Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter & Buffy Lesbian Sex: A HOT Thursday Thirst Comic Round Up

Posted by Horror Grinder on March 13, 2008

THURSDAY THIRST – COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER – Issue #12
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Drew Goddard Art by Georges Jeanty

Cloverfield has arrived to Buffyland. Well, sorta. Drew Goddard takes over writing chores on Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Season 8 after breaking records this past January as screenwriter of Cloverfield. This tidbit right away shows that Buffy is about to do something she doesn’t normally do because Goddard loves dipping his toes into the pool of chance. As in, “What if this person did this?” as his writing mantra. He’s also one of my favorite TV writers, penning some of the best episodes of Angel and Lost. So when I found out Goddard went off the deep end into the pool of chance by making Buffy sleep with another woman, I just about flipped my lid. I’m already disliking Buffy’s character in Season 8 as she appears to be a total mess, making Faith look like a saint with her shit together. But Goddard definitely confirms it here in issue twelve as Buffy goes and bumps pretties with a fellow slayer named Satsu, and causes lesbians everywhere in Buffyland to cry with such enlightenment. I can hear them now too. “I knew it! I just knew it. Oh Buffy. It’s about time, girlfriend.” Yeah, and then what happens to guys like me looking for at least one damn character to keep their balls dangling? Not even Xander can keep his machismo, as his “girlisms” appear to get more Andrew-like than ever. Speaking of Andrew, he’s here for the event as well, and it’s fitting to have his questionable persona present in this act of “crossing over”. The funny part is that I actually enjoyed how Goddard told this story, basically reliving the television show spirit of zany, Scooby Doo surprises and laugh-out-loud running jokes. Everyone bursts into the room after Buffy tells Satsu that it’s a secret, so now everybody knows, and Buffy is defeated moreso when she was at the Hellmouth in Sunnydale. I think this is the only way you can pull off this kind of surprise, so kudos to Goddard for finding the key to this daring and life-changing story. Well, life-changing for Buffy. Probably not for him. He’s still rolling in the dough from Cloverfield, and will probably roll in some more when it hits DVD soon too. As for Buffy, we definitely have to see what happens next, as this changes everything. But I gotta tell ya, this is precisely why I switched to Angel. Too much estrogen makes a cave man runneth away.

>GRADE: A- CONTINUE READING? Nicely done, Drew. But do you move all in with these good cards, or do you fold? Call it, friendo.

ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL – Issue #4
IDW Publishing
Written by Brian Lynch Art by Franco Urru

So Angel is no longer a vampire? What? When did this happen? Why? While After the Fall has picked up where Season 5 left off, and is being dubbed Season 6, there’s just some things that don’t need changing. It’s Hell on Earth… okay, just L.A., and the excitement of seeing everybody again is starting to wear off. Why? Because of the roles they’re given, especially Spike. Just when the guy gets his balls back from Buffy, he becomes a slave to Illyria, and a weak character. Spike is on a higher level this, and I’m not enjoying the fall from stardom. I do like Gunn and the direction he’s gone because it was logical. He’s been cracking at the seams all along, and he’s progressed to where he needs to be: a dirty vampire! So it’s quite odd to see one character follow his path, and another go back the way he came. However, I am a sucker for cool returning characters, and the Groosalugg comes flying in with great applause to us Angel fans. It’s probably the best time for him to return because Angel is no longer all vampy, and could get his ass kicked by Lorne if our singer wanted to. And he should because Lorne is back as well, even though in Season 5, he was unhappy about killing Lindsey and was thought to be gone for good. So a war is heating up between the Lords of L.A. and Angel’s gang, and hopefully it’s going to be fun with familiar faces like Nina, Connor, and Gwen getting involved again. I just hope writer Brian Lynch has something up his sleeve for Spike because it’s to the point where I want to skip those pages with his pathetic regression. Bring back the badboy, bucko. Please!

>GRADE: B CONTINUE READING? The extended Angel family gathers together with the regular crew for next ish, and I’m so there.

EVIL DEAD – Issue #3
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Mark Verheiden Art by John Bolton

Scotty, our beloved dick in a hole of a friend, shares the spotlight here with Ash as more “deleted scenes” are revealed in this Evil Dead series. We know Scotty finds trouble in the forest from the movie version, as he returns all bloody and beaten from the demons outside the cabin, but what we didn’t know was that it was his “Evil Dead” self that did some of the beating! So if Ash has a deadite doppelganger named “Bad Ash”, I guess I’ll take the privilege and name Scotty’s evil deadite counterpart, “Naughty Scotty”. It definitely fills a hole, and it rounds out his character a bit more while adding value to Ash and his future, deadite transformations. In addition, we get flashbacks of Ash and Linda getting a feel for each other, showing Ash as a typical horndog and Linda being not so innocent after all. All of this hot seduction between the two lovers intercut with Ash about to bury her before beheading her outside the cabin. But that’s our Ash, isn’t it? The goofball needs to behead her before bury. I’m really digging this series, mainly because writer Mark Verheiden captures Bruce Campbell and Ash together in his narration perfectly. It’s getting to the point where I feel Bruce is writing this series; it’s that good. John Bolton continues to pour on the groovy painting style, embracing an 80’s midnight grindhouse movie like it was up for Oscar contention. It’s a real treat to look at, but also to read, and when you have both artistic areas complimenting, even improving to the already established subject material, then readers are definitely getting their Benjamin’s-worth.

>GRADE: A CONTINUE READING? Best issue of the series, so I’m hungry for more!

JENNA JAMESON’S SHADOW HUNTER – Issue #1
Virgin Comics
Story by Jenna Jameson Written by Christina Z Art by Mukesh Singh

Half of the book is the preview issue I reviewed awhile back, and it was a good hook to get readers interested in more. The other half tried to shove a footlong Subway Club sandwich down my throat like it was the “in” thing to do. The art from Mukesh Singh still bedazzles me as it’s just so perty to look at, but I’m not sure what’s going on in the writing department. Either Christina Z and Jenna are splitting it down the middle which is creating a noticeable two person narrative, or we’re getting briskly pushed along into the story so we can reach a certain point already. Jezzerie starts out the book as a child, looking at childish stick-figure angels float around her in wonder, and by the middle of the book, they look like The Darkness or The Blob invaded. I’m not sure if the citizens of New York can or cannot see what she sees because the writers chose not to have direct contact from the public to the main character. A missed opportunity when a bystander asks Jezzerie if a movie is being shot in New York, and instead of taking that moment to verify for the audience that what we’re seeing IS real, it’s ignored with what appears to be a belch. Not everything needs to be spelled out right away, but this aspect desperately does. At the end, more new characters come into Jezzerie’s life, and everybody is stabbing one another for the cliffhanger. Well… okay then. I guess they really want the reader to come back and see what’s going on, but that’s where many writers lose readers: Pile on the questions and give no answers. So, hopefully, this book will not go that way because I really am in love with Mukesh Singh’s art, and I like the concept. Just develop the right mysteries to lead the audience along, and give us our dessert at the end of dinner, ladies.

>GRADE: B- CONTINUE READING? We’ll see what develops here, sure.

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