Dustin Cabeal 5/17/17 Dustin Cabeal 5/17/17

Review: The Wild Storm #4

By Dustin Cabeal

I’m just going to say it, I read Warren Ellis’ newsletter, and I know there’s going to be some kind of delay after this first six issues. That sucks, but hey, that’s comics I guess. At any rate, I noticed something about this issue of The Wild Storm; it’s mostly talking. It’s cool fucking talking, but that is in fact what it is… cool fucking talking. Don’t get me wrong; I love it. Like, I really fucking love it. All the future talk and amazing possibilities that don’t feel that far off from what we can actually accomplish, I love it.

Daniel Vlasaty 5/17/17 Daniel Vlasaty 5/17/17

Review: Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1

By Daniel Vlasaty

I didn’t know Jim Mahfood before I read this book. I’ve never read any of his stuff before. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t reading comic books in the 90s and early 2000s – didn’t really start getting seriously into them until 2010-ish. I know it’s crazy and weird and whatever. But I spent literally all the money I made in my late teens and early twenties on tattoos and drugs. Comic books came later for me and because of it I guess I missed most of Mahfood’s books. Like Grrl Scouts and Tank Girl and Clerks, I don’t know. But I’m here now and that’s all that matters, right? Right. Right! Anyway, Grrl Scouts Magic Socks is a new book that Jim Mahfood wrote and drew. And I read it, and this is my review of it.

Ashley Gibbs 5/17/17 Ashley Gibbs 5/17/17

Review: Injustice 2 #2

By Ashley Gibbs

Hot on the heels of the Injustice 2 game release comes the next issue of the tie-in comic book explaining the events that transpired between the two games. Injustice 2 #2 starts right where the first issue left off, and while readers can pick up on things quickly without reading the first issue, I do recommend doing so anyway and having some background knowledge of the series because it enhances the experience. This issue has more action than the first, however there is some violence as well. We’re also given more backstory on characters that will appear in the game.

Dustin Cabeal 5/17/17 Dustin Cabeal 5/17/17

Review: Little Guardians #2

By Dustin Cabeal

With the zero issue, this is technically the third issue I’ve read of Little Guardians, and I really like it. With this latest issue, it introduces some of the coming threats that are antagonists will face, but it’s not without its problems.

Jonathan Edwards 5/17/17 Jonathan Edwards 5/17/17

Review: Justice League/Power Rangers #4

By Jonathan Edwards

Y'know, despite it being a couple of months since the last issue of Justice League/Power Rangers, I was still annoyed enough with its bullshit that I didn't really want to review issue #4 when I first saw it pop up on the spreadsheet. However, after giving it some thought, I decided to let the CERN nonsense slide for now and give it a chance. The book, in turn, reciprocated by having the first third of it entirely dedicated to giving an explanation to how exactly the Large Hadron Collider was going to make a proper portal from the DCU to the Power Rangers universe. Except, not really, because everything about that process is written so vaguely that I really don't know what Tom Taylor decided to try and drag real world science into this. Interdimensional portals are easily accepted by suspension of disbelief. But as soon as you say CERN or Large Hadron Collider, you are setting a precedent for what can and can't be done. I'll let you guess whether 'creating a portal with a direct connection to a parallel universe that will safely transport people between said universes' falls in the former or latter category. No, I won't; it's stupid and wrong.

Patrick Wolf 5/17/17 Patrick Wolf 5/17/17

Review: The Signal #1

By Patrick Wolf

I don’t know what to say about this one. I don’t want to praise it, but I also don’t want to chastise it either. Claiming it’s mediocre also isn’t fair since it certainly rises above your average run of the mill comic. That said, not by much.

Dustin Cabeal 5/17/17 Dustin Cabeal 5/17/17

Review: Super Sons #4

By Dustin Cabeal

While I’ll likely continue to read this series, I’m done reviewing it with this issue. There’s nothing left to say about it. It’s settled into a routine with the last issue, and that’s where it’s continued in this issue. It’s one part The Incredible, and the other part bickering children. That’s the biggest problem with this issue, Robin and Superboy don’t stop bickering which is believable for sure, but oh so fucking annoying to read for twenty pages.

