Fat Pants is a monthly Comic Pants feature in which we mull over the last month’s trades and graphic novels in order to let you know which ones we feel are most worth your attention. It is far from a comprehensive list of all the good reads published in the past month, so please feel free let us know in the comments which trades and graphic novels came out in the last month that you, the reader, feel are most worth our attention. So, without further ado, here are the books we think really stood out this month.

In addition to these books, Randy wrote a full review of Warhammer 40K: Damnation Crusade.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Long Way Home
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artists: Georges Jeanty and Paul Lee
Company: Dark Horse

Nick: There’s no way to deny that I have some geek love for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series. It was one of those shows, at least for the first five seasons and a couple of episodes of the later ones, that was a good way to waste an hour of your time. It was amusing, had vampires and werewolves, starred hot actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, and dealt out some decent action that was better than your typical TV show was able to muster. The comic continues to follow in those very same footsteps, though without the limitations of a budget and whatnot, things have gotten a little BIGGER than they’ve been before. Joss Whedon, creator of the whole enchilada, handles these first five issues, and with them he is apparently back on his A game with a story that is actually interesting and the reintroduction of the cast of characters, reminding all of us just how fun they can be.

Randy: Whedon changed the game considerably, making use of comics’ big budget to have an army of Slayers (without casting costs to worry about), a giant Dawn (without CGI budgets to worry about) and any number of cool military style operations bunkers and cool castles (without set building budgets to worry about). And he definitely reminded me of how much I loved some of these characters. My love had dimmed for the mishandled, mopey Xander Harris in seasons six and seven, but wisecracking, wants to be Sgt. Fury and kinda is Xander from Buffy Season Eight? Awesome. Same goes for Buffy, who gets to be confident and badass, instead of whiny and ineffective. Actually, one of the things I really liked about the Buffy comic as opposed to the last few seasons of Buffy the TV show is that it seems like they turned the emo dial down back to normal and pushed up the fun meter again.

Nick: Yeah, Sgt. Fury Xander is probably one of my favorite sequences in the book, and just the way that Whedon revitalized some of the characters, both Dawn and Buffy spring to mind, was nice. But to be honest with ya, this trade is not completely perfect. The story, while interesting and fun, is not friendly to new readers, and plays upon the reader knowing the ins and outs of seven seasons of continuity. Buffy fans will be in hog-heaven but others might feel a little too overwhelmed by it all to care.

Randy: I think that in this particular case, it’s OK to be a little inaccessible. Honestly, the market for a Buffy comic, especially one that picks up from the TV show, is pretty much fans of the show, and they’re going to know everything they need to in order to enjoy the book. I’ll admit that the two villains could have used a little old school exposition infodump, easy to work in given that the military guys don’t know them either, but I can’t entirely blame Whedon for playing a bit clever and coy instead. Insider references to past events result in a book that excludes those who weren’t prior Buffy fans, but those who were Buffy fans get to feel like all the time they invested pays off in terms of getting the jokes and the character bits. It’s also nice that Whedon packs this first arc (and the one-off issue that follows it) with a lot of story and a lot of moments, a pretty notable flip to the slowburn style of storytelling he employs on Astonishing X-Men.

Nick: There is a lot of fun to be had here, and the art on both the covers and the interiors, provided by Jo Chen and Georges Jeanty respectively, does the licensed property much justice.

Randy: Those Jo Chen covers are amazing, and Jeanty and inker Andy Owens definitely pull off the big budget feel that Whedon is going for. The strength of the pacing and moments in the art are as much a reflection of Jeanty as they are of Whedon, and the cliffhanger ending to each issue and sight of an army of undead crawling up the walls that would do Sam Raimi proud are particular standouts. I was also pretty happy with the work of Paul Lee on “The Chain,” the last story in the book, as it recalls the work of Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan Jr. on Y: The Last Man.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a legitimate comic book blockbuster, probably the best seller Dark Horse has had in the direct market even considering the boost they got from the Hellboy and Sin City movies. It’s a nice bonus that in addition to selling spectacularly well and bringing a larger audience into comic shops, the book happens to be a pretty good read.

