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Book-A-Day 2018 #378: Bacchus by Eddie Campbell (2 Vols.)

Bacchus was Eddie Campbell’s first taste of comics success, his “American-style comic book” about idiosyncratic versions of the Greek gods, in an idiom occasionally congruent with crime and/or superhero stories but often just focused on the joys of storytelling, camaraderie, and the pleasures of the vine (and, somewhat more darkly, the things one might do while under the influence of that vine).

He made stories about the aged god Bacchus and the rest of his milieu for more than a decade, starting in the spring of 1987 as a regular comic from the British publisher Harrier and eventually built his own minor self-publishing empire (out of the front room of his house in Australia, as he put it), with a Bacchus comic mixing reprints of the early stories with the new end of the saga, ending in 2001 after sixty issues.

And then, a decade and a half later, Top Shelf collected all of those stories — which had previously been collected into ten storyline-focused books from Campbell’s own Eddie Campbell Comics — into two big fat books to match the design of their earlier Alec: “The Years Have Pants” . Each volume collects five of those earlier volumes, and the two books end up almost exactly the same length, as if it were all planned that way from the beginning. (As far as I can tell, Campbell hasn’t done any recent tinkering: these stories were finalized for the Eddie Campbell Comics volumes, and they’re going to stay in that final form from now on.)

This is one of the great quirky comics of its era, maybe of any era. The way it swings back and forth from nearly-farcical action to languid retold mythology to occasional moments of stark drama to actually farcical action is distinct and wonderful: whatever kind of comics you like, Bacchus has a moment that will delight you. And if you like comics in general, Bacchus has hundreds of those moments.

Bacchus, Volume One  has most of the more overtly “American-style” stories, starting with Immortality Isn’t Forever, a crime-drama set in the nonspecific American city preferred by Scotsmen who haven’t made it across the pond yet and with a plot set in motion explicitly by the mythological underpinnings. (Bacchus is still pissed at “Joe Theseus” for abandoning Ariadne all those years ago, even though he never would have met her if Joe didn’t abandon her.) Immortality starts the standard whipsaw plotting, jumping back and forth from all-out action, mostly with Joe and the Eyeball Kid (more on him later), to quieter moments of Bacchus, and occasionally others, retelling myths with his own spin on them. As the series went on, those two modes got more separated, landing in different storylines, but they were both there from the beginning.

The rest of Volume One mostly bounces between those modes — The Gods of Business is more all-out action, bringing Hermes into the mix, Doing the Islands With Bacchus is a long series of retold myths with a light frame story of Bacchus and companions wandering the Greek isles and causing trouble with those they meet, and Eyeball Kid: One Man Show is an even bigger-scale action series with the Eyeball Kid and Hermes fighting again for other characters’ amusement.

(The Eyeball Kid, by the way, is a twenty-eyed grandchild of Argus — he of the hundred eyes — who was Hera’s lover and revenged her death at the hands of her husband Zeus by killing the old man and stealing his power. He’s also the only straightforward, non-conflicted, centered main character, undercut by also being wackily random and prone to malapropisms.)

Volume One ends with the epic Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, which connects the Bacchus-plot of Islands with the Joe-and-Hermes-and-Eyeball plot of Show in Sicily. It also brings in a couple of Haphaestus-created magical/mechanical eyeballs which will be important for several later stories — by this point, Joe and Bacchus and the Kid are all missing eyes.

During that first half of Bacchus, Campbell was the originator and central creator but not always working solo. Appropriately for these “American-style” comics, some of the superhero stuff was art-assisted by or just drawn by Ed Hillyer, and much of the mythological stuff was co-written with Wes Kublick, until the two had a falling-out over plot points.