Patrick Wolf 5/17/17 Patrick Wolf 5/17/17

Review: Warhammer 40K Dawn of War III

By Patrick Wolf

While I’m largely unfamiliar with the Warhammer video game, I found its comic book adaptation to be mostly fun and exciting. Of course, the story did have a few setbacks, but nothing too major to distract me from the overall intrigue and adventure that drew me to the series in the first place.

Levi Remington 5/10/17 Levi Remington 5/10/17

Review: The Fix #9

By Levi Remington

Two LA cops have gotten themselves in deep with the wrong crowd, and they keep making terrible, selfish decisions which drive them deeper into trouble. This book has a cute dog, plenty of low-brow sex jokes, and a poor representation of women – it just paints an awful picture of humanity in general, really. In this issue we get flashbacks, pool parties, bad dreams, and the notorious Horny Grandma. So begins the third arc of Nick Spencer's The Fix, a book that is often hilarious, offensive, and senseless all at the same time, but only if you're twisted enough to fall for it.

Jonathan Edwards 5/10/17 Jonathan Edwards 5/10/17

Review: Cannibal #5

By Jonathan Edwards

If you read my review for Cannibal vol. 1, you already know a few things about this book and me. You know that I really like it, since it's an intriguing twist on the tired zombie subgenre, and there's a level of nuance to its characters and their interactions that really works for me. You'll know that one of the sample reviews I submitted when applying to be a writer for Comic Bastards was the first issue. And, you'll also know that I tend to think it works a bit better read as a trade than issue to issue, but I personally still read it month to month. If you didn't read that review, well, now you know all that too, and it all holds true with this one. Although, this is also probably one of, if not the, best issue of the series so far.

Ashley Gibbs 5/10/17 Ashley Gibbs 5/10/17

Review: Red Sonja: The Long Walk To Oblivion

By Ashley Gibbs

I will preface this by saying this is my first time reading a Red Sonja comic and I was very eager to get a taste of the character outside of her mythos. I thought reading a one-shot would be a great way to have a short adventure with the red-headed she-devil without needing to invest in a long series, but I was wrong. Red Sonja: The Long Walk To Oblivion is a great read with a good mix of action, intriguing dialogue and wit; however it’s a prequel that leads directly into Red Sonja #0. It does a great job of leaving readers wanting more but also made the story being told not complete which is the opposite of what I was seeking.

Daniel Vlasaty 5/10/17 Daniel Vlasaty 5/10/17

Review: Regression #1

By Daniel Vlasaty

Things are not going so good for Adrian. On top of being a seemingly awkward dude, he’s plagued by what can only be described as waking nightmares. These are grotesque, horrifying hallucinations of bugs. So many freaking bugs. Crawling out of toilets and beer bottles and the eyes and mouths of all the people around him. Bugs filling the sky like some biblical shit. And he’s trying to keep it together, trying to hold it all back, but he’s not doing so good. And his friends are starting to notice that he’s not his usual self. But they’re thinking he’s a junkie, which would be so much easier. If it were just drugs he’d have an answer. He almost wishes he was a junkie. Because anything else would be better than what’s actually going on in his head, right?

Levi Remington 5/10/17 Levi Remington 5/10/17

Review: Misfit City #1

By Levi Remington

Misfit City tells the story of four girls stuck living in Cannon Cove, Oregon, the filming location for the infamous children's adventure movie of the 1980s, The Gloomies (a blatant homage to The Goonies). When these girls aren't fending off hoards of Gloomie-loving-tourists, they're tumbling oysters, serving coffee, running the Cannon Cove Film Museum, playing poker with their dog Pippin, or performing noise-punk in their Death Grips x Throwing Muses inspired band. Their small-town lives are uneventful, to say the least. The jury is still out on whether or not these kids actually attend school, though it hardly matters after they inherit a treasure map from the recently-deceased local pirate. Is this the impetus for a meaningful adventure, or yet another misguided attempt to capture youth culture via "randum" humor and hip references? Read ahead to find out!