Jack Of Fables Vol 2 Jack Of Hearts
Writers: Bill Willingham & Mattew Sturges
Artists: Tony Akins, Steve Leialoha & Andrew Pepoy
Company: DC Comics/Vertigo

Randy: While Jack of Fables is a spinoff of popular Vertigo series Fables, it really does feel like a completely different book with its own identity. It’s kind of a magic-tinged screwball comedy, an examination of the trickster archetype from a sympathetic point of view, and though it has the same re-envisioning of fabled characters of its parent book, if Fables didn’t exist, Jack of Fables still could. That’s the mark of a good comic book, not just a good spinoff. We’re used to seeing the trickster archetype as a villain, or at the very least a spoiler for the heroes… it’s unusual to see one as a protagonist, and it’s an interesting flip of the coin.

Nick: I’ll be completely honest with you, this was one of those series that didn’t really catch my eye the first go-round. Fables is by far one of the best books still coming out, but Jack of Fables always felt like the red headed step-child, a book riding on the other’s coattails, and was easily forgotten about. But upon a second examination, I’m glad that it’s the red headed step-child, and it’s even better that the book has embraced the notion. It truly is a comedic, sarcasm-laden jaunt. Willingham and Sturges have taken Jack, the asshole of Fabletown and a relative one-note wonder in the ways of characterization, and made him what Jack always wanted to be: a star. They’ve added so much to him, so many more layers and nuances that make him that much more interesting to read, and the other fables that follow him around and interact with him, like Pathetic Fallacy, more interesting as well.

Randy: Well, as long as we’re confessing, I honestly didn’t have much love for Jack in the Fables series either. It wasn’t until the Hollywood arc that I saw the potential for the character, and it wasn’t until the first arc of this series that I saw that the potential could be so strongly realized. This trade, which features a story of Jack becoming Jack Frost and an even more perfect placing of Jack and his sidekick the Pathetic Fallacy in Las Vegas, complete with mobsters and a quickie wedding, is probably the best realizing of that potential so far. The fourth-wall-breaking captions, wherein Jack talks directly to the reader and lets us in on the unvarnished truth of his scoundrel nature, are always hilarious and surprisingly endearing. It’s as if, in sharing with the reader his true and usually selfish intentions, we become Jack for a moment, and we can see that whatever harm he does, for him it’s all in fun. Willingham and Sturges make Jack the spoiler, the burst of anarchic fun who ruins the plans of despots like Lady Luck or control freaks like Mr. Revise. He’s kind of like Judd Nelson in the Breakfast Club: sure, he’s abrasive and obnoxious, but who would you rather be like, him or that stick-up-his-ass control freak Principal Vernon? (Note: I hereby apologize to all of our readers who weren’t even born in 1985 for this pop culture reference. But it really is apropos.)

Nick: Okay…I don’t know if I can say anything that tops Randy’s comparison of Jack of Fables to John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club. There are no words, therefore, just go buy the book and laugh hysterically at the creative and knee-slapping writing and enjoy the slick art by Tony Akins and Andrew Pepoy.

Spirit Vol 1
Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
Artist: J. Bone
Company: DC Comics

Randy: The first collection of Darwyn Cooke’s Spirit is something bittersweet. On the one hand, it’s got a nifty little diecut jacket that reminds the reader of Cooke’s attention to detail in every aspect. On the other, it’s got nothing in the way of extras, no sketches or design notes or even a foreword or afterward, which is a shame especially when compared to the amazing behind-the-scenes features of Cooke’s Absolute New Frontier. On the one hand, it’s a collection of six very good standalone Spirit tales, plus the very entertaining Batman/Spirit one-shot that kicked the series off. On the other, it’s a reminder that Cooke’s run has been cut all too short, rendering what might have been an extended run on the character into a series of vignettes that barely scratch the surface of what Cooke and his artistic collaborators J. Bone and Dave Stewart might have given us if circumstances had been different. Like I said… bittersweet.

