4 out of 5

Maybe it’s just coincidence – which is the response from the editor when a letter writer in any given issue points this out – but along with new editor Larry Doyle comes a sudden resurgence of continuity.  And not just character continuity, although it’s fantastic that Hexbreaker‘s Mavis, to whom Badge got hitched, has made the transition to official character, because she’s a hoot, but the return of plot elements (finally) like IBOB and Norbert’s other personalities.  And though I’ve definitely been a fan of the title’s most outrageous moments (these issues feel slightly restrained at points), it’s pretty awesome to sense Badger’s world starting to rotate once again.

I mean, don’t worry, its still insane, with crazed veterinarians, Shakespeare loving demons, Frank Lloyd Wrong the architect and more, but whether coinicidence or just a shift in Mike Baron’s writerly proclivities, it was a good time to add some focus to the book.  The two issue Order of the Sacred Blood return, like the original two parter, is a stretch – like Baron goes out of his way to play it serious around a, uh, unique concept; the other issues, including an oversized #50 with a great, classically random strip with old school Badgerite Jeff Butler on pencils, are very rewarding and rereadable.