Dustin Cabeal 9/13/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/13/17

Review: Ninjak #0

By Dustin Cabeal

If I’m not mistaken, this is the end of the Matt Kindt era of Ninjak. Which is a damn shame. Not that I’m not looking forward to Christos Gage’s take on the character, but I have enjoyed Kindt at the helm of the character. On a side note, I could be wrong, but it seems as if he’s scaling back his work at Valiant, which is a shame. I have enjoyed him as an architect of sorts at the publisher.

Jonathan Edwards 9/13/17 Jonathan Edwards 9/13/17

Review: Retcon #1

By Jonathan Edwards

From the official synopsis of it as "the reboot of a comic book miniseries that has never existed," Retcon #1 sounded like the kind of high concept and metatextual affair you'd expect from someone like Grant Morrison. In practice, it actually reminds me quite substantially of Si Spurrier's Cry Havoc from last year. Except, where that book had a thorough understanding and deep respect for the legends and folklore that it referenced, this one merely grabs a couple low-hanging fruits, develops them very slightly, and then tries to cobble together something meaningful out of it. But, the biggest problem here is that it just isn't what it says on the tin.

Dustin Cabeal 9/13/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/13/17

Review: Jane

By Dustin Cabeal

On paper, I’m the wrong demographic for Jane. It’s a modern day adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, which I have never read. I could go either way on modern day adaptations as well; sometimes it’s interesting to see how they pan out other times they’re this weird hybrid of old and new that doesn’t quite make it. If we explore further, I’m not a fan of screen writers or TV writers writing comics. Archaia’s owner BOOM! has produced more than a few stories by Hollywood writers that I have outright loathed.

Oliver Gerlach 9/13/17 Oliver Gerlach 9/13/17

Review: The Chimera Factor

By Oliver Gerlach

The Chimera Factor is one of many comics based around Barry Nugent’s Unseen Shadows books, a spectacular self-published multimedia empire covering novels, audio, and comics by a wide range of creative teams. The Unseen Shadows website lists 17 separate print comics plus a webcomic, although it’s a little hard to find information on The Chimera Factor itself due to the link on the website directing to the wrong comic. Before reading The Chimera Factor I had never heard of either Unseen Shadows or Nugent himself, and the scale of this project was quite a surprise to me. So, as a disclaimer, I’ve never read any other part of this fictional universe, and therefore all opinions here are coming from the perspective of someone completely new to Unseen Shadows.

Justin McCarty 9/13/17 Justin McCarty 9/13/17

Review: Transdimensional #1

By Justin McCarty

I picked up Transdimensional having no prior knowledge of the subject. Not even the Kickstarter description. If I had, I probably would have skipped it. I am probably one of five comics fans that don't get into sci-fi horror. The Kickstarter describes the comic as being a sci-fi horror in the same family as Alien and The Abyss. I’ve seen Alien maybe (just the one - sad face from you probably), not The Abyss. I wasn’t the proper audience for this comic. However, if I was into this type of story, I could see its appeal.

Oliver Gerlach 9/13/17 Oliver Gerlach 9/13/17

Review: Everything Is Really Hard Today

By Oliver Gerlach

Everything Is Really Hard Today is a collection of Kevin Budnik’s It’s Okay To Be Sad autobiographical mini-comics. It’s an odd little collection of tiny, sad diary pieces, with very little coherent narrative; just brief vignettes from Budnik’s daily life. As such, it’s a very personal piece that no two readers are likely to draw the exact same conclusions from. This makes it a little challenging to review particularly usefully, but here are some general thoughts on it.

Justin McCarty 9/13/17 Justin McCarty 9/13/17

Review: Griff Gristle: The Siren’s Song

By Justin McCarty

The Siren’s Song is the follow up to the critically acclaimed Here Be Monsters. Griff and Justine find themselves chasing a mysterious cult committed to ridding the world of blasphemers, especially Griff Gristle. They will challenge Griff in new ways as well as make him deal with the loss of his wife.

Ben Boruff 9/13/17 Ben Boruff 9/13/17

Review: What Does Consent Really Mean?

By Ben Boruff

In May of 2016, I participated in Chicagoland's This Is My Brave event. Actors, essayists, and storytellers of all types shared memories about mental illness with a live audience. This Is My Brave, Inc. is a national organization that strives to "end the stigma surrounding mental health issues by sharing personal stories."Several months later, I gathered a binder's worth of materials to defend the teaching of an award-winning graphic novel in a high school classroom. I argued that many comics and graphic novels offer a unique reading experience in which symbolically rich visuals fuel the potency of multifaceted narratives. One page in my binder included a quote often attributed to French-Swiss film director Jean-Luc Godard: "Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form."

Dustin Cabeal 9/13/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/13/17

Review: Sink #1

By Dustin Cabeal

If I wanted to, I could name two movies and infer that Sink is in several ways the love child of the two movies and it would be enough to convince you of not only the quality but the excitement that is Sink. I could do that, but we’re talking about a comic, and quite frankly I have never read anything like Sink before. Perhaps I’ll tell you the name of the movies at the end of the review, and if you’re so inclined, you can jump to the end and call it a day. If you stay, well then that means you must love comics and are dying to know about ComixTribe’s newest title.

Justin McCarty 9/13/17 Justin McCarty 9/13/17

Review: Shadow Vol. 3 #2

By Justin McCarty

The pieces are falling into place in issue two of The Shadow Vol. 3. The circumstances leading up to The Shadow's last appearance and the burned gentleman’s arrival at the hospital are starting to make the news. Mary’s story starts to take shape as she recruits her sister in the mission to find out who Mr. Crispy might be. The whole thing possibly goes all the way to the President!

Daniel Vlasaty 9/13/17 Daniel Vlasaty 9/13/17

Review: Hard Boiled (Second Edition)

By Daniel Vlasaty

This is the second edition of Hard Boiled. It's written by Frank Miller, drawn by Geof Darrow, and colored by Dave Stewart. It originally came out in 1990, but I didn’t read it back then. Most probably because I was only five years old at the time. This is the first time I've ever read it actually, although I was aware that it was a thing that existed in the world before. Just never got around to reading it. I guess.

Benjamin Snyder 9/13/17 Benjamin Snyder 9/13/17

Review: Kill or Be Killed #12

By Ben Snyder

Every issue of Kill or Be Killed is one to remember and issue #12 is no exception. What started as a tale of a hallucinating schizophrenic trying to reason why his murders were just and the right thing to do, has evolved into a commentary on the state of society and its justice system, a deep involving look at the mind of someone dealing with mental illness, a hopeful view on love, and so much more. Kill or Be Killed #12 is one of my favorite issues of the series for reasons the series has never touched on before. Dylan has a legitimate, at least to him, motivation for committing murders now.

Justin McCarty 9/13/17 Justin McCarty 9/13/17

Review: Dark Nights: Metal #2

By Justin McCarty

They said this would be crazy. So far they are right. The second entry into Dark Nights: Metal probably left me with more questions than answers, though. I mean, I got what was going on, after two one shots, and the first issue of this series, however, I still had to go back and reread to keep up.

Patrick Wolf 9/13/17 Patrick Wolf 9/13/17

Review: Realm #1

By Patrick Wolf

Picture a world filled with demons, monsters, dragons, and any other fantasy creature you can visualize. Now imagine, instead of having this world set in the usual medieval environment, you find these creatures in a future apocalypse. Such is the world of Realm. Toss out all your preconceived notions of the divide between fantasy and sci-fi and get ready to drool over this grand world created by Seth M. Peck and illustrated by Jeremy Haun. All I got to say is if you’re into dark, sci-fi thrillers and want to take a chance on a new series; this franchise is definitely worth the plunge.

Justin McCarty 9/13/17 Justin McCarty 9/13/17

Review: Mister Miracle #2

By Justin McCarty

What is it about the nine-panel grid that automatically gives a comic book the feel of literature? It feels like King, Gerards, and Cowles are elevating the art form. Every element stays true to the point of the story. Just like in the first issue, what is on the surface is wholly juxtaposed to what is just beneath. After almost dying in his most dangerous stunt yet Scott and Barda are off to New Genesis to deal with invading Apokalips armies.

Benjamin Snyder 9/13/17 Benjamin Snyder 9/13/17

Review: Dread Gods #2

By Ben Snyder

After the initial chapter’s intense action and hints at a destroyed world, Dread Gods #2 instead focuses on the world of the “Gods.” It’s not entirely bad as it does somewhat clarify what exactly the “Gods” are, but it lacks the secondary storytelling that made the first issue so exciting.

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

Review: Sheena #1

By Ashley Gibbs

Having not been thoroughly impressed with the teaser, Sheena #0, I went into Sheena #1 hesitant but still hopeful. Surely the story was going to get exciting, and any issues from before would smooth themselves out, right? Somehow this is both better and worse at the same time. We’re given a bit more action, and Sheena faces actual problems this time around, but it’s hard to invest in the story yet, and the artwork isn’t helping either. Mediocre would be the best way to describe this comic, and while that’s not horrible, it’s a disappointment for those like myself seeking more strong, well written female characters on the comic landscape.

Justin McCarty 9/13/17 Justin McCarty 9/13/17

Review: Flash #30

By Justin McCarty

When I saw this was the start of a new story arc, I really thought this would be a good jumping on point, but it looks like I missed the big Flash moments. This issue has the Flash going up against a new villain called Bloodwork. This issue had potential, but there’s not much that stands out about this issue. The overall arc may be worth sticking with if you’re a longtime Flash fan. However, I didn’t find this issue a satisfying place to start on the Rebirth Flash.

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 9/13/17 Dustin Cabeal 9/13/17

Preview: Sink #1 Out Today!

By Dustin Cabeal

I'll be honest; I thought Sink was already out. Sometimes I'm lost in the bubble of the inside baseball that is the site, and so I don't know when anything releases. That said, you should fucking pick this book up. If you need more convincing, then read the preview or my reviews for the first three issues below. To give you an idea of how damn good Sink is, it's in the running for my best book of the year.