Sandman Mystery Theatre #4

Written by: Matt Wagner

Art by: Guy Davis

The trail that leads to the Tarantula's web gets shorter and shorter; but how many bodies will the Sandman find there?

This issue is the last in this story arc and wraps up the tale quite nicely. Clues lead Wesley to the Goldman residence where he finds Catherine and Celia chained up and at death's door. A veiled figure shows up (who has been making periodic appearances through this arc) and the two fight. The Sandman gases her and she goes down. This turns out to be Al Goldman's wife.

The Tarantula shows up, black hood and all, and our titular hero and his first rival clash. No one really gets an upper hand and the Tarantula is eventually electrocuted by a stray wire. He turns out to be Al Goldman's son, Roger.

Both Celia and Catherine survive their ordeal and the plot is summed up over dinner. Roger was pissed about being written out of the will, the wife was pissed about Al's mistress (Catherine) so they teamed up to try to squeeze daddy for money. Families are fun, aren't they?

Well, that wraps up this issue. Guy Davis has developed a visual style that remains both stunning and haunting on this title - like nothing I've ever seen before. And Matt Wagner can write one hell of a mystery.

Until tomorrow - happy reading.

Sandman Mystery Theatre #3

Written by: Matt Moore

Art by: Guy Davis

Terror still stalks the streets as the Tarantula's kidnapping spree continues.

This issue opens with Detective Burke investigating an abandoned warehouse - and who should turn up but the Sandman. They fight; Burke gets gassed and Wesley takes a shot to the head. Back at the Dodd's residence, Dian comes calling in the dead of the night. She and Wes talk - a joke is made and she leave.

Cut to more torture scenes (the art is awesomely gruesome).

Wes finds out the accountant who hid assets for the out of business milk company and interrogates him. He find out that the current owner is the son of none other that known bootlegger and all around not-so-nice guy, Al Goldman. Burke shows up too late - throws down his hat - everyone laughs.

The story then moves into the Goldman house where we see that Al and his daughter, Celia, are more than just father and daughter.

The issue closes with Celia being kidnapped by the Tarantula.

This is another fine chapter in this series. I was thinking on the drive home today about what it was that drew me to this series in the first place. I know right off the bat it had something to o with Matt Wagner. I love his story telling . It's always so tight. This series, so far, has been plotted a lot like a Raymond Chandler novel. Good stuff. Guy Davies continues to add his very distinct style to this title. It feels scratchy, like old film.

Busy at home, sorry I missed a couple days. Wedding bells and all. Well, until next time - happy reading.

Sandman Mystery Theatre #2

Written by: Matt Wagner

Art by: Guy Davis

It's 1938 and a Tarantula still stalks the streets of New York City.

Last issue ended with Dian walking in on our titular hero in the ladies room (he was listening to a conversation between the police chief and the district attorney) - the Sandman spins her around and jumps out the window. Startled, Dian emerges in time to hear her father say that they recovered a body, a victim of the Tarantula. Dian volunteers to ID the body and we cut to the morgue - turns out this isn't her friend Catherine.

Insert torture scene - and Wesley just happens to be outside of the police station to offer Dian a ride home. Cut to scene with Al Goldman (known bootlegger) and his daughter; she says to daddy "You know I only have eyes for you" while rubbing on him. Something isn't right at the Goldman house.

Lt. Burke is looking to question Catherine's cab driver, but on the way up to his apartment Burke notices something outside the window. He opens said window and in pours a cloud of green smoke. Nighty night. The Sandman proceeds to question the cabbie. Burke wakes to find the cabbie passed out.

Dian and Wesley have dinner. Burke finds out that a delivery truck at the kidnap scene belongs to a company that has been out of business for 5 years, meanwhile another woman is kidnapped. The issue ends with some more torture of Catherine.

I enjoyed this issue. Not a lot of action, but the mystery is shaping up. This is one of the more cerebral titles I've read - it keeps the mind sharp. Matt is a very good mystery writer. Guy's art fits perfectly. Has a very real quality to it, like an old photograph pulled from a box in your grandfather's attic.

Lots of questions still to be answered in the first story arc of this title. I know there is a trade out there - so go buy it. Until tomorrow - happy reading.

