More Mike Luoma Genius: RED HOT/TALES OF THE TEAM

Every time I write about pal Mike Luoma's work on the blog, I find myself amazed at two things:

1. I always seem to remember to spell his last name correctly; and 
2. I don't think he's ever written even a ho-hum book.

Red Hot # 2 from Glow-in-the-Dark Comics picks up where issue 1 left off. It's a pretty cool tale, and Juan Carlos Quattordio's art has a nice vibe - not quite Silver Age, not quite cartoony. He has a really strong sense of storytelling, and his work is as strong as Rhys Ap Gwin's art from issue 1.

But it's Tales of the Team # 1 that really surprised me - it's not just that Mike does a really good job in bringing together disparate characters (including the Good Samaritan, which is an unexpected surprise), but that he manages two tales that feel "postmodern" without ever once diverting from their form. (Hell, he manages to sneak in a reference to Nixon that feels then-contemporary and not present-hey-look-how-clever-we-are. And I'm ashamed to have typed the previous sentence).  Both "Brawn Over Brains" and "The Origin of Miss Amaza" are strong stories, and overall Tales of the Team is a strong read.

I really enjoyed these books....so much so that I feel awkward in recommending them. Mike Luoma always writes some great stuff, and I always feel at a loss in praising it.

Perhaps I need to use a thesaurus more frequently, but both books are worth purchasing. Buy them. Read them. Enjoy them.