Cat Wyatt 2/15/18 Cat Wyatt 2/15/18

Review: Freelance #1

By Cat Wyatt

Freelance is a fun new series about a different group of people who do their best to fight the threats that humanity is better off not facing. They’re an odd group, to say the least. There’s Lance Valiant, the only one who could be called a superhero in the group (by power standards that is); Tasha Kolchak is the genius in the group; and then there’s John Cabot, a reformed criminal (well, mostly reformed). Not really the team I’d picture to step up and protect humanity from some very real threats, but you can bet that nobody would complain about their helping.

Dustin Cabeal 2/14/18 Dustin Cabeal 2/14/18

Comic Bastards Podcast - 030

By Dustin Cabeal

Click here to listen!

030 - Plenty of love in the air on this podcast, but only because I forgot to close the window! No idea what that means, I'm just doing the obligatory acknowledgment of Valentines. I'll do the same next month for St. Drunk People's Day. I cover a lot of comics on the show today. All but two of them released today. If you don't want the advanced reviews spoiled for you, stop listening after I talk about Sideways. I would give you an exact time, but then I'd have to listen to the show, and I'm not going to do that!

Comic Books covered in this episode:

Death of Love #1
Ghost Money #7
Giants #3
Judas #3
Ninjak #4
Sideways #1

Advanced Reviews:

Oblivion Song #1
The Beef #1

Cat Wyatt 2/14/18 Cat Wyatt 2/14/18

Review: Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #19

By Cat Wyatt

Issue number 19 is the start of a new Batgirl heavy plot; Full Circle. This plot is building off of one started earlier, involving Calculator and his business (you know, the one where he helps criminals plan their heists by getting over blueprints and all the other relevant information?). The real question for this issue is whether or not Barbara can resist picking up the Oracle’s mantle again, and what would happen if she lets temptation win.

Dustin Cabeal 2/14/18 Dustin Cabeal 2/14/18

Review: Judas #3

By Dustin Cabeal

Look, I know that not everyone has heard or read stories from the Bible, but if you have, even the basic outline of a verse… then Judas is a boring read. There is no secret history being added, just more character development for Judas… and not much.

Cat Wyatt 2/14/18 Cat Wyatt 2/14/18

Review: Twisted Romance #2

By Cat Wyatt

The second issue of Twisted Romance consists of three different stories. The first is titled ‘Twinkle & The Star’ (cute play on words there), the second is called ‘Back at Your Door’, and the third is ‘Would You Even Know It?’ Obviously all three have the same main theme, which is that of love and romance.

Kelly Gaines 2/14/18 Kelly Gaines 2/14/18

Review: Mister Miracle #1 Director's Cut

By Kelly Gaines

Only a few times in a generation do we get a comic book that deserves to be counted as a literary and artistic achievement. It takes an exceptional team of talent working in perfect sync to create a story that not only engages the reader but adds a new layer of depth to the medium. We’ve seen it in books like Watchmen, Kingdom Come, and Maus- books with a creative impact that left a permanent mark on what comics are and what they’re capable of doing. After reading the director’s cut of Mister Miracle #1 and comparing it side by side to the originally released version, I am convinced that this Mister Miracle run will be counted among the best stories ever told in comic form. This is a title that not only honors Jack Kirby’s characters but treats them with a level of respect unparalleled by any other version. They deserve this kind of careful and thoughtful treatment, and I think he would be proud to see it.

Cat Wyatt 2/14/18 Cat Wyatt 2/14/18

Review: Suicide Squad #35

By Cat Wyatt

Suicide Squad #35 brings the walls down around our characters heads, as well as a blast from the past. It’s a Waller heavy episode (aren’t all of the doom and gloom ones about her though?) so the fans out there that don’t like her may not be happy with this issue, but then again, if seeing Waller get outmaneuvered is something you’ve been daydreaming about…read on.

Benjamin Snyder 2/14/18 Benjamin Snyder 2/14/18

Review: Kill or Be Killed #16

Sixteen issues in and Kill or Be Killed continues to find new and interesting ways to hook the reader in. It seems like each new issue introduces another cumbersome wrinkle for Dylan to maneuver around. In Kill or Be Killed #16, Dylan has to come to grips with a copycat killer besmirching his reputation and tarnishing his image while being confined and drugged up in an insane asylum. But its in Dylan’s introspection focusing on when he originally lost his youthful naiveté is where this issue makes its mark. In this instance both writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips work cohesively to not only make the reader side with a murdering insane person, but make a profound statement on life’s overall unfairness.

Cat Wyatt 2/14/18 Cat Wyatt 2/14/18

Review: Death of Love #1

By Cat Wyatt

Death of Love is a new series, and it certainly appears to have a lot of potential. The fact that its first issue drops on Valentine’s Day is just a bonus, if you ask me. The story follows a man named Philo Harris, and let’s be honest here, he’s a bit of a jerk. And not the type that can own up to it, but the type that thinks he deserves the girl because he pretended to be nice to her. The man was willing to try anything in the book to get girls to want him, and apparently that willingness is about to lead him into a heap of trouble.

