Kelly Gaines 7/25/18 Kelly Gaines 7/25/18

Review: Mother Panic Gotham A.D. #5

By Kelly Gaines

The brooding, alcoholic, White Witch of Gotham has finally come to terms with what she really is- a superhero. Mother Panic #5 marks a moment of genuine change and borderline gentleness for Gotham's second most angsty vigilante. Violet may not be happy in this strange new reality, but that doesn't make fighting the good fight any less important; especially now that she knows there is no way home.

Kelly Gaines 7/25/18 Kelly Gaines 7/25/18

Review: Mera: Queen of Atlantis #6

By Kelly Gaines

Allow me to start by saying I made a mistake in my last review of Mera: Queen of Atlantis, and I could not be more relieved. Orm is not marrying his own sister; he's just forcing her to marry Nereus against her will. We can all rest much easier now. Mera's claim on the throne has all come down to this- the final installment of the Mera mini-series. Mera has been a satisfying read, and #6 gives us a trial by combat that would make a Lannister proud and closes out Mera's chapter with a triumphant bang.

Kelly Gaines 7/18/18 Kelly Gaines 7/18/18

Review: The Hookah Girl

By Kelly Gaines

How do you tell your story when the rest of the world has already decided what your story is? If Hookah Girl is any indication, you do it with paper dolls- paper dolls, humor, and brazen honesty. Marguerite Dabaie's creation is a first-hand account of life in the United States as a Palestinian woman presented to us through a mixture of personal stories, observations, opinions, and visual guides. The result is a comic unlike any I've reviewed before, and I am very glad to have the opportunity to do so.

Kelly Gaines 7/11/18 Kelly Gaines 7/11/18

Review: Eternity Girl #5

By Kelly Gaines

A moment of real communication between Caroline and Rick dissolves into chaos, and much like the rest of Caroline's relationships, volatile reactions pull her deeper into an internal void. Eternity Girl #5 is a beautifully crafted issue; well done enough to almost be worth the horrible sinking feeling it's created in my chest. Caroline is a creature of conflict and self-alienation. Profound as her awareness may be, she seems to be missing a key point: the more she isolates herself, the bigger threat she poses. Stopping her isn't about friendship, loyalty, or compassion- it's about saving lives at any cost.

Kelly Gaines 6/27/18 Kelly Gaines 6/27/18

Review: Mera Queen of Atlantis #5

By Kelly Gaines

Welcome to Game of Thrones: Atlantis. If you've needed some incestuous relationships and trial by combat to hold you over until GOT's final season, you're in luck. Mera's path to a throne she did not even originally want has gotten exponentially harder, and the new complications make a solid case for why royal lineages simply don't work. Mera: Queen of Atlantis has reached its fifth installment of the six-part series. For those of you that have been buckled into DC's resident fairy-tale, the approaching ending is bittersweet. It's been a dramatic and beautifully written ride, and on a personal level, I'm very excited to see how they wrap up this side narrative in the Aquaman mythos.

Kelly Gaines 6/27/18 Kelly Gaines 6/27/18

Review: Mother Panic Gotham A.D. #4

By Kelly Gaines

Violet is a contender- make no mistake about that. She's an heir to the Paige fortune, a rival to Gotham's dark underbelly, and the defending "costume" of Gotham. In this reality, Batman may be gone, but his fight is not forgotten. Whether she likes it or not, Violet Paige/ Mother Panic/ The White Witch is one of the only forces in Gotham actively fighting to heal the city's open wounds. The rescue mission to recover her mother from Arkham was a success that unfortunately cast light directly into Violet's operation. In her eyes, she's saved her mother from pain and exploitation. But to Gala and the rest of Gotham's criminal collective, Violet has stolen a priceless piece in their human gallery: The Oracle of Gotham.

Kelly Gaines 6/21/18 Kelly Gaines 6/21/18

Review: Justice League #2

By Kelly Gaines

DC fan's irrational fear of Scott Snyder gets less irrational with each project. I'll be blunt- this Justice League title is fatally underwhelming. We have seen all of this before- the massive monster fights, the villain plotting, the team that reluctantly works together- it's been done. There's such strong support for this specific Justice League line up from fans of the animated series, and it's heartbreaking to see their potential ignored.

