Review: Justice League of America #9

June 28, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

Would you believe me if I said that this book suddenly got better? No? Good, because it didn't. Justice League of America #9 is a laughably bad issue, a weak ending to a weak story, and it doesn't even feel like Steve Orlando's even trying anymore. Seriously, all of the conflict kind of just gives up halfway through this shit. I mean, I guess Makson does still try and fight the JLA for a page. But come on, he's not going to win. He's a wild man, and they're the fucking Justice League of America. Honestly, I don't even know how he gets in as many hits as he does. It's like Makson was supposed to have super strength for no reason, and then they forgot to ever mention it. Does it seem like I'm just diving right it? Yes? Good, because I am.

Review: Redneck #3

June 28, 2017

By Daniel Vlasaty

Donny Cates is legit everywhere right now. Dude’s on fire. Much like the wheelchair on the cover of Redneck #3. Much like most of this issue, everything explosive and basking in the glow of flames as the town burns the Bowman compound. Shit gets pretty intense pretty goddamn quickly in this issue. The violence is over the top and maybe a little excessive (which is something I’m all onboard with) but it’s never used to replace a lacking story. I think some writers try too hard to be like Hollywood blockbuster movies. Think about it, think about those movies for a second. Most of the time they have a pretty weak or generic or clichéd story and they make up for that with special effects and blood and explosions. In my opinion, having a ton of shit blow up and just balls-to-the-wall violence will never make up for a shitty story. What I mean is Cates knows what he’s doing here. He knows the story he’s telling and he’s using the violence as a tool, as a way to move the story forward, not just as violence for the sake of violence.

Review: Supergirl: Being Super #4

June 28, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

As a reviewer, it's always interesting to reach the end of a series that you've been covering from the beginning. It doesn't matter how long or short the run was. There's just something kind of surreal about looking back and knowing that you were successful in committing to be there for every single issue. It's even crazier when the book sucked, and you had to muscle your way through and to the end. In this case, Supergirl: Being Super doesn't suck. It had a slow start, but it never sucked. And, this fourth and final installment serves as a fairly successful conclusion, wrapping up plot threads both in ways I did and way I didn't expect.

Review: Beautiful Canvas #1

June 28, 2017

By Benjamin Snyder

Wow, that’s really all I can say about the first issue of Beautiful Canvas. Beautiful Canvas #1 totally subverts any expectation for normalcy you may have for the book. What starts out as a seemingly traditional story turns into something much more interesting and clever, bound to offer a very entertaining story arch filled with plentiful twists and turns.

Review: Blood Brothers: Hermanos de Sangre #1

June 28, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

Since starting Comic Bastards, I have read more comics than I will ever remember in my life. Things tend to fall into categories, and I’m not referring to drama, comedy, superhero. Instead, it’s things like, an event happens, and everyone has superpowers. Which is where I would place Blood Brothers. This is by no means a bad thing, and it’s often a genre I enjoy because the only way the story is successful is by having interesting characters. The world is by default interesting, but that doesn’t necessarily ensure there’s a story to read.

Review: Secret Weapons #1

June 28, 2017

By:0Ben Snyder

Secret Weapons #1 does a good enough job of setting up an interesting premise of a bunch of teenaged reject super heroes escaping a hulking brute programmed to kill them.

Review: Kull Eternal #1

June 28, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

I don’t know anything about Kull. It’s a name that seems familiar, but other than that; I have no idea. That doesn’t matter though because this is the first issue. I’m pointing this all out early because often when a property is rebooted old fans like to make excuses saying that new readers “didn’t get it” and so on. Simply put a first issues job is to make sure everyone gets it, so let’s see how Kull Eternal stacks up?

Review: Girrion #1-6

June 28, 2017

By Patrick Wolf

Not too long ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the popular webcomic series: Unsounded. What immediately struck me about the franchise was not just its gorgeous art, but also the incredible realization that it was illustrated, colored, lettered, and written by the same person. It was like watching a sailor be a captain, first-mate, oarsman, and engineer all at the same time. How could someone be so talented? Unfortunately, when I read the book, this question was answered all-too-quickly: nobody’s that talented. I believe Girrion suffers from a similar fate.

Review: The Dregs #4

June 28, 2017

By Daniel Vlasaty

I have a love/hate relationship with miniseries. I love them because they’re easily digestible, four or five or six issues of story. Nothing too huge or time consuming. There’s no twenty or fifty or, shit, one hundred plus issue commitment. And I hate them because when they’re good I don’t want them to end. When they’re good I want them to keep going, with more and more issues. But only if they keep that fire burning. Anyway whatever. Issue #4 is the final issue of The Dregs. And if you’ve been reading my reviews then you’ll know how I feel about this book. And if you haven’t, I’ll tell you. I fucking love it. The Dregs is easily the best series I’ve read this year, at least. Every issue has been great in both story and art. And issue #4 is no different. I thought this was the perfect ending to a pretty goddamn close to perfect book.

