Joe Golem, Occult Detective: The Rat Catcher

[Joker]

Isn't he already listed on the follow up series?

Sorry, the 1of5 on the cover is confusing, I guess Rat Catcher is only 3 issues.

[middenway]

Isn't he already listed on the follow up series?

Sorry, the 1of5 on the cover is confusing, I guess Rat Catcher is only 3 issues.

I'm not sure what's with the 1 of 5. I found it confusing too. But yeah, Rat Catcher is 3 issues, The Sunken Dead is 2. And yeah, Patric Reynolds is definitely doing both.

[Kirby101]

Really liked it. Enough to go read the novel ("You mean you haven't read the novel? What is wrong with you?!?")
I didn't feel it was slight at all. It built the world of the drowning city and gave me enough to get a feel for the characters and their stories, but not reveal everything. I look forward to seeing how the golum transforms into Joe.

[MajorHoy]

I'm not sure what's with the 1 of 5. I found it confusing too. But yeah, Rat Catcher is 3 issues, The Sunken Dead is 2. And yeah, Patric Reynolds is definitely doing both.

But, in the inside indicia, the book is titled "Joe Golem #1", with nothing about "Joe Golem: Rat Catcher". Maybe

3 issues for Rat Catcher
+
2 issues for The Sunken Dead
=
5 issues total?

[middenway]

But, in the inside indicia, the book is titled "Joe Golem #1", with nothing about "Joe Golem: Rat Catcher". Maybe

3 issues for Rat Catcher
+
2 issues for The Sunken Dead
=
5 issues total?

Still, it's strange to say 1 of 5, because the series doesn't end at The Sunken Dead #2. There's going to be a Joe Golem #6 and onwards.

[Joker]

It's weird to say 1 of 5 because it's #1, but it's the first part of a 3 issue story. I thought Sunken Dead was #6 and Rat Catcher was a 5 part story. It's confusing, and I can't figure out any reason they labeled it that way.

[Joker]

Issue 2 is out today. Can't wait to read it!

[LobsterJohnson]

I'm excited for this one. The first issue contained a lot of setup (which is necessary), but this one will be able to plunge right into the action.

[Joker]

The art in this issue killed!

[thwhtGuardian]

The art was pretty great although the pacing doesn't seem to be very user friendly, the set up makes sense to us as we are familiar with the source but people like my friend Jim who don't have that experience aren't being given a whole lot to go off of.

[Joker]

What do you mean? I thought it was pretty new reader friendly.

[thwhtGuardian]

There's no real sense of who Joe is other than he's strong and has weird dreams, no sense of who Simon Church is and the relationship he has with Joe has so far shown zero chemistry. As prior readers these characters are already developed so we can pick this up like some lost chapter of the novel and fill in the blanks ourselves but for people who have none of that foreknowledge these are pretty generic characters and their back stories do not seem to be forth coming in a timely manner.

[MajorHoy]

. . . but for people who have none of that foreknowledge these are pretty generic characters and their back stories do not seem to be forth coming in a timely manner.

Maybe, but it seems like the story is progressing at a rate that will slowly reveal information as it becomes necessary. It doesn't seem like the pace for revealing things is any worse than many other modern day comic book stories which don't throw everything at you right away. (And I say this as a guy who's only been exposed to the concept of Joe Golem in these two issues. Yes, I'd like to know more of his back-story, but it seems like that information will eventually come to light.)

[Joker]

There's no real sense of who Joe is other than he's strong and has weird dreams, no sense of who Simon Church is and the relationship he has with Joe has so far shown zero chemistry. As prior readers these characters are already developed so we can pick this up like some lost chapter of the novel and fill in the blanks ourselves but for people who have none of that foreknowledge these are pretty generic characters and their back stories do not seem to be forth coming in a timely manner.

Yeah, okay, I can see that. I have read the book, so I guess I'm filling in a relationship I understand previously, but isn't really being shown in this story. I guess I don't know how I'd take this, were it my introduction to these characters.

[HsssH]

I have to agree that characters are rather bland (haven't read any material with them before this mini). What keeps me interested in this is art, overall atmosphere and Mignola's name.