Kelly Gaines 6/15/18 Kelly Gaines 6/15/18

Review: Mister Miracle #9

By Kelly Gaines

Mister Miracle continues a streak of comic excellence in issue #9 as Scott and Barda’s new parenthood and intergalactic mission collide. We’re coming to the end of the Mister Miracle miniseries, and the next three issues promise to wrap up what has been an emotional and vividly told story. The golden couple of the DC universe has a critical choice to make, one that will decide the future of thousands.

Kelly Gaines 6/13/18 Kelly Gaines 6/13/18

Review: Eternity Girl #4

By Kelly Gaines

Disclaimer: I’m going to get weird in this review. Not ‘unsettling distant relative at a family reunion’ weird, but definitely ‘weird guy rambling about god on the subway’ weird. If that’s not your thing, I’m sorry.

Kelly Gaines 6/6/18 Kelly Gaines 6/6/18

Review: Shade the Changing Woman #4

By Kelly Gaines

The Cray are coming. We know how Paul Revere would have handled the situation, but Shade is having a much more difficult time sounding the alarm for Earth’s approaching doom. Readers have become well acquainted with the more risque and criminal parts of Loma/ Meghan/ Shade’s past and Shade the Changing Woman #4 visits a new memory. Though Shade has tried hard to forget this piece of her past, the memory holds a long lost fear that may be Earth’s only hope.

Kelly Gaines 6/6/18 Kelly Gaines 6/6/18

Review: Justice League #1

By Kelly Gaines

It’s hard to explain how excited I am to see my favorite version of the Justice League launching in a new comic. The animated Justice League of the early 2000’s is the show responsible for sealing my interest in superheroes and giving me the push I needed to venture into the intimidating world of reading comics. In short- I’m in love with this team. It’s probably going to take me a few rereads to clear the tears out of my eyes and get harshly critical, but for now, I’m excited and throwing blind faith into these characters- more so than the creative team. And let’s be fair, they’ve got an all-star lineup, but in comics that doesn’t mean it’ll be any good.

Kelly Gaines 5/30/18 Kelly Gaines 5/30/18

Review: Raven: Daughter of Darkness #5

By Kelly Gaines

Raven Daughter of Darkness #5 feels like the grand finale of a confusing twister of plot and character- except the story’s not over, and there’s no Bill Paxton or Helen Hunt to be found. If you’re committed to this title, buckle up for the excitement of demonology meets power rangers meets wizard book club meets true crime in the making. It’s a mixed bag in the absolute worst way and only becomes more disappointing as the dust settles.

Kelly Gaines 5/23/18 Kelly Gaines 5/23/18

Review: Hollow Monsters #1

By Kelly Gaines

I have to admit that Hollow Monsters #1 went a bit over my head. It’s a non-linear narrative describing both ordinary and foreboding events in the life of a boy named Jay. We see Jay at pivotal moments ranging from early childhood to his adult life as a struggling comic book creator. Jay is a likable enough character, and there is obvious talent in the creative process, but I found myself far more bewildered than impressed by the end of this first issue. I try to stay away from commenting on the creator’s opinion of their own work in my reviews (i.e., the morals they aim to teach and goals they’ve set for a specific work). It feels more honest to present my readers with my own interpretations of what’s given on the page. A review should be a cut and dry critique of the finished issue. Hollow Monsters has presented me an odd exception.

Kelly Gaines 5/23/18 Kelly Gaines 5/23/18

Review: Mera: Queen of Atlantis #4

By Kelly Gaines

Mera’s life is complicated- ABC Family teenage drama complicated. When we last saw the Queen of Atlantis, she embarked on a mission with her fiancé’s former supervillain half-brother to ask for the help of her former family/ current enemies in the Xebellian nation. Mera’s life is a mess, but I suppose taking on a bloodthirsty tyrant can to that to you. Orm and Mera, thus far, seem to be playing nice. The same can’t be said for her enemies under the sea, but it’s a risk she and Orm are both willing to stick their necks out to take.

