Superboy v2: Extraction HC

You wanna see something really scary?

Here it is.

I really tried, folks. I saw a few new 52 volume 2 collections listed on my library's website and decided to give them a shot. I think I made it 8 pages into this collection. I'm not even sure where to begin.

I'm not some crazy WildCATs or Gen 13 fan, but wow. I can't believe that Jim Lee is OK with his creations being sent this far off the mark. That is Warblade on the cover of the trade. Remember him? 90's topnot, looked as Image as possible? Now he looks like one of Cameron Hodge's smiley robots from the late 80's!

Grunge is a "Ravager," which evidently means that he's in some kill or be killed group that is trying to find the toughest young superhuman. I got a Terror Titans vibe from it, to be honest. I'm not sure what exactly was happening because I think the Legion of Super-Heroes were teaming up with Superboy, but I never saw them meet up. Seriously, the book goes from a one-on-one fight with a tech'ed up Grunge to a team-up with the Legion in bad costumes. I have no idea what happened.

I know I only read the first couple issues of Superboy with the relaunch, but surely I should be able to understand what is going on in a comic when I read it. Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco have done much better work than this, including some great mid-90's stories. But this, I couldn't even get through it.

RB Silva and Brett Booth don't exactly fit in the mold of the new 52 house art style, but the terrible costumes and re-designs make sure that the art is generic and uninspiring.

When I have to return a library book unread, that means it was EVIL!

Happy Halloween!

Grifter #1

And here's another DCnU book not meeting my expectations. This one goes in teh other direction, though. I'm one of the few who actually bought the Grifter series in the 90's, so I have some affection for the character. Hearing that he'd be re-created as a con-man dealing with hidden monsters, I envisioned Sawyer from LOST starring in They Live. That's a pretty strong concept, right? But the actual execution has a lot more confused running around and not enough monsters. I get that Nathan Edmondson is probably headed in that direction, but there isn't enough in the first issue to convince me.

My other big problem is that when you book your lead a con man, he needs to have good dialogue; I want to believe he's a smart guy taking advantage of all those around him. I never really got that impression of Cole Cash in this issue. Sure, he's a good fighter (he's an ex-Delta Force operator) and he's tough, but there are a lot of fighty-tough guys out there.

Cafu's art is smooth and sleek, and while I don't love the weird sideburns on Cole, I appreciate the unique look. The creatures/daemonites aren't really making any sort of appearance yet, so I'm not sure how they'll look.

This book may end up being fine, but this one is getting bumped off the list. Maybe I'll check out some digital issues when they go on sale.

Average

Comics on the Bubble: Backlash

How crazy is it that a series like Backlash had 32 issues, but stuff like Agents of Atlas and Captain Britain can't get close to that? What a world!

In any case, as I consolidate my many longboxes into one continuous run (rather than splitting by publisher), Backlash popped up on my radar. Let's see if I need to keep any of them...

Backlash #4 - I must have picked this up because of the Wetworks guest-appearance. Well, Wetworks already got cut, so I don't think this is going to make it! SELL

Backlash #16 - Grabbed because Grifter was on the cover, no doubt. This was terrible, most of the issue has the heroes fighting a giant green guy they met randomly at a bar. SELL

Backlash #17 & 18 - Stormwatch! But Stormwatch plays the heavies here, and they are pretty moronic too. These are some great examples of mid-90's Image, filled with tough-guy talk and ladies with no clothes. SELL

Backlash #19 & 20 - I'm going to hold off and read these when I re-read the Fire from Heaven crossover. KEEP (for now)

Backlash & Spider-Man #2 - I don't think there is a background drawn in this whole comic. I'm not a big Brett Booth fan, so even though his Spidey looks decent, this has got to go. SELL

Backlash & Taboo: African Holiday - Booth draws some decent dinosaurs, but he also enjoys tiny swimsuits. I can't make myself care about this one... SELL

KEEP: Fire from Heaven crossover
SELL: Everything else

Astro City: The Dark Age Book 1 TPB

Wow. I forgot how much I love Astro City. I remember being obsessed with it when it started, but I lost interest during the first Dark Age mini-series, and just sort of fell away from the series. Now that I read everything in one sitting, I don’t understand how I could have ever thought this was boring.

