Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker #5

Written by Joe Casey
Art by Mike Huddleston

There's a lot to like about the newest issue of Joe Casey's patriotic superhero grindhouse extravaganza, but I want to talk about the thing that stood out the most in this issue first.

Mike Huddleston's been doing a great job on this comic from the beginning, but in this issue, his colours really stood out as the best thing about the comic.  I don't normally notice the colouring first, but the fight scene is New York is made so lovely because of the way he makes everything look like it's happening at sunset.

The rest of the comic is great too.  Butcher finishes off the three villains that have attacked him, but not without gaining the enmity of the United States army.  This causes Butcher to have to go into hiding at a retirement resort for the powered set.  Poor Arnie, the highway patrol guy that's hunting him just misses him.

The comic is really very good, but Joe Casey's essays in the back are almost worth the purchase price alone.  This month he talks about the trailer to the Michael Keaton Batman movie (I must only be a couple of years younger than Casey, and remember the excitement of that summer very well), how a crazy non-fan reacted to Butcher Baker, and the info scroll technique he used in The Intimates.  Has it really been six years since that comic was published?  Man, I loved that title.  It hasn't even been collected I see - look for it in the quarter bins, it was great.  Stupid Wildstorm....