Suspended Animation by Michael Vance

	Michael Vance Mark Allen Michael Vance Books The longest-running comics review column in America perhaps the World!

Review Index: 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998

Priced at $2.95 and weighing-in at 24 pgs. Published by AKF Comics with art & concept by Nate Piekos. Plot assistance by Kain Medeiros.

That sometime is now, and the good thing mentioned is a gnarled old hero named Lint McCree in a city full of dynamic but self-centered young bloods.

Link and his partner, Sam Normal, are on the trail of a serial killer. That isn't a surprising development in the mystery genre. Nor is it surprising that there is little mystery in Lint McCree Mysteries. It may not be possible to develop a full-blown mystery within the limits of a 24 page comic book and still leave room for characterization.

Nor is it surprising that every other element of solid entertainment is full-blown in this title. Nice art and visual story telling are telling clues. Strong plot, characterization and dialog all add to the evidence that proves the original theory: McCree is a good thing in a small press package.

Good things don't come in small press packages all of the time. Even when art and writing show promise and are entertaining, a comic's premise can damage it.

Peace... is the story of two American Indians with an injured friend who stumble on a gangland murder. On that plot hangs a celebration of Indian beliefs simply because they are Indian beliefs.

Culture is only a collection of man-made customs, a "usual way of behaving". But Truth is not subjective or dependent on the opinions of men.

To build one's life around the arbitrary opinion of men is to build one's life on sand.

Peace Party #1 is priced at $2.95 and is 23 pages. Published by Blue Corn with words by Rob Schmidt, art by Ron Fattoruso and Rob Schmidt.

Earlier, I extolled the virtues of a crossover comic book between. DC Comic's Superman and Marvel's Fantastic Four characters. That large folio-sized volume was a polished work (even if the title Superman- Fantastic Four was bland). There is now another, very different, joint enterprise entitled The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman.

Whereas the Fantastic Four volume was tall and glossy, the second title is in a more traditional size priced at $5.95. Readers are likely to divide sharply over its merits and all factions could be correct.

Roger Stern's script and Steve Rude's drawings remind me of the Hulk stories of the early 1960s when the character's potential had not been fully realized (I was never impressed by the original Hulk series that lasted only a few issues.)

Stern's plot turns on the idea that the Hulk and Superman are remarkably alike except that the Hulk is fated for failure and despair. Stern makes a good case and constantly compares and contrasts their careers.

Although there is no reference to this being either a DC "Elseworld" story or a Marvel "What If?" entry, this Hulk and Superman live and operate on the same world. That takes the story out of either company's continuity. The world seems more weighted toward Marvel's characters, the Avengers are mentioned, but the Justice League of America is not.

The story is, of course, a slugfest, not a battle of wits, even though Lex Luthor is present. The question of which hero is stronger is not resolved although many readers will remember the 1996 "DC versus Marvel" series in which Superman settled the question decisively.

Those who like efforts to recapture the spirit of early Marvel will also want Avengers 1.5, a story supposedly set between the first and second issues. The battle with Dr. Doom is fairly routine, but the script also explains the tension between Thor and the Hulk in the original series.