Eddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist, who has been a widely known author for decades. He allows a lot of history to influence his work, such as Greek mythology, as well as tie in his own autobiographical story lines. He is able to connect different concepts throughout his work, creating an undertone of authenticity for the readers to enjoy. His latest book is no different, which merges different elements to the story line, but what is even more influential and unique is his way to establish a comic book in a way that reads as a novel.

Money is something we all have to deal with and attempt to prove that is positively influential in our lives, rather than an unfortunate issue. Eddie Campbell’s book tells the story of just that: trying to find a way for money to be a constructive component to society, instead of a game of downfalls. Throughout Campbell’s graphic novel, money is compared to time, obstacles, and referred to as “The Lovely Horrible Stuff.”

‘The Lovely Horrible Stuff’, or money, prevents the real growth and creativity of each individual that could be formed overtime due to having to spend so much time to figure out the obstructions of income. While it has only two chapters, the text provides many scenarios that all readers can relate to when dealing with the preventative actions of money and the people in charge of it. These continuous situations are unfortunately relatable to all readers who have ever dealt with trying to make a living. The story tells of money not being trustworthy, as well as the people who speak of it. Who do you trust? Since you cannot trust money or people in your life, you spend your time daydreaming, which in turn costs you time which could have been spent making money.

Campbell’s story spends some time examining Yap, an island in the Caroline Islands, where money is still very influential and powerful today. Captain O’Keefe who is believed to be a historical sailor, who tried to alter Yap’s society, is also brought up throughout the latter part of the book. O’Keefe is an additional example of what happens when one messes with money to the book. Campbell involves people from the past such as O’Keefe and Shakespeare with the story’s present situation in a way that shows how ridiculous money has been throughout time.

The illustrations highlight the great comic drawing skills Campbell has, which help to depict the meaning behind the words, as well as adding humor to the story. The book is honest, which allows readers to see how truly backwards the world is due to money’s control over their lives. Campbell’s artistic skill of drawing really adds a unique touch. The images create a way for the reader to see the story at its greatest potential by depicting different actions and perspectives. Something that is also unique is there are many types of pictures throughout including photographs, sketches, and computer-generated images. The variety of images emphasizes different story lines within the book, as well as connecting the reader’s real life to the message.

The Lovely Horrible Stuff exemplifies the affects money has on a person, on family, on business relationships, and ultimately on the world as a whole. There is no better depiction of justifying the feeling of resentment toward money than this story.

Eddie Campbell’s The Lovely Horrible Stuff is available for purchase on July 10, 2012.

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DC Comics recently released the second installment of Sword of Justice, their new five-part series set in the world of Diablo, Blizzard Entertainment’s hit ARPG.

Issue #2 picks up right where its predecessor left off. Jacob ends up killing his father in self-defense, but it seems as if the old man’s mind had been poisoned by some mysterious ailment. With his last breath, he warns Jacob not to touch his blood. Back in the present, Jacob is still in the mysterious cave he discovered in the previous issue, staring at a glimmering sword that protrudes from the ground.

Jacob pulls it free, much to the relief of the hooded woman who had been guarding it. She introduces herself as a wizard named Shanar, and unlike most comic book females, she is actually somewhat modestly clothed. No chainmail bikini for her! She delivers some exposition about the sword, but her spiel is cut short when thugs from Jacob’s homeland pay him a visit. Jacob is reluctant to see them killed, so he forces Shanar to pull her magical punches.

In a nice nod to Diablo III, Shanar fights with wizard spells that will appear in-game, such as Electrocute and Wave of Force. Of course no good deed goes unpunished, and Jacob is rewarded for his mercy by being knocked unconscious and taken prisoner. Thankfully, Shanar returns to Jacob’s side and helps him to escape his captors. But the bad guys prove to be persistent, and Shanar uses a teleportation spell to whisk herself and Jacob from their grasp.

They end up in the Black Marsh near the Forgotten Tower (two areas that will be familiar to players of Diablo II), but the issue’s last panel suggests that they might have exchanged the frying pan for the fire.

