Severed #6 – Review

By: Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft (writers), Attila Futaki (art), Greg Guilhaumond (colors) & Fonografiks (letters)

The Story: Don’t follow creepy old men into backwoods tool sheds!

3 Things: 

1. The cat is out of the bag. – The creators have kept this game going for a few issues where the reader knew more about the bogeyman than young Jack did.  Honestly, they managed this suspense about as well as I’ve seen in comics and gave us all these ‘No! Don’t follow the strange man into the _______!’ moments.  But, the creators also knew when to stop the game and just let the story come to its climax.  What I loved about the scene with the shed in the woods is that the set up wasn’t much different than all the other teases we’ve gotten AND this scene happened early in the comic, so I half-expected this to be yet another tease.  However, the one difference in this scene is that Jack knew the bogeyman was a bad man so it really made sense to pop the balloon and move on with the story (even if I DO miss the masterful teasing from the last few issues).

2. Still a lot of little mysteries about the bogeyman. – Who is he?  Where did he come from?  Is he just a cannibal or is he some kind of meta-human?  How did he know Jack’s father?  Is he Jack’s father (in a Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker sort of way)?  Why all the fucking around?  Why not just eat him when they first met?  Is there more to the story with Sam?  How did he get away from the bear trap?  How in god’s green earth is Jack getting out of this mess only losing an arm?  Would the Old Man Jack we saw in issue #1 be able to even walk by an old shed without wetting himself?  I can’t wait to find out.

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Rachel Rising #4 – This was kinda a “blah” week for comics with Marvel shoveling up a big, fat pile of “okay” and that gives an opportunitiy for some interesting choices like Rachel Rising #4.  Nothing that remarkable happened inside the pages of RR; we didn’t begin a new plotline and there were no “startling revelations”.  But, Terry Moore did start to tie some separate pieces together in this issue and give us glimpses of what his story will be about.  And of course, this creepy story of a girl who rises from the dead is beautifully illustrated.  Not many artists could pull off the intricate and delicate linework that Moore gives us every month.  Trust me: Pick up Rachel Rising now because the next thing you know, it’ll be issue #15 and you’ll feel you’re too far behind.  Runner-up: Vescell #5

Most Anticipated: Scarlet Spider #1 –  You know who is really good at comics?  Ryan Stegman.  The guy is super-talented and improving all the time, yet for some reason Marvel has been putting him on miniseries and things that are doomed to be cancelled early.  This is really annoying considering some of the mediocre art that comes out of some parts of Marvel (ahem….X-office).  FINALLY, he gets a shot at an ongoing that should have some legs.  We got teases of what he could do on a Spidey-themed book in Amazing Spiderman early last summer and he nailed it.  And, it’s being written by Chris Yost who rarely does a bad story.  Personally, I’m not a big fan of all the clone crap in in my Spidey stories, but with these creators Marvel makes it impossible to say “no”.  Check it out.

Other Picks: Batwoman #5, Scalped #55, Unwritten #33, The Activity #2, Severed #6, Amazing Spider-Man #677, Secret Avengers #21, Wolverine and the X-Men #4

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Swamp Thing #5 – Yanick Paquette may have only left for one issue, but man did I miss him!  A gorgeous book with great storytelling from both creators, great monsters, and great character moments.  Oh, and Alec Holland finally kicks some ass.  A great book.  Not just that, but Swamp Thing and Animal Man are really showing the right way to build up to a crossover.

Most Anticipated: PunisherMAX #21 – The penultimate issue of Jason Aaron’s run is here and finally, Frank and Fisk are going to throw down for real and, if the solicitation is right, someone’s going to die.  Readers of PunisherMAX know that this fight has been a LONG time coming.  The build-up has been amazing and it’s gone beyond personal; it’s been brutally inevitable since issue 1 and now, it comes down to this.

Other Picks: Batwoman #5, Demon Knights #5, Frankenstein #5, Green Lantern #5, Wolverine & the X-Men #4, Wolverine #300, Incredible Hulk #4, Journey into Mystery #633, New Avengers #20, Captain America #7, Amazing Spider-Man #677