Originating in Norway back in 1997, Nemi is a weekly comic strip creation of writer and artist Lise Myhre. Focusing on the pop goth Hot Topic mentality of the turn of the millennium, Nemi follows the title character in her exploits in her chocolate eating, boy chasing and alcohol binging unemployed life. UK publisher Titan Books, who brought us the collected volumes of Tank Girl, has begun compiling these weekly strips in to fantastically done hardcover formats.

Because of the nature of the weekly strip format, Nemi Volume III doesn’t have a particular story to speak of. It instead is a series of brilliantly done short character pieces, usually contained to just three or four panels each with the occasional multipage story, but those are few and far between. The best part about Nemi is how relatable a character she actually is.

Whether or not you fell in to a Hot Topic phase during your high school years (which if you had you have hopefully finally grown out of or you have become a Twilight fan), you knew someone who did. This comic does a great job of reminding why even though we thought that person was weird, we were still their friend.

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“What the heck did I just read?” has been a common question I have been asking myself after going through the three remastered volumes of Tank Girl. After being re-released by Titan Books out of the UK with a forward from writer and co-creator Alan Martin, Tank Girl Three is the final volume of re-released original Tank Girl comics from 1992 to 1995. Tank Girl, unlike most comics, has a very loose continuity and storytelling style. Tank Girl is a strange anthology style of storytelling that allows characters and a few general themes to cross over between stories while others come and go as they please.

Some stories may cross over four issues while others stand on their own and don’t make much sense either in the process. But they have an odd charm about them that makes them fun to read. Even if it does feel like gray matter is leaking out the ears as you try to logically piece together what has been laid out in front of you. So, piece of advice, do NOT try and use logic while reading Tank Girl. Logic in Tank Girl is about as useful as it is watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine. As long as you completely block it out of your mind, you can still enjoy what is set out in front of you.

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Deadpool: Suicide Kings #5 – Marvel – $3.99
Score: 8.0

Don’t let the cover fool you, that’s not Zombie Deadpool’s head that Tombstone is holding. That guy’s only appearing in Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth for now. Instead of guest starring Z-pool, this issue picks up with the guest starring Spider-Man as he and Deadpool square off against the Wrecking Crew. (Side note: One small favor for writers working on the Wrecking Crew going forward, please have them stop mentioning they have fought Thor in every book they appear in. It just gets lame and repetitive, especially after everyone they say it to who isn’t a Norse god kicks their butts. ‘Kay. Thanks. End rant.)

Obviously physically undermatched to take on villains who have tangled with Thor, Spider-Man and Deadpool take a different approach and get by with a little help from the Punisher who has taken using past villains weapons to the extreme in this issue. As ridiculous as the Punisher looks in this issue, it somehow fits with the overall Deadpool tone. Deadpool takes off ahead of Spider-Man and Punisher to face off with Tombstone where he ends up getting his hand bit off Hannibal-style by Tombstone’s viscious pet pigs. From there, Deadpool sets out to prove why he called Tombstone a “Punkass gangsta wannabe”.

This book does a fantastic job of capturing just what people love about the Deadpool character. It is filled with his stereotypical wisecracks and uses the thought balloon conversations he has with himself in happy moderation. There isn’t any overkill from any of the style jokes that sometimes are unbalanced. One of the best “breaking the 4th wall” jokes of the past few years comes in this issue as it isn’t even Deadpool commenting to the reader but instead a reader being told to come down for dinner before it gets too cold. Deadpool also isn’t treated as a complete joke in the issue as well. He shows how intelligent and skilled a fighter he is and doesn’t depend on his wisecracks to get him through the encounter. He proves that he is the second best at what he does to Wolverine.

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