Kurt Busiek’s meticulous world is fascinating. It’s too easy to say he’s created analogues of all our old favorites, because while the Blue Knight might be similar to the Punisher or Ghost Rider, he’s not really either. The Street Angel goes through some of the same things as Daredevil, but he’s clearly his own man. And you’ve got to love a world where “Spider-Man” is a high-jumping clown named Jack in the Box. The details are intricate, and there is a constant sense that the world has so much happening, and boy, I bet it would have been good comics, but sorry, normal people just can’t keep up.

The two brothers who star in this story, Charles and Royal aren’t so different, even though one is a prisoner and one is a cop. They are both scarred by the death of their dad (early hero the Black Badge, although that’s never definitively stated), and they are both overwhelmed by the heroes in their midst. Royal has a lot more run-ins with them than his cop brother, of course, the best being the year that Royal spends on the run targeted by the Blue Knight.

It is rough that this first trade contains the first 12 parts of the story, and it is good. Really good. But there is a whole separate trade where the brothers might get their shot at revenge. There’s a lot of revenge to hand out, too, so I’m anxious to see it happen (I always respond to a good revenge story).

Brent Anderson’s art is detailed, clear, and energetic. Simon Magus is a hippier Dr. Strange. Royal and Charles look related, but have their own looks. And Alex Ross’ bonus sketches are a wonderful addition to the collection.

I’m glad I found my way back to Astro City.

Good

Ex Machina v10: Term Limits

Brian Vaughn delivers a couple "wow" moments in this final trade for his acclaimed Ex Machina series. Some pretty important people get turned or killed off when Mayor Hundred has to go up against the alternate Earth that has been plaguing him for a few trades now.

So the first shock, a death in the family. It makes sense, and I thought Vaughn did a good job showing how the death affected Hundred, but how Hundred is able to put his feelings aside for the greater good of New York. He's been doing this since the first trade.

I LOVED seeing Hundred get back in his Great Machine gear. Vaughn made us wait for it for a LONG time, so when this briefly becomes a super-hero story for a few moments, how can I not love it?

I'm not sure I buy Bradbury's quick descent. Unless Hundred totally dropped the guy who saved his bacon on multiple occasions, Bradbury didn't seem like the type to fall as far as he does here. His declaration of love was weird and seemed like it was more for shock value than in line with the character. Or maybe I just missed the signs.

Kremlin's fate fascinates me. Vaughn basically pulled the rug out of all of his readers with this one. For this entire series, Hundred seemed like he was there to show how Vaughn is smarter than the reader. He has it all figured out. Maybe I was mis-reading (and I see now I was), but I figured this was political book for Vaughn to put his beliefs out there. But no, this book was about something else entirely. I don't want to ruin it, but this is not a super-hero story at all.

Tony Harris art is wonderful, as it has been all series long. I need to check and see what he's doing next; he's the only artist out there who actually draws people who look like they could exist off the comic page.

Good

The Authority v10: Rule Britania TPB

I tried my best, but I just can't make myself like the Authority. They're just too mean and superior to everyone else. Even in this trade, during the end of the world, it seems Midnighter and Swift always have time to remember how great they are how easily they will defeat their foes. Hawksmoor is in a bad way at the start, but by the end he's back to making tons of boasts about being the king of cities once again. The Engineer is the most approachable of the heroes, and even she comes across as tough to like.

The team faces off against a possessed Apollo, a crazy plant controller, and Kaizen Gamorra. The fights are fine, and I like seeing the team try to take care of England, but I was bummed that there were no Numbers of the Beast characters featured in this trade at all. There were so many cool characters introduced in that book, I find myself wanting to see more of them and less of Wildstorm's more established stars.

The art is pretty solid throughout, with Simon Coleby handling the majority. A few of the artistic shifts are a bit jarring, but everyone involved is pretty good.

This holds up fine as another chapter in Wildstorm's post-apocalyptic world, but my dislike of the main characters makes the whole book a bit less interesting.

Average

Authority: World's End TPB

Man, do I love post-apocalyptic stuff. I was never a fan of the Authority, but seeing them scrape by in ruined London? That's a team I'm interested in. By saddling the uber-powered team with a bunch of refugees, they are suddenly a lot more likeable.

