Magazine Watch - Clint issue 6

Issue 6 of Clint is on news-stands now and the line up of strips has strengthened considerably. The highlight of this issue for me was the inclusion of a Ian Rankin strip. I didn't know what to expect but I'm a huge fan of Rankin's Rebus books that I'd been aching to read it. Titled, Someone Go To Eddie, Rankin's tale is a brutal hardboiled story, drawn by Stephen -Daly.


Leading up the features this issue is an interview with Stan Lee which for its brevity covers some interesting ground. Of the other strips Garth Ennis's The Pro, about a hooker with superpowers is bizarrely addictive and the excellent American Jesus enters its penultimate episode. Kick Ass 2, to my mind, has been pretty lame thus far but it does at last seem to warming up. Much more interesting is Mark Miller's new strip, Superior.

Jonathan Woss's Turf's lost my interest. The artwork is beautiful but the writing is over cluttered and after a promising start it's become difficult to follow.

Ian Rankin goes graphic

Clint is shaping up into a great title and it'll be a shame if it doesn't continue - it's suffered already with some distribution issues and seemed to have skipped a month between issues. But issue six arrived in the shops at the right time so maybe the problem is over.

Clint issue 4 on sale now

It was late appearing in the shop and many were getting worried that the magazine had fallen victim to a lacklustre market but Clint issue 4's problems were weather related (those big distribution trucks all got stuck in the snow) and issue 4 should appear in the shops from today onwards.

CLINT THE THIRD

Proving that there's still a market for comic books for mature readers, the third issue of Clint Magazine is on sale now.

On the features front this issue leads with a look at Quentin Tarantino in which Steve O'Brain wonders what's next for the ultra hip director. There's also an interesting article looking at actors who were sacked from roles in movies that went onto to be massive hits -Eric Stoltz from Back to the Future to name but one, there's also an interview with Russel T Davies and a new section entitled, Badass cinema looks at none other than Clint Eastwood. And any magazine that features Clint Eastwood is going to find favour with the Tainted Archive.

The strips are all present and correct - Jonathan Woss's Turf about prohibition era vampires is proving a great read, as is American Jesus. Kick Ass 2 and Rex Royd. By far my favourite strip is Mark Miller's excellent Nemesis. This story was first printed in the US but here it is reproduced in a larger format which really benefits  Steve McNiven's amazing artwork - the full page panels are suitable for framing.

Clint makes comics cool again - all the mayhem and humour that made 2000AD a classic title back in the day is ramped up several knotches. In fact I think Clint is a better title than the present day 2000AD which, in my opinion, has lost its way. Clint is certainly fresher and the stories, being longer, have much more room to breath. The mixture of classic US reprints and all new material, as well as feature articles,  is just about right and gives a great reading experience.

Clint, as they say in comic book circles, rocks!