"Full Issue Super Special Featuring Dravn", more like full issue Dave Elliot special, again. It seems Mr Elliot is building another layered and well crafted story line, but will we see more of it in HM? I'm not optimistic. I may be in the minority, but Heavy Metal is pretty much the only comic I buy, besides Kranburn since I like it so much, and the occasional resale shop find, so I'm not likely to get other mags to follow this story. (though I admit that BiLL's link to Metal Hurlant issues has intrigued me, I'm thinking about seeking these out. they're similar and somewhat related to HM.) Anyway,
Cover - 7.5 - I like the flip cover, the front graphic has a lot to offer, it's more than a pinup, it does a lot with a watercolor-ish look, and they drive giant robots. The back looks nice and promotes one of the inside stories. Both have logos, the front shiny metal with flat head screws, and the back has a heat convection effect that fits with the scene. I'm letting "The World's Greatest Illustrated Magazine" tagline bug me though.
Dravn Creedo - 4 - Pompous, and it's spelled "credo"
Dravn History - 7 - kind of cool dossier type presentation
Dravn Gallery - 5 - I'd rather be shown than told. And there's a Dravn 1942 but the story is Dravn 1918, more on my confusion later.
Dravn 2001: Girl of Sorrows - 6 - In two parts, art's ok, like all these the writing is pretty good, this story doesn't offer me much though.
Dravn 1918: Two Masters - 7 - I like the art since it reminds me of Rod Kierkegaard, even though some of the perspectives are a bit off it's still rich and intriguing. I'm confused though, the story looks like it's WWI , but it ends with a pretty neat looking 1943 newspaper headline about D-Day Lost! It's such an unexpected time span, and D-Day was in 1944? Apparently his history is not ours.
Dravn 1541: Brotherly Love - 5 - a few nice bits but the "I Love You Mother" and the 60 ft in the air battle scenes seemed hackneyed.
Dravn 520: Kingdom on Earth - 3 - the art is nice looking, but the writing has too many cute humor attempts for its remaining quality to overcome. And the Citizen Behavioral Mandate was terrible, it looked nothing like a written pronouncement and everything like a kid playing with text fonts. Center justified? sheesh.
I was very amused by the announcement of 4 Horsemen winning Best Orginal Graphic Novel. Spelling errors in HM are nothing new but I found this one funny.
Dravn 1604: Above All Names - 4 - I'm not fond of the art.
the lottery party - 7 - two entries. I like how this offers a break from the Dravn, and the one about the book on H.P. Lovecraft in New York was interesting to me. NYC only got more interesting to me when someone I know went there and I've visited. I don't like it, but like all big cities it has a lot to offer and a deep history if you care to look for it. I'm not a huge Lovecraft fan but I'm amused by fans' depth of interest. Turns out the book author's blog has the book for free.
Dravn 2169: I Am - 7 - I think I like this story the most, maybe it's the sentient robot gaining awareness.
So I thought this was an ok issue, a few nice parts and a few poor parts. I'll be disappointed if we get many more of these Dave Elliot specials that do little more than promote other work, but I might change my tune if we get some repeat installments of some stories, even a serial or two. The internet thinks we may see some Bilal again soon , I hope so.
