Zatanna # 1 of 4

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist/Inker: Ryan Sook/Mick Gray
Publisher: DC
Published: June 2005
Ladies Night # 3

Zatanna is, as some folks say, a second stringer when it comes to heroes. This is something that she is painfully aware of. In this issue, she is in a superhero low self-esteem meeting discussing her frustrations and past. She is a spellaholic who can't use her magic anymore because she can't speak backwards anymore.

Turns out she did some bad magic during a group seance to battle evil and she ended up summoning a monster, which killed her fellow magicians. To top it off, her old man died in a similar fashion, dying in a seance years before. (see Swamp Thing # 50)

So, she's a loser. But as everyone knows, with losers, they never really turn out to be just that. She's got 3 other issues to prove it!

Zombie Tales # 5

Writers: William Messner-Loebs, Ian Brill, Brian Augustyn
Artists: Matt Cossin, Leno Carvalho, Jason Ho
Published: August 2008
Publisher: Boom! Studios

Z is for "it's the end of the world!"

Zombies, zombies, zombies, what's life without zombies? Well I'll tell ya - bor-ring!

Zombie Tales # 5 is surprisingly good. I didn't expect much, considering that zombies have been on the comic scene for some time now, but the 3 short tales included in this issue have a definite unique slant.

The first tale, He ain't Heaven, He's My Brother, concerns a devoted sister who takes her zombie brother to a televangelist for a $50 cure. The second tale, Sanctuary, is about an jaded atheist's who is on the run from zombie monsters, and seeks shelter in the last place she would consider, a church. Finally the last tale, Bait, is just that. A story about using a loved one as bait, but not in the traditional sense (if using loved ones as bait could be considered traditional.) The art is fantastic, and the stories reminded me of shortened tales straight out of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. If you've seen any Alfred Hitchcock, you'll know what I mean.

There is a site called PostSecret, and the site is all about secrets. People send in postcards that has a secret written down they've never told anyone. I got really into the site for about a week, and would obsessively look at peoples "secrets." I got a bit turned off by the whole affair. I could never figure out a good secret I would want to send in. Also, some of the secrets seemed a bit pretentious, too "arty" for my tastes, and some were just too sad. However, once and a while I would stumble across a real gem. While it's not exactly zombie specific, it certainly captures my inner desire if the zombie apocalypse took place. That would be my time to shine.Ah who am I kidding, I'd be one of the first ones down. That's it. My big postsecret would be: "I secretly fear the day the zombies take over that I'd be one of the first ones eaten, and that my experiments with monkeys and cheese drink would be the cause of the zombie apocalypse. Serves me right though. Nobody should mess with cheese drink. Ever."

Y the Last Man # 1

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Pia Guerra
Publisher: Vertigo
Published: September 2002

Y are all the males dead? More like why ask Y?

Just one year after September 11, Vertigo releases the apocalyptic Y the Last Man. The issue is set in a reality that has a mysterious "unknown something" kill all the males on the planet. The first issue introduces the players: Yorick the last man, Beth his girlfriend, Agent 355, Senator Jen Brown (Yoricks mom), Dr. Mann, and Alter.

The story unfolds in the manner of a countdown. The comic opens with all the men dead or dying. The story then jumps back 29 minutes earlier. In this time we meet Yorick who is an unemployed English Major and amateur escape artist/magician. At this time he is talking to his girlfriend Beth, who is in the Australian Outback. We then are introduced to Senator Jen Brown, who in a quick conversation with a fellow male senator tells him she is going to oppose abortion rights in Mexico. Agent 355 is a just that, an agent for the US government, on a secret mission. Dr. Mann is a pregnant scientist who is her own baby's father. Alter is an Israeli military combatant. Oh, and Yorick has a monkey named Ampersand.So there you have it. A rag tag group of characters who will be forced into each others paths, with plenty of sex and opportunities for more sex. I mean, come on, he is the only guy left on Earth. Oh wait, I forgot, Yorick is hopelessly devoted to his long distance girlfriend Beth and plans to propose to her. Well, there goes the plenitude of sex and opportunities for more sex.

I really liked this series. The characters are extremely interesting, and the events that unfold because of the gendercide are well thought out and plausible (in a comic book kinda way of course). All round a great series for the OCD in all of us, 'cause once you start reading Y, you won't be able to stop.