Review: X-O Manowar #4

June 28, 2017

By Patrick Wolf

X-O Manowar is a very difficult comic to review. The problem is there’s almost nothing wrong with it. Every time I read the latest installment, I just want to say: “It’s awesome. Read it. Leave me alone.” This time, though, the story isn’t perfect, so I’ll have a little more to say.

Attack on Titan Quest at Anime Expo 2017

June 27, 2017

Kodansha Comics and Funimation are proud to present Attack on Titan Quest: Dedicate Your Heart #AoTQuest, a uniquely structured 2-part interactive quest based on the smash-hit manga and anime series Attack on Titan during the week of Anime Expo 2017.

Dark Horse to Release the Follow-Up Anthology to 2016’s Hit “The Secret Loves of Geek Girls”

June 27, 2017

In honor of Pride Month, Dark Horse Comics is excited to announce the second installment of the illustrated prose and comics anthology The Secret Loves of Geek Girls with The Secret Loves of Geeks. Editor Hope Nicholson returns to assemble a dazzling mix of prose, comics, and illustrated stories from a variety of creators.

Review: Fuuka – Season 1

June 27, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

There is a reason I don’t read manga and then watch the anime adaptation, and it’s because of series like Fuuka. I have had a hate-hate relationship with this series if you refer to my single episode reviews. The music was bad and yet the entire premise centered around music. The love-triangle was being forced heavily even though readers of the manga know it was pointless.

Review: Saekano: How To Raise A Boring Girlfriend – Flat (Season 2)

June 27, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

The problem with a lot of anime, especially of the harem variety, is that they’re great for six episodes and then not so much. That was true of the first season of How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend which started with a solid introduction to the characters and the premises and then sat on its ass for the last six. With the second season, it was in reverse, sitting on its ass in the beginning and then cranking out the story at the end.

Review: Renai Boukun – Season 1

June 27, 2017

By Dustin Cabeal

For some reason, Renai Boukun translates to “Love Tyrant” which personally doesn’t make a damn lick of sense with this story. A longer title for it is, “The Very Lovely Tyrant of Love” which makes even less sense. Mainly because there’s no tyrant in the story nor does anyone act like one. I'm not picky, but rather preparing for anyone that complains about me not calling it “Love Tyrant” and instead referring to it as Renai Boukun throughout the rest of this review.

Interview: Ghost City Comics

June 26, 2017

Full disclosure: Comic Bastards is a sponsor for Ghost City Comic Competition and will be reviewing the winners picked by a panel of judges. For more information, please visit Ghost City Comics.

I had a chance to interview Michael Ruiz-Unger and Tucker Tota about their Ghost City Comic Competition that’s currently running. You’ll also be able to hear me on their podcast in production talking about the site. It’s a little cross promotion, but the goal is the same, to give information about the other. On their podcast, you’ll hear about what makes Comic Bastards tick, and in this interview, you’ll get some background information on the first indie comic competition.

GLAAD Honors BOOM! Studios' 'The Woods'

June 26, 2017

BOOM! Studios and GLAAD honored writerJames Tynion IV and artist Michael Dialynas' original comic book series THE WOODS in Los Angeles last Friday as the winner of the 2017 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book. The announcement was first made at the 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony on April 1st.

Someone's Changing Their Pants Right Now... Udon Collectibles Reveals Evangelion Pins

June 26, 2017

UDON Collectibles is proud to announce their newest line of collectible merchandise – the EVANGELION CHARACTER COLLECTOR’S PIN SERIES. Following in the footsteps of the popular Street Fighter II Character Select Pins and the Persona 4 Puzzle Pin series, UDON Collectibles is expanding its licenses to the anime world.

Dark Horse Supports "24 Hour Comic"

June 26, 2017

Dark Horse, in partnership with sister-store Things From Another World and Gravitas Ventures, is thrilled to announce the release of documentary film 24 Hour Comic.

LINE Webtoon Launches Season 2 of "Dents"

June 26, 2017

LINE Webtoon (http://www.webtoons.com), the popular digital comics publisher pioneering the development and distribution of comics worldwide, today launched season 2 of the hit dystopian YA comic Dents, co-created and co-written by one of television’s leading ladies, Beth Behrs (Two Broke Girls), and actor/musician Matt Doyle (The Book of Mormon, Gossip Girl). Additionally, season one illustrator and artist Sid Kotian best known for his work on Dream Police and The Adventures of Apocalypse Al -- is returning to further bring Dents to life in vivid fashion.