The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists

THE GREAT NORTHERN BROTHERHOOD OF CANADIAN CARTOONISTS by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
Gregory Gallant aka Seth’s old-timey work constantly straddles a line between charming gentility and precious self-indulgence. This sketchbook project belies nostalgia for a world that never really existed, where cartoonists earned respect and even debauchery had an air of refinement. The end result is an amusing, lovely bit of piffle.

The Adjustment Bureau

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt stumble through this stylistically challenged metaphysical romance thriller loosely based on a Philip K. Dick story. The whole thing feels sloppy and half-realized (magic hats!!), a painfully simplistic hack job rooted in the unsophisticated notion of everything being part of God’s plan.

Dexter Season 6

DEXTER SEASON 6
The issue of faith seemed like ripe material for DEXTER, but this season was a mixed bag, with a bit too many leaps of logic and some forced, disappointing character turns, including Deb’s (hopefully confused) feelings for Dexter. Here’s hoping the many open threads tie more tightly next season.

Batman: Noël

BATMAN: NOEL by Lee Bermejo
The Dark Knight takes the role of Scrooge in this bajillionth retelling of A CHRISTMAS CAROL (with Catwoman, Superman and the Joker as the three spirits). Bermejo’s detailed, stylized realism works beautifully in the holiday context (unlike Todd Klein’s distracting lettering), and the (predictable) payoff hits home.