's going to find romance right under her nose in that mundane world of high school, but genre fiction like this is never about surprising us with the ending, but engaging us on the journey there.

As a writer, Innes has a Bendis-like gift for the rhythms of speech, though there are times when her otherwise well-researched historical characters jar the ear with modern slang like "I can't believe he pulled it off." She's otherwise scrupulous with her period setting, blending her fictional heroine with such historical personages as General  William Howe and Nathan Hale. Her art is light and colorful (with some gorgeous nighttime scenes), and while the settings and backgrounds sometimes skimp on detail, what is there always feels right for whichever "reality" Beatrice is currently occupying.

Given that The Dreamer is already a successful webcomic, IDW might seem to be pushing their luck in trying to find readers willing to pony up for the four-color version of the story. I hope it catches on, though-not only is the romance comic lying too fallow as a genre, but we don't have enough female comic creators getting their opportunities these days, and even fewer attempting such an original approach. The Dreamer may not appeal to the demographically-typical comic reader, but anyone looking for teen-oriented romantic fantasy that doesn't look like something out of a Hot Topic catalog should definitely try this comic.


THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS


[Raided] Green Arrow/Black Canary #14
by Graig Kent

There are some people - some very vocal internet denizens - who really don't like Judd Winick, and I guess I can see why, even though I've found him to routinely be a perfectly adequate writer with a good sense of action, adventure, humor and fun. Sure, he's not the stodgiest of continuity cops but sometimes continuity just gets in the way of telling a story, and if the story is entertaining enough then continuity be damned. But sometimes, and I see this in Winick's work too, he dispenses with history just because, for seemingly no purpose at all. This issue of GA/BC is Winick's last, and instead of going out on a high note, he decides to end it by completely destroying Connor Hawke. No, Connor isn't dead, but he's had his memories "sorta" wiped clean, and he's been given some new powers while his old skills have been washed away. Really, there's no point to it, none at all. Even if this wasn't a character I liked, it would be a purposeless gesture to tank a character and then leave them as an empty vessel for someone else to deal (or not deal) with. It's really a pathetic and sour ending to a routinely goofy, enjoyably comic-booky run Winick has had on this title, the bulk of which he was joined by stellar talent Mike Norton. Norton, with Wayne Faucher, has been drawing some of the most vibrant, clean, visually appealing spandex tights in comics, so much that it raises the quality of words and story that have accompanied it. But only so much of Norton's charm could affect this issue, and ultimately, it's just a heap best ignored.


ONE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS



[Raided] Gigantic #1 (of 4)
by Graig Kent

So apparently aliens created both the earth and humanity "Truman Show"-style for their own televisual amusement, and interesting posit which bears fruit as a renegade contestant from another "reality show" planet crash lands in the middle of San Francisco, with a host of network ranglers sent after him, altogether sending ratings for "Channel Earth" skyrocketing.  Unfortunately for San Fran, these aliens are the size of skyscrapers and buildings get toppled, people get stepped on. But the giant visitor isn't without compassion and his heart aches with every step he takes as he attempts to flee from the city and his persuers. Gigantic is an exceptionally clever mix of giant monsters and cultural commentary, examining our own insatiable desire for passive entertainment amongst other things (some sly jests at religion are front loaded into the book), all well executed by Rick Remender and Eric Nguyen.


FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS