Dustin Cabeal 5/31/18 Dustin Cabeal 5/31/18

Preview: Modern Fantasy #1 from Dark Horse Comics

By Dustin Cabeal

I will likely have a review for this tomorrow as well, but in the meantime just soak up the preview pages. I'm super excited about this series because of Kristen Gudsnuk. If you haven't read Henchgirl, then please stop living life until you have finished it. Call out from work, leave your kid at the park, whatever you gotta do. Maybe let your spouse cheat on you for an extra day before you break up the relationship. Whateves, I'm not dishing out life advice, just read that and check this out. I hope I shit my pants for it as much as I did Henchgirl.

Dustin Cabeal 5/31/18 Dustin Cabeal 5/31/18

Kodansha Comics June digital-first debuts

By Dustin Cabeal

None of these titles really grabbed my attention and I doubt we'll see review copies so you're on your own on whether to read these or not. If you do, come back here and let us know in the comments. Believe me, I'll check... okay actually my email will tell me, but same thing.

Dustin Cabeal 5/31/18 Dustin Cabeal 5/31/18

Don't Confuse The New Lieutenants of Metal With The Bronze Age Lieutenants of Metal... or Something

By Dustin Cabeal

I will read this because Ulises Farinas is a unique voice in comics. That said, sometimes that unique voice can leave all his work feeling the same. Point in case, when I read the preview (see below) I got the same vibe I did with his last two or three comics. That doesn't mean it's a bad read or that it won't be enjoyable. With any creator, you want to see them continue to expand and create while maintaining their voice and not get stuck in the same type of story over and over. Is that the case here? Find out in July... supposedly on the 4th.

Dustin Cabeal 5/31/18 Dustin Cabeal 5/31/18

Lion Forge Launches "Caracal" Imprint... That's "Caracal" With Three "A's"

By Dustin Cabeal

I'm trying something new in which I'm still just posting press releases, but because I'm not always going to be first or on the same day, I'll instead try to give some of my thoughts with the press release. If you don't want those, keep scrolling.

The first thing I have to say about this is that the name is not one that I think most people, let alone middle schoolers will instantly know and not struggle with. Don't ask me to say it, I won't get it, and if a bunch of MS'ers can then shit, our public schools have improved... and also utterly failed me. The next is that while Lion Forge is killing it on the market and growing quickly compared to other publishers, I worry that they have too many imprints and that it might eventually backfire on their brand. Its the norm of sorts with comics right now, but how long until it dilutes the brand? I wonder these things even if I don't have the analytical data to back any of it up.

Press Release 5/31/18 Press Release 5/31/18

Liefeld Gets The Monies By Embracing Every Joke About Him and Creates A Character Called "The Pouch"

By Dustin Cabeal

I have said this numerous times on the now-defunct CBMFP; Rob Liefeld is one of the smartest men in comics. He's second only to Stan Lee in getting fucking paid. Why? Because as much as he's bagged on, the dude gets paid, embraces jokes about himself and turns it into paydays. I mean The Pouch is just fucking Cable... made of pouches... and we all know that fucking Liefeld can draw the shit out of some pouches. Shit, it might even help him draw feet if he just pretended they were pouches, to begin with. I am not encouraging anyone to buy this variant. I know you all will still, so it doesn't matter what I say and that's why Liefeld wins in the end, morbid curiosity and the illusion of value. I'm just here to say "Kudos" to Liefeld because I saw this shit and was like, "you've done it again." And if it didn't line Liefeld's pockets, I would actually get this just because of Michel Fiffe.

Jonathan Edwards 5/31/18 Jonathan Edwards 5/31/18

Review: Sacred Creatures vol. 1

By Jonathan Edwards

If Ales Kot’s Wolf taught me anything (other than that a mediocre series can still get you back into reading comics), it’s that I’m a sucker for extra-sized first issues. So, when Sacred Creatures #1 came out in July of 2017 boasting a whopping 66 pages on top of a contemporary fantasy story (a subgenre I already prefer), I was more than a little intrigued. I picked up the first issue, as well as the other issues in the first volume as they came out, but they all ended up unread and in my backlog. That is until I signed up to review this trade.

Cat Wyatt 5/31/18 Cat Wyatt 5/31/18

Review: Fun.com’s DC Wonder Woman Canvas Cargo Womens Jacket

By Cat Wyatt

It’s not every day you come across an outfit that’s both well-made and nerdy. Granted, this is thankfully becoming a more frequent event, but it’s still rare enough that it’s worth celebrating when it happens. Fun.com has a really fun but nerdy selection of clothes.

Smrithi S 5/31/18 Smrithi S 5/31/18

Review: Juana and the Dragonewt's Seven Kingdoms vol. 1

By Thea Srinivasan

Whenever I learn about a new fictional species, I’m always worried whether they have anything against humanity. In most science fiction mediums, I’ve seen reptilian-humanoid species try to destroy humanity in some way and they end up either losing to humanity or leaving earth in a post-apocalyptic state. Sometimes these species want to eat humans, which is kind of disgusting in reality. Luckily, I did not have to deal with that in Juana and the Dragonewt's Seven Kingdoms.

Robert Ramos 5/31/18 Robert Ramos 5/31/18

Review: Gintama: Shirogane no Tamashii-hen

By Robert Ramos

Are you guys tired of me reviewing everything Gintama related yet? I surely hope not because this, as you already all know, is the one series I can always talk about AND the one I enjoy discussing the most (sorry, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure). At any rate, Silver Soul is the latest arc/series in the Gintama franchise, and while it’s only the first half of the arc, it has the makings to be the best arc thus far.

