Review: Spencer & Locke #2
By Daniel Vlasaty
Locke is a homicide detective that doesn’t know when to quit. Spencer is his partner. Spencer’s the voice of reason in this partnership, and that is not a good thing. For one, Spencer can’t seem to keep Locke “locked” down, and also because Spencer is not real. He’s an imaginary friend. He’s a stuffed panther. And he also gets car sick. But whatever, because the boys are hot on the trail of Sophie’s murderer and this is a case that’s bigger than what it appears to be. Nothing is as it seems and this is one case that keeps pulling Locke back into his rough and checked past.
Review: Motor Crush vol. 1
By Patrick Wolf
One of the years most acclaimed series, Motor Crush has accelerated itself to a top spot with some of the hottest titles of 2017. Now, while I find nothing grotesquely wrong with this verdict, I find myself more-and-more at a bypass with the other critics. The series is entertaining, but it's hardly doing laps around the competition.
Review: Captives #1
By Ben Boruff
In its eighth season, How I Met Your Mother introduced the world to The Dobler-Dahmer Theory. This theory proposes that, in the context of a potential relationship, "If both people are into each other, a big romantic gesture works, like Lloyd Dobler holding up the boombox outside Diane Court's window in Say Anything..., but if one person isn't into the other, the same gesture comes off serial-killer crazy, or Dahmer." Alexander Banchitta tests this theory, perhaps unintentionally, in Captives, his Rapunzel-esque medieval fantasy comic about a pretty girl in a tower and the host of sexually frustrated men who attempt to save her.
Review: Batman Beyond #8
By Ashley Gibbs
Having been a fan of the television series, I wanted to also give the comic book a chance and choose Batman Beyond #8 to so. I’m usually reluctant to jump into a series in the middle, but thankfully I was able to play catch-up thanks to the good writing. While it’s clear I missed some good action in previous issues this issue was packed with its own action and left me fully entertained. Any time Batman has to face Ra’s Al Ghul and his League of Assassins you know things are going to be messy. But Terry isn’t Bruce, he’s his own (Bat)man and that doesn’t always sit well with people, and certainly not his enemies.
Review: Plastic #2
By Jonathan Edwards
Holy cow, I was not quite expecting this to be the direction this book went, but I'm so glad that it is. Last time I talked about how I didn't feel like this was a mean-spirited story, and frankly, this second issue only reinforces that. It's actually kind of amazing how much this issue makes you feel like Edwyn is an actually good guy that you want to root for despite the horrendously gruesome things he has the capacity to do. By the end of it, even his conversations with himself felt closer charming than anything else. It makes me wonder if Wagner's perhaps making some kind of statement about mental health. There's no denying that there's a huge stigma against people with mental disabilities, but here we have a protagonist who (even though he can and has taken human life in very violent ways) kind of just wants to love, laugh, live his life, and be left alone. Who cares if Virginia is a sex doll? She makes Edwyn happy, and people only get hurt when they try and mess with that. But, Edwyn is only "useful" when he's dangerous, and mental illness really does tend to be represented in much the same way in the media. That is to say, only when it's dangerous.
Review: Black Hammer #9
By Daniel Vlasaty
Black Hammer is a book I have read and enjoyed as long as it’s been coming out. But I never reviewed it. I’m not really sure why this is. Maybe because I didn’t want to write a review that was basically just OMG GUYS THIS FREAKING BOOK IS AMAZING, TOTALLY AWESOME YES. But I decided to put all that out of my mind and review Black Hammer #9. Mainly because David Rubin is doing the art in this issue. Black Hammer is a great book with solid characters and intrigue and mystery. It’s the perfect book for the comic reader who loves superhero stories but is tired of all the same old bullshit. But you already know that. This is a review for the ninth issue. You know what the overall story is about. But what about this issue, on its own, away from all the other issues that came before it?
Review: Justice League of America #7
By Jonathan Edwards
How does Steve Orlando suck so bad at writing exposition? Seriously, he routinely has characters suddenly bring up plot elements and character developments that hasn't even been hinted at. Furthermore, he's written every villain in this damn book so far in exactly the same way. Lord Havok, Aegeus, and now Terrorsmith are all far too eager in divulging their entire backstory, philosophy, and subtext to everyone they happen to run into. No joke, the first thing that Terrorsmith does is say his name to security guards that were minding their own business. Admittedly, Orlando is going for a "he's pissed no one remembers him" angle, so him introducing himself outright should work. In theory. However, he fucks it up by drawing it out and, again, devotes too much time to shitty exposition dumps that are really hard to care about when the villain hasn't even done anything yet. It would've been infinitely more pithy if Terrorsmith introduced himself, the guards are confused but tell him he can't enter, Terrorsmith has some follow up one-liner like "remember the name," and then he transforms them into monsters. Boom, we've established our threat and foreshadowed his motivations. Sure, people unfamiliar with the character won't get an exact breakdown of how and why his powers work, but is that important to the story? Certainly not enough to front-load it. The details can always be worked in later if they're really necessary, and with the space saved, we could have actually seen him start to transform the guards. Instead of, y'know, just being told that's what happened.
Review: Mass Effect - Discovery
By Patrick Wolf
You don’t have to be a fan of the popular video game franchise to enjoy Dark Horse’s first installment of Mass Effect: Discovery. It’s stealthy, smart, and fun enough to appeal to both children and adults. The best part is if you’re into sci-fi and detective stories, this series was pretty much made for you.
Review: Samaritan Veritas #1
By Ashley Gibbs
Samantha Copeland is modern day Robin Hood in the form of a hacker but now she’s on the run from the US government. After the death of the man she loves she went into hiding and enjoyed a simple life until learning the person responsible for his death was now the President of the United States. She’s back and looking for revenge in this high octane adventure that explores government corruption and the dark underbelly of the internet and our world in general. I will admit, this isn’t the sort of story I would normally pick up but I was drawn in by the prospect of a strong female lead and good story about rooting for an underdog. Samaritan Veritas #1 did not disappoint and gained me as a fan.
Review: X-O Manowar #3
By Patrick Wolf
Easily one of the best sci-fi series of 2017, X-O Manowar deserves every grain of acclaim it’s received so far: the characters are awesome, the action is intense, and the storyline is captivating. I’d like to find something wrong with this franchise, but as of yet, it still sets the standard. This third installment is just as the good as its predecessors, and I already can’t wait for the next.
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