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Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #39

February 28, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

In the last issue of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps we saw Kyle safely back on Mogo, but obviously, Hal is still in quite a bit of danger. Granted, he’s probably doing better with the situation than a lot of people would be (even other Green Lanterns), but it still isn’t an ideal place to be. I’ll admit I’ve been a bit worried about our hero.

With Kyle gone to rally the troops (because this is the Green Lantern Corps we’re talking about, there’s no way they’ll abandon Hal to die), Hal is left alone to deal with Zod and his creepy family. Thankfully Zod seems more than willing to give a monologue or two, giving us a better idea of his plan.

Review: Deathbed #1

February 28, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

I don’t particularly like it when reviews spout off comic history or such nonsense like, “Vertigo was Image before Image was.” I get it though; we look for ways to simplify and boil things down to their core. Which is why I will say that Deathbed is the most Image feeling Vertigo comic I have ever read.

Review: Motherlands #2

February 28, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

Motherlands #2 wastes no time reminding us just how scummy dear old mother (aka Scarlet Sylph) really is. By all appearances, she’s happily soaking in all the attention of being the mother of a known criminal – and by also being one of the bounty hunters going after him. It’s no wonder Tab didn’t want to have to ask her mother for help.

Review: Polybius Dreams #1

February 23, 2018

By Kelly Gaines

Welcome back to 1986- the year of the demon video game and painfully slow communication. As of the first issue, Polybius Dreams has set itself up to be the comic version of Stranger Things, mixed with a 1980’s arcade version of Jumanji. While certainly not a boring read, the story is riddled with DeJaVu. We’ve definitely seen all of this before. Polybius Dreams takes off with three young boys, Pat, Paul, and Mike, who only find solace from their bully filled lives at the local arcade. Owned by a woman named Jamie, the shop has recently acquired a new game… MYSTERIOUSLY… that seems to be driving the kids of Autumn Hill NY wild.

Review: Punks Not Dead #1

February 21, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

I’m more surprised that there hasn’t already been several comics with this same title. Comics to me will always be this amazing middle ground between books, movies, tv, and music which makes Punks Not Dead well suited for comic books. It’s also sure to make every 90’s Vertigo Comic fan go, “It’s so 90’s Vertigo Comics!” Which I’m sure the group behind Black Crown is a little tired of hearing at this point. I won’t deny that it’s true though, but it’ll be the last time I mention it.

Review: Sonitus #1

February 21, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

Sonitus is a new series by Alterna Comics with a wonderfully creepy tone to the story. Fans of supernatural suspense stories would probably love to give this one a try, especially if they prefer the slower windup style of storytelling.

The main character (name not mentioned) suffers from an odd form of tinnitus; he hears strange noises all the time, but no doctor has been able to find a reason or cause for them (I’m going to assume they ruled out any psychological causes as well?). Have you ever had an ear infection where your ears started ringing? Imagine that, but louder and constant, and that’s more or less what I’m picturing the main character’s experience to be like (though I’m leaning towards the ‘more’ side of things).

Review: Prism Stalker #1

February 21, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

Prism Stalker is a new series from Image Comics, and it’s really no surprise that Image picked this series up (I’ve learned that Image tends to more comfortable with experimenting with different art and storytelling styles, with the end result being an exceptionally diverse catalog). It’s described as being the perfect series for fans of Octavia Butler and Sailor Moon, which being only an issue in I can’t really speak to. It also touted itself as fitting into the biopunk horror genre, which is something I was very interested in seeing (and after reading just one issue, I feel that it does in fact fit in there).

Review: Twisted Romance #3

February 21, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

This issue of Twisted Romance (sadly the second to last in the series) contains three short stories. Like the last issue, the first story is the longest (Invincible Heart), the second story is a text-only tale (The Last Minute), and the last one is a shorter and lighter piece (Olivia Lies, Pierced).

I’ll admit it took me a little bit to get into Invincible Heart. I think it was the lack of colors that really threw me off in the beginning (though the line art is actually quite fantastic). It follows the story of Justin Rao and his pursuit of a troublesome privateer group called the Alecto. Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with romance, trust me, I was too.

Review: Royal City #10

February 21, 2018

By Ben Snyder

It feels odd to say that any Jeff Lemire story is a little to melancholic but that’s how Royal City #10 reads. The ominous radio frequencies, the general malaise of living in a small steel town, a monologue based on the woes of normalcy; all the staples of the series are present, but it doesn’t mesh as well as in previous entries. Maybe it’s because of the scene between Tommy and Ritchie’s girlfriend or maybe it’s the overwhelming melancholy that the script exudes- regardless Royal City #10 is probably one of the weaker entries in the series so far.

