Suspended Animation Classic #697 First published May 5, 2002 (#18) (Dates are approximate) Muties; Eldritch Pulp Adventure; The Third Degree By Michael Vance Reality and comic books are barely acquaintances, so a comic book titled Muties that hides a wealth of pleasant surprises is a rarity indeed. Its first bolt from the blue is there are no bolts from the blue in this superhero title. Super powers, costumes, gadgets, and sidekicks are either nonexistent or subtle and underplayed. Nata, a female nightclub bouncer, is the super-heroine, but not the focus, of this comic. The second revelation in Muties is a human plot and believable people. Jisa, a young girl, makes some very old and wrong choices that end in drugs, a worthless boyfriend, and pregnancy. This is unusual fodder for comic books, and plot, dialog and characterization all ring true. The third bombshell is that none of the characters are bombshells. If you are tired of super-beautiful muscle builders in comic books, you have found a new favorite. And, to conclude, the final blow to hardcore comics fans who believe that art is everything, the art in this issue is certainly something, but serves instead of obscuring the story. The artist's bold, simple line is well married to the coloring, and visual pacing and clarity are perfect. Each character is distinctive, facial expressions are realistic, and characters don't pose like models in physical culture magazines. Muties and its short backup feature with Jay Leno and Spider-man is recommended. MV Muties #4/29 pgs., $2.50, Marvel Comics/Muties: Karl Bollers & Trent Kanuiga; One Night Only: Greg Capullo, words, Danny Miki, pencils/ available wherever comics are sold. MINIVIEW: Eldritch Pulp Adventure [Maggot Global Pub.] Wildly imaginative art, perverse sex, violence and profanity inspired by a man who would have abhorred it, horror master H.P. Lovecraft. Imagine Batman as a demon in Hell. MV MINIVIEW, TOO: The Third Degree [NBM Pub] Garbled plot and dialog and just a hint of characterization in this SF piece on world-domination by computers leaves a reader scratching his...computer monitor. MV

Inspiration art I created for my film idea, "Brian the Fish", a CG film proposal at Wild Brain Animation Studios in SF. I wrote this story long before I knew anything about Finding Nemo--which happened to be simultaneously in production across the bay at our good friends studio, Pixar Animation Studios( Ever hear of them?) --Which then explains the expressions on my Pixar friend's face when I showed him my portfolio! Obviously this never came to fruition. Ah well.