That separation of the two modes continued at the beginning of of Bacchus, Volume Two : 1001 Nights of Bacchus is another group-of-retold-stories roundelay, set in a pub in England where the patrons can drink past closing time if they tell stories that keep Bacchus awake. The superhero material comes roaring back in the next two stories, Hermes Versus the Eyeball Kid and The Picture of Doreen Grey, which close out that strand of the overall story. And then the focus turns back to Bacchus as the focus first of that pub seceding from England in King Bacchus and then his subsequent incarceration for related crimes in Banged Up, the final Bacchus story.

It changed a little towards the end — Bacchus got a new girlfriend, Collage, and even a baby — but he was a remarkably passive title character for most of the run of his comic. Bacchus talked a lot, but he never did much. Things would happen with him around — bacchanals are spurred by his mere presence, and license flourishes when the god of wine is near — but Bacchus himself would mostly sit and drink and talk. That’s a very unlikely thing for the hero of an “American-style” comic, but Campbell made it work for more than a decade, stringing out his own takes on actual mythology and superhero-style “mythology,” plus the kitchen sink of every other kind of storytelling he felt like tackling at the moment.

To all of that he brought a scratchy, expressive line — perfect for the banged-up faces of his multi-thousand-year-old main characters, and adaptable enough to shift to suit many modes of storytelling that he explored along the way — and a seemingly bottomless enthusiasm for both story and wine. Bacchus is a great comic of myth and modernity, of the things people get up to when their inhibitions and tongues are loosened, and of the trouble they all can get into.

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Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

Superman Double Bill, Extended Edition News

Superman’s greatest adventure – his death and rebirth – will be unveiled in a special two-day exclusive theatrical event as Warner Bros. and DC join forces with Fathom Events for a double feature presentation of the previously released The Death of Superman and the first in-theater screening of the all-new Reign of the Supermen nationwide. The films will screen in more than 500 select movie theaters on Sunday, January 13 at 12:55 p.m. and Monday, January 14 at 8:00 p.m. (all local times) through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). Tickets for The Death of Superman/ Reign of the SupermenDouble Feature can be purchased at www.FathomEvents.comand participating theater box offices. 


And later this year, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release the two movies as a single, full-length film with never-before-seen extended footage and a collectible item within the box set. Details will be released in the coming months.

J.J. Abrams’ Overlord Attacks Home Feb. 5

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.  – Produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by Julius Avery (Son of a Gun), the “wild and fantastically fun thrill fest” (Molly Freeman, Screenrant) OVERLORD lands on Digital February 5, 2019 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD February 19 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

Embraced by critics, OVERLORD is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and was hailed as “wonderfully tense and truly exhilarating” (Jonathan Barkan, Dread Central).  The wildly entertaining genre mash-up boasts a stellar ensemble cast, non-stop action and plenty of wild twists you have to see to believe.

Fans can go even further behind enemy lines with nearly an hour of explosive bonus material on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack or Digital*. The 4K Ultra HD disc and 4K Ultra HD Digital release** feature Dolby Vision® HDR, which brings entertainment to life through ultra-vivid picture quality.  When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision can deliver spectacular colors, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker.  The film also boasts Dolby Atmos® audio mixed specifically for the home to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead***.  In addition, both the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Combo Packs include access to a Digital copy of the film.

Nothing can prepare you for the mind-blowing mayhem that is OVERLORD, an insanely twisted thrill ride about a team of American paratroopers who come face-to-face with Nazi super-soldiers unlike the world has ever seen.

OVERLORD stars Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbaek, John Magaro, Bokeem Woodbine and Mathilde Ollivier.

BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD COMBO, BLU-RAY COMBO & DIGITAL*:

The Horrors of War

  • Creation
    • Death Above
    • Death on the Ground
    • Death Below
    • Death No More
    • Brothers in Arms

The OVERLORD DVD includes the feature film in standard definition.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES Presents

OVERLORD

Street Date:                February 5, 2019 (Digital)

February 19, 2019 (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD)

U.S. Rating:                 R for strong bloody violence, disturbing images, language, and brief sexual content

Canadian Rating:       18A, brutal violence, gory scenes

*Availability of bonus content varies by digital retailer

**4K Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision are available at select digital retailers

*** To experience Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos at home, compatible devices are required

PARAMOUNT PICTURES Presents

A BAD ROBOT Production “OVERLORD” JOVAN ADEPO

WYATT RUSSSELL PILOU ASBÆK JOHN MAGARO BOKEEM WOODBINE

Visual Effects and Animation by INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC

Music by JED KURZEL Costume Designer ANNA B. SHEPPARD Edited by MATT EVANS

Production Designer JON HENSON Director of Photography LAURIE ROSE, BSC FABIAN WAGNER, ASC, BSC

Executive Producers JO BURN JON COHEN CORY BENNETT LEWIS

Produced by J.J. ABRAMS, p.g.a. LINDSEY WEBER, p.g.a.

Story by BILLY RAY Screenplay by BILLY RAY and MARK L. SMITH Directed by JULIUS AVERY

OVERLORD

Street Date:                February 5, 2019 (Digital)

February 19, 2019 (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD)

U.S. Rating:                 R for strong bloody violence, disturbing images, language, and brief sexual content

Canadian Rating:       18A, brutal violence, gory scenes

*Availability of bonus content varies by digital retailer

**4K Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision are available at select digital retailers

*** To experience Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos at home, compatible devices are required

Reimagined Robin Hood Targets Home Video in February

SANTA MONICA, CA (January 8, 2019) – The action-packed epic adventure Robin Hood arrives on Digital February 5 and on 4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand February 19 from Lionsgate. Directed by BAFTA Award Winner Otto Bathurst (2014, Television Craft – Director – Fiction,“Peaky Blinders”), this rich story is brought to life for today’s audiences using stunning special effects, thrilling battle sequences, and mind-blowing fight choreography. Robin Hood stars Taron Egerton (Kingsman franchise, Sing, Upcoming: Rocketman), Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained, Law Abiding Citizen, Ray), Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Dark Knight Rises, Ready Player One), Eve Hewson (Bridge of Spies, Blood Ties, Enough Said), and Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades franchise, The Fall, Anthropoid).

Returning home from the Crusades, Robin of Loxley (Egerton) finds his country oppressed by the evil Sheriff of Nottingham (Mendelsohn). With the help of Moorish warrior Little John (Foxx), Robin transforms into the heroic outlaw Robin Hood, taking up arms to fight the sheriff and win the heart of his love, Maid Marian (Hewson).

The Robin Hood special features include an in-depth, never-before-seen, 7-part documentary; multiple outtakes; and deleted scenes, all of which show what it took to put a new spin on everyone’s favorite hooded hero. Experience four times the resolution of full HD with the 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, which includes Dolby Vision® HDR, bringing entertainment to life through ultravivid picture quality. When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision can deliver spectacular colors never before seen on-screen, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker. The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack also features new HDR10+ technology, making for an enhanced viewing experience on next generation displays by using dynamic tone mapping to reflect frame by frame variations in brightness, color, saturation, and contrast. Additionally, the 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack and Blu-ray feature Dolby Atmos® audio mixed specifically for the home, to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. The Robin Hood 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack,Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $42.99, $39.99, and $29.95, respectively.

4K UHD / BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

  • “Outlaws and Auteurs: Reshaping Robin Hood” (7-Part Documentary)
  • Outtakes
  • Deleted Scenes

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Year of Production: 2018

Title Copyright: Robin Hood © 2018, Artwork & Supplementary Materials © 2019 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Type: Theatrical Release

Rating: PG-13 for extended sequences of violence and action, and some suggestive references.

Genre: Action, Adventure

Closed-Captioned: N/A

Subtitles: Spanish, English SDH

Feature Run Time: 116 Minutes

4K Ultra HD™ Format: Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 2160p Ultra High Definition, 16×9 (2.40:1)

BD Format: 1080p High Definition 16×9 (2.40:1) Presentation

DVD Format: 16×9 (2.40:1) Presentation

4K Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio™

BD Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio

DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Audio, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio

Win a Halloween Combo Pack

Laurie Strode is back as is Michael Meyers! The sequel to the classic Halloween is coming to home video on January 15 and our friends at Universal Home Entertainment have provided us with one Blu-ray combo pack (Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD)

To win this, all you have to do is describe for us your scariest Halloween night. Be truthful and detailed.