Nick: It is bittersweet and a little sad at the lack of extras for this one but really, I’m glad I paid the price of admission, ’cause it’s just a gorgeous thing to look at and a fun book to read. Cooke is the ONLY person that could reinvent one of Will Eisner’s most famous characters without it seeming contrived or too schlocky. It feels like one of those perfect books; a sublime offering by Cooke that sports the subtle humor, stunning action and immaculate art. That’s a trifecta in my book and add it to the smaller things, the wonderful revamps of the Batman villains in the Batman/Spirit special (the Mad Hatter and Joker, especially) and Cooke’s ability to tell a genuinely show-stopper of a story, makes this one of those books that you can keep coming back to and find something new to enjoy each time its viewed.

Randy: You’re right that Cooke is probably the only guy who could pull off a modern version of The Spirit. Cooke’s unusual sensibilities and unique voice are what make his other projects stand out, and his blend of modern media and pop culture awareness and appreciation for ’40s era tough guys, dames and crooks comes through loud and clear in The Spirit. In addition to clever re-inventions of potentially tricky characters like Ebony White and fresh takes on classics like femme fatale P’Gell or sexy spy Sand Serif, Cooke offers up his own characters who blend in perfectly, like the seemingly obsequious but clearly intelligent and devious Hussein Hussein, who is comic relief, plot device and interesting character all in one. And I love that he presents all of these characters in one-shot stories, which is a tribute to the general storytelling style of Eisner on The Spirit. It also happens to be an ideal way to give each story a nice punch, and I’m reminded of the strength of the standalone episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. Cooke’s The Spirit blends characters and plots with that much economy of story and emotional and visual punch.

Nick: Ditto with everything that Randy just said. Another thing that really stands out for me with this trade, and I’ll agree it’s a slightly strange thing to stand out, is the order in which the book was collected. As the issues were coming out, The Batman/Spirit special came first and was followed by the rest of the series. With the trade, the aforementioned special is at the back of the hardcover. It’s actually nice that way because in it there are some characters, that if you’ve never read The Spirit before, you have no idea who they are. Now, by reading the individual issues and then the special, there’s a nice natural progression to it all and when they pop up later, you know something about them instead of them being villain A or villain B who just so happens to be in love with a bird.

Really though, this collection knocks the socks right off my feet. It’s a blast to read and it’s something that any Eisner, Spirit, or Darwyn Cooke fan should own.

El Cazador
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Steve Epting
Company: Hyperion

Randy: I have a hard time recommending a book without an ending, but El Cazador, the new Hyperion trade collecting the six issues of Crossgen’s canceled pirate comic, is worth a look even if the promise of “to be continued…” at the end of the trade never comes true. Chuck Dixon has always been a solid storyteller and a consummate action writer, and he does great things with this fictional tale of a lady pirate seeking revenge on the pirate ship that stole her mother and brother. It’s a good enough story framework, and Dixon throws in little bits of flavor and color to keep the whole thing moving.

Nick:I completely missed the boat on this one when it was coming out in single issues and really, for a book that was a part of the fabled Crossgen failure and a book that doesn’t even have an ending, a part of me thinks myself lucky. But then there’s another part of me that loves the heck out of pirates, and in the end, that part eventually won out and I had to pick this up. I’m glad that it did because this is one heck of a comic. Dixon is one of the stalwarts of the action genre in comic book form and with El Cazador, he really does some of his best stuff. The action, all of it, is believable and well paced. The story, while not complicated, is engaging and a serious look at serious pirates. There’s humor of course, but it’s not the overblown version that seeped into the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and made them cheesy. I’d liken this type of story more to something out of the Master and Commander type of story. The not having an ending, or if you’re the optimist, the to be continued notation on the last page, really didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. The story alone really is that good and the entertainment that the trade provides is more than I expected.

Randy: I think I’d quibble with your estimation of the story… it’s solid, and maybe not as tinged with quirky elements as the Pirates movies, but I don’t really think it’s hardcore nautical fiction like Master and Commander, either. But in any case, the true star of the story is Steve Epting’s art, colored by Frank D’Armata and Jason Keith. There’s a reason Epting was tapped for Captain America, and the jaw-dropping work on El Cazador has got to be at least part of it. Nearly photo-realistic but still dynamic and fluid, the artwork on El Cazador brings both the action and the foreign ports elements of pirate fiction to life in a way that puts it on an even keel with Disney’s impressively flashy Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Nick: It’s true, Steve Epting can draw the heck out of just about anything, but there’s something about his pirates that stand out. They look cool, as pirates rightly should, and his action, everything from the swashbuckling to the ship versus ship onslaught battles, look extraordinary with the massive amounts of detail and care that Epting puts into his work on the book.