The first issue was understandably a bit heavy on the exposition, but scriptwriter Aaron Williams has toned it down in Issue #2. He has also done a nice job of incorporating some of the newer lore that has been developed for the Diablo universe. The bit about the Crystal Arch in the High Heavens fits in nicely with the Book of Cain.

And speaking of lore, it is interesting to note that Williams told IGN that he had originally planned to have a scene in the Forgotten Tower. He ended up dropping it because the Tower apparently shows up in Diablo III and he did not want to create continuity problems. If the Tower does indeed make a comeback in Diablo III, it would be nice if we actually got to see it; in Diablo II, we only saw the (rather expansive) basement!

Despite Williams’ obvious talent, there are some plot issues that left me scratching my head in confusion. Take the battle in the cave, for example. Jacob tells Shanar not to kill the thugs, which seems spectacularly unwise given the circumstances. His decision to show them mercy might have been more believable if he were trying to reason with them, but he makes no such attempt.

Instead, he fights in moody silence and refuses to deliver killing blows. But what does he hope to gain by holding back? Does he hope his enemies will just get frustrated and leave him alone? Perhaps Williams was trying to show Jacob as naive and good-hearted, but instead he comes dangerously close to being ‘Too Stupid To Live’.

Similarly, when Shanar helps Jacob escape after he is captured, it seems hard to believe that she would not attack the thugs while they were busy dismembering their dinner. They were totally distracted; it would be the perfect opportunity for Shanar to take them all out. At the very least, she and Jacob should have discussed some sort of counterattack. Instead, she and Jacob just run off into the woods. That sort of behavior seems to be dictated by plot necessity rather than logic.

Those matters aside, Issue #2 was an enjoyable read. Overall, the story remains compelling, and it will be interesting to see what else Williams has in store for Jacob and Shanar.

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In 2001, Hellboy quit the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D). If that was not bad enough, Liz Sherman is currently in hiding, Abe Sapien is in a coma, and Johann Kraus is left with Kate Corrigan to go with to Russia as backup this time around. The Russians have an assault team assembled for Johann and Kate to lead into the fire.

If only it were that easy. As if these men could make up for the loss of Hellboy, they charge heroically to their deaths, combating evil. Mike Mignola and John Arcudi have teamed up once again to continue the Hell on Earth: Russia issues for #4, bringing the storyline into sharper focus with each successive single issue release.

Art was done by Tyler Crook while colors were by Dave Stewart.  Lettering was done by Clem Robins, and the cover was by Dave Johnson. This senior team has created the perfect setting for huge monsters and grand explosions.

It becomes obvious that this mission into the mines could only have succeeded with Johann Kraus’ help. Kraus, with his deep conceptual thinking, is certainly poised in this issue to shake things up for Kate Corrigan as they continue through Russia’s hellish atmosphere. Different from Hellboy in that way, Kraus is a deep thinker, which contrasts very much with Hellboy’s simpler thought process.

By no means lacking in courage or skills, Johann Kraus does maintain his image as the thinking man’s character. Kate Corrigan, on the other hand, is frustrated, brash, and hard to deal with when in Russia. The missing key members of their team take its toll on her psyche, leading to bursts of impatience and rage.

Fans of Hellboy will remember her friendship with Hellboy from previous B.P.R.D issues as well as her concern for Abe Sapien from Issue #1 of Hell on Earth: Russia.  She will come face to face with the concept that some people just accept the fact that they will die.

Exposure to the contagion found in the mines of Russia changes the structural chemistry of every living human it touches, turning them into mindless killers. Unluckily for him, Johann Kraus is on the hunt for this contagion with a set of monsters, each of which is more grotesque than the next.

On the one hand, you have a blue Jabba-the-Hutt-type creature, and on the other, you have what looks like the giant brain bug from the end of the first Starship Troopers movie. It is a lose-lose situation, no matter which ugly monster Kraus will find first. The concept of Kraus’ mortality will also come into play, since Kraus is technically dead and without a body, but is a sentient free-feeling personality.

