REAL TALK ALERT:
After a second read, Strange Adventures #1 may be my favorite comic to come out (or return) this year. My first read was an emotional roller coaster that showed me amazing art for its character, every artist has his own distinct and unique style to bring to the picture. But where the hell did this thing come from, left field?
Originally a DC title from the 50’s, Strange Adventures was an anthology series that included all sorts of stories that didn’t make it into other comics for one reason: Although some of them fit into certain genre’s, they were just way to odd for mainstream readers— No, this comic glowed on the shelf for certain groups of people: the goblins, gorehounds, perverts, and fans of all-around hijinks. The readers who longed for something a little… Different.
My second read was just as enjoyable in the modern revival (now on DC’s Vertigo imprint), and by enjoyable I mean some it depressed the living shit out of me— Particularly The Postmodern Prometheus, a tale of a genetically modified creature created for war just trying to make a living at a desk job after escaping, and another tale of a 50’s space cowboy who was blasted by 4 different duplication rays at the same time… by 4 different alien races from 4 different corners of the galaxy. This makes him into 1/4 of each one with some truly disturbing results. The flashbacks are perfect, drawn in the old school fifties style that any overweight dude with a DBZ shirt would jizz himself over— The funny part is I can’t remember the title of the story, and I don’t want to risk damaging my copy by opening it again. That said, this story really got to me and if it doesn’t win an award I will burn every Green Lantern movie tie in book. (Well, I might do that anyway.)
My only gripe with Vertigo’s offering is the price tag: 7.99. But it IS 80 pages, and it IS ten stories that will melt your brain, so I say pick it up or die. I’d love to see more of this, one shots based on pure creativity and turning the format on its head… And then eating it for good measure.