Dustin Cabeal 5/10/17 Dustin Cabeal 5/10/17

Review: Eternal Warrior: Awakening #1

By Dustin Cabeal

I was a huge fan of Wrath of the Eternal Warrior. Sure, it was a damn mouth full to type, but it was the first time I got why Eternal Warrior was such a huge character for Valiant. Personally, it ended too soon, but then everyone in the superhero biz is in a constant state of rebooting. There are so many first issues that if you’re not putting out a first issue, you’re probably a long-running and successful Image series. That aside, we’re here to talk about Eternal Warrior: Awakening which is a decent first issue, but not nearly as strong as its predecessor.

Dustin Cabeal 5/10/17 Dustin Cabeal 5/10/17

Review: Godshaper #2

By Dustin Cabeal

Not the beginning I expected when last, we left Godshaper. Usually, when you leave in the middle of a fight, you find a way to continue that fight in the next issue. If it were a Marvel title, it would backtrack and take the story from another perspective or flashforward and rewind its way back to the fight again. These are the easiest way to do things which are perhaps what make Simon Spurrier’s choice interesting and a whole hell of a lot more entertaining. Because easy is boring as fuck in comics.

Daniel Vlasaty 5/10/17 Daniel Vlasaty 5/10/17

Review: Rock Candy Mountain #2

By Daniel Vlasaty

Rock Candy Mountain is back in all it’s awesome punch diarrhea goodness. Issue #2 takes us back into the hobo camps and rail cars with our boys, Jackson and Slim. They are still making their way to the mythical Rock Candy Mountain, and really, Slim is realizing that he is in over his head out in the world like this. He doesn’t understand hobo-speak, he’s traveling with a man who is probably a little crazy. And there’s still the thing with Satan, whatever it is. I’m going to get this out of the way early on in my review so I can forgo all formalities. I loved this issue. I loved the first issue too. Rock Mountain Candy is great and fun and I just love it.

Jonathan Edwards 5/10/17 Jonathan Edwards 5/10/17

Review: Justice League of America #6

By Jonathan Edwards

So, here we have the second part of a two-issue story called "Heart of the Bastich." If the title wasn't a complete giveaway, the main focus is meant to be Lobo. And from that, one can presume the purpose of this 'arc' would be to further cement him as a member of the JLA and better align him with their goals (as stupid as they may be), as he's easily been the furthest outlying for literally the entire run. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of metaphors would understand that the word "heart" in that title obviously implies that we are going to see the emotional core of the character, and that will likely lead to some kind of genuine growth. However, there are a couple problems with that here. For one, why the hell is Steve Orlando doing that with Lobo of all characters? Were people really clamoring for that type of development for him? Secondly, Orlando fucks it up.

Levi Remington 5/4/17 Levi Remington 5/4/17

Review: Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea

By Levi Remington

There's nothing in comics that's quite as special as a short story in the Hellboy universe. Various creative teams have brought their unique voice to the character over the years, but Mike Mignola remains the arbiter. This way, stories are consistent in tone, and respect continuity. In Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea, Mignola joins co-writer and artist Gary Gianni for a fifty-page, standalone graphic novel that can proudly stand next to other "Mignola-verse" classics. It's that good.

Jonathan Edwards 5/4/17 Jonathan Edwards 5/4/17

Review: Supergirl: Being Super #3

By Jonathan Edwards

After a month or two delay, Supergirl: Being Super is back with issue #3, and here I am with it. I actually just reread my reviews of the previous couple issues for the sake of retrospection. The upshot of that process? Well, I now feel like a sinner that need repent for their actions. That is to say, I really like this one, and I'm regretting discouraging some people from picking it up in my first review. Don't get me wrong, I still stand by it being a slow start. However, this issue proved to me that it was totally worth it and more than paying off.