Submissions must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., Monday, January 14. Open only to residents in the US and Canada. The decision of the ComicMix judges will be final.

BONUS FEATURES ON4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY, DVD& DIGITAL:
Deleted/Extended Scenes
Extended Shooting Range
Shower Mask
VisitoJog to a Hanging Dog
Allyson and Friends at SchooloCameron and Cops Don’t Mix
Deluxe Banh Mi CopsoSartain and Hawkins Ride Along Back in Haddonfield: Making Halloween
The Original Scream Queen
The Sound of Fear
Journey of the Mask
The Legacy of Halloween

The film will be available on 4K Ultra HD in a combo pack which includes 4K Ultra HD Blu-rayTM, Blu-ray and Digital. The 4K Ultra HD disc will include the same bonus features as the Blu-ray version, all in stunning 4K resolution.

MOVIES ANYWHERE is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-rayTMand DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. MOVIES ANYWHERE is only available in the United States.

FILMMAKERS:
Cast:Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Virginia Gardner
Casting By: Terri Taylor CSA, Sarah Domeier CSA
Music By: John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, Daniel Davies
Costume Designer: Emily Gunshor
Editor: Tim Alverson
Production Designer: Richard Wright
Director of Photography: Michael Simmonds
Executive Producers: John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, Ryan Freimann
Produced By: Malek Akkad, Jason Blum, Bill Block
Based on Characters Created By: John Carpenter and Debra Hill
WrittenBy: Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green
Directed By:David Gordon Green

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
4K ULTRA HD
Aspect Ratio:Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: Rated R for horror violence and bloody images, language, brief drug use and nudity.
Video: 2160p UHD /HDR 10
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French
SubtitlesLanguages/Sound: English DTS:X and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and FrenchDTS Digital Surround 5.1
Run Time:1 hour 45 minutes

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
BLU-RAY
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: Rated R for horror violence and bloody images, language, brief drug use and nudity.
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles Languages/Sound:English DTS:X and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French DTS Digital Surround 5.1
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic
Widescreen16:9 2.39:1

Rating: Rated R for horror violence and bloody images, language, brief drug use and nudity.
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles Languages/Sound:English DTS:X and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French DTS Digital Surround 5.1
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle Season 2 drops on Friday

DreamWorks Animation Television is delighted to share the season 2 trailer for The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle in celebration of the second season debuting January 11th only on Amazon Prime Video!

From executive producer Scott Fellows, the world-famous talking moose and flying squirrel are back in season 2 of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, a serialized comedy divided by unique arcs about two goofball best friends who routinely find themselves thrust into harrowing situations but end up saving the day time and again. The series was recently nominated for three Annie Awards, two for Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production and one for Production Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production.

The first arc of the season, “Almost Famoose” has Rocky & Bullwinkle go viral as famous rock stars followed by their lofty treasure hunting plans in “The Legends of the Power Gems” arc, and last but not least the duo embarks on their biggest adventure yet in and as “Amazamoose and Squirrel Wonder!” As always Rocky and Bullwinkle’s innocent and silly ambitions end up dovetailing with Fearless Leader’s sinister plans to take over the world, our heroes are set on a collision course with notorious super spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. The thirteen episode season also includes special voice guests Mark Hamill, Mario Lopez, Weird Al Yankovic and Lil Rel Howery!