Kelly Gaines 5/16/18 Kelly Gaines 5/16/18

Review: Persephone

By Kelly Gaines

It’s rare to find a refreshing retelling of Greek Mythology, but Boom Studios new title has managed to circumvent the cliche pitfalls and create something unique. Persephone blends elements of the queen of the underworld’s tale into a new setting- one with its own rich history and endearing cast. The story still frames an ancient power struggle between the beings that walk the earth and the menacing creatures confined to the Underworld, but Persephone, Hades, and Demeter have a new face- and a beautifully crafted new story about magic, family, and choice.

Kelly Gaines 5/9/18 Kelly Gaines 5/9/18

Review: Eternity Girl #3

By Kelly Gaines

Good news everyone! Sloan is alive and well, possibly homeless, and asking the police to turn a blind eye to the rogue superwoman that blew up his home. His wife and kids are fine too- if anyone was wondering. On to important matters. Eternity Girl #3 continues Caroline’s graceful slide into what I assume is complete insanity. How else do you justify the desire to end all existence forever? There’s something eerie about a determined and motivational dialogue geared towards the ultimate mass murder. It’s the same passion and righteousness read in the lines of the Justice League, and somehow, it makes you root for Caroline. Sympathy for the devil? Maybe not. But it’s sympathy for a unique kind of darkness, one that is equally inviting and terrifying.

Kelly Gaines 4/25/18 Kelly Gaines 4/25/18

Review: Raven: Daughter of Darkness #4

By Kelly Gaines

Leave it to an ex-demon wife to bring her drama to someone else’s funeral. Raven’s estranged mother, Angela, has returned- and become an extra layer of irritation on an already messy plot. After #3, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep reading Raven. History keeps underwhelmingly repeating itself in Wolfman’s recent Raven stories. There’s a promising start, followed by a slow aggravating decline into boredom. You’d think having roughly four interlocking storylines would give readers something to come back for, but none of the plots are explored with enough depth and detail to make them interesting. Instead, the whole thing feels like reading a loosely related anthology of stories about Raven. I will say that issue #4 is a slight step up from issue #3, but Raven Daughter of Darkness has miles to go before becoming a worthwhile series.

Kelly Gaines 4/25/18 Kelly Gaines 4/25/18

Review: Mera, Queen of Atlantis #3

By Kelly Gaines

What’s something you would never want your adopted kid to see? Your high school yearbook photos? Your erotic film collection? What about walking in on you as you're about to decapitate your brother’s wife? Ocean Master has quite a bit to go before he becomes real family material, but fortunately, Mera is here to help- as long as he doesn’t kill her. Mera Queen of Atlantis #3 is another great chapter in on of DC’s new, and oddly charming, titles. Stuck on land while her body heals, Mera tries to subdue the spread of the Atlantean civil war by acting as an ambassador to the surface world. The separation anxiety may not have pulled her head underwater yet, but the appearance of Ocean Master (Orm) has raised the stakes significantly.

Kelly Gaines 4/18/18 Kelly Gaines 4/18/18

Review: Assassinistas #4

By Kelly Gaines

Assassinistas continues to confound me. #4 has raised some serious questions about how conjugal visits work, what qualifies as bad parenting for a spy, and exactly how easy is it to function after being stabbed? It’s a whirlwind story in the best way. Assassinistas offers no chance to catch your breath once an issue is started. It’s action, action, action. Well- It’s Espionage, sex, stabbing- and that’s fine too. We pick up again with the over 30 superspies as Octavia and her son (and her son’s boyfriend) search for Charlotte’s son, Charlotte reaches out to Octavia’s ex because she suspects Octavia of being the kidnapper, and Rosalyn continues to be an asshole and reminisces about other times she was an asshole. If you can keep the characters straight, Assassinistas is pure fun. There’s quite a bump of time between issues, but opening with a quick recap is an easy fix- one I wish comics would use more frequently.

Kelly Gaines 4/18/18 Kelly Gaines 4/18/18

Review: Mister Miracle #8

By Kelly Gaines

I’ve been raving about this Mister Miracle run since the first issue like an obsessive lunatic. Why? Because it’s really exciting to see a masterpiece in the making. I wasn’t alive yet when the twelve issues of Watchmen were first released, and I was only two when Kingdom Come got its start- so I doubt I would have been able to grasp the material. Or, you know, read. What I have been here for is the disappointing rise and fall of The New 52, the mediocre introduction of Doomsday Clock, and the complete clusterfuck of character swapping that Marvel’s been trying to sort through.