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Lok, Jeff – Sam ‘n Dan

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samanddan1

Sam ‘n Dan

If I could just grab my soapbox for a second before I get started on this wonderful comic… listed below this review is Pockmarked Apocalypse #1, the first in a projected 8 issue series, and I reviewed that last issue almost a year ago.  Assuming that my review was at all timely, that makes a year between issues of an ongoing series, with only the first issue out, and that’s just ridiculous.  Not to pick on Jeff or anything, as it’s a very common problem (hence my soapbox), but please: if you’re going to put out an ongoing series, PUT OUT AN ONGOING SERIES.  Ahem.  You can tell I’m serious because of all the capital letters.  Still, that isn’t meant to take a thing away from this self-contained issue about Sam and Dan.  Sam (the skinny bear) and Dan (the fat cat) decide to leave the county and, needing money to do so, decide to rob a bank (after the bank won’t give them any money for free).  While on the run Sam makes a motion like he’s going to kill Dan but instead shoots the sun, driving it out of the sky and bringing on the darkness.  This also brings out a creepy doomsayer who tells them (in ryhme) that Sam and Dan have to kill each other before the day is out to bring back the sun.  Meanwhile the grandfather of the creepy doomsayer reveals that he’s the brains behind the whole thing and instructs his grandson to give the cat a gun.  The rest of the comic is spent with Sam and Dan trying to figure out what’s going on, and without giving anything away, yes action fans, there is a big ole gunfight.  What I particularly love about this comic is how horribleness of every creature involved.  Sam and Dan in particular should be adorable, what with their giant gloves and boots, but Sam’s dead eyes ruin that effect and the sheer cravenness and cowardice of Dan makes him hard to sympathize with as well.  Hell, even the bank teller in the opening scene is more than a little terrifying.  I also love the ambivalence of the whole thing.  Are those immensely creepy manipulators actually the good guys trying to get the sun back in place?  Or are Sam and Dan meant to be the heroes of the piece?  Either way it’s another solid comic from Jeff, and just to make my previous rant clear, I want to see another issue of Pockmarked Apocalypse because I enjoyed it and want to see what happens next.  That’s a good thing, right?  No price, but let’s say $5, and even though it’s not available (that I can see) at either website at the moment, I’m sure it will be soon.

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