Sandman Mystery Theatre #1

Written by: Matt Wagner

Art by: Guy Davis

Imagine, if you will, it's 1938 in New York - prohibition was lifted 5 years ago, jazz clubs are everywhere, Action Comics #1 just came out - and a man calling himself the Tarantula is kidnapping young girls. Who will save the city with a blend of wit, sleeping gas and...origami? That's right, the Sandman will.

In this first issue of Sandman Mystery Theatre, the key players in the drama are introduced: Wesley Dodds (a rich, aloof spectacle-wearing introvert), Lawrence Belmont (district attorney) and Dian Belmont (well-off socialite daughter of Lawrence). The issue begins with Dian and her friend Catherine having drinks at a club in Harlem; they stay out all night and share a cab home. What Dian doesn't know is that her father had a rather strange visitor that same night - the Sandman.

Dian and Lawrence head to a library fund raiser and meet up with Wesley, who is newly returned to New york after the death of his father. Dian is intrigued with Wesley's non-interest in her. Before they really have a chance to talk, Lawrence tells Dian they need to leave -Catherine has been kidnapped.

Insert scene of impaled girl on fire escape and...

...Wesley heads home, cuts to scenes of a tucked in doll, weird science experiments and then to the police station. Here, Dian waits for her father and any word on her friend Catherine. Some clumsy cop spills coffee on her and she heads to the lady's room where she comes face to face with the Sandman.

To be continued...

I really like this series. Matt Wagner is a great writer; he knows how to build the suspense. That's where the charm of this series comes form. There and Guy Davis's artwork - it's kind of inked sketches. Not polished at all, no huge muscles or big boobs - just realistic people and realistic gore. This is a horror / mystery book dressed as a superhero book; all together a nice blend of the genres.

The first half of this series is really easy to find - it gets a but tougher past issue 36 (that's where my collection ends...for now). More on this series as the days go by. Until tomorrow - happy reading.

Grendel: Black, White and Red #3

Written by : Matt Wagner

Art by: see below

Matt Wagner's anthology of Hunter Rose Grendel stories continues in sparse black white and red. So far this series has done a good job of filling in and fleshing out some important events and people only glossed over in Devil By the Deed. This book gives further insight into the world of the man under the mask.

Devil's Apogee - Mike Allred

In this story we see an early contract killing by Grendel and his reflections on his youth in suburbia and a fated trip over seas. The story is fairly straight forward, and Mike Allred's art is clean and almost perfect.

A good read, but the hit takes a back seat to the love story. Not quite enough bodies. Keep reading, Hunter gets bloodier and bloodier each issue.

Devil's Curse - Arnold and Jacob Pander

I really liked this story; it's about a voodoo priest trying to conjure up Grendel so that some marked men can take him on face to face rather than have their throat slashed during the night. Needless to say, the Devil always gets what is his - whether you call him or he comes calling. The thing that makes this story is the priest, D'oro. He lives in an abandoned oil refinery where he is surrounded by zombies of his own making. The Panders always please with this kind of story.

Best in the book.

The Devil's In the Punctuation - Stan Shaw

This story centers on Hunter's editor, a man named Cush, and his rise to stardom on Hunter's literary coat tails. This story is more about how it is presented that what it has to say. It is written as a book pitch by Cush - it just feels kind of forced. The art is nice; it has a kind of angular grace about it.

Art is nice to look at, story is a bit unnecessary. There's a very nice splash page of the fight between Grendel and Argent.

Devil On My Back - Teddy H. Kristiansen

Flashbacks abound in this issue. This is a story of an arsonist who sets fire to some of Grendel's waterfront property and provides a mirror for Hunter to see his past. Grendel lets the kid live...total let down. The art is sketchy and minimal - not very nice to look at.

Does give us another glimpse at how ruthless Hunter is - a sprinkler of gasoline. Awesome. But I'd still call it the weakest of the 5 stories in this book.

Devil's Labyrinth - Guy Davis

Now this is a Grendel story. Argent setting up Grendel who is really setting up Argent. They fight, Argent can't keep up, splice in some images of Stacy (they both care deeply about this little girl) and ultimately ends with Grendel looking off into the distance and telling Stacy he loves her. Almost feels text book; but in a good way. Guy Davis' art is good, but his style doesn't lend itself to action very well.

This book ends on a high note.

If you want to pick this or any issue up, get it from MyComicShop, they have the best back issue pricing around. Trust me, I've looked.

Well, that's it for tonight. One more issue of Black White and Red, then the Devil heads to Gotham...