It seems to have been a while since I’ve actually talked about some current comics, so let me discuss a few books that I’ve picked up recently.

SMAX #1 – This is a five issue spin off from Alan Moore’s ABC series TOP TEN. TT is a police precinct in a city filled with super-heroes (generally called ‘science heroes’ in the ABC universe), gods and assorted aliens from any number of dimensions. Imagine, if you will, NYPD BLUE’s cast with superpowers.

Anyway, Smax comes from another dimension, is very strong and is able to project incredible force. He’s also not a very likable guy and pretty much of a loner. This time out he must return to his home world for family reasons and actually asks his current partner, a young lady known as Toy Box (because of her use of a small arsenal of tiny creatures and equipment she carries with her) to accompany him. While Smax is sort of embarrassed by his fairytale like world, Toy Box, on the other hand is absolutely fascinated and a bit out of her depth.

It’s only the first issue, so I have no idea where Alan Moore is going with this, but certainly have enough faith in him as a writer to tag along.

Over in the Batman family of books, the latest issue of DETECTIVE continues a nice mystery, co-starring the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Poor Jim Gordon seems to have discovered the identity of the serial killer, but the killer gets the best of the ex-Commissioner, so things don’t look so good. Guess we can expect a last-minute rescue next issue. Still the book is among those of the Batman family that I’ll continue to pick up for now.

Over in ROBIN, Tim Drake seems to have become involved in mystery of his own. Contacted by what appears to be Alfred, using a device which allows contact between the future and the past (as least one way) Tim must discover who among his fellow costumed heroes takes a turn to the ‘dark side’ and eventually leads Gotham into a very dangerous future. Of course, Tim isn’t really sure is the message is true or if someone is setting him up seeking to discover the identity of his mentor. I like Tim Drake and find his own book one of the best of the current Batman family of titles.

Rick Veitch continues to write a very interesting AQUAMAN. Arthur and Garth have now gone their separate paths in their attempt to defeat The Thirst from his quest to drain the Secret Sea, while at the same time looking to see just what’s going on in Atlantis, where Garth’s wife and child are held captive. Meanwhile, Arthur seems saddled with a possibly reformed Black Manta who may or may not be able to help our heroes with both their problems.

One of the nice things about not reading PREVIEWS any longer is that the items that turn up often surprise me. I never know what might appear either in my subscription file or on the shelves when I visit Clockworks. This past week I was lucky enough to find two titles that I had all but given up on seeing.

BIG BANG COMICS SUMMER SPECIAL is filled with the adventures of the ‘Golden and Silver Age’ characters of the BB universe. These characters are pretty much knock offs of some very famous super-heroes and drawn in a style reminiscent of older eras. From Ultra Man to Knight Watchman & Kid Galahad the BB heroes faithfully recreate the stories that fascinated comic book fans decades ago. While the artwork on some of these stories may not be at the level of the folks working at the Big Two, the creators at BB put so much enthusiasm into their work that it makes up for their lack of polish.

The other great surprise was LETHARGIC LAD JUMBO-SIZED ANNUAL #2. I had all but given up on Greg Hyland and company, not knowing that they were continuing the satirical adventures of these characters on line. What this book does is to reprint many of the recent web strips and tossing in some new things as well. If you’ve never encountered LL (or the League of Non-Mutants, HIM, or Walrus-Boy) than you have missed some of the sharpest spoofs of the marketing ploys and excesses of the major comics companies. If you’re a regular reader of WIZARD and would never miss an issue of COMICS JOURNAL than LL and the other characters that Hyland has put together here may not be your cup of tea. On the other hand, if you have a sense of humor and don’t mind seeing your favorite characters (and creators) knocked down a peg than this is the book and Lethargic Lad.com is the site for you!