You can tell a comic is going to be good when you start chuckling by the third page into the story. Such was my experience with Moonstone’s latest issue Worth Beyond Measure.
In reading this story you can tell Mike Bullock had fun writing it. Snappy one-liners, perfect dialogue and swashbuckling action abound. It’s easy to see Mike has settled in comfortably as the newest writer of the Ghost Who Walks. This is the most fun I’ve had reading a Phantom story all year!
Guest artist Zeu brings a great sense of life and adventure to the story. Not to take away from previous Moonstone Phantom artists, Zue’s drawings are tight and flowing. His style has an amazing mix of classic Sy Barry charm and modern Stefano Caselli fun and detail. It fits the story, not to mention the world of the Phantom, perfectly. I really hope Zeu get’s some more Phantom projects soon!
One of my biggest complaints against Moonstone’s Phantom stories is how short they feel. I say “feel” because they are the standard American comic book length of 22 pages, but they always feel like they are over way too soon. With this issue, however, I felt I had read a good, full rounded, complete story. Perhaps because it was a self contained issue, perhaps because Bullock and Zeu didn’t wast a single page, panel or speech bubble, this felt like the most complete and well rounded of all of Moonstone’s on-going Phantom series.
It’s always nice to see well executed humor in a Phantom story and this issue has it in spades. The line “It’s considered bad form to attack a man from behind while he’s engaged in funeral planning” should secure this issue in the running for Story of the Year all by itself! At the very least the line should be the first of Moonstone’s own collection of Jungle Sayings.
In my mind this is proves that Moonstone’s Phantom stories just keep on getting better and better and better. Can’t wait to see what 2008 has in store for the Phantom!
By Joe Douglas
5/5
Discuss this issue on the forums