It’s your monthly dose of comics, creativity, and anything else the guys at Creator Owned Heroes could find to fill space. Here’s the usual oversized description from Image:

“TRIGGERGIRL 6,” Part Four 
by JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JUSTIN GRAY & PHIL NOTO
The whopping final chapter in this sci-fi thriller, Triggergirl 6 has discovered who created her and why, and the President of the United States finally understands his place in the world in ways he never expected.

“AMERICAN MUSCLE,” Part Four 
by STEVE NILES & KEVIN MELLON
Chloe and Gil have reached the end of the road. Now faced with an impossible choice the team must escape Mutant America and attempt to find civilization or die trying.
PLUS! An interview with superstar artist and trickster creator, SCOTT MORSE, a KEVIN MELLON art gallery, con photos, and original articles all celebrating the creator owned spirit! 

(The bold in the description is mine. Also note that this review doesn’t cover the book’s interviews, galleries, or articles.)

You know the Will Smith movie “Hancock?” (If you haven’t seen it, don’t.) Remember how, about half-way through, the plot swerved so violently into left field you got whiplash? That’s sort of what happens in the final installment of “Triggergirl 6.” I won’t spoil everything, but just telling you that there is suddenly an abundance of talking animals should make my point. Next to that, the president’s decision to go into a potential shootout because it will be good for his image seems perfectly believable.

Phil Noto’s art remains lovely. It’s sketch-like, with an unfinished feel, and yet it’s absolutely complete. The colors have punch but aren’t oversaturated.The animals and plants are colored just right for being under fluorescent lights.

Any other time, the events of “American Muscle” in this issue would seem ridiculous, but having read “Triggergirl 6” beforehand, I barely gave them any thought. This first storyline (it’s suggested that Steve Niles will bring Gil and the gang back in the future) ends without much plot resolution, but it does Gil does achieve some emotional resolution and contentment, This feels forced, however, as it happens  through conversation. We’re told, rather than shown. As for the unbelievable part I mentioned, it involves 42+ over-weight mutants (I counted) on a bus and jumping a gap in a bridge, á la “Speed.”

Kevin Mellon doesn’t exactly leave me dumbstruck with his art, but he makes the mutants seem suitably disgusting, creepy, and silly at the same time. He’s also adds a clumsy, slapstick feel to the action that reinforces the surreal quality of the story and makes the ridiculous elements seem a natural extension of the story.

While I don’t doubt that the two new creations (series? stories?) appearing in next month’s issue five will be interesting, I’m also peeved that the first two came to relatively abrupt ends. “Triggergirl 6” especially felt cut off, as if it didn’t have time to reach a natural conclusion. The fact that both stories ended at the same time makes it even more frustrating.

3/5