Randy: Gorgeous art and a genre that nobody else in comics is touching make this worth a look.

Dynamo 5 Vol 1 Post Nuclear Family
Writer: Jay Faerber
Artist: Mahmud A. Asrar
Company: Image Comics

Nick: I’ll go ahead and just say it, Dynamo 5 is the best new superhero book of the year. Jay Faerber and Mahmud A. Asrar have created a body of work that has that intangible ability to make the reader smile and offers up what I can only describe as the perfect diagram of what a superhero book should be. There’s action, espionage, super powers, underlying subplots, a cool group dynamic, and some fantastic action. The high note for me though, would have to be the writing. Faerber’s take on these ordinary comic book bullet points all feel fresh, very organic and extremely smart. Also, his characters, these five illegitimate children imbued with the powers of their superhero father, are all likeable and make you want to keep coming back for more.

Randy: What’s cool about Dynamo 5 is that it is at once completely fresh and yet comfortably familiar. Faerber is playing around with superhero archetypes in a lot of ways, and Dynamo 5 reads like an updating of classic young superhero team books like New Mutants, New Warriors, Teen Titans and the rest. Each of the members of Dynamo 5 is a well-realized character without their powers, and the powers they’ve got provide interesting contrasts or commentary on their nature. Then there’s Maddie, ex-wife of the fallen superhero and self-appointed den mother of Dynamo 5, who has conflicted emotions, clear inner strength and an interestingly layered past. In addition to top-notch characterization, Faerber also provides a burst of fresh new supervillains and plenty of classic superhero action.

Nick: Also, Faerber doesn’t ignore some of the superhero universe that Image has created either. It’s in no way comparable to the universes that DC and Marvel have created but I like that he, like Robert Kirkman, doesn’t section them off and you’re not surprised to see people like Savage Dragon, Invincible or a few of the family members from Noble Causes just happen to show up. I personally enjoy that sort of thing. Another strong selling point for Dynamo 5 is the art. Mahmud A. Asrar might be a relative newcomer to the world of comics but he’s certainly no slouch. His style, everything from his character’s looks and costumes to his covers to his action, it all carries a very distinctive look to it that jumps off the page and feels like a meshing of old school George Perez and Ryan Ottley.

Randy: I’ll agree with that, and throw in a few other artists Asrar reminds me of, like the distinctive faces of Jim Cheung or the sleek style and storytelling chops of Stuart Immonen. Asrar has a clean, slick, approachable superhero style that is perfect for the relatively straightforward superhero style Faerber is laying down, and for that alone, he’s a great choice for the book. On top of that, though, he’s just a great artist. I love his designs for the matching uniforms of the team and his designs of the villains, and I love that in or out of costume, the characters all have distinctive, expressive features that allow Faerber some latitude in telling his story. Whether it’s a superhero punch-out or some characterization-based subplots, Asrar is up to the task. I also love his storytelling, from his basic panel-to-panel continuity to some especially good splash pages (the “caught” splash near the end of chapter five is particularly nice) to some clever, fun breaking of the panels, like the ones where we see Scrap lifting a cop car or throwing a stop sign. It’s shocking to see somebody this new so in control of his talents that he’s able to do straightforward storytelling, strong design and a little bit of experimentation.

Dynamo 5 is the next Invincible, a smart, original superhero book that hearkens back to the old days but has plenty of new things to say. Whether you’re an old school fan longing for a classic team book like New Teen Titansor Uncanny X-Men or a fan who is tired of the intense continuity and doom and gloom of a lot of the modern Marvel and DC books, if you love superheroes, you should really give Dynamo 5 a look. And at this trade’s insanely low price of $10 for 7 issues, it’s even cheap to do so!