DnA can typically do no wrong with me, and this is no exception. The Authority is basically reduced to two characters, Swift and Midnighter. I expect Midnighter, but it is awesome seeing Swift get a headlining role while the rest of the team suffers. Apollo is in exile above the smog clouds, only able to come down for brief periods before getting sick. Hawksmoor is a paranoid wreck of his former self, and the Engineer is just a tough normal chick. The Authority was never a big team, so leaves them short handed during the end of the world. A lot of the book just deals with survival, but DnA bring in other Wildstorm characters to make things interesting. The Establishment makes an ominous appearance, while Stormwatch shows up in a much more trustworthy way. I loved seeing the Authority and Stormwatch put aside their differences to try and save London, with Battalion and Hawksmoor's conversation being a highlight.

Simon Coleby does a nice job drawing the wreckage of a destroyed London. The team members look pretty good too, when the Engineer gets her moment late in the trade, Coleby makes her look spectacular, even though it's something Authority readers should be familiar with.

Good

Modern Warfare: Ghost #5

So... I'm not positive what is happening in this comic. I don't remember who anyone is and why Ghost is killing them.

For a comic based on a video game, it's awfully graphic and sort of confusing, right? David Lapham has written some brilliant material, but I'm afraid this just isn't cutting it for me. I'd say this is just an average comic if I wasn't having such a hard time telling people apart. Clearly, Ghost has a bone to pick with these guys, but I'm totally confused on who is who.

Kevin West does some nice pin-up type shots, but wow, the gore is really over the top. The similarity of all those guys in uniform is the real problem. I'm not usually this lost.

Poor

Storming Paradise TPB

I usually love Chuck Dixon's work so I thought I would really dig this alternate history of WWII TPB. And it is not that the story is uninteresting or poorly researched. In fact, the problem is just the opposite, the story is so sweeping and of such a huge scope that I had a hard time connecting with any one character. The trade tells the story of a world where America's atomic program misfired, killing the scientists involved and necessitating an American offensive into Japan to close out WWII. There are a lot of neat details wrapped up in this trade.

My favorite characters are probably the two pilots, the Irish priest, and the awesome Japanese interpreter. The interpreter is the best, dealing with constant racism (both overt and not) from his fellow troops. It's great seeing him respond to even the well-meaning racist questions he gets from his squad.

There are some amusing cameos like John Wayne and George Bush who pop up intermittently and I appreciated that their parts weren't big enough to be distracting.

The problem is that everyone looks the same. If it wasn't for the American flags painted on the interpreter's head, I wouldn't be able to pick him out either. In an attempt to give the book a realistic look, the pencils by Butch Guice and Eduardo Baretto are awfully muddy. The colors are muted and dark, making it even harder to tell who's who. There are just too many characters to have any real stake with any of these guys. It's a well-presented look at conflict, I just wish it could have been a bit clearer.

Average

God of War #1

Wow. I have never played God of War but that comic was almost unreadable. The story by Marv Wolfman is pretty generic, very reminiscent of 300, in fact. Kratos is a young champion of Sparta who travels to recover some magic fire of Apollo to heal his deformed child. (As everyone knows, the unwell in Sparta are put to death.) It seems the sickly child is a gift from Ares who has designated Kratos as his champion in some sort of competition. Hermes, Hades, and others also have champions, but we only see Hades' barbarian prince. I assume he and Kratos will throw down later, but I'm not sure if I'll be here to see it. The story is generic at best and there is nothing to Kratos to make him interesting. He yells and stabs things a lot, but he seems pretty simple. People love this game, right? Is it because of the riveting story? I'm just not seeing it.

Andrea Sorrentino's art is striking at times but it's so moody and interpretive that I can't tell what's happening. Large sections of black ink have voice bubbles coming out of them (I think one is a wolf monster?) but I can't tell what is happening. Most of the characters are impressions more than figures. I would have liked a more iconic interpretation of the gods at least. Not my kind of comic.

Poor

Sparta, USA #1

David Lapham is crazy. His ideas are absolutely insane, but at the same time I'm fascinated. This new series is about a strange town called Sparta, where they love America, football, and the community. They also love assasinating each other to get ahead and they have to apply to be awarded children. In fact, this issue has a scene at a rally where the townfolk are all waiting to have their names read to see if they will get one of the children joining the town. The town leader is the Maestro, a 7-foot tall blue guy who seems to rule with a veiled iron fist. He acts nice and friendly, but you can see from his interactions that he's a bad dude. I can't make any guesses on what is happening in this weird town, with its yeti-filled mountains and underground tunnels, but it sure is weird (and interesting).

