Dungeon
By Lewis Trondheim and Joann Sfar
Published by NBM Publishing

This comic is tailor made for fans of the silly adventure story. Originally published in France, Dungeon has already seen several issues and even a few spin-offs and offshoot series, most of which I am sure will be translated and make their way here eventually.

At the core of this series is the Dungeon itself, a giant castle filled with monsters of all sorts, run by the “Dungeon Keeper,” a miser like bird. The Dungeon is filled with treasures of every kind, and the Keeper invites warriors and adventurers for all over to try and “beat” the Dungeon and claim some treasure, almost all of which usually end up as a meal for a goblin, troll, or some other monster.

The main characters in this series are a duck, Herbert the Timorous, a duke in title only, and a vegetarian dragon by the name of Marvin, whose religion and code of honor prevents him from attacking anyone who insults him. Herbert is given the Sword of Destiny on his first “mission,” by the Keeper, who believes him to be a vicious, barbarian warrior. Unfortunately, the sword refuses to allow Herbert to weild it until he has accomplished three extraordinary feats with his bare hands (at the same time preventing him from wielding any other weapons) – and as Herbert is a totally unskilled fighter, that task will prove difficult for him.

The stories are indeed comical, at times, but like most good comedies, there is a degree of seriousness and “life lessons” to be found in the story. The art style is a perfect fit – very flat, a standard two-dimensional cartoon strip style. In fact, I think this story could be told in a strip format, and lose very little in the way of story smoothness. Though it does have humerous moments, I wouldn’t expect to be rolling on the floor while reading this comic – the jokes are subtle, and the humor is pretty dry. Thankfully, there is a lot more to this comic than the laughs.

Dungeon is put out bi-monthly by NMB in grayscale, and the first trade collecting the first four issues (in color) has just been released at a cover price of $14.95. A fun story, and well worth the price for the first trade. Fans of Bone will probably enjoy this title, as they are very similar stories in spirit.

SpecWar: Special Warfare
Written by Frank A. Lauria
Art by Michael Docherty
Inked by Oscar Lopez
Lettered by Michael Thomas
Colored by Cynthia Martin
Published by Peter Four Productions

I am positive that there are several of you out there who would be ideal readers of this comic book.

First, it has a very unique concept. The series creator and writer, Frank Lauria, is a decorated veteran of the US Navy SEALS. He brings his considerable experience and perspective to the table with this comic, which brings realistic military stories to life in the pages of SpecWar, based upon actual events from around the world, not you’re average, romanticized type military story that you find in a lot of movies these days. Lauria has a very unique perspective for this kind of tale, and it comes through beautifully in the comic.

The art, as I find myself often saying, does the job quite well. There is understandably a lot of night-time action in this series, and the color tone of those scenes are done quite well. They are dark, without being so dark that it is impossible to see everything that is happening on the page.

The stories are pretty well put together, and follow a pretty solid format. I saw the potential for some boredom during the necessary “mission briefing” scenes, yet these were handled pretty well and did not lose my attention. There is a lot of action, as you might imagine, and fans of a military themed comic will eat this series up. It is exactly the kind of thing you are looking for.

Each issue is 24 pages, full color, for a price of $3.25 an issue. You might find this a bit steep, but my usual “small press” argument comes to play here. The comic is of very high quality, something that is tough to do on the cheap if you are not printing through a major comic publisher. The story quality is high enough that fans of the genre should not blink an eye at the price. On the Peter Four website, you can subscribe to the comic: six issues for a discounted price of $18 – might be a good route to go for anyone who really enjoys the comic.

The Mr. Beat Show
By Chris Yambar
Published by SSSComics

Though not strictly a “strip-style” comic, this one is sure to appeal to fans of things like PvP. Mr. Beat is a caffeine-addicted beatnick who owns a coffee shop. I am afraid a more specific description is really quite impossible without reading the comic itself- it is a hodgepodge of traditional comic book format story, strips, and gag/list pages. This 48 page comic has a lot of different things in it, and is an overall fun read. The name Chris Yambar might be familiar to some of you – Mr. Beat’s creator has done a good deal of work with BONGO comics, of particular note is his work on the Simpsons titles. Mr. Beat, of course, isn’t a new character at all. He was created a decade ago, and has appeared in his own comic series (Mr. Beat Adventures), as well as several one shots and the occasional “cross-over” issue. The Mr. Beat Show is my first exposure to the character, and it is compelling enough that I know I will be on the lookout for some of the older issues.

The comic itself is light-hearted, funny, and very easy to follow. Mr. Beat is a good natured and pretty street-wise character, not easily swayed by some of the actions of his more foolish friends and associates. And though a beatnik, Mr. Beat is a much more personable character than you might expect from the stereotype. The comic is black and white, and in a quite cartoony style (so anyone looking for hyper-realism might want to look elsewhere).

This comic is lighthearted and funny, and a good buy for anyone out for a good laugh. It is not only fun to read, but a lot of the stories even almost have morals. Mr. Beat is a good guy, and we see that through his actions. If all of us were a bit like him, the world would be a much better place. The Mr. Beat Show carries a cover price of $4.95 for 48 pages of stories and strips – a good price for the product. You can order it by mail (ordering information can be found on Yambar.com), along with other Mr. Beat issues, and additional items from Chris Yambar’s impressive body of work.

As next week’s column marks the 100th title covered by Still on the Shelf, you can expect a return to the usual format. Not quite sure what title will have that honor yet, but you can be sure I am going to make certain it is a good one! See you then!