52 The Covers HC
Artist: JG Jones
Company: DC Comics

Randy: Early last year, the Panteon did a podcast about 52, and in that podcast, we expressed a desire for a hardcover book of JG Jones’s covers, with process notes and sketches and all that kind of stuff. When DC announced they were doing just such a thing, I figured it’d be good, but not exactly what we had wanted. As it turns out, 52 The Covers hardcover is exactly what we wanted. It’s oversized, features full page, full color versions of all 52 covers (plus the covers for the trades and the novels) and has sketches and process notes on the facing pages for each one. It is a great showcase of an impressive artistic accomplishment, and a must-have book for process fans, whether you were into 52 or not.

Nick: Do we have mind control powers and someone didn’t tell me? I mean, we can get DC to do this, but not a Solo hardcover? What’s up with that? Anyways, yeah, this collection is like sugar coated, caffeine injected crack for fans of the art side of comics. Being able to glimpse inside the mind of artist is always something that’s a blast to read, as was the case with the recent Paul Pope’s Pulphope, and as is the case with the 52 Covers. You get to see the inside of J.G. Jones head (no, not literally) and see the DC Universe through his eyes and you get little fun tid-bits like the kinds of things that he loves to draw and the things that he struggles with. Plus, seeing all of the unused sketches is a treat.

Shazam Monster Society Of Evil
Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith
Company: DC Comics

Randy: So here’s the deal: Jeff Smith wrote and drew a four-issue prestige format redefining and revamping Captain Marvel and his family back into an all-ages, out of DC continuity tale, and the coloring was done by Steve Hamaker, who has also done exquisite work on Smith’s Bone. (The graphic novel series, perverts.) I loved the first issue, and then progressively lost interest, and then this gorgeous oversized hardcover came out, packed with extras and trotting out its shiny color and beautiful cartooning like some painted strumpet, and I was seduced into giving it money so it could perform its favors on me. So did I like it better all in one package? Well, before we get into that, let’s find out what Nick thought.

Nick: My god, you were seduced too? I thought it was just me! Seriously though, it’s very possible that Randy and I both fall into the same camp with this one. Bone was a fantastic book, both the color and black and white editions, so it was a relative no-brainer for me to sit there with much anticipation for an all-ages Shazam book done by Jeff Smith. The first two issues I loved…the third was okay, and the fourth I didn’t even read. Yeah, I know, shame on me, but that’s how it went down and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Then came the collected edition and, well yeah, it seduced me with its flashy colors and awesome full poster dust jacket. And though all of the flash and the ginormous amounts of extras are indeed cool, the story read as a whole, in a single sitting, made me like the book that much more. It’s simply a fun story, full of old school superheroics and nice moments of comedy.

Randy: I have to admit, even in this collected version, I found Shazam Monster Society of Evil more than a little bit weird. Smith’s always had a strange mix of tone, going back to the shift from all-ages comedy to darker quest fantasy in Bone, and it’s a bit evident here as well. The clumsy, out-of-place political commentary of making Sivana Attorney General robs the character of his gleefully perfect mad scientist role in the Shazam mythos, and having Billy beset by all-too-real woes of homelessness and bullies on the street seemed an odd, dark fit as well. I also have to admit that I missed the whimsy of a more stylized Tawky Tawny and Mr. Mind, who were turned into a fairly straightforward talking tiger and talking snake, respectively.

That said, while I thought there were some weirdly adult elements in this book, and some choices that I just plain didn’t like in terms of re-inventing the characters, it’s a pretty interesting new base on which the next creator (Mike Kunkel) can draw to make the Marvel Family an all-ages superhero read, and whatever my issues with the story, I certainly have no such qualms about the art. The art was gorgeous in the original issues, and it’s even more spectacular in this oversized format.

Nick:Oh, I’m not saying that I loved every single aspect of this book. I’m just saying the good far outweighs the bad. I will agree that I missed seeing Sivanna as the funky mad scientist and the whole homeless angle for Billy was indeed strange. Still, even though those odd things are there, they do work on a level, just not the Shazam or Captain Marvel purist only level. But for the Jeff Smith art and the enormous amounts of extras that you get, it’s a steal.