To: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment; Re: “The Grinch™”

To: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Re: “The Grinch”

Dear U.P.H.E., we got your press release...
Afraid we can’t run it, thanks to legalese.
For as much as we might want to promote “The Grinch™”
The Seuss folks won’t budge here, not even an inch.
See, Dr. Seuss™ sent us a cease and desist
An action which, you understand, has us… peeved.
They told us, “Use any Seuss IP? No more!”
Not just Seuss/Star Trek mashups; Grinch™ hype too! Then... war.
They proceeded to sue us, making wild claims
of willful infringement, a charge that defames.

We're not sure that we’d want to, in any case,
assist making money they'll shove in our face
as they continue to file legal motions
and otherwise show very hostile emotions.

Our defense costs us thousands, and now you beseech:
“Please use your platform, extend Seuss's reach!
Help them make more moolah, which they’ll utilize
to stifle your speech so you can’t criticize!
Push their retelling! Please help us to coax!"
Their chutzpah is stunning. The nerve of these folks.

We don’t hold it against you, we know that it’s rough—
pushing “Grinch™” weeks after Christmas is tough.
We’d normally help; after all, ’tis the season
but we obviously can’t and now you know our reason.

If you’ve just heard about this suit, and if you think
that you’d like to contribute, please do! Here’s the link.

We’re now in the summary judgement last stages,
the judge has the filings with which she engages.
Our request for judgment should stand on its own,
the facts are all in, there’s no need to postpone.
Our motion is clear for the trained legal reader
although we admit that it’s not done in meter.
We think our case strong, we trust the judge concurs,
and fervently hope that our win she confers.

And to everyone following our long fair use fight:
Thanks for all your support... and to all a good night.

Book-A-Day 2018 #371: Saga, Vol. 9 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

If you know anything about Saga, you know there’s a big change at the end of this book, and that the series is now on a longer hiatus than usual. If you know nothing about Saga, you might just have been living in a hole for the last seven years, and nearly anything I could say would be a spoiler for the first fifty-some issues and nine volumes.

But that’s always the issue with writing about a long-running media thing: there are the people who follow it passionately, who know everything you could possibly tell them, and the ones who have ignored it, who won’t get any of the backstory. What I try to do is write down the middle — for the people who know the thing exists but aren’t uberfans, who might be caught up or might not, since life is complicated and this media thing isn’t going to be everyone’s biggest priority.

That brings me to Saga, Vol. 9  today. It’s written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated — pencils, inks, colors, the whole deal — by Fiona Staples, as all of the issues to date have been and all of the issues to come are supposed to be. If you want to remind yourself of how we got here, you could check out what I wrote about the previous books: one , two , three, four , five , six , seven , eight .

It’s a soft-SF epic, set in a a universe influenced by Star Wars but full of its own quirks and specifics. Two soldiers from opposite sides of a very long-running war — their people are set up to be opposites in as many ways as Vaughan could manage — met before the series began and fell in love. The first issue depicted the birth of their daughter Hazel; Saga is meant to be her story, and she’s been narrating the comic more and more as she’s gotten older. Now she’s somewhere in the middle of what we’d call her elementary-school years — maybe six, maybe eight. She and her parents, and various helpers, have been on the run her entire life, and have been chased by various others, on and off, the whole time. There are a lot of moments of peace, but the war is always in the background: both sides would very much like to capture and/or kill both parents, and do that or worse to Hazel.

Vaughan and Staples have been clear from the beginning that Saga is Hazel’s story, not that of Marco and Alana, her parents. But she was a baby for the first twenty or thirty issues, so that message wasn’t as clear as they might have thought. And, frankly, even now she’s not old enough to have a story really separate from her parents and keepers — the emphasis on Hazel in the interviews around the most recent issue and hiatus seem to me to be signposts to say “Saga is going to run for a lot of issues — well over a hundred,” given how long it’s taken to get Hazel to this age and how little agency she has had so far.

I don’t mind long stories, as long as they are stories. Saga has a lot of serial comics in its DNA, but I think it still has the bones of a single story. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Saga come back after the hiatus with a time-jump, bumping Hazel up to an age when she really can affect events. Maybe not, though: maybe I’m just trying to hurry along something that will continue to go at its own pace.