The feel of this story is a different kind of desperation. In comparison to Hellboy’s policy of casual violence, B.P.R.D always seems to have a more serious edge. This is definitely true with B.P.R.D Hell on Earth: Russia, since the first issue has already set the stage for the almost rapid deceleration of Russian society due to this spreading contagion.

The ending of the story is quite explosive. While some fans will clamor in fury, true fans will wait impatiently for the triumphant return of one of the series best loved characters. Entertaining as always, the conclusion is sure to be jam-packed with excellent plot twists as well as a rescue operation. B.P.R.D Hell on Earth: Russia is on sale here through Dark Horse!

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Dark Horse Comics has released Issue 4 of their ongoing continuation of the cult TV show, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. When we last left our heroine, she had been betrayed by her erstwhile ally, Severin. The issue begins with a flashback showing Severin working his mojo on a vampire in a bid to gain information about his girlfriend, Alessandra. He seems to be able to steal magic from vampires, but in doing so, he kills the underlying human.

A mysterious stranger told Severin that he needed to destroy Buffy. As he lunges to attack her and steal her power, he taunts her in typical Buffy-villain fashion. As they grapple, both the San Francisco Police Department and her former vampire love interest, Spike, converge on her. The former plan to arrest her, while the latter is trying desperately to save her.

This issue turned out to be a bit of a letdown, actually. The writers seemed to be treading water throughout much of the text, and the fight between Buffy and Severin was not terribly dramatic. A bunch of panels showing Severin gripping Buffy while mysterious green energy dances around them does not make for a very compelling fight. It almost felt like the fight scenes were being used as filler in between the scenes that were happening elsewhere in the city.

I do not want to give away too many spoilers, but the end of the issue wraps up the ‘Buffy as fugitive’ plot arc in a way that just felt rushed. It seemed to end because the writers needed it to end, rather than ending in a natural fashion.

The dialogue also seemed to suffer in this issue. There were a number of instances where writer Andrew Chambliss seemed to be trying too hard to capture Joss Whedon’s famed Buffyspeak (worst line of the issue: “I’ve just got to keep with the fighty until you use up all your snap, crackle, and pop.”) With Whedon, it seemed natural; with Chambliss, it tends to feel contrived.

In my review of Issue 3, I noted that the characters sometimes did not resemble the actors who played them on TV. That problem is even more pronounced in Issue 4. Willow has a brief walk-on part towards the end, but you would be hard-pressed to tell that she was once played by Alyson Hannigan. Buffy’s resemblance to Sarah Michelle Gellar is also at an  all-time low in this issue, and she still tends to look like she is twelve years old.

OVERALL GRADE: B-

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Although Diablo III has been postponed until 2012, fans of the series can tide themselves over by picking up the first issue of Sword of Justice, which hits the shelves this week. Set in the same dark-fantasy world as the game, SoJ is a five-issue comic series published by DC Comics which takes place during the twenty years that elapsed between the ending of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and the beginning of Diablo III.

The issue starts with a nice little summary of the overarching story of the Diablo universe.  Sanctuary (the world of mortals) was created by angels and demons as a place of refuge. Despite the best intentions, Sanctuary was almost destroyed twice, and each time it owed its salvation to Tyrael, the Archangel of Justice.

We then segue out of the past and into the present, where a young wanderer is confronted by an old beggar who claims to be able to see the future. He knows that the young man’s name is Jacob and that he is being pursued by hostile men. He tells Jacob to seek out a mysterious mountain.

At first, Jacob doesn’t believe the old man’s ramblings, but after almost dying of thirst in the desert, he stumbles upon the mountain that the old seer described. Inside, there’s a great cave whose walls are carved with scenes from his past, and a shining sword protrudes from the stone.

