Heavy Metal #268

Certainly took my time getting and reading and reviewing this one.  There's some pretty good stuff in it, though, and I enjoyed it and I hope you do too.

Cover by Isidore Koliavras - 7 - Nice looking example of the babe-in-some-wacky-outfit, this time some warrior.  I liked the detail the most, the software-assisted rendering allows a lot to look into.  Funny how the breastplate seemed to get a lot of attention, with the shaping and layers and textures, but the axe has blunt edges.

Animal'z by Bilal - 9 - So now it's a soap opera, with polite fisticuffs, nihilistic duelists, and awkward dinner conversation.  People coming together and pasts are reunited.  Dreams and departures.  All the dialogue with much exposition, tells more about how things got where they are.  It may be less mysterious now, but it seems even more strange.  I'm really looking forward to more.

Gallery by Dominic Harman - 6 - Some of it's pretty good, some of it's fairly good.  Looks like he got a bit in The Other Dead.

A Pressing Position by Andrew Wislocki - 7 - A light but fun one-pager, a Giantess named Vavoomica, loses her ring in the forest.  Those mushrooms look funny, but I think I can see why.

In the End, There Will Be Hope by Martinez, Llarena, Bilbao, Cobos, and Jame - 7 - A nice collaboration here.  An interesting consideration of artificial intelligence, the writing increases focus as the story goes on, the art is done well, and the style fits the story.  I've liked much of Llarena's work before, and I liked how he's part of this group, though it's odd he's not credited in the Contents page.  Hopefully just an oversight.

E.V.A. by Marco Turini - 8 - This looks so much like it's from earlier HM, I'm entranced.  The nicely drawn ridiculous outfits, the cool techno-future environment, the neat watercolor-ish coloring, it's all so reminiscent.  This entry is huge, 21 pages, with so much fun stuff.  The devil-headed Nachzehrer with a full page of expository dialog, so much that it got me thinking he couldn't talk like a human with those teeth and no lips, but I don't care.  The completely stupid but so cool looking but it can't be comfortable motorcycle.  Platform-high-heeled armor, future torture, the failure of over-reliance on technology.  And with all this, it's to be "concluded next issue".  Oh Boy!

Among by Stefano Cardoselli - 7 - I can simultaneously like and dislike Cardoselli's style.  The action, the colors, the enthusiasm, it's so very exciting, but sometimes it's so flat and mindless.  It's part of his charm I guess.  Looks like he learned (in 2007) to directional splatter paint so we're treated to even more death and dismemberment than usual.  He does fit in some social commentary.

Blood Feud by Martinez, Cobos, Sobreiro, and Jame - 5 - I wish this was better, there are a few good bits of art and storytelling peeking through an otherwise flat and disconnected exercise.  It has some ambition but doesn't succeed like some of Martinez's other work.

Artist's Studio by Richard Pace - 6 - Some nice looking stuff, much of it swords and dragon type.  An interview by Richard Caldwell reveals that Mr Pace was influenced by HM, of course.  The little story is kind of funny.

Tales of Dead Earth: Descent by Christian Krank - 7 - A kind of cool art style, a tale of scavenging turns to zombies then quickly to sex and Martian black markets.  Mr Krank appears with his comic on Fbook and appears to have more of this.  Couldn't help but notice the HM Contents adds a "the" to the title.

The Dirigible Affair by William Bourassa Jr - 5 - A slightly funny one-pager.  The art doesn't have to do much more than sit there and look pretty, while the dialogue takes up the page with some banter, that has some funny parts, but some has a creepy distaste to it. 

Death From Above by Darren Koziol and Federico de Luca - 7 - I liked the art and composition, very striking, and I seem to enjoy stories of people enduring hells they have created.

Little Red Riding Hood Grows Up by Horacio Domingues - 5 - The art is sketchy but I liked much of it, the action or the boobs perhaps, but the story of a goggles-wearing Grandmother putting her granddaughter at risk to earn a living, and enticing a switch to bait for vampires with a new wardrobe, was just too dumb for me to enjoy.

Marked by Gonzalo Ruggieri - 7 - Nice looking and somewhat funny, I'll inflate my rating since Mr Ruggieri was kind enough to comment last time.

Back Cover by Richard Pace - 7 - Black and white line art of Legionnaires fighting for their lives atop a mountain of corpses.  It's downright old school.

So overall I enjoyed this issue, with some good and very good stories, not too many flat spots, and more sex than has been in the mag for years.  It seems to have found a groove again, and may even be improving.  Here's hoping it keeps up.  And I hope I spell everyone's name right, since I'm trying to note the creators' names now.  I like to point out typos in HM but I'm not perfect myself.