Tales from the Batcave

Fans of AMC's Comic Book Men may remember during the show's second season that there was an episode centered around the gang at the Secret Stash pitching their very own comic book to Dynamite Entertainment. Of course, the show was edited and played up as this big dramatic thing, with the meeting with the powers that be at Dynamite, and attempted to have viewers believe that there was some chance that they would say no. Those of us who are "in the know" could easily see through the charade, being that their boss, Kevin Smith, was currently writing for Dynamite. The show also wanted us to believe that the book was the crew's first attempt at making their own comic book, and thus their "dreams were coming true", which was also a dramatic bunch of bullshit. Bryan and Walt have both worked in comics before, with two mini-series from IDW, Karney and War of the Undead respectively, and Bryan even went on to pencil two Batman mini-series written by Kevin Smith. Still, I guess it makes for good television, so I digress.

Last week, the very first issue of their Dynamite series, Cryptozoic Man arrived, and of course I was all signed up in advance to make sure I got it. Not because I'm a fanboy of the show, which I am, but no, I got it because I loved Karney and War of the Undead. Admittedly, it's hard to judge from a single issue, but Cryptozoic Man feels a little flat when compared to those two. The story centers around a man named Alan Ostman, who after suffering a great tragedy, was transformed by aliens into an amalgamation of cryptids from around the world. This first issue shows a battle between Crypto and the Pig Man, with a bit of origin thrown in via somewhat confusing flashbacks. I don't expect to be give the whole story in the first issue though, so while admittedly not having much of a clue as to what was going on, I dug it enough to keep going. If nothing else, I dig Walt's art and will buy it for that alone.

Cryptozoic Man may surprise fans of the light hearted television show Comic Book Men, as there's a bit of adult content, including some pretty nasty looking monsters, it's definitely not a book for kids. Only one issue out so far, so if it sounds like something you'd dig, or you're just a big fan of all things Comic Book Men, be sure and track down a copy and get signed up for the rest of the series. Don't know where it's going, but I know it's going to be one hell of a strange ride.