Review: Eternal Empire #7

February 21, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

Eternal Empire #7 continues the epic journey that Tair and Rion have begun. In the last issue, they finally made it to Nifaali (which I imagine was a huge relief for everybody involved). However, their journey is far from over. They still need to figure out how to stand up against the Empire and take down the Empress. Neither of those tasks sounds simple, especially for two people who have never had any official training (of any sort).

Review: Evolution #4

February 21, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

The story continues to slowly unfold in Evolution #4. We’re still focused on the same set of characters, all of whom are working on the puzzle (for lack of a better description) from different angles. While the Doctor probably has the best background for understanding the issue, he’s absolutely the worst at getting people to understand him (he rambles more than a doomsayer).

I’ll admit the cover for this issue had me a little concerned about the graphic nature inside (I don’t know why I’m not sure it’ll get much more than we’ve already seen?), but the worry seems to have been mostly unfounded.

Review: Descender #27

February 21, 2018

By Ben Snyder

Descender #27 takes place 4,000 years before the events of the main story and while that fact alone may seem like the beginnings of an entry brimming with filler and unnecessary material and for the most part it is, but writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dustin Nguyen do enough to craft interesting enough characters to guide us through their exploration of the Harvesters and their creators.

Review: Damage #2

February 21, 2018

By Dustin Cabeal

I am not the first, nor will I be the last to make a comics and wrestling comparison. Some think they’ve cracked some kind of Omega Code or feel that they really need to explain it in order for you to “understand what they’re saying.” I’ve written too many reviews and talked way too many hours to think that I’m talking to some un-initiated audience, so I’ll just dive in on Damage #2.

Review: Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye - Swamp Thing #1

February 21, 2018

By Kelly Gaines

I used to think I was incredibly lucky in terms of friendship. I’ve always believed myself to be one of those fortunate few who have an infallible support system of loving companions who tough out the bad times and make the good times shine brighter. Turns out, I don’t know shit about friendship. Real friends risk life and limb to fight for your cause. Real friends warn you when alien psychos are about to force you to wear khakis. Real friends live in your stomach until the time comes for you to vomit them up so together you can save the world. Swamp Thing is a real friend. Swamp Thing should do a TED Talk.

Review: Batman & the Signal #2

February 21, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

This continues the story of our latest (I believe) Bat-themed vigilante and to date our only one that works solely in the light of day. Duke is different from the rest of the bat-themed heroes we all know and love; he believes in fighting in the light, and he’s also a metahuman. The struggles he’s facing and will continue to face are very different from the rest of the Robins and Bat people (that sounded a little comical, if I may say so), more so because of his limited backup (which makes me wonder – do the rest of the team keep their communicators on during the day? I’m sure obsessive Bruce does, but what about the rest?).

Review: Harley Quinn #38

February 21, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

The Penguin’s diabolical plan continues in Harley Quinn #38, with multiple other villains (of various levels of classification) joining in the fight. Coney Island has become a very chaotic place to live, to say the least. Having to see a certain elderly cyborg in a speedo was certainly not on my list of things I would like to witness, however, I can check it off anyway.

Review: Green Lanterns #41

February 21, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

The Green Lanterns are still dealing with the repercussions from that Caper dating app. Who would have thought one little app could cause so much trouble? To recap, thanks to this app Simon had his heart (and his ego) broken, Jessica had no idea it existed (until the other day), and at least one villain was using the app to capture and kidnap heroes (preferably the ones that wouldn’t be missed right away). So in other words, it’s a huge mess.

Review: Heavenly Blues #3

February 20, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

Just as with the previous two issues, Heavenly Blues #3 starts out telling us a bit more about one of our characters. In this case, we’re learning more about Hideki (the peeping Tom/drug addict) and his time among the living. It goes a long way to explain his obsession with the living. I’ll admit at the beginning of this issue I was still having doubts about how he would fit in with the rest of the group (in many ways he is the most different from them all).

Review: Scared by the Bell #1

February 20, 2018

By Thea Srinivasan

Scared by the Bell has brought up a lot of nostalgic memories from my middle school years. I remembered trying to fit in with my classmates, going through puberty, feeling like an outsider and navigating the multiple classes at my school. But I don’t think I’ve ever had a werewolf or a vampire in my class. If that were the case, every teenage girl would be swooning over them as if they were the next teen hunk to lead them into an epic romance.

Review: Freelance #2

February 20, 2018

By Cat Wyatt

The last issue of Freelance left us with the rift still open, and Lance and the Mayor in danger of the rift (remember; the Mayor got sucked into it, while Lance jumped in after him in a daring but stupid rescue mission). Our intro gives us a brief glimpse into how the world looks on the other side of the rift – and I have a feeling that’s just the first taste of it.