The Tooth - Tapa dura

BOOKLIST -- Graham Stone becomes the unwitting host of the Tooth, a rampaging creature born of an ancient dragon's tooth, hunted by a covetous sorcerer and his own savage beasts. While the story is amply diverting, it's the conception of this book--a loving homage to the Marvel comics of the 1970s--that truly makes it sing. Bunn (The Sixth Gun, 2011) and Lee create an intricate "off screen" mythology and continuity around their characters, referred to in faux letters pages and captioned asides that echo the conversational melodrama coined by Stan the Man himself. Kindt (Superspy, Revolver) raises the affair to a whole other level with his flawless sense of design, reproducing the look of lower-quality paperstock and offering internal covers and ads that will ring in the heart of any longtime comic reader. His art doesn't falter, either, with slightly exaggerated and head-heavy figures and deceptively simple shading, all of which suggests (but also deepens) the look of the appropriate era. Fun for comic amateurs and a joy for old-timers.

CULLEN BUNN is the writer of comic books such THE SIXTH GUN, SHADOW ROADS, THE DAMNED, HELHEIM, and THE TOOTH for Oni Press. He has also written titles including HARROW COUNTY (Dark Horse), UNCANNY X-MEN, and DEADPOOL AND THE MERCS FOR MONEY (Marvel). Cullen claims to have worked as an Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Pro Wrestling Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler. He has fought for his life against mountain lions and performed on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.