The lead character is Godfrey McLaine, once the greatest quarterback on the Spartan football team. He disappeared years ago and now he's returned, only he's red-skinned and armed to the teeth. Again, I've got no clue what is going on. Is this some post-apocalyptic thing? A dream? How the hell does Lapham think of this stuff?

Johnny Timmons' art sells the story. The world looks fully realized and I really like the different character designs. He did a great job establishing the family of assassins as very diverse (they are all different and don't act right), so he puts questions in the reader's heads right away. Fascinating stuff. I'm in for the trade.

Good

Wildstorm: After the Fall TPB

I'm enjoying the post-Armageddon Wildstorm U but I have to admit that a good portion of my enjoyment stems from my familiarity with the universe. This trade is all about John Lynch re-forming the toughest team around Team 7. Wildstorm introduced the team in the 90s, and they've basically been a super-powered GI Joe team. The coolest thing about the group is that they've broken up and their members have scattered all over the Wildstorm U. One is a WildCat, one is in Wetworks, and one is a member of Stormwatch. Two of them fathered members of Gen 13. Christie Blaze is the only new member, and a nice flashback in this trade reveals that she was supposed to be a member but was passed over due to her sex. (Blaze was a featured character in the Divine Right series from a few years ago). Christos Gage wrote most of this, and it is clear he enjoyed some of the fun issues of the late 90s.

Now that society has fallen, John Lynch is getting the group back together to face down Tao, the excellent villain of WildCATs and Sleeper fame. It seems he's enslaved the only beings powerful enough to undo the Armageddon, and Lynch needs Team 7's help to free them and fix the world. The stories in this collection were backups in all the Wildstorm titles for a few months, so while short, they are great for catching a glimpse of what's happening in Wildstorm. We catch up with Deathblow, Wetworks, Grifter, Backlash, Lynch, Stormwatch: Team Achilles, and Blaze. Even the Paladins from Number of the Beast get a few shout outs. There is a short story about WildCat villain Defile, but I couldn't understand what was happening in the muddy artwork. The dialogue wasn't helping that section either. Fortunately, the rest of the story is strong enough to make up for it.

Plenty of good artists worked on this thing. Mike McKone, Pete Woods, Phil Noto, Chris Sprouse, John Paul Leon, I mean, that's a who's who of great pencillers. I do worry you need a PHD in Wildstorm history to get full enjoyment out of this, but I definitely dug it.

Good

Wildstorm Revelations TPB

Scott Beatty and Christos Gage do a remarkable job making a lead-in to Armageddon end up as a good time. The core characters for this series are Savant, Nemesis, and Backlash II, and the three ladies come across as a fun group of friends out to save the world. The age spread is vast, since Backlash II is a teenager and the other two are immortal, but they all seem to like each other and they always pause to enjoy themselves while on a dreary task. The sense of fun is palpable throughout; I loved when Savant is teleporting around the world, leading International Operations (think SHIELD) operatives on a wild goose chase while her partners engage in some corporate skullduggery. Savant flashes some revelers in New Orleans and stops for Haggis in Scotland while on the run. It's silly, but she's having fun so the reader has to as well. The book is basically a tour of the Wildstorm U, with the Authority, Stormwatch, WildCATS, IO, and more all showing up. The heroines make a stop in Gamorra too, facing down some classic Wildstorm big bads. I know where this all leads, since I've read Number of the Beast, but this is a nice whirlwind tour of the Wildstorm U before it got blown up. While the ladies don't exactly save the world or resolve the crisis, they have a series of entertaining adventures that makes this book rewarding on its own.

Wes Craig has an art style that fits the modern DCU more than classic Wildstorm, but the publisher has been moving in that direction for some time. Craig's art is classic super-heroey, but he's got comedic timing down too. This was a nice looking book.

