Jonathan Edwards 1/4/17 Jonathan Edwards 1/4/17

Review: Justice League of America: The Atom Rebirth #1

By Jonathan Edwards

DC's Rebirth, like all of its reboots, has meant very different things for each of its characters and books. For Flash, it meant the return of Wally West as well as the introduction of his cousin, also named Wally West. For Superman, it meant the New 52 Superman died (although, I'm not wholly convinced he won't pop back up at some point), and the original Superman replaced him. For Batman, it kind of just meant things continued business as usual. And for this book, it meant Ryan Choi is The Atom once again. And, knowing that he was The Atom at some point before marks one of the handful of things I know about The Atom (alongside knowing that Ray Palmer has played human MacGuffin in more than one book). As such, I decided to do some light reading on Ryan to get a little bit better of an idea where this book is coming from and where it might go. But, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

Dustin Cabeal 1/4/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/4/17

Review: Grimm Fairy Tales #1

By Dustin Cabeal

Zenescope needs to decide if it’s actually trying to get new readers or if this reboot was just for their current crop of supporters because this first issue felt like an attempt at both. I say attempt because it didn’t really succeed at either. There was this overwhelming sense of being nudged while reading the book. As if someone wanted to tell me, “this is a clever throwback to how the first series started.” The problem being, I didn’t read the first series, I’m not going to read it, and I just wanted something to enjoy in this first issue.

Chris Tresson 1/4/17 Chris Tresson 1/4/17

Review: Chris Samnee's Daredevil Artist's Edition

By Chris Tresson

It’s Tuesday night as I’m writing this. I’m usually wrapped up and looking at next week’s review copies by this point in the week… but this week has been diabolical for review-worthy material, so I’ve found myself looking for something different, something that might cheer me up... I think I’ve found it in the form of one of IDW’s Artist's Editions.

Dustin Cabeal 1/4/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/4/17

Review: G.I. Joe #1

By Dustin Cabeal

I’ve lost track of how many volumes of G.I. Joe this makes, which is a shame because you need to know for any of it to make sense. IDW refuses for some weird reason to reboot G.I. Joe even when Revolution would have made perfect sense to do so. Instead, we’re left with years and years of history on the series, and none of it is particularly memorable.

Jonathan Edwards 1/4/17 Jonathan Edwards 1/4/17

Review: Supergirl: Being Super #1

By Jonathan Edwards

I'll be forthright; I don't know much about Supergirl. Of course, I know that she was originally the Kryptonian cousin of Superman with more or less all the same powers, and she died during Crisis on Infinite Earths. But beyond that (and knowing she was replaced by a shapeshifting alien or something for a while), I'm a blank slate. And really, that's why I wanted to check out this book. I mean, what better way to learn about a character than with an origin story? Even if it takes the character in a substantially different direction than previous iterations, a good origin story can still generate enough interest in a character to inspire further and continued reading. That's what happened with me and Supergirl's cousin a couple years ago. I don't think I'd been all that interested in Superman since I was a kid. But after reading Superman: Secret Origins, I was intrigued enough to check out Superman: Birthright and then Kurt Busiek's Superman: Secret Identity. Okay, admittedly that last one isn't exactly an origin story, but I only sought it out after reading the other two. So the question becomes, will this book encourage something similar from me for the "Girl of Steel"?

Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17

Review: Sherlock S.4, E.1 – “The Six Thatchers”

By Dustin Cabeal

It’s a new year and finally the return of the beloved Sherlock. The show has been away so long that it opened with a history lesson which wasn’t as helpful as the producers probably intended it to be. There’s speculation that this is the last season of the BBC’s Sherlock and you can’t blame them. The show has become insanely popular and launched Benedict Cumberbatch’s career and made Martin Freeman a very busy man. Weirdly enough there’s a chance both actors could meet again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which I’m sure will be a joke and make fans shit their damn pants. We’re not here for that, though.

Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17

Review: Koro-sensei Quest! E.01

By Shanel Kamara

Koro-sensei Quest! is blatantly a rip-off of Dragon Quest; I am sure the creators could have thought of something a little more distinctive but beggars can't be choosers. There was no doubt in my mind that I would watch the spinoff because I thoroughly enjoyed the original series. Initially, I was surprised to have the chance to see the comical Koro-sensei and his fellow pupils in action once again; however, this surprise did not turn out as pleasant as I previously hoped. I am aware of how most spinoffs work, but I cannot say that I was impressed with the setup of this one.

Laramie Martinez 1/2/17 Laramie Martinez 1/2/17

Review: Ether #2

By Laramie Martinez

In Ether #2 Matt Kindt doesn’t spend a lot of time ruminating on the big reveal from last issue. Instead he continues to knock the credibility of our narrator as we learn more about his past and the extreme methods he takes to travel to the Ether. This issue is really just a big juxtaposition of the two roles Boone Dias takes on either side of the dimensional portal. We see the heights from which he has fallen on earth, made all the more tragic by the diligence he shows as he hunts for clues in Ether.

Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17

Review: Kimot Ren #1

By Justin Wood

Cowboys and Aliens. Where have I heard that one before? Snidery aside, there is obviously room for more than one take on such an idea, especially one so rife with potential beyond the obvious. Kinot Ren has a clunky name, a likable cover, and what looks like a decent artist behind the wheel, but exactly how well does this series develop the concept of Out West meets Outer Space?

Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17

Review: 7th Garden vol. 3

By Dustin Cabeal

I was pretty much done with 7th Garden after volume 2, but Viz sent me this volume for review, so I gave it one last go. One. Last. Go. Not only does this volume not redeem the series, but it also finds itself in a battle to decide what it is at its core.

Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17

Review: Nisekoi: False Love vol. 19

By Dustin Cabeal

That’s more like it. In my last review, I admitted to maybe, kinda sorta being in love with this series. The afterglow has faded, and the series has not only returned to its usual shenanigans but further shows that it has fallen into the trap of success. The trap being needlessly continuing the story when a clear solution is in sight.

Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17

Review: Goodnight Punpun vol. 4

By Dustin Cabeal

I’m pretty sure that my theory about each volume of Goodnight Punpun matching the reading level of Punpun is a bust. It was an interesting thought, but this volume put the kibosh on with a decision Punpun makes in this volume.

Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17

Review: One-Punch Man vol. 10

By Dustin Cabeal

I have one gripe with this volume of One-Punch Man. There’s a lot of filler at the end of the volume. Granted it’s still entertaining and well-illustrated, but it’s not what I’m here for. It feels like Viz trying to pad the pages so that they can get a few extra volumes squeezed into the run. The “Bonus Manga” ends up being just over a fourth of the volume. Add that to the fact that the rest of the volume is split between Saitama, the baseball bat guy, and the current Human Monster bad guy, and it starts to feel stretched.

Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/2/17

Review: Sausage Party

By Dustin Cabeal

As a stay at home dad, watching movies has become a luxury to me. The simple fact is that 2016 saw the least amount of movies I’ve watched in a year. That blew my mind until I went through a list of all the releases and saw the amount of utter garbage that was released. Recently though I saw a couple of CG movies that I had wanted to see and Sausage Party was on the top of that list.

Dustin Cabeal 1/1/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/1/17

Anime Consortium Japan to stream Fate/Grand Order –First Order-, Blue Exorcist Kyoto Saga, Rewrite, Tales of Zestiria the X Season 2

Press Release:

Anime Consortium Japan Inc., the Japanese company for official anime streaming has announced today upcoming series starting in January 2017. It includes Fate/Grand Order –First Order-, Blue Exorcist Kyoto Saga, Rewrite and Tales of Zestiria the X Season 2. All titles will be available on www.DAISUKI.net and DAISUKI’s mobile apps with subtitles. Simulcast streaming of the ongoing shows MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS and March comes in like a lion will also continue.

Dustin Cabeal 1/1/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/1/17

Kodansha Comics Launches the Science-Fiction Manga by Nihei Humble Book Bundle

Press Release:

Kodansha Comics presents the Science Fiction Manga by Nihei book bundle in partnership with Humble Bundle. The offering amounts to $185 worth of digital manga, featuring legendary manga-ka Tsutomu Nihei’s early mind-benders BLAME! and NOiSE up to his masterpiece, Knights of Sidonia. The actual cost of the bundle is based on Humble Bundle’s unique pay-what-you-want charitable model.

Dustin Cabeal 1/1/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/1/17

DAISUKI.net Brings BEYBLADE BURST to the U.S. For Premium Members

Press Release:

Japan’s premier streaming service DAISUKI.net will begin streaming BEYBLADE BURST—the latest anime in the long-running BEYBLADE franchise—exclusively for DAIUSKI Premium members beginning on December 27 6:30a.m. (PST), 9:30a.m. (EST), 2016! The anime will be streamed with Japanese audio and English subtitles.

Dustin Cabeal 12/31/16 Dustin Cabeal 12/31/16

Best of 2016: The Entire List

By Dustin Cabeal

In past years we had individual categories with different picks, but this year the list fell to me to complete. I tried something different by spotlighting each pick on the "best and worst of" list and personally I liked it. Sure, some of you on Facebook didn't care for it plugging up your feed, but that's the breaks. The ideal format, of course, is viewing it on the site and not social media. I had planned all along to compile the entire list at the end of it's run, and hopefully, some people appreciated the sheer amount of work that went into our list. Sure