Popgun Bullets v3 p2

- Bulleted mini reviews of the entire contents of Image Comics anthology Popgun Volume Three (the next 100 pages)

• p105 Crow Rooster - Connor Willumsen - This entry has good art, a real sense of mood about it, and is evocative of a scene from a mob movie. I don't really love it, solely because I don't really understand it. I don't think it tells a complete story, and it ends with what looks like a cover that features a character I assume is dead, and i don't know if we are going back in time, or if that is just an unrelated cover(endpage) or what. I like the elements a lot. I think it's pretty good stuff, but as an anthology piece it leaves me a little flat.
• p120 Twig & Cassius - Ulises Farinas, Ben DeRosa - Maybe it's just me. I'm not the deepest guy, or the smartest, but I am inclined to like comics. This is another one I just don't understand. The art is interesting, but I don't know what I am supposed to take away from the square headed guy and the giant crow, and what looks like a giant baby mouse. There is dialog that suggests a larger story than we are seeing, but again this feels like a piece of something, and not enough of a piece to be in a story anthology, assuming that is what popgun even wants to be.
  
• p132 EEKS! and SHRIEKS: A Brief History - Josh Parpan - This is a good example of something that isn't a story, but is a complete piece, and works fine in an anthology in my opinion. The art is pretty awesome. It is a bit on the grotesque side for my tastes, but it is very well done. It is a series of panels representing events in world history, re-enacted with monsters more or less.
  
• p137 Swordsman Monster Slayer: Monster Revenge - Frank Stockton - Relatively short and fairly funny, this isn't my favorite bit, but it certainly isn't bad or anything. I at least smiled at it. decent art but not my favorite style
  
• p141 Max!! Get out Of My Room! - Mike Dawson, Antonio Campo - Brotherly hijinx between a teleporter and a telekinetic. It's really funny stuff, as in 'MOM! MAX TELEPORTED MY ARM OFF!!'. I liked this one a lot.
  
• p153 Agents of the WTF in Would You Like to Dance, Papi? - D.J. Kirkbride, Adam P. Knave, Matteo Scalera, Antonio Campo - I also liked this piece a lot. The art is great. The best part of it being the dynamic action and layout/ panel design. This is a well done entry.
  
• p159 2 Copper Pieces: Gotcha! - Jim Zubkavich, Chris Stevens - This is another example of really well done art that just isn't a style I love, but I acknowledge that it's really well done. It is also an entry that gives you just a piece of what seems to be a bigger story, but it is perfectly packaged so that it is complete in and of itself. Great anthology piece!
  
• p163 The Last Voyage - Scott Hallett, Thomas Mauer - Can't say I get much out of this, but the art is pretty great. It's a boat full of viking like guys who go and get eaten by a sea monster. Really, it's like 'here's some guys, here's a monster, chomp, the end'
  
• p167 One In Every Box - Jim Zubkavich, Jason Ibarra, Matt Moylan - What if you were a fantasy world witing for the chosen one to arrive from another world to save them, but when the chosen one arrives they decide they would rather finish their breakfast instead... This is really pretty funny and well done. I enjoyed it.
  
• p176 Superhero Bobby - Dennis Brown - This entry is stupid and lazy. I Saw this someplace, and I can't recall where that was. There is some cool art here, The guy has a ton of talent, but this bit just isn't anything.
  
• p181 Nudging Buddy - Ron Turner - Amazingly well done backgrounds and scenery, etc. The art is very good, the story isn't bad, but it is really just packed with dense narration, in a sort of hard to read small font. The art and the story go together, and the art certainly enhances and reinforces the story, but man this is wordy.
  
• p189 Bastard Road: Cockfighter Blues - Brian Winkeler, Dave Curd - I said of a previous Bastard Road from a previous popgun, that I didn't want to like it, but it grew on me. This one has the benefit of it having already grown on me, as well as the fact that it is extremely funny, with exceptionally distinctive and humorous art. This comic is filled with as many penis and vagina references as you can fit into one comic without actually talking about penises or vaginas. If this took itself seriously for a second, none of it would be funny, but everything about it is tuned to make it work. Very funny stuff.
  
• p203 Error - Jeik Dion, Dominique Carrier - I flat out love the art in this. Limited color palette, post apocalyptic look and feel,cool character design, etc. I would almost like it better if it had no text at all, rather than the one or two word text boxes scattered about that read sort of like poetry. I guess post apocalyptic sci-fi poetry comics are a completely valid art form, but I may need some time to get used to it as an art form.