Seeing the scenes on the wall bring back painful memories for Jacob, and the reader finally starts to understand what the young man is running from. Video game tie-ins often leave a lot to be desired, but SoJ manages to be a compelling read. Scriptwriter Aaron Williams has a done a nice job with Jacob’s characterization, and he has a knack for incorporating subtle humor into the dialogue.

The story he’s crafted appears promising, and it will be interesting to see how SoJ fits in with the storyline of Diablo III when it’s finally released. The art, however, may not be to everyone’s liking. If you’re one of the fans who thinks that Diablo III isn’t dark and gritty enough, then you might want to steer clear of SoJ.

Joseph Lacroix’s work is visually appealing, but his highly-stylized drawings may not appeal to those looking for gritty realism. All in all, SoJ is a promising addition to the world of Diablo. It could have easily become a cliched ‘young warrior finds a magic weapon’ story, but it looks like they’ve managed to create something fresh and new.

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This week saw the release of the latest installment in Dark Horse Comics’ popular continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past fifteen years, BtVS was a cult TV show that aired from 1997 until 2003. Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy Summers, a high school student with a supernatural calling.

As ‘the Slayer,’ she had the duty to protect the world from vampires and other supernatural nasties. Buffy’s friends, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), were in on her secret, too, and they were often called upon to help Buffy out each week as she battled the forces of darkness.

As the seasons wore on, Buffy romanced not one, but two vampires, Willow became a lesbian, and the Summers family was enlarged by the addition of younger sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), who was actually a sophisticated hiding place for a magical MacGuffin known as The Key.

When the series ended in 2003, Buffy was finally able to destroy the Hellmouth that had turned her hometown of Sunnydale into an evil-magnet for seven seasons. Although Buffy vanished from the small screen, series creator Joss Whedon decided to continue her saga in comic book form.

Teaming up with Dark Horse Comics, he produced a popular series of comic books that functions as an eighth season of the TV show in paper form. Season 8 ran for 40 issues until it came to a dramatic end in January 2011. At the end of the series’ final arc, Buffy smashes a powerful artifact that acts as the source of all magic in the world.

In Season 9, Buffy must adjust to a radically different life. The line of Slayers will come to an end with the demise of the present generation. With magic gone, Willow (who had evolved into a powerful witch during the course of the TV show) can no longer use her spells. Buffy’s life takes a turn for the mundane, and she now works as a waitress in San Francisco, while the other members of the Scooby Gang have scattered.

Although much has changed for Buffy, vampires are still a problem. In Issue 3, Buffy encounters a mysterious stranger named Severin. He has the ability to kill vampires by generating bolts of energy with his hands, something that should not be possible since magic has supposedly vanished from the world.

It soon becomes apparent that the demise of magic is affecting vampires in an unusual way, and newly-sired vampires are even more terrifying than the older versions. Eager for answers, Buffy tries to reconvene the Scooby Gang, but her old friends are reluctant to return to the fray.

The events that ended Season 8 have allowed the writers to ‘reboot’ Buffy in Season 9. Without magic, the characters get to experience something resembling a normal life for the first time in ages, and the new emphasis on mundane life is reminiscent of  Season 1  of the TV show.

Back then, Buffy was a high school student trying to juggle the supernatural business of fighting evil with the more pedestrian demands of life as a teenager.  You can also see echoes of that in Season 9. At one point in Issue 3, there is a nifty callback to the first episode of the show, which I really appreciated.

Overall, I think Issue 3 was quite well done. The story unfolded at a brisk pace and left the reader eager to read the next installment. Scriptwriter Andrew Chambliss has done a decent job of imitating the writing found in the TV show. The only complaint I have is the artwork.

Georges Jeanty’s ability to make the characters look like the actors who played them seems to vary from page to page. He does a nice job of making Willow look like Alyson Hannigan, but Dawn does not really look anything like Michelle Trachtenberg. Also, on some pages, Buffy ends up looking like she is twelve years old. Although these hiccups are fairly minor in and of themselves, they do distract from the overall effect.

OVERALL GRADE: A-

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