www.ign.com reviewer Robert Chang wins the unannounced and completely unofficial contest for First Demo Collection Review by reviewing it a full month ahead of time: "Rating: Must Read. I recommend Demo to anybody who's looking for a realistic take on kids who have powers. Moreover, I recommend it even more strongly to anybody who's looking for a collection of multi-layered, character-driven stories. You may not want to read it all in one sitting, but you'll definitely want to read it."

+++++

The divine Johnny B. over at his Last Call column on Comic Book Galaxy, says: "Once more, AiT/Planet Lar boldly goes where other comics companies fear to tread - this time, a retirement village where we are introduced to Frank, a lonely widower who is living out his days at the titular community, and must endure not only the crushing ennui but well-intentioned neighbors. But something is festering inside of Frank, a desire to break out of his rut, and when it finally does erupt it is surprising for sure, and also gives us, the reader, much to think about. Do we, as many would, applaud- or should we deplore Frank's action? Does he deserve the implied happiness that he seems to acheive, or should we be angry that he's gotten away with something most people don't get away with and most likely shouldn't? At first I wasn't sure where Osborne was going with this, but I was genuinely engaged all the way through and still haven't decided what to think about the resolution... and am delighted to have been given such grist for the old mental mill for sure."

+++++

Tom McLean, of Variety: "Set in an Arizona retirement community, [Sunset City] follows a retiree and widower who struggles to deal with the changes in his life and to fit in to the 'active senior lifestyle' of his new home. Watching the violence and decay that occurs underneath the smiling facade leads him to take action in the only way he knows how."

+++++

Dave Campbell, he of the "I'm going to review my comic book collection and you're going to like it!" otherwise known as Dave's Long Box, takes a look at Scurvy Dogs and generates a twenty-post comment thread. "I picked up a few copies of Scurvy Dogs at the AiT/Planet Lar booth at this year's San Diego convention to see what the big deal was and to answer the question for myself: Are pirates the new monkeys? After careful consideration I've determined that Portuguese lepers are actually the new monkeys."

+++++

Not to be outdone, Mick Martin is completely charmed by Electric Girl: "With his curvy, minimal style, Michael Brennan is sure to keep a smile on your face throughout this collection. Electric Girl is light-hearted, yet occasionally snarky. It’s funny and irreverent without being cruel, cute without pandering, childlike but not one-dimensional, and adult-minded without neglecting younger readers."

+++++

Joe McCulloch, of Jog, the Blog, writes an in-depth analysis of Sunset City: "Don’t let me get you too down on this - the book errs on the side of ambition, as I’ve said, and that provides for a more interesting experience than some lazy mediocrity would... As of now, this is an eager, flawed work, but perhaps worth perusing for those interested in charting the continuing development of its talented author."

Don MacPherson at The Fourth Rail names Sunset City the Best of the Week, and says: "[Rob] Osborne's illustration style is loose and sketchy, but it's effective... The newspaper layouts are well done. Those pages don't look exactly like print news would, but they're damn close. The color cover is stunning, and it made me wish there was interior color when Osborne reaches the key sunset scene in the latter part of the book... Frank's actions in the book's climax are wrong, but they're righteous as well, and one can't help but applaud him for finally taking action... This is a compelling and unusual story for the comics format, and I'm pleased to see AiT/Planet Lar continues to offer unconventional but strong storytelling."

+++++

Read Augie De Blieck, Jr.'s latest Pipeline for more Full Moon Fever goodness, too: "The book is scary, dramatic, and action-packed. It's more effective than its high concept slug line might lead you to believe. It's more well thought-out than just a simple 'here's the shocker, now let's go with it.' This one works hard to explain itself and still be entertaining. It's how it achieves all this that's so interesting to me."

+++++

Hilary Goldstein at www.ign.com writes: "There are some very good things in Sunset City, including regular clippings from the paper, which prove the most interesting aspect of Osborne's graphic novel. Sunset City is well-grounded, perhaps too much so, and has a good sense of humor."

Bruno Batista, over at The Magazine on Millarworld, on Sunset City: "Rob Osborne’s art grows on you. It starts out as looking rough and sometimes even ugly, but you’ve grown to appreciate it by the end of the book. The shining moment, personally speaking, was Osborne’s choice of only silhouetting Frank during a particular moment of a phone conversation. It was perfect in that context, really making the moment shine. Not to mention that watching an old man with a walker blasting away young punks with a shotgun was way too precious not to admire."

The Doctor of High Concept; Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love AiT-Planet Lar: "Beginning with the 'high concept,' Larry also knows how to market the books. He reads blogs (hi, Larry!), sends out advance copies, responds to criticism, and gets involved with the reading public. Ultimately, he cares about his product and cares that the word gets out."

John Popa, on Stephen King's Dark Tower graphic novel: "King's mini-series will hopefully be smartly advertised outside Wizard Magazine and will almost certainly bring a slew of King fans into comic book stores. Will those King fans instantly become fans of the comic book medium and sign on for a monthly slate of X-Men comics? Probably not. King fans are always a tough market to study because they tend to read his stuff and only his stuff. I'm not a believer that people are dying to fall in love with the comic book medium, I think people are content with the mediums of TV, movies and prose as their primary mediums of entertainment. Is it possible someone might read King's comics and start reading comics? Sure. And I'm sure some will. I just don't think it will be so staggering an amount. I'd also be surprised if those new readers flocked immediately to super hero comics. King's most loyal fanbase tends to be older and, thus, probably less inclined to start needing a spandex fix. But I think the tight AiT/Planet Lar and Vertigo books might catch their fancy. The books aimed at real adult people."

+++++

Meanwhile, over at Comic Book Galaxy, Logan Polk reads Full Moon Fever in honor of Halloween: "Four words: werewolves on the moon. If that’s not a grand enough concept to grasp you, well, I don’t know what to tell you. What I loved about it is the in-your-face attitude of the script and the art. Casey and company know exactly what they’re dealing with and have no qualms about it. It’s got all the familiar trappings of every monster story you’ve ever scene on the big screen, and yet in their hands it feels as fresh as it did when you were ten and holding the covers over your eyes. There were even moments where I could feel my brain telling my lips to scream out, 'What the hell are you doing?! Get out of there!' Everything moves very, very fast once the introductions are made, and Couceiro’s art is a great fit for such an action packed script. It’s rare to find a book that actually delivers on such a high concept, but this one does."

+++++

Dunno if you all are reading Chris Tamarri overe at his blog Crisis/Boring Change, but he has an extremely interesting viewpoint and a deft touch with the verbiage. Which is only right since he's a freelance writer for the Village Voice. Here's an excerpt from his review of Sunset City: "Like the best social commentary (an overwrought term that recalls Afterschool Specials, but an accurate description of what Osborne's doing here), Sunset City sets up its characters and context, but allows them to play out against one another naturally. After a certain point, the book ceases to feel like storytelling and seems more like reportage. It's messy and awkward and an emotionally honest examination of a lifestyle that could support a closer look."