Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Casey Maloney

52 Pick-Up Week 1:

One can’t review this series without first addressing the elephant in the room. This is a comic book created by Jennifer Love Hewitt.  What’s going on here? What next? A TV show from Stan Lee? Scarlett Johnasson cutting an album? The lines of reality are blurring!

Seriously, though, with Scott Lobdell writing, and a different artistic team each issue - beyond being the person behind the pitch, I don’t know exactly how much “Love” has to do with this book. And I’m not entirely certain anyone needed to pitch this, either. I’m reasonably confident the idea would have just happened at some point. This is the Outer Limits, the Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents - whatever your preference - in comic book form. It’s an anthology of amazing stories (ooh, there’s another one) that all have one thing in common… a malevolent music box. Think of it as a monkey’s paw that instead of granting wishes, merely nudges events along, in oh-so-similarly sinister ways.

So, it’s nothing revolutionary, to be sure, but is it good? Enough so that I plan to track down issue one and keep up as the series makes its way through its ten issue run. Lobdell’s writing has always received a thumbs up in my book. He’s never been a deciding factor for me, but he’s also never really let me down, which is more than can be said for most in the business. Here, his dialog is natural and his plot sufficiently twisty, if somewhat predictable.

Casey Maloney’s on linework for this ish, and I’m reasonably certain I’ve never seen his work before. It’s got a Sean Phillips sort of noirish vibe to it, without being quite as grim and gritty as Brubaker’s perennial partner’s work. Still, it’s a perfect fit for the subject matter at hand and good enough that were he the regular artist on the book, it wouldn’t keep me at bay. But he isn’t.

IDW’s committed to giving us a different artist each issue, pairing styles to the tone of each story. It’s a great approach, particularly for an anthology. Particularly for one slotted for just ten issues. This would otherwise be a risky venture if you were promising a new artist every month, indefinitely. While it could open up avenues for up and comers to be showcased, it could also leave the publisher scraping the bottom of the barrel for fill-ins after awhile. Would I like to see someone commit to that sort of experiment? Sure. But if it was my livelihood at stake, I wouldn’t want to take that risk, so I can’t blame anyone else for being a bit gun-shy.

All told, Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Music Box #2 is a fun story about infidelity and deceit, and a cautionary tale to all would-be tag sale shoppers. I’m excited to see where the series will take us in the future, and isn’t that the hallmark of any good serial?

J. Love’s Music Box #2 gets a very solid 3.5 out of 5 hairdos that should’ve alerted you to potential dementia

And so concludes the first chapter in my exciting new tale, the first step in my bold new adventure. Be sure to check back Friday to find out what book will make the list next week, and of course, stop by next Tuesday to see how it fared. Bonne lecture!