For A Few Dollars More:

Randy: Marvel Adventures Iron Man Vol 1 Digest (Marvel Comics) While Iron Man in the Marvel Universe is kind of a tool right now, Fred Van Lente gets it right in the all-ages Iron Man book. A nice mixture of corporate culture Tony, with whip-smart personal assistant Pepper Potts and executive assistant/general ass-saver Jim Rhodes, mixed with plenty of Iron Man in action. In action against classic foes given a nice modern twist, by the way, and in this volume that includes Plant-Man, Spymaster and the Mandarin. There’s also a nice modern updating of Iron Man’s origin in the first issue, and a few clever pop culture references as well. The art in these action-packed tales feels a little cramped in this digest format, and it’s kind of a shame that solid action superheroics are now mostly the province of Marvel’s kiddie books, but if you’re looking for a little classic Iron Man, this is a good place to check.

Randy: Essential Moon Knight Vol 2 (Marvel Comics) In reading Essential Moon Knight Vol 2, I was struck not only by how good the collaboration between Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz was, but by how much Moon Knight resembles a pulp character more than a comic book character. His roots are far more in The Shadow and The Executioner, being a former mercenary who has a small network of operatives, than they are in Batman, Spider-Man and the rest. Moench’s plots are suitably over the top, including criminal masterminds who want to blow up New York, but he also pulls off smaller pieces like the introduction of Stained Glass Scarlet, whose family drama turns her into a twisted (yet sympathetic) killer. This probably would have been better as a full-color Visionaries volume, leaving out the forgettable fill-in tales and re-publishing only the Moench/Sienkiewicz collaborations, but for the many stories the two generated in here, this is definitely worth a look. And while I miss the color, Sienkiewicz’s art does indeed look gorgeous in black and white as well.

Randy: Perry Bible Fellowship: The Trial of Colonel Sweeto (Dark Horse) Fellow Panteon member Dave Farabee describes Perry Bible Fellowship as “the next Far Side,” and really, that’s a pretty good definition of Gurewitch’s colorful, surreal comedic masterpiece. He’s not aping the singular wit of Gary Larson, but it’s fair to say that if you enjoyed the reality viewed from a tilted angle of Larson, you’re going to love Gurewitch’s strange mix of confectionery sweets type colors and fantasy and adult sex and cartoon violence and gore. Gurewitch includes not only several funny blowjob and nude beach jokes, not only riffs on fantasy realms reminiscent of Neil Gaiman and Roald Dahl, but even a clever visual reference to a classic poster reminding kids to read. It’s often sophisticated and clever, but it’s not just smart, it’s laugh out loud funny.

Randy: The Question: Zen & Violence (DC Comics) Denny O’Neil’s late ’80s run on DC’s faceless crimefighter The Question is one of those books that’s had a bit of buzz around it, but I never read it back in the day, and I wasn’t sure how it would hold up now that DC is finally trading it up to trade on Question interest from 52. As it turns out, it holds up beautifully, a grimy, pulpy crime book that falls right in line with the Daredevil and Batman work of Frank Miller in terms of tone and style. Political and religious corruption, guns, kung-fu and philosophy blend with quirkily disturbing bad guys and a hard-boiled hero with more than a touch of pulp sensibilities for a perfect martini of an ’80s comic book gem.

Nick: Flash: Wonderland (DC Comics) I’m not sure what the fascination writer’s have for Alice in Wonderland. It seems like a strange thing but for some reason, most of the time that fascination breeds good stories. That’s the case here with Geoff Johns’ initial arc on the Flash series, finally re-released in trade. The story inside is a weird one, a story that has the Flash in an alternate world, fighting people like his Uncle, Barry Allen, Mick Rory (Heat Wave) and teaming up with Captain Cold. Johns uses the character nicely, giving them more to do and putting them in unique situations where they can’t just smash and grab and run real fast to reach their objective. The only chink in the armor here is in the art, which is provided by Angel Unzueta and Doug Hazlewood, and is not some of their best work. It’s a bit too cartoony and exaggerated at times, but overall it’s not bad. I personally am just glad to see Johns’Flash run being reprinted finally.