Dark Horse Signs Monk Creator to Pen Long Lost

Here is the press release.

USA's hit show Monk lends Dark Horse their creator Andy Breckman. Paired with legendary artist Peter Gross, the team delivers Long Lost, a drama full of loss, suspense, and mystery.

I love Monk, the show on USA Network, not the profession. You would be hard-pressed to find more than only a few shows that are smarter, wittier, more character-driven. No, I don't watch every episode but when I see it on, I'll watch it. Just the fact that the creator is going to be involved in a new comic for Dark Horse makes me happy.

I've been craving a good drama/mystery comic and haven't found any recently. I started to get hooked on comics by reading Ruse, published by the now defunct Crossgen (sad). It was a victorian mystery / superhero drama with a touch of comedy. I loved it - so girly. Long Lost seems like it will be a lot darker than that, but still with a sense of humor. So here's hoping that Long Lost will be a new favorite.

Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8

This is a great comic for the comic-book uninitiated. Joss Whedon (creator of the Buffy movie and TV series) is writing this comic book series for Dark Horse. It takes place chronologically after the last season of the television series - hence "season 8".

I think this is a great way to start reading comics because the back story is one that a lot of TV viewers are familiar with. And if you ever wondered what happened after the end of Sunnydale, here it is. Whedon doesn't disappoint with his irreverent and all out fun storytelling style. How can a guy be so good at writing such great female characters?

Each issue has two covers: the original and the variant. This is for the collectors, and the inside is the same in both versions. The artist of the first four issues, Georges Jeanty, has a modern, detailed style which pleases me. And Paul Lee pencils Issue 5 with an equally talented hand.

So far we are up to Issue #5, and (as we left off in the TV series) Buffy is leading a large group of Slayers that were given their powers in season 7. They are basically an army which Xander is helping to coordinate, thanks to his convenient army training from the Halloween episode.

All in all, this is a great transitional sort of series - if you can watch the TV show you can read the comic book. Order from Dark Horse or purchase from your local comic book shop. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I am.