Saga is still a very strong, humanistic work of SF, a story of people in danger and how they react to various stresses and demands and threats. Not all of them do what we’d hope they would, just like life. But they’re all real, and they’re what keep Saga worth reading.

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Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

Once Upon a Deadpool gets Quick Jan. 15 Release

LOS ANGELES, CA — From the studio that brought you Anastasia and Ever After comes a fairy tale that doesn’t go by the book. Everyone’s favorite disreputable Super Hero returns with a twist on Deadpool 2 that the whole gang can enjoy.  Watch Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) as he teams up with Domino (Zazie Beet), Cable (Josh Brolin) and the rest of the X-Force to prove that family is not an F-word. With over 20 minutes of new footage and jam-packed with surprises, you’ll wonder why the fudge they even bothered with the original version.

Not only does Once Upon a Deadpool help you deliver on that pesky New Year’s Resolution to spend more time with your family, you can also feel all warm and fuzzy about the fact that Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will be donating $1 from every Blu-ray™ Purchase or Digital Buy or Rent from January 1 to January 28, 2019 to Fudge Cancer (US only. Minimum donation of $100,000). Fox also donated $1 for each ticket purchased during the film’s festive theatrical release.

Once Upon a Deadpool will be available on Digital with Movies Anywhere, as well as on Blu-ray™ January 15.

ONCE UPON A DEADPOOL TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Street Date: January 15, 2019
Screen Format: Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:  English SDH, Spanish
Total Run Time: 1:57:41 minutes
U.S. Rating: PG-13

Book-A-Day 2018 #370: Paper Girls, Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Hey! The time-cops finally get named in this book! They’re called WATCH — we don’t know what that stands for, but baby steps, man, baby steps — and the old guy who runs them is Jahpo Thapa.

And our heroines learn more than his name, which I won’t spoil: they learn who he is and how he matters to them.

So, just maybe, Paper Girls Vol. 5  sees this series moving on from throwing out ideas at random and is now finally starting to knit them together into something coherent that can move towards an ending. I’m not holding my breath, but the signs are getting better.

(See my posts on the earlier volumes: one , two , three , four. )

As always, this story of a complicated (and not actually explained, even now) intergenerational time war focuses on four tween girls who were delivering newspapers early in the morning of November 1, 1988 when one piece of that war erupted into their home town of Cleveland. They’ve been to prehistory and several versions of the future — including the amazing world of Y2K! — but this time they’re in an actually futuristic future some fifty or sixty years up the line.

(Bad news for me: this locks down the stupid leet-speek future talk to that era, which is even more stupid than when I could pretend in my head that it changed over a few centuries. But it’s still Wicked Rad Kewl, which is the real point.)

So Erin, Mac, K.J., and Tiffany — plus the Y2K version of Tiff they picked up in the last volume — are stranded in dystopian future Cleveland, with a population in stylish jumpsuits and headgear and the occasional flying murderous police. But they head to the library, and actually piece together a few bits of the backstory in between fighting library golems, being shot at by the aforementioned flying cops, and interrogating senile old women.

They learn that they’re considered criminals, maybe because of the kid terrorist time-travelers we’ve seen before and maybe just because everybody is completely confused about the real origins of the time anomalies and war. That doesn’t help much, since they’re still a bunch of twelve-year-olds stranded in a city with no way home, among people who talk like particularly stupid members of the gang from Dark Knight Returns.

And, in the end, there’s another big problem for the four of them, and they’re all stranded in time again. I hope it won’t take another five volumes to learn what’s the vague deal of the junior combatants in the time war, but I’m not going to hold my breath. My sense is that Paper Girls, like any good serial comic, is going to spin out its central conceit for as long as the audience is willing to keep paying for it. Since I like time-war stories, I guess I’ll just keep giving it one volume at a time, and keep up with it as long as there’s still something new and interesting in each volume.

But I’d still rather have a real ending rather than endless recomplication.

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Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.