Ashley Gibbs 9/13/17 Ashley Gibbs 9/13/17

Review: Skin & Earth #3

By Ashley Gibbs

Living on the wrong side of town in a post-apocalyptic world and having recently suffered a broken heart, En’s life isn’t going so well at the moment. Skin & Earth #3 introduces a new, mysterious character into her life and that’s about it. The series is the brainchild of Canadian singer Lights and links up with her upcoming album of the same name with songs directly related to the comic itself. However, the songs and music videos currently available have been more interesting than the comic tie-in. Halfway through a run promising crazy romance, cults, and self-discovery for En, yet so far only the first has happened. While a good read, those seeking a faster pace may be disappointed.

Dustin Cabeal 9/8/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/8/17

Review: The Hockey Saint

By Dustin Cabeal

The Hockey Saint is an interesting read in that it has several problems with the plot, but the characters are strong enough that you’ll likely overlook every problem and enjoy the book from beginning to end. What’s strange about that, is that this happens to me a lot. I can enjoy something and still pick it apart and write a review for it, while still enjoying it.

Dustin Cabeal 9/8/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/8/17

Review: How Comics Work

By Dustin Cabeal

There are many ways to make comics and no “right” way to do it, which is why I like and appreciate How Comics Work by Dave Gibbons and Tim Pilcher. That’s the first thing that you learn in this book, that you’re learning it the way that Dave Gibbons makes comics and that no one is asking you to follow that to a “T.” Instead, learn from it and find your own path.

Jonathan Edwards 9/6/17 Jonathan Edwards 9/6/17

Review: InferNoct #1

By Jonathan Edwards

I literally had no idea what this was going in. I'd never heard of it, nor had I even read a synopsis. Really, the title just kind of jumped out at me from the spreadsheet. I figured InferNoct was probably a portmanteau of the words "inferno" and "nocturnal," which was at least as intriguing as it was vague. And after a quick glance at the art, I figured I might as well commit whole hog. So, I did. And after finishing this first installment, I can't really say whether or not my prediction of the title's meaning was accurate. But, I can say that it was a decent issue if ultimately flawed.

Jonathan Edwards 9/6/17 Jonathan Edwards 9/6/17

Review: Motor Crush #6

By Jonathan Edwards

I read the first story arc of Motor Crush and liked it well enough. It wasn't anything ground breaking, but it was fun, stylish, and had a decent enough dose of intrigue. Plus, it left off on a pretty big cliff hanger. So let me say up front, this issue does not resolve that. In fact, it does the opposite. Motor Crush #6 is a prequel issue focusing on Sully while Domino's still a child. It also happens to touch on how Sully lost his leg and the rise of Crush in Nova Honda. All in all, it feels more like a standalone story than the beginning of a new arc. And though it does do a pretty good job of showcasing Sully's character, it does feel somewhat at the cost of Domino losing some of her own agency.

Justin McCarty 9/6/17 Justin McCarty 9/6/17

Review: Redlands #2

By Justin McCarty

The witches of Redlands are back! Like Dustin pointed out in his review, issue one was more of a prologue. Issue two has the witches running the town as the town’s law enforcement. Redlands doesn’t seem to be aware of who the ladies really are, while they story moves ahead some period of time pretty much to the present day. Now the ladies have a mysterious adversary bent on outing them.

Daniel Vlasaty 9/6/17 Daniel Vlasaty 9/6/17

Review: Lazaretto #1

By Daniel Vlasaty

This is the second new #1 issue I am reviewing this week. And this is also the second new series I am jumping into without knowing anything at all about it. I had never even heard of Lazaretto until I saw it pop up on our review list for the week. And I chose to review it based on the cover art alone. Something I have done many times before. And not just with comics, but with movies and books and music. They say never judge a book by its cover. And that’s true in this case too. But the exact opposite of what the saying actually means. Because in the case of Lazaretto, the cover is the best, and possibly only, good thing about this book.

Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17

Review: Dastardly & Muttley #1

By Dustin Cabeal

Blink.

Blink. Blink. Blink.

If you came here to read a review telling you what this comic is about, then I’m afraid that I must inform you that I haven’t the foggiest. I know what I read. I understand what I read. I have no clue what the larger story will be about or why this tale is being told. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s the truth. I have no clue what Dastardly & Muttley is about; I only know what happened in the issue.

Benjamin Snyder 9/6/17 Benjamin Snyder 9/6/17

Review: Elsewhere #2

By Ben Snyder

Elsewhere #2 is a much quieter issue than the one prior, and it is better off for it. Not much action happened in this issue. However, the central characters of Earhart and D.B are only getting richer. With high-quality art and an interesting take on famous figures, Elsewhere is beginning to show potential for a fun, entertaining series.

Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17

Review: Scales & Scoundrels #1

By Dustin Cabeal

I fell in love with this comic hard at first, though I was left with some reservations about it in the end. Even still, Scales & Scoundrels does a wonderful job of creating a fantasy world that you would want to visit. Anymore in comics, the fantasy worlds are dark and terrifying. Who the hell wants to visit a fantasy world like that? Sure, if you’re the goddamn chosen one you might have fun, but one of the great things about fantasy literature is the amazing worlds they create. In a lot of ways, Scales & Scoundrels reminded me of Spera, which is a fantasy world with dangers and politics, but still one that would be fun to experience.

Ashley Gibbs 9/6/17 Ashley Gibbs 9/6/17

Review: Injustice 2 #9

By Ashley Gibbs

After nine issues of this series, I’m coming to the point where I’m getting bored. While I’ve liked every issue and this one is no different, the pacing is slow, and this is the second issue where not much happens. While I enjoy a good story, world-building and learning about character motivations when I read a superhero comic I want more action than talking. There have been a few issues like this, and for the most part, I enjoyed the story enough to look past the slow pacing, but Injustice 2 #9 made me realize how slowly everything is going, taking pages to move the chess pieces to where they need to be. Our heroes are finally on their way to confront Ra’s Al Ghul, but not in this issue and probably not for another two issues at that.

Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17

Review: Kingsman: The Red Diamond #1

By Dustin Cabeal

I’ve never been a fan of Kingsman aka Secret Service, but with this being a new series and rebranded to be more in line with the movies, well I figured I’d give it a shot. It’s not shocking, but interesting that Mark Millar rebranded the comic to match the movie. Kingsman is a much better title after all. Still, it’s just weird to see a movie affect a comic these days.

Daniel Vlasaty 9/6/17 Daniel Vlasaty 9/6/17

Review: Gasolina #1

By Daniel Vlasaty

Like with most other new books I went into Gasolina #1 not knowing anything about it. I like doing it this way. I don’t want to know too much about a story before I’m in that story. I don’t read preview pages when they’re released months before a books actual release date for this reason.

Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17

Review: Made Men #1

By Dustin Cabeal

Hmmm.

As I’ve been saying a lot lately, I don’t read solicits, so I actually read Made Men without knowing what the book was about at all. That’s the thing about solicits, they always give you the hook, and the hook for this series is easy to tell you. I won’t though because if you don’t know what it’s about it’ll be far more interesting to see your reaction at the end of it.

Oliver Gerlach 9/6/17 Oliver Gerlach 9/6/17

Review: Saltwater

By Oliver Gerlach

Rick Quinn and Dana Obera’s Saltwater is an interesting issue that deserves to be noticed. It’s the story of a city split in two, with a beautiful upper half and a rusting submarine half filled with slave labour keeping the rest of it running. If that’s at all interesting to you as a premise, you might want to check this one out. It’s a very slick, visually striking work from a creative team that could well go far together.

Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17

Review: Dalston Monsterzz

By Dustin Cabeal

Ever just look at a cover and know that you’re going to love the hell out of something? Sure there are the occasional misses, but there was just something about the cover and art style of Dalston Monsterzz that just spoke to me. It hit all the right buttons and made my mouth water. Thankfully the story was equally as great because that would have been a letdown.

Benjamin Snyder 9/6/17 Benjamin Snyder 9/6/17

Review: Beautiful Canvas #3

By Ben Snyder

As Beautiful Canvas continually unfurls, the chaotic super powered world and the people who inhabit are revealed as well. Once again we are left with little definitive answers regarding any major characters, but inexplicably Beautiful Canvas #3 does a better job than the prior issue in handling the chaos.

Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17

Review: Fruit Ninja #1

By Dustin Cabeal

I have to assume this is based on a show or something. It’s clearly not based just off the game in which you use your finger to swipe across the screen and cut fruit in half while attempting to get a high score and not hit any bombs and shit. I wanted to read it because it looked like dumb fun, it ended up only being one of those things and it’s the former, not the latter.

Justin McCarty 9/6/17 Justin McCarty 9/6/17

Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire #1

By Justin McCarty

From Titan Comics’ and Hard Case Crime we have the English translation of the most recent comic adaptation for the Millennium Series novels written by Stieg Larsson. This adaptation was written by Sylvain Runberg with art by Manuel Carot Gonzalez. It’s a sequel to The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo published earlier this year, which finishes up this October. With another novel in the series due out this month, Titan may have seen an opportunity to do an English translation of the acclaimed French comics adaptation.

Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/6/17

Review: The Black Sable #1

By Dustin Cabeal

It seems that Zenescope’s new formula for books is familiar themes. For The Black Sable, it would be a pirate or in this case a space pirate that gets wrapped up in a big score and a lot of danger. It’s not unfamiliar in the least bit, but it actually presents an interesting story with a creative world.