Dustin Cabeal 2/14/18 Dustin Cabeal 2/14/18

Review: Giants #3

By Dustin Cabeal

Giants is refreshing. Each week there are frankly an insane amount of comics released. While I’m sure the numbers are available, I will just guess and say that it’s possible the industry is producing a shit load of comics. Again, I don’t have any exact numbers, but a shit load might be in the top three of all time comics produced. Each week, I personally read a butt load of comics. I don’t review them all, and it’s not nearly as many as I used to read which if I had to put a number on it would probably be twenty-six or more. Ha, fuck you for thinking I was going to milk that “load” joke for one more go!

Cat Wyatt 2/14/18 Cat Wyatt 2/14/18

Review: Wonder Woman #40

By Cat Wyatt

The latest issue of Wonder Woman concludes the Swan’s Song plotline, and needless to say, there’s quite a bit of emotion for this one. The last issue left us off with Jason falling to the ground, after being grievously wounded by Silver Swan. I’m sure I’m not the only one that was anxious to see what had happened to him (and where Silver Swan had gone).

Benjamin Snyder 2/14/18 Benjamin Snyder 2/14/18

Review: Sleepless #3

While I initially had exceedingly high hopes for Sleepless as a series, some of the luster has worn off. It’s not that Sleepless #3 is a bad issue or it destroys the hope I once harbored for it- it’s just that Sleepless has not done anything new with the subject manner yet and it doesn’t seem intent to. Writer Sarah Vaughn and artist Leila Del Luca barely meet the standards they set for themselves in earlier issues and even add an interesting story wrinkle or two, but ultimately it is not enough to maintain the same level of interest or excitement in the future of this series.

Cat Wyatt 2/14/18 Cat Wyatt 2/14/18

Review: Dark Fang #4

By Cat Wyatt

In the last issue of Dark Fang, things had gotten pretty busy and chaotic for our little vampire. Valla had successfully continued her campaign against the politicians allowing the worth to be poisoned for the sake of greed. Unfortunately, she seems to have caught the attention of certain people. Specifically, people who are capable of dealing with a vampire such as herself.

Kelly Gaines 2/14/18 Kelly Gaines 2/14/18

Review: Shade the Changing Girl - Wonder Woman #1

By Kelly Gaines

I don’t really know where to begin here. All my years of studying literature and critical theory have not prepared me for this. I’ve seen Wonder Woman breastfeed a Dustbuster. I didn’t know that was something I should be afraid of experiencing- how could I? I find myself drawing on the distinct memory of the first time I saw Alice in Wonderland as a child. I was disturbed to my core by the fact that a little girl was lost in such a bizarre place and the adults she encountered seemed to be more dedicated to making it worse than helping. I had nightmares about the Queen of Hearts screaming “off with her head!” for weeks, and don’t get me started on the oyster story.

Kelly Gaines 2/14/18 Kelly Gaines 2/14/18

Review: Justice League of America/Doom Patrol #1

By Kelly Gaines

Justice League/ Doom Patrol #1 is the first chapter of the Milk Wars event; an event promised to be the “weirdest” thing that has ever happened to the DC universe. If you were a fan of My Chemical Romance in the early 2000’s, you now have something else to thank Gerard Way for. I’ve read interviews with Way over and over trying to piece together how it is that a rockstar walked into the DC office and said “hey, can I do whatever I want?” and was pretty much told “sure, go nuts.” I’ve decided I don’t care how it happened, I’m just extremely grateful that it did. This is something Way has said he’s wanted to do his whole life- becoming a rockstar was getting sidetracked. I don’t know what god you have to pray to for ‘rockstar’ to be the job you fall into while you’re working towards your dreams, but take me to that church.

Dustin Cabeal 2/14/18 Dustin Cabeal 2/14/18

Review: Ninja-K #4

By Dustin Cabeal

I’m sure for some they’re probably tired of reading the backstories of former Ninjas, but I for one wish we had already gone through the alphabet once with this story. This issue is all about Ninja-G, and her story has similarities to the other Ninjas, but her race and gender make her story different.

Cat Wyatt 2/14/18 Cat Wyatt 2/14/18

Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #38

By Cat Wyatt

This was an interesting issue, to say the least. We start off with both Hal and Kyle awfully beat and bloody, trapped in a jail cell on Planet Jekuul, now home to Zod (and his family, of course). Kyle appears to be worse off than Hal, though that could also have something to do with Hal’s physiology for all we know.

Press Release 2/13/18 Press Release 2/13/18

Bluefin To Showcase Studio Ghibli Lifestyle Products At Toy Fair 2018

Press Release

Bluefin, the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan, Asia and more, heads to one of the industry’s biggest annual events and will introduce attendees to the Studio Ghibli lifestyle brand at Toy Fair 2018.

Press Release 2/13/18 Press Release 2/13/18

V.E. Schwab Leaps Into Comic Books With the SHADES OF MAGIC Prequel Series

Press Release

From critically-acclaimed author V. E. Schwab, comes a new comic book series (published by Titan Comics) arriving in October 2018, set in the universe of her New York Times bestselling Shades of Magic novel series which is published by Tor (US) and Titan Books (UK).

Press Release 2/13/18 Press Release 2/13/18

VIZ Media Debuts HUNTER X HUNTER: PHANTOM ROUGE Anime Film

Press Release

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, announces an exciting feature film addition to its HUNTER X HUNTER catalog with the release of HUNTER X HUNTER: PHANTOM ROUGE.