This week's final FCBD review is another double-header this time from Dark Horse, half Mike Mignola, half Steve Niles all quality with Baltimore/Criminal Macabre. I'll tackle Mignola's book first, Baltimore continues the story of vampire hunter Lord Henry Baltimore last seen in the prose novel Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire co-written by Christopher Golden. World war I has come to an abrupt end due to a mysterious plague sweeping across all of Europe which has in turn brought about an influx of vampires and other such nastiness.

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Link: http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/17-067/Free-Comic-Book-Day-2010-Doctor-Solar-Magnus-issue

Now there's a long history of in comic books of one artist homaging another or one publisher using another publisher's character as inspiration for their own characters. Rob Liefeld has freely admitted that Deadpool aka Wade Wilson is a blatant rip off of Deathstroke the Terminator AKA Slade Wilson, pretty much all of Marvel's Squadron Supreme are a rehash of DC's Justice League of America and if you take a look at most of the early Image work it's got 90's Marvel all over it (mainly due to the fact that it was all their old artists but still...). Generally, if the story is good I don't really care but just thought I'd point it out when I see a character design that I feel is a little lazy or a little too blatant. So check this image I got form Dark Horse's monthly news letter The Pony Express:

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Link: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22433

If you check out CBR anytime soon the first article you should take a look at is their interview with Fear Agent creator Rick Remender. Anyone that's read this blog before, listened to the Sidekickcast (our most excellent podcast) or has bumped into me briefly on the street somewhere will know that my favourite comic book of the moment is Fear Agent. I've already waxed lyrical here about how pissed I am at Marvel for stealing Remender away for the stories in their books meaning he can no longer do work on his independent work, Fear Agent being a big part of that. Well it seems according to the CBR interview I owe Marvel an apology, they were quite happy for Remender to carry on with his work for Dark Horse with Fear Agent but the writer himself felt it was time to bring the series to a conclusion.

However the best piece of news to come out of this interview was that Fear Agent will return! Thanks to the major motion picture adaptation that's in development at Universal Remender will be looking to relaunch Fear Agent to coincide with developments in the production of the movie hopefully introducing a new audience to the character of Heath Huston and sating crazy ass psycho stalker fans like myself. I couldn't be happier about this as far too often independent creators get the 'Big Two' callup and totally forget all about their independent work, don't get me wrong I'm not blaming them as you gotta pay the bills but it's nice to know that Remender isn't done with the character and is going to be giving the fans the payoff they deserve.

The latest issue of Fear Agent #27 is out now and the series will end with issue #32 and the previous five trade paperback volumes can be found in all the usual bookstores and comic book shops, miss it at your peril.

Fear Agent is a science fiction comic book series by Rick Remender with art by Tony Moore and Jerome Opena, who alternate on story arcs. The series is published by Dark Horse Comics and previously by Image Comics.

It stars the rugged alcoholic Texas spaceman Heath Huston, the supposed last Fear Agent, in a series of fast-paced adventures. The series is notable for its emphasis on action, adventure, horror, and plot twists rather than realism or scientific detail; Remender claims in the first issue that "science fiction has lost its stones" and that Fear Agent is his attempt to fight that trend. Many incidents in the early issues are unexplained until many issues later to reinforce this. - Wiki.

Link: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

Looks like more big names are jumping onto the comic book bandwagon just in time for San Diego Comic Con; according to the Hollywood Reporter Morgan Spurlock, director of Supersize Me and Crazy Boatman lookalike has signed a deal with Dark Horse Comics to produce a companion piece graphic novel to said film. Titled Supersized: Starnge Tales from a Fast Food Culture the book will be written by Spurlock with a range of different artists covering the varied tales he picked up during and since filming his award winning documentary.

In all fairness the man has flogged this horse to the point where he should be on the RSPCA most wanted list but you have to admire his tenacity. A graphic novel sounds like an odd place for these stories of fast food to go but if they are told as they are being sold like Tales from the Crypt it could be quite intersting.

Link: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21769

I was reading an interview on CBR with one of my favourite writers of the moment Rick Remender and how he's planning to finish up one if his creator owned series The End League. He's also going to be finishing off easily one of the best books out there at the moment Fear Agent; something I couldn't be more gutted about. Why this sudden move to conclude his titles? Well he is now a proud employee of Marvel Comics with an exclusive deal which will keep him pretty busy. As I have enjoyed both of these comics enourmously I'm left with something of a quandry, am I happy Remender will be at Marvel writing some of my most beloved characters? or Am I sad to be losing some new and interesting characters and stories so early on in their development?

For most of my comic reading through the years I've been a capes and tights sort of guy, love the big hero stories especially anything from Marvel and to a lesser extent DC. I followed the X-Family books religously and I'd only venture away from the big 2 publishers to pick up some movie tie-in stories like the Alien books from Dark Horse. I never considered that the writers of these books were writing something else before they 'appeared' at Mavel or DC. Of course I knew they must've come from somewhere but I just didn't care, all that mattered was how good they were at writing 'my comics'; the ones I liked to read.

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I’ve been trying to think about a subject matter this week to blog about, and was struggling to collate my random thoughts into a structure. After a heavy dose of caffeine, my light bulb moment came and I screamed Eureka in the bath, and a whole host of other idea-related clichés happened!! Why don’t I put the Sidekick readers to a survey and let battle between the big guns commence in true primary school fashion! The question??? Which is better – Marvel or DC??? BOSH.

It’s a very tough question for me, as I am a relative newcomer to comics and I therefore have only a limited knowledge of either of the two heavyweights. Anything I base my decision on may be a discredit to the publishers involved but I’m going to plough on anyway and, unlike last week, come off my fence! Who will I go for? Will anyone care?? Is the decision likely to cripple the losing challenger financially for the rest of their days??

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