Cover to Cover: the Basement mystery

Just another lazy Friday night, with the city lights calling YOUR name. And I don't mean just any random Joe Six-Pack or Hockey Mom, I mean exactly YOU. Can you hear it?

"Hey (insert name here), pretty night tonight huh? Sounds like a perfect opportunity to get out, stretch your legs, huh? So gedoff yer bum, and get some of that good city-lovin' (insert name here)!"

You know what this means right? 

It! Means! Comics! So let's review

House of Mystery #6

by Matthew Sturges and Luca Rossi (back-up by Matt and Tony Akins)

This is the first part of "Love Stories for Dead People," and we look at the past of the House's security staff: Ann, a Pirate Queen. Whether she's the Pirate Pearl of the Pacific, we aren't really sure yet. In fact, you could say it's a mystery in all honesty.

Well, back to the issue: the little back-up story fleshes out Ann's past with romance. Back in the present, Harry (the barkeep) gets the idea to explore the House's basement -- he thinks it leads to a way out of the House. 

This issue was really, really introspective. You had to pay your full attention on the thought boxes, and we really get to see inside Fig's head here (Fig is the protagonist -- her unconscious was the architect of the House). 

Matt seems to still be playing around with the writing, but I like it. You can tell that Fig was one of those kids who didn't have a lot of friends in school. Not too many people to talk to. It

 shows up in the way she speaks and the way she thinks.

I dunno, House isn't for everyone. Unless you like dry humor and offbeat tangents, and not-completely-structured writing, I wouldn't recommend it. But then, if you're interested, go ahead and try this arc.

There's also a preview of Vertigo's reboot of DC's "Unknown Soldier." It's really interesting, and it takes place during African wartime. It's not for the faint of heart or the young, but you can tell that the writer knows what he's doing, and where he wants to go.

. . . Yeah. That's all I have for us this week. The last issue of The Batman Strikes! came out this week, but I can never come up with new ways to say it's awesome. Meh.