Smrithi S 5/31/18 Smrithi S 5/31/18

Review: Perfect World vol. 1

By Thea Srinivasan

Romance is a tricky subject to deal as we have to use our hearts instead of our heads to make any decisions. But sometimes love becomes trickier when life makes us change who we are. When we see our partner after a breakup or a long period, the changes become apparent and can sometimes shock us. With the right circumstances and timing, we sometimes end up falling in love with them again. This is the basic premise of Perfect World.

Benjamin Snyder 5/30/18 Benjamin Snyder 5/30/18

Review: Royal City #11

By Ben Snyder

Royal City #11 picks up exactly where it left off prior to its flashback arc; with Patrick and his recently discovered niece awaiting his estranged wife Greta as she joins him in the titular Royal City. It’s hard to give this entry a positive review when it leaves the reader in a state of perpetual malaise. But one hallucinatory character says it best near the end of the chapter, “That’s what this place does to you… leaves you in between.” That is why this chapter is successful; Jeff Lemire is totally in control of the story and flexing his artistic muscles by forcing the reader to join the characters in this semi-purgatorial rotting steel town.

Cat Wyatt 5/30/18 Cat Wyatt 5/30/18

Review: Green Lanterns Annual

By Cat Wyatt

Green Lanterns Annual is an interesting issue, to say the least. The Lost Lantern is the first time in a long time that we’ve seen Simon, Jess, Hal, and Jon Stewart all working together for any length of time. This should be pretty exciting for those fans that have been hoping to see more interactions between our Green Lantern groups.

Garrett Hanneken 5/30/18 Garrett Hanneken 5/30/18

Review: Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special #1

By Garrett Hanneken

Aquaman Jabberjaw Special #1 plays its homage to both storylines in a fun and heartwarming tale, but the issue references a horror movie that started the comic out wonderfully.

Cat Wyatt 5/30/18 Cat Wyatt 5/30/18

Review: Barrier #5

By Cat Wyatt

The final issue of Barrier is here, and with it will likely be a bittersweet ending. Brian K. Vaughan isn’t exactly known for his happy endings, so this is something to keep in mind as we explore Barrier #5 today. The last time we saw Liddy and Oscar they were trapped on an alien planet, but rather than letting that fact defeat them they had stepped up and started fighting. Here’s hoping that fight ends up taking them somewhere good.

Noel Thorne 5/30/18 Noel Thorne 5/30/18

Review: Batman: Prelude to the Wedding - Robin Vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #1

By Noel Thorne

It always happens: a popular storyline comes along, and the publisher decides to exploit it by tying in a bunch of pointless comics that devoted fans will buy, naively thinking they’re important to the storyline, which they never are, nor are they ever any good.

Garrett Hanneken 5/30/18 Garrett Hanneken 5/30/18

Review: The Man of Steel #1

By Garrett Hanneken

The highly anticipated Superman comic is finally here. After getting a taste of Bendis’ Superman in Action Comics #1000, readers can now better gauge what will be in stores for them. Personally, I thought the preview in Action Comics #1000 was outstanding for its villain, action, and twist at the end but despite that, The Man of Steel #1 proves to be a slower start than initially expected.

Sam King 5/30/18 Sam King 5/30/18

Review: Tinseltown #2

Tinseltown #2 picks up where #1 left off and is the second in a five issue limited series. This is another one of Alterna Comics current titles and it is one of the most enjoyable thus far. The story isn’t as gripping this time around by comparison to the first issue, but we are still progressing. There is still a lot of good potential swirling around in this series.

Hunter Patrick 5/30/18 Hunter Patrick 5/30/18

Review: The Couch #2

By Hunter T. Patrick

Yet another issue that should be widely available. This is a world where superheroes and villains exist. That is true for almost every single comic world. The difference in this comic is the fact that this does not revolve around superheroes, and it manages not to be overshadowed by their presence, at least in the first issue. In issue two we meet The Wrecking Ball. The first issue succeeded with the heroes in the background, and this issue succeeds more with Wrecking Ball front and center. The couch refers to the psychologist chair in the protagonist’s place. Having a superhero on that couch makes for a very interesting dynamic. Most of the issue is flashbacks to when Wrecking Ball was younger, before his super days.

Sam King 5/30/18 Sam King 5/30/18

Review: Go West #3

By Sam King

Go West #3 is the final issue in a three issue limited series published by Alterna Comics. While the first two issues were decent setup, the third act and finale fails to feel all that satisfying. The violence level is the same level of intensity and awesome, but story wise… you’re basically just getting a generic western in comic form. The futuristic element doesn’t do much for the story.

Hunter Patrick 5/30/18 Hunter Patrick 5/30/18

Review: The Edge Off

By Hunter T. Patrick

Just how a one-shot should be. In a very simplified premise to this comic, a ‘fixer’’ has his daughter kidnapped, and he tries to save her. For a living, he does dangerous, obviously illegal work for his higher-ups and once his daughter has gotten involved, he decides to spring into a very violent persona to make sure no matter what he can get her back. The premise is one that has been shown before, and as has the huge twist of an ending. Luckily both are extremely strong and worth the huge ride showed here. If somehow spoilers are presented to you, avoid them. The ending is well earned. This is a one-shot that takes the short length of a comic book and has so much on this issue that is neither too much or too little. It is beyond just right.