The October Faction #5

Writer – Steve Niles
Artist – Damien Worm

The most unique family in comics continues to delight as Delores is finally released from the hospital.  While Frederick is glad to have her home, he is a little hesitant to tell her what has been going on, but a family that slays together stays together and he is happy to find out that she is okay with it.  Frederick also finds out that Lucas has cancer and that it is terminal, but there might be hope for when Lucas is in his werewolf form, it seems to disappear or at least he thinks so.  But despite all the sort-of good news, possible disaster is about to strike.  Adding to the ranks of other great families that feature the supernatural like the Munsters or the Addams Family, is the Allan family who, though not necessarily monsters, hunt them down and practice the darker arts.  So they are at least in the same ball park.  Steve Niles and Damien Worm have done a great job of creating this world, part Supernatural and part Buffy, but all of it their own crazy ideas made real upon the page and it is wonderful fun.  The family dynamic is nice to see as they seem really close, despite having all of the regular and not quite so regular squabbles that families tend to have.  Lucas is an interesting character and he brings with him a set of problems that most friends do not tend to bring to the table and the villain of the book, one Robot Face by name, is quite unique and unlike most bad guys found in many books today.  He is funny in his way, but also frightening as he is clearly unhinged and acts without knowing all of the facts.  Leaving the book on the best cliff-hanger of the series so far, it should be interesting to see what the members of the Allan family do next.

3.5 out of 5

Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers #6

Writer – Joe Casey
Artist – Nathan Fox, Nick Dragotta, Miechel Fiffe, Jim Mahfood, Benjamin Marra, Dan McDaid, Tradd Moore, Grant Morrion, Jim Rugg
Colours – Brad Simpson

With this issue, Captain Victory’s latest adventure comes to a close and it is a little bit sad as it has been one very exciting ride.  We have seen battles with enemies fierce, both alien and human, clones, concepts and wonders all from the minds of Joe Casey, Nathan Fox and a team of rotating artists.  This issue finds Klavus finding his Captain, or at least a part of him while the rest of the crew races to find the other half and to reunite them before Ranger Command shuts them down.  It is an exciting finale to an exciting series and it is a bit of a shame that it is not an ongoing title instead of just hanging around for a limited time.  Joe Casey has done a fantastic job of creating a story worthy of our hero and with the help of Nathan Fox to realize it, it has been one of the best science-fiction comics to debut from any publisher in quite a while.  Everything about it has been great from the cast who are an incredibly diverse bunch of characters to the mission itself which seemed normal at first but was given a twist when it was found that Victory had been split off into different parts.  The team of artists that joined Nathan Fox on this issue were a very diverse bunch and really added a great vibe to the book that made the latter half fly by with a lightning pace.  Being such a fun book, it is a shame that it had to end, so hopefully at some point Dynamite brings it back with the creative team intact to give us some more, fantastic stories.

4 out of 5