Pilot Season Reviews: Round Three!

I continue to have a major problem with Pilot Season as Ilook at Top Cow’s releases and wonder if they shouldn’t be trying to publishmore or if they’re really one step away from just releasing Witchblade and The Darkness as their only titles. As it is this batch of PilotSeason books are actually very good! Even the third book that I’m going to talkabout prior to its release is worth being given a mini-series at the veryleast. But atlas, only one of these books will be given the false hope ofeventually having its own mini or at least the title of “winner.”

Anonymous – No it’snot the Shakespeare movie bombing at the box office, this book is basicallyabout a black ops operative that deserted the war and came home to do randomacts of kindness. Okay it’s not too random considering it’s his father that he’shelping, but soon after he meets a woman how is being abused at home. He “blackops” into her home and black bags the man. When he awakens he’s tied to a pierwith the tide coming in. Mr. Black Ops tells him that if he every raises a handto another woman again that he’ll kill him. He leaves him, but times his callto the police so that they save him just in time but not before the fear of Godgets to him. Unfortunately a Zebra can’t change its stripes. The abusivehusband, who also happens to be a dirty cop, strikes another woman that’sinvestigating his criminal activities. From nowhere, Mr. Black Ops pops outwith a shot gun and says, “I warned you!”

That’s it. I was sold on this book before the last scene,but by this point I had actually forgotten that I was reading a Pilot Seasonbook. What’s worse is that now I know that if I ever read this book again itcould be years from now and by then it won’t have the same topical relevance asit does now. It’s too because this book is definitely good enough to be a minior even an ongoing depending on where the creators want to take it. If Image issmart they’ll green light this book once Top Cow crumbles.

Seraph – Here’sanother good book that is definitely worthy of an ongoing. When you have PhilHester co-writing anything you make it an ongoing. This book takes everythingthat was cool about Spawn anddiscards all the horrible ideas that were shoehorned into the story. Our Seraphis a man that put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. But an Angelbrought him back to life and made him a power for God. Now he walks the citylooking for a sign as to what to do with the power. His omen this time is alost child poster. He shows up at the mother’s house and ask her about herdaughter and the STD junkie mother tells him that she sold her for drugs andrent, but wants her back. Honestly it was the most believable junkie mom I’veever read. The Seraph tracks her down to a man that is basically a spider demonand he’s going to kill him, boom his power disappears. God shuts him downbecause he’s not doing his will, but his own.

That is why this book is so interesting. To see thischaracter have to constantly figure out God’s will in any given situation whenfaced with pure evil was just brilliant. I couldn’t believe how smart of anidea it was and it shocked me that this was doomed to Pilot Season purgatory(pun intended). This book has so much potential and so much talent working onit that it’s a shame that it’s not being given an ongoing. This really couldhave been the next Spawn and possibleran for just as long given the circumstances of the story. Oh well right?

City of Refuge – Here’sthe thing, I couldn’t tell if the world outside this city was gone or if thepeople within the city have cut themselves off from the rest of the world… andI liked that I couldn’t tell. I’m pretty sure that the city is functioningoutside of normal society with participants that have signed up to live a crimefree life under the corporate microscope. These people suffer from survivor’sguilt as they think about the people they’ve left behind. Our story follows atherapist that also works as a security guard in the city. When he’s on duty he’sgiven a drug that shuts down the chip implanted in his head that controls his violentemotions. On the first night of his twelve hour duty he’s summoned to a hostagesituation. It seems that the drug the security officers use has hit the streetand now normal people are turning off their chip in order to be… violent.

The story didn’t amaze me, but honestly if this was amini-series I would definitely pick up the next issue and give it a read. Sadlythis book that could really have turned out to be a gem is just anothercasualty of Pilot Season.

I guess you should probably go vote on one of these threebooks. They really are the best that they have to offer and out shine the others we’ve talked about, but really I don’t care either way since I’m still waitingfor Mysterious Ways to finish so I can win all those free comics from Top Cow…like that will happen.