What is a Short Pants Review? While we’d love to give full reviews to everything, there just isn’t enough time in the day. So we’ve come up with Short Pants as a way of providing capsule reviews from our varied review writers, giving quick hits and short capsule thoughts about various comics we’ve read recently.

This time out, Nick and Randy cover Countdown #45, Elephantmen: The Pilot, G.I. Joe: Storm Shadow #2, Hack/Slash The Series #2, Incredible Hulk #107 and True Story Swear to God Image Edition #6.

Nick Budd Read and Thought:

Countdown #45
Writers: Paul Dini, Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Artist: J. Califore
Company: DC Comics

After four issues of hit and miss antics, Countdown seems to have worn out the warm afterglow that the well executed series 52 brought to the table, leaving in its wake a rather lackluster title that feels disjointed and in some ways, is just downright boring. The main problem that constantly plagues its story is that it isn’t self-contained. With 52, there were always several stories or plots going on all at once that you had to keep up with, but what you never had to do was venture out and read other books to get the full story. It’s a little grating that if you’re not reading the current JLA/JSA crossover you’re going to be a little lost about what’s going on with the Karate Kid character. And to be honest, even though Countdown is doing some things right in the way of getting great artists like J. Califore, creating new characters (even kind of bland ones like this new Forerunner person), and offering up a great Jimmy Olsen yarn that ties into The New Gods stuff, those good things are being cheapened by dead baby monsters and “Rambo” Donna Troy moments. It’s still vaguely entertaining but in no way does it compare to 52.

Hack/Slash The Series #2
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Emily Stone
Company: Devils Due Publishing

As clichéd as the horror genre is these days with its overly gore-tastic and mundane to the max stories, Hack/Slash continues to prove that good horror isn’t dead. Tim Seeley has not only crafted a story here with this second issue of the ongoing series that has the chops to entertain, it also is a story that is just about perfect. Humor, bloodshed, and a band of Kiss-like wannabes who’ve made a deal with a Devil may indeed sound like the cheesy plot points to some 80’s cult movie, which I’m sure they’ve been, but here in the context of the book, they work exceptionally well and because of the extremely layered characters and the creative spin that Seeley has put on them, the elements don’t play out in the traditional way that one might think. That in addition to the laugh out loud character moments between Cassie and Vlad as they shop for clothes and have dinner with a stripper coupled with some righteous artwork by Emily Stone that evokes the proper amount of cool, and you’ve got a book that is worth every penny.

Storm Shadow #2
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Mark A. Robinson
Company: Devils Due Publishing

What’s so special about Storm Shadow? It’s a simple question with a simple answer: Action. Top-notch, over the top ninja action that’s drawn spectacularly by Mark. A Robinson, to be precise. His Leinil Francis Yu meets Paul Pope style is the perfect aesthetic for the series, as the sketch-y pencils that are used convey a real sense of motion and movement to the entire book. The story on the other hand, while fairly simplistic in the sense that Storm Shadow is in Russia following up a lead on the abduction of his niece, never the less feels busy. One or two too many sub-plots and a cast of characters that seem to blend together to the point where there’s really only a band of faceless bad guys act as the few minor detractors of the issue. Overall though, these are small things that are easily outdone by the great character moments such as seeing Storm Shadow trying to buy a weapon from a group of thugs or seeing him catch a knife out of mid-air. So, whether you cater to Einstein’s lesser known theory of: It has ninjas, you must like it. Or if you’re the type of fellow who just has the inkling to revisit some classic G.I. Joe territory written by the master of G.I. Joe, then either way Storm Shadow fits the bill.

Incredible Hulk #107
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Gary Frank
Company: Marvel Comics

Hulk SMASH puny Hercules! That’s what the cover of this issue of Incredible Hulk teases and to some degree, delivers on. Of course there’s more to it than that and it’s in that saving grace which makes this issue something more than just enjoyable pop-corn fodder. Greg Pak’s decision to go a different route instead of having just another issue that completely retreads the first issue of World War Hulk is what makes it pop. Watching the trio of Angel, Hercules and Amadeus Cho band together to help the Hulk works so much better and is a fun notion by itself since we normally don’t get to see either Angel or Hercules used beyond their obvious stereotypes. And honestly, Greg Pak writes one heck of a funny and smart Hercules, as there are several laugh out loud moments given that are classic. But, as with everything related to the Hulk, there has to be some smash involved at some point. Here, Gary Frank handles the smashing, and boy does he make it look pretty. He’s actually stepped it up with this book, adding the realism that he brought to Supreme Power while keeping the level of over the top, comic book action that the Hulk deserves. That and his backgrounds are nice too. All in all, a surprising issue that’s smart and high on fun.

Randy Lander Read and Thought:

Elephantmen: The Pilot
Writers: Richard Starkings, Kurt Busiek, Joe Kelly & Jeph Loeb
Artists: Moritat, Stuart Immonen, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly, Ian Churchill
Company: Image Comics

Given that the series is nine issues in and about ready to release its first hardcover collection, it might seem odd that Active Images is only now releasing the pilot for Elephantmen. But think of this as one of those DVD extras, the original pilot that bears only small resemblance to the series, like the original Star Trek pilot that Starkings references in his fun introduction to the issue. Wrapped by a framing sequence featuring sexy girl cabbie Miki from the main series by Starkings and Moritat are four short stories of alternate Hip Flasks, explained as “pulp fiction” published on the web in Hip Flask’s world. The alternate takes aren’t as interesting as the gritty sci-fi that Starkings has settled on, but there are some gems here, most notably a mixture of the tone of Astro City and Eisner’s Spirit done by Busiek and Immonen and a sci-fi adventure akin to Remender & Moore’s Fear Agent by Joe Kelly, Peter Gross and Ryan Kelly. The other two tales from Jeph Loeb are a bit disjointed, action heavy, colorful nonsense by Ian Churchill that’s closer in tone to Danger Girl, and the book finishes off with pinups from Jae Lee, Joe Maduereira, Jim Lee, Greg Capullo, J. Scott Campbell, Tim Sale, Chris Bachalo and several others. This is more for the art lovers in the crowd, story light even when compared to the loose vignette style of the Elephantmen ongoing, but it’s a fun look at some comics superstars playing with a character with a strong visual hook.

True Story Swear to God Image Edition #6
Writer/Artist: Tom Beland
Company: Image Comics

The question of “how do you break into comics?” has been asked and answered many times, from online articles to how-to books to a handful of comics about the experience. However, in this issue of True Story Swear to God, Tom Beland presents his own story of how he “broke in” to comics by self-publishing his first issue, and mixes it, as usual, with tales of his life with Lily at the time, and in so doing, presents a story that is every bit as funny, heartfelt and moving as the series has always been. Whether it’s a romantic gesture that Tom makes for Lily or the various mistakes and lucky breaks he has in trying to get his book from idea to the shelf, the reader is very much along for the ride, sharing in the joys and the fears, as Beland’s trademark honesty and wit shine through. I’ve always thought that, with it’s real-life magical romance, True Story was a comic for romantics at heart… but as I see Beland translate not just his romantic relationship but the tale of reaching a personal milestone that this is a book for dreamers, and those who like to see that sometimes hard work, worries and fears can pay off in your dreams coming true.