Sam King 5/18/18 Sam King 5/18/18

Review: Walt Disney Treasury of Classic Tales vol. 3

By Sam King

This is the third volume collecting comic strips based on Walt Disney films. This is also the first volume of the collection that I’ve read. The volume concentrates on comics that ran during the 1950's and 1960's, so it features stories that are not as familiar to modern audiences as those done during the “Disney Renaissance.” Instead, this volume pulls together 101 Dalmatians, Swiss Family Robinson, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, and several others that are less recognizable to the average Disney fan.

Sam King 5/17/18 Sam King 5/17/18

Review: Farlaine the Goblin vol. 1

By Sam King

Farlaine the Goblin Volume 1 collects Books 1-3 of a comic called Farlaine the Goblin. It is a story of a goblin on a quest to find a forest of his own to take care of and to plant the tree he carries on his back. The art is in black and white, emitting the feel of a comic strip, but each book tells a full and very whimsical story.

Sam King 5/16/18 Sam King 5/16/18

Review: Dark Frontier #1

By Sam King

Dark Frontier is a very gritty, mid-apocalyptic comic. While there is a lot of potential, this first issue has a lot of plot strands that so far do not appear to be connecting to one another. This is a bit jumbled, but another issue may help to clear things up. The artwork, while cool and giving the aspect an edgy feel, sometimes gets overly chaotic in a messy way that makes it hard to really know what is going on.

Sam King 5/16/18 Sam King 5/16/18

Review: Nuclear Winter

By Sam King

Nuclear Winter is an original graphic novel that was written by Cab, who also did the art. It is an interesting slice of life story with a twist on it, that takes place in Canada. Serious themes like the ones present in X-Men, with a mix of Chernobyl, meets a plucky heroine carrying out a routine job in really bad weather. It is fun and entertaining, without being dark, dreary, and bleak despite the radiation.

Sam King 5/16/18 Sam King 5/16/18

Review: Dodge City #3

Last issue, the Jazz Panda dodge ball team saw the return of a former teammate and a lot of drama was stirring up. This time we get more game and less emotional strife, but we see the team having good chemistry and teamwork. It is another fun issue that pushes the pacing up at a point where some adrenaline was definitely needed.

Sam King 5/10/18 Sam King 5/10/18

Review: Sheets

By Sam King

Sheets is what you get when you take a lonely girl, a dead boy, and a financially threatened laundromat, and put it all on a spin cycle. It is adorable, thought-provoking, and imaginative all at once. The artwork is clean and smooth, like freshly laundered linens. All laundry puns aside, it is a good read that has some deep themes hidden underneath a mostly domestic setting.

Sam King 5/10/18 Sam King 5/10/18

Review: Reborn vol. 1

By Sam King

Reborn takes the question of what happens after we die and turns it into a fantasy adventure full of monster killing and the promise of a better future. The artwork is top notch, and the pace is largely optimal for the story being told. This is also a complete story, beginning to end, so this volume will not leave you waiting to see what happens which is a nice plus. There are a few convenience issues, but we will get to that.

Sam King 5/10/18 Sam King 5/10/18

Review: The Gravediggers Union vol. 1

By Sam King

This story is supposedly about people who keep zombies, ghost storms, and vampires at bay, but so far I’m not feeling it. I thought the premise had a lot of potential, but the pace is dragging, and I can’t say I’m all that attached to anyone. The characters are nothing special, the art is lackluster for me overall, and I wish there were more action and less “suspense.”

Sam King 5/9/18 Sam King 5/9/18

Review: Fraggle Rock #1

By Sam King

I cannot believe it; somebody brought back Fraggle Rock. I wasn’t an 80’s kid who grew up watching it, but I was a 90’s kid who watched a lot of TV and VHS tapes. Fraggle Rock was always previewed on the Muppet movie VHS tapes I used to watch growing up, and I’m still addicted to the theme. I’d seen the show and even some of the animated series, but I can’t believe a company actually made a comic of it here in 2018.

Sam King 5/9/18 Sam King 5/9/18

Review: Isola #2

Issue #2 of Isola picks up where #1 left off, Rook traveling with the Queen in tiger form. The art is slightly less awe-inspiring this issue since a lot of the story takes place in more ruins and rocky areas than wilderness. We get to know more about Rook’s history and meet some new people.

