I certainly agreed with your point about Drew's lettering being better for the comic than the computer font. i agreed with your opinion of the Mr. Moto* issue (actually, I thought Jace's "boobs" episode w/ Mishah was really funny too). And finally, I agree 100% with your opinion of the Serial Killer issue... i hated it... i'm not sure if i really read all of it, i think i started skimming and never went back to re-reading it. I think that issue was the lowest point that PE ever sank to.

However, my least favorite issue came right after the death of Cassy. It featured the deaths of many people who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time (bystanders) and the reappearance of Balinarch & Fredrich. Even characters like Luse should have some sort of moral code, if they become complete bastards who don't even follow their own rules, they become intensely unsympathetic. I can handle Luse shooting people, to paraphrase, that "need killin'", but not people that don't deserve that sort of treatment. it's not funny, it's not cool, it's not anything but disgusting and sad. there is also the question of inconsistency; Luse stopped working for Garn because he accidentally shot a 9yr. old, then he goes out and shoots up a bar of innocent people because his girlfriend is dead...????... to me it's just out of character. As for B & F, well, they didn't advance the story any (not in that issue, and not in the final Sanctuary issue) so why bother?

I agree with you about the overuse of the Marauder. Now don't get me wrong, he is one of my favorite characters, and i loved his reaction to female Luse (the tit-grab, the kiss!! the gozer tingle!!) , but he really needs to be used sparingly. In 37 (i think it was 37 or there-about) he actually thought and spoke NOT in all capitals... he was also - how to put this? - so damn human. he was told to shut up, he was bullied and he was ignored. Luse confronted him with the attitude that he could easily kill him if he wanted to, but couldn't because it would attract attention. In other encounters, Luse was unable to capture him (much less kill him), even with the help of Jace & Cassy, respectively.

When you see the PM several issues in a row, you get that "oh, it's just the Marauder" attitude. You lose the sense of him being mysterious and scary. I don't really like seeing him as some stock/foil weird, funny character. i like it when he's almost beyond the reach of human understanding (first issue & Mistwood). and what's with the hair? looks like he hair-sprayed it while jumping off a building...

Actually, i liked the Tenth/Hyena appearances. They hint at stuff that happened between the two of them that is really outside of the Sanctuary storyline (although the note threw me too, i still don't really get it). I think that Tenth had ulterior motives for hooking up with Hyena, who is powerful, devious, and interesting of her own right. I think that their encounters fleshed out Hyena as a magically powerful but emotionally vulnerable person. I'm hoping that the color issue (the Hyena storyline) will explore their relationship - as well as build on the groundwork that was laid in the Sanctuary storyline. Also, i think Tenth had a very important part to play in the Cassy plotline... and laid some nice groundwork for later interaction with Vido and Jace...

As for unfinished storylines... well, the story ain't finished eh? Morachi's wife (or whatever) may yet show up... in issue 78 or something, but she probably will show up eventually. Drew pulls that sort of stuff all the time, and i for one love it.

While I am enthusiastic about the Sword/Sorcery/Fantasy short stories that Drew is going back to, I hope he goes back to something as ambitious as Sanctuary eventually. Drew set out to tell a story, and I want that story finished someday, not a series of "luse meets Troll, kills troll", "Luse meets Dragon, Kills Dragon" type stories. Short storylines are fine as long as there is an overarching vision that is guiding those storylines. The problem with Sanctuary as I saw it was that a certain amount of motivation was lost. Luse had a Job (unconventional but regular), a girlfriend, and everything was peachy-keen. Things began to founder, and it seemed to me that nobody, not even Drew, knew where the story had gone to or where it was going to go next. So, people started being killed off. Thankfully, it wound up being the mostly unnecessary people, with only Morachi, Fleece, [unfortunately Dendrin] & Vido surviving to no doubt trouble our heroes at some later date. One good thing about how Sanctuary finished is that the wheat was separated from the chaff and the strong characters survived.

In the future, I look forward to learning more about Mogre-Ur and the Elvin power structure (maybe more about Jace's father). I look forward to scary monstrosities from the Dark ( a-la Dark Trolls & Dragons), and the resolution to the mystery of Cinlach. I look forward to finding out why Tenth is really interested in Luse. I also look forward to being surprised and knocked on my ass with giggling fits, because Drew still has a great knack for conversational narrative (see the Jace/Mishah "boobs" issue).

PS --I think that you will like the Hyena story... the art is AMAZING, and probably some of Drew's best. really.