watch ruining my judgement, but I found this tory to be hilarious. The art sets the post- pocalyptic mood well, but the melodramatic jalogue is pretty generic and therefore hilari- us (“Iam judge... jury... and executioner...’’), teresting reading. Have fun with it.

And last, ‘‘Pleasant Dreams’’, Sue mith’s one page tale about a surreal breakfast. ood clean hallucinogenic fun.

Better layouts, better artwork, longer

d, it’s available, which makes it even better. Subterranean By Design unprecedented ird issue: Cover art by Brett Taylor features a

issue where the price was forced up, t don’t let that deter you. This issue’s ture pin-ups: A fantasy picture by Rob er, an advertisment for Scorn by dy Carruthers anda really wierd look- superhero by Jim Dickson. They’re great.

“Pool Hall Special’*: Another

st wants to learn the game’’. Creepy with moody art. A small critique on artwork: the hustler’s hair changes blonde to black and back to blonde

“Dr. Vand the Violent Comman- art #2”: This second instalment in llbecks’ superhero soap operanearly Up to its great title. In this issue it is led that the “Dr. V’’ and other ‘‘ex- 8” were created in the Vietnam war young soldiers got hit with chemi- A series of flashbacks tells the tale, Dr. V gets a chance to do some nt protesting. Note of interest: the haracters (with the exception of Dr. V) thus far failed to appear. The artwork isn’t as the first installment, but it looks tter. Steve is improving. “Harrison Deeds, P.I.”?: Two pages of d comic strip by Peter Murphy. Good rk in the grim Murphy style. This would “na lot more interesting if it had ended hanger of some kind. As it is, there’s Story, Very nice visuals, though. _ Missin? Twenty Grand’’: Brett is best art to date graces this grimy and oe detective story. Great Chandler- vie Out some beautifully corny lines Some really good ones. A fun, fast

btetranean Blue Christmas Special: © big one! At forty pages, the Blue

ories. A big improvement over issue one. -

The little aliens reall

Christmas Special is the most ambitious project to date. Luckily, it was worth the effort. Double covers feature the artwork of Sandy Carruthers and Fred Stirret. Sophie Djuk supplies a good surreal poem\pin-up, and Brett Taylor submits a pin-up of his super-group, The Lost.

“Storm Warning’’ by Peter Murphy brings the considerable talents of Rob Walker (the guy who did the fence on the St. Peter’s road) to comic books. When repairs to damaged equipment on an inhospitable planet, are re- quired, Commander Kelly rises to the occasion. Braving high winds and little stick-figure al- iens, he drives his tank straight into a whole lot of trouble. Good artwork by Walker and Murphy.

kind of cute. ina

ful and painfully funny one-pager about the jobs the authors had before becoming cartoonists: In a word: ouch!”’Scorn’’: Sandy Curruthers turns to superheroics to get across the message that violence against women is the fault of the attacker, not the victim. Scorn is a well-drawn and violent object lesson in the finer points of tage. The title character is a vengeance crazed femme fatale who rips apart a street gang when they attack an innocent woman. Somehow, the insane Scorn is far more interesting than Knife, despite their similar motivations. Perhaps Scorn’s violent nature stems from a sexual assault in her past. If that’s the case, as we suspect, she has a far grimmer origin than most etheroes. Her surprising depth (it’s only a three page story, after all) is part of her appeal. Carruthers is to becommended getting across his message without being overly preachy.

“D.ULI.”’ is short for Dying Under the Influence in this moral tale by Steve Callbeck and James Hagen. Steve Callbeck art on this tale looks tushed and is a definite step down from his previous work on ‘‘Dr, V’’. Still, it is effective and the strange script is entertaining. It’s kind of like “‘The Dukes of Hazard Go Bad’? as two good ol’ boys get their fool selves in an accident while playing chicken.

“*Path of Thorns’’ by J. Jeffrey Lawless is not what you’ d expect from the guy who gave us “‘Da Pogey Bais’’. This enigmatic tale is anything but funny. See, there’s this girl. She walks home from church and a bunch of plants get mad at her and weirdness ensues. Creepy story with no words will leave you saying ‘‘wow’’ even as you think ‘‘huh?’’ Take solace in the knowledge that the author doesn’t un- derstand it either.

And finally, a wonderfully wicked parody entitled: ‘‘Santa: The Red Knight Returns’’. Frank Miller’s graphic novel gets a brutal working

™

grotesque E.T. sort of way. Fun sci-fi in the best pulp mag tradition.

“*Knife’’: Sean Campbell’s superhero- on-a-vengeance-kick tale is pretty typical stuff. Knife reminds one of Ghost Rider, Batman, Punisher and any number of other vengeful crusaders without being in the same league. Robert Harrison’s artwork is a bit awkward in spots, but on the whole is very good. The whole story is drawn in white on black panels shaped like broken glass, which should guarantee a sinister feel. Unfortunately the story itself fails to set the proper mood as Knife slashes through muggers and a villain named Shadow Spawn. Harrison needs to work on his perspective, and Campbell needs a more original concept. Still, it does have a few good moments.

‘*Jobs From Hell’’: An achingly truth-

over in a hilarious story that takes stabs at both Batman and Santa Claus. A mad- man named Scrooge is attacking all that’s jolly about Christmas, and the Santa must stop him. The artwork and script parody the Frank Miller style perfectly. Even those unfamiliar with Miller’s work will appreciate the clever script- ing. More than worth the price of the comic. It’s like buying one story and getting six free!

And the madness continues! Sources inside SBD report that a new issue is on the way for March. Rumors as to content are vague at best, but the fact that the comic will continue is good news for the fans. So what are you waiting for? Support this worthwhile enterprise and buy some comics! Even if the words ‘‘Local Tal- ent’’ make you want to run screaming into heavy traffic, you ought to check these guys out. You might be pleasantly surprised.@

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