Sam King 5/9/18 Sam King 5/9/18

Review: The Spider King #4

By Sam King

This is the last issue of the currently planned miniseries, although based on the ending, this may not be the full end of the story. The Spider King finally concludes, and I enjoyed the last half of the miniseries much more than the beginning half. This comic is basically what happens when you combine Vikings and aliens. It is the unlikely and chaotic marriage of historical fantasy elements and science fiction craziness.

Sam King 5/2/18 Sam King 5/2/18

Review: Wormworld Saga Vol. 1

By Sam King

Wormworld Saga Vol. 1 is exactly the kind of story I would have wanted to read as a kid. It is beautifully illustrated, the story is solid, and the main character is very likable and relatable. This is a perfect graphic novel for kids, especially those who are into fantasy but may not be quite ready for the length of Lord of the Rings or who prefer visual mediums. It is a beautiful work that I would love to read more of. It is a digital comic that has been officially online for a while now. The first chapter was published online in 2010, and now the series has been picked up for publishing by Lion Forge Comics imprint Cub House which prints comics for kids 12 and under.

Sam King 5/2/18 Sam King 5/2/18

Review: Street Angel Goes to Juvie

By Sam King

Street Angel is a 12-year old homeless skateboarding girl. In this story, she goes to juvie in order to perform a secret mission. I had never heard of Street Angel before, but I thought this was pretty fun. It isn’t as short as a typical comic issue, but it also isn’t as long as some graphic novels. It clocks in around 40 pages, so it a brief, yet entertaining read.

Sam King 5/2/18 Sam King 5/2/18

Review: Jasmine: Crown of Kings #1

I have never read a Zenescope comic in my life, so I figured a new series would be a good place to give one a try. Jasmine: Crown of Kings #1 is the first issue in a new five-part series. It is a pretty decent starting issue and got me into the swing of things pretty quickly. This series takes Jasmine, a former Jinn, and entangles her with Ali and the Forty Thieves.

Sam King 5/1/18 Sam King 5/1/18

Review: Luisa: Now and Then

Luisa: Now and Then is a story in which a girl is able to simultaneously see who she once was, who she has become, and possibly discover who she could be in the middle of it all. It is a coming of age story, a story of a sort of midlife crisis, and a story of identity. It is a graphic novel that really focuses on why you need to be yourself and accept who you are, despite the judgment you may get from others.

Sam King 5/1/18 Sam King 5/1/18

Review: A Girl in the Himalayas

By Sam King

This graphic novel is charming and pleasant to look at. I love its exotic location, the fantastical elements, and the way it is simultaneously simplistic and complex. It addresses major themes and abstract concepts in a spectacular way. This one really struck some chords with me, and I found myself thinking about it and making connections between elements within it long after I finished reading it.

Sam King 5/1/18 Sam King 5/1/18

Review: Crossroad Blues

When I was studying literature in undergrad, I took a course on detective fiction and had to read several novels for it. We talked about the elements of the genre and examined how authors did things differently as far as openings and reveals of clues go. I’m not a stranger to the genre in general, but this one just did not do a very effective job at providing a good story. I’m also not a blues connoisseur so maybe that is part of it.

Sam King 5/1/18 Sam King 5/1/18

Review: Son of Hitler

Son of Hitler is an original graphic novel. The copy I read is an advanced uncorrected proof. Therefore, I can’t say much for pages 116-183 as far as artwork goes as it is unfinished compared to the rest. I can tell what is happening, it just doesn't have the same nice finish as the rest of the book. From the rest of the story though, I’d bet that once published, it will look pretty damn good.

Sam King 4/27/18 Sam King 4/27/18

Review: Heavy Vinyl

Heavy Vinyl takes girl power, sets it in the 90's and makes a record store into a kind of vigilante headquarters. While it is not incredible at presenting a complete story by the end of the collected four issues, it excels at being cute and having a diverse cast. The diversity in the almost all girl cast pretty much just means a handful of girls with their own personalities and individual lifestyles. It is fun, but it won’t work your brain or make you believe the story can stand on its own at this point.

Sam King 4/25/18 Sam King 4/25/18

Review: Aliens: Dust to Dust #1

By Sam King

I have read a LOT of Aliens comics and have regular access to the Dark Horse omnibus collections that have come out. The last Alien comic series I read disappointed me in art and story quality (Dead Orbit). Aliens: Dust to Dust #1 actually does things a little differently and feels fresh. Let me rephrase that: this comic is as fresh as a franchise can possibly be when the main plot line is always humans discover bad things in space and killer aliens run rampant.