Crack Comics #63

I picked up a copy of Crack Comics #63 (yes, the Mike Allred cover) last week, so I thought I'd say a few words about it. It is part of Erik Larsen's "Next Issue Project" from Image, and this time the creators tackle a book from the old Quality Comics line. As a result, a few of the public domain heroes are ones who have played roles of varying importance in DC books over the years. I dunno, I just found the very thought of this to be novelty enough to justify a purchase.

As you would expect in an anthology, this is a comic that is all over the map. I'll focus on what I personally enjoyed the best. Tops would definitely be Alan Weiss crafting a fabulous Captain Triumph story that manages to be both knowing and loads of fun. Seriously, can I get a Weiss-written and illustrated Captain Triumph one-shot? I also got a big kick out of the stuff that Terry Austin and Herb Trimpe created for the book. It was nice, even if in service of characters plucked from obscurity. Oh, and I did rather like Larsen's 5 page story of intrepid cabbie Hack O'Hara, though I'm not precisely sure if I'm meant to take it at face value or not.

This comic came out a couple of months ago, but I would be unsurprised if it's still lurking on shelves. Worth the price just for the fake and/or vintage ads alone! And look, I made it through the whole review without a snide remark about the name "Crack Comics," too!

...Damn.