Good

Best of the 2000's #3: Sleeper

#3: Sleeper by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

What a heartbreaking story. I started following Holden's story in Point Blank, never realizing I was seeing the creation of one of the best comic noirs ever told. Ed Brubaker's story works so well because it mixes what we expect from our comics (masterminds, costumed thugs, etc.) with the realism of criminals at every level. Tao is a terrifying boss. The series works so well on every level, the powers are original and cool, but the levels of criminals makes the book feel like a normal mafia story. The series wouldn't work if we didn't care about the protagonist, but Holden Carver is so likeable the reader is always rooting for him to find a way out of his terrible situation. (I'll admit the name is a bit obvious in its inspiration.) The best part is that maybe he doesn't hate the life so much, with friends like Triple X-Ray, Genocide, and Miss Misery, Carver sort of fits in, doesn't he? I'm still impressed that Brubaker was able to set the series solidly in the Wildstorm U. There are Wildcats, Team 7, and Authority references throughout, and yet the contrast against those books only enhances the gritty feel of the Sleeper title.

Sean Phillips is a fantastic noir artist. Miss Misery oozes appeal, and Genocide looks like a stupid thug, and yet you still kind of like the guy! Carver's anguish is clear in almost every panel, it seems the only time he's happy is when he's performing for Tao. I love the designs for the random heroes and thugs that show up throughout the series. Phillips does a nice job with the required nudity too, it is never gratuitous.

Excellent

Wildcats: World's End TPB

I'm always down for some post-apocalyptic fiction, and having it written by Christos Gage and feature the Wildstorm universe is just icing on the cake. This is the first trade I've picked up since Numbers of the Beast, and as promised, the Wildstorm U is destroyed. After clones of the High blew up all over the world, mankind (and the Earth in general) is struggling to survive. Pockets of humanity are barely making ends meet, although there are still plenty of super-heroes around to try and help. This trade introduces us to three different protectors; the Wildcats, Majestic, and Tumbleweed.

The Wildcats have staked off LA, setting up as many folks as they can in their old Halo Corporation HQ. The building has power, protection, and safety. Sure, there are daemonites in the city, but they do reach an understanding.

Majestic is sort of portrayed as a bad guy, but frankly, I think he has the right idea. Majestic has claimed the Hawaiian Islands. After protecting them from damage during the explosions of the High clones, he is now stocking it with survivors to make it the perfect city-state. He's sort of cold and calculated about it, but I have no doubt that the folks he's protecting appreciate him.

Tumbleweed (along with a slew of old animal characters from Wildstorm) has created a verdant jungle/forest in the middle of the American desert. This haven for wildlife is off-limits for humans, although they can live on its edges.

The trade has a nice episodic feel as the Wildcats team sort of checks in with these different groups. There is still plenty of character development and combat, but the world-building is the best part for me. I'm especially pleased to see Tumbleweed. I loved a ton of those new Numbers of the Beast characters and this is the first one I've seen pop up after that series.

Neil Googe does a nice job with the art. He's got a cartoony style that works well with the super-hero material and keeps the starving people from looking too upsetting. The showdown with the daemonites (including a ginormous Maul) is probably the best part of the book.

Good

Modern Warfare 2: Ghost #2

I wish I understood what was happening. David Lapham delivers more of his specialties here with some great art for Ghost's background and a deeply textured history. Ghost actually starts to seem like a real dude here, and I love how his flashbacks are interwoven with his brainwashing in South America. I still have the greater problem that we are seeing a flashback within a flashback within a flashback. Factor in the dreamlike and confusing quality of Lapham's sequences and this is a damn challenging book. I'm fuzziest on the South American portion, I understand the pre-SAS stuff and I'm looking forward to seeing Ghost but loose and kick butt in the present.

Lapham's pencils look like they were lifted straight out of Young Liars. I never would have pegged Ghost as having ties to the London punk scene, but it adds a wonderful layer to the character. Kevin West's pencils are suitably realistic and gritty. It's too bad he's saddled with the most confusing part of the narrative.

Fair

Modern Warfare: Ghost #1

I usually love David Lapham's work, but he commits one of my biggest pet peeves in this premiere issue. The book opens with Ghost being interrogated in Russia. Ghost offers to spend the next few minutes telling his captors about the best special ops guy he knew (the "dead" SAS officer is actually Riley's previous identity). The story jumps to years past in Mexico, when Riley was working on busting a crime boss for the US Govt. Then the big problem. The story jumps back AGAIN to a previous point. So we've got a flashback within a flashback. It is lazy storytelling. This isn't that complicated a story so I don't think the convoluted timeline is necessary. Lapham also spends a lot of time with fairly generic banter amongst Riley's team. These guys aren't really important to CoD, so I wasn't that interested in what was happening. In fact, I'd argue that the comic doesn't really capture the frantic, high-stakes spirit of CoD: Modern Warfare 2. I want to see Ghost, MacTavish, Roach, and the rest kicking butt with high tech gear. I'm sure that is coming, most likely in the modern part of the story, but there is too much dancing around to get there.

Kevin West's pencils are clear enough, but everyone looks very similar. I do like the use of face-paint to give Riley his first death's head look. I would like a little more emphasis on guns and equipment. That's such an important part of the game, I think it should be more front and center in the comic.

Average

BTW: I'd give the new CoD an Excellent rating. It is tons of fun. If anyone wants to get on X-Box live, leave me a comment and we can exchange gamer tags.

Gears of War #10

After a brief shootout, Marcus Fenix and Delta reach a truce with the survivors in the Locust-held city of Jilane. Joshua Ortega does a nice job keeping the world feeling consistent. Baird's dialogue in particular is so much like the game character that I can hear his voice. It's a great fit. I'm really liking Jayce too, he's the rookie Gear and he's not as hard as his teammates yet. In this issue he's trying to befriend some kids stuck in the city and he attracts the attention of one of the kids' women-warrior protectors. The survivors of the breeding camp are pretty cool too, I like the idea that they are tough enough to get respect from the Gears. Delta went to Jilane to find the source of a distress signal, and it turns out this band of survivors didn't broadcast it. They've been taking care of themselves and they seem tough and competent enough to do it.

Marcus takes Cole and Baird out into the city to find the source of the distress signal. In a weird scene, a blonde lady is sitting on the ground holding the transmitter. She reacts quite oddly to Marcus' questioning and when the team gets too close, she sends a new signal, summoning hordes of Locust. This issue was light on action, and I think it is a wise decision. Giving the characters (and readers) time to breathe allowed the characters to get some needed development and expanded the world nicely.

Liam Sharp remains the perfect artist for this book. His hulking Gears have been spot on from the start, but now he gets to draw Amazonian warriors who look just as intimidating. Neat stuff.

Good

Gears of War #9

So that's why there aren't any lady-Gears of War. It seems that in the race to provide soldiers to fight the Locust, women have been rounded up into birthing camps to provide the next generation of soldiers. It's a pretty rough take on the future in an already depressing world, but even worse, it makes the good guys lose a lot of credibility. Michael Capps and Joshua Ortega are building the official world of Gears here, so having what is blatantly described as a "rape-camp" as a known factor for the good-guys makes them considerably less "good." Again, it makes sense in the dark world we've gotten from the games, but I still don't like it.

The new lady Gear is Alex, who is as tough, smart, and daring as any of the other Gears we've met so far. She, Baird, and the Cole-train are re-assigned to Delta to check out possible survivors back at the old camp where Alex had spent her childhood. Her flashbacks are quite upsetting, and take up most of the issue. The issue closes with Delta facing off against what seems to be a bunch more survivors, tough gals who seem to have turned bad in their years since COG left them behind (think Mad Max or Doomsday for their design). We only get two types of Locust in this one, tickers and drones, but damn if I don't still get a kick out of seeing this great game-world expanded and explored.

Liam Sharp's art is still perfect for this. His brutal pencilling style works well in combat and his penchant for drawing hulking, muscled dudes couldn't be put to better use. Everyone looks on-model from the game too.

Fair

Gears of War #5

Maybe my interest in this comic waxes and wanes with how much I'm playing the game. I'm taking a break from Gears of War 2 while I burn through the Orange Box, so I find myself not as engrossed in this book as I was in the early issues. It doesn't help that some of the neater aspects of world-exploring present in early issues is gone, replaced by lots of shooting and shouting. Don't get me wrong, those are essential elements of this franchise. There are still good things here too, the entire sequence with new COG Jace trapped under cement was great, I loved the interspersed flashbacks as he remembers a similar predicament as a kid. I love seeing more of the Gears world, cities, and surrounding characters, so elements that seem like game levels transported into a comic just can't hold up as well. This isn't bad, and Joshua Ortega has the feel and dialogue down pat, this just wasn't one of the stronger issues.

Liam Sharp is the perfect artist for this book. No one could do this better, I'm convinced.

Fair