#260

Cover - 4 - I got the newsstand cover, I think it's too far towards a simple comic cover, and though it does relate to a story inside, I'm not a big fan of that story.  The subscriber cover by Horley looks nicer.  I'm not a big fan of the multiple covers.  I'm unlikely to subscribe, and even less likely to seek out different covers to "complete my collection".

Emily, Almost - 8 - mysterious and moody, and makes a good point.

The Lottery Party - 7 - So this is perhaps another editorial like Dossier or Metal Media, with a review or something?  I'm ok with that, we'll see if it returns.  This one had a nice review of Fahrenheit 451, which I had only recently read, that I enjoyed as the writer made the case that we live in the times of that story now.  There was also a story about Dax Riggs of Acid Bath.  I didn't know about them, but I enjoyed the article and that it made me recall past HM music reviews from the 80s etc.

The Matron - 7 - written by the author of the previous editorial, an interesting story about a tribal outcast's growth from child exile to matron, in a changing world.  It has a descriptive and imaginative writing style that I enjoyed.  For this and the previous article I wonder if the uncredited art is actually by the author.

Gallery - 5 - the one I liked was Light It Up, just because I like that kind of line drawing.

Carpe Diem - 6 - pretty nicely done, bright and full of action, and there's some fun in the writing, but it just doesn't make a big impression on me.

The Weirding Willows - 5 - another random episode with more critters and ....  mini robots?  In HM it's not unexpected to have gaps in storytelling or episodes, but this was more annoying than usual.  There are some good art examples, though the contrived ways to keep it PG-13 were more annoying than alluring.

Odyssey - Part Two - 6 - a continuation from #259, I think it's ok but not great, at least it goes somewhere.

Elephant's Graveyard - 6 - I want to like what it's trying to say, and the glowing comm-orbs are interesting and offer weird lighting opportunities.  Doesn't really grab me though.

Daniel - 8 - I really liked this, even though the art isn't really precise it is very successful telling me this story.  I imagine the Bible offers many potential illustrated fantasy stories.  (I do have R. Crumb's Genesis)

Dante's Inferno - 6 - interesting and short essay about Dante and his Divine Comedy, and recalling some images it projects as subjects for art.  less interesting to me were the theological implications, though it provides an offer to discuss online for those interested.

Deep Six Odyssey - 7 - Big story with lots of action.  Seeing Suydam credited with coloring caught my attention, and I thought it added a great deal (he did a bunch of stories like Mudwog back in the 90s etc).

Sharky - 6 - the Johnson gallery and Horley art are pretty cool, looks like the story is trying to have some fun.  I'll wait to see if this ever shows up in HM again.

Battle Beasts Preview - 3 - some of the art is good, but seeing a promo for little plastic bits makes me think I'm watching Saturday morning cartoons about 20 years ago, and not in a good way.

There were a couple nice things in this issue, and some things that I wasn't too fond of.  Some of the blatant merchandising and the PG-13 approach are unappealing.  Note the removal of "adult" from the new tagline "The World's Greatest Illustrated Magazine".  Previews on the internet give me a couple things to look forward to, and as long as the print magazine continues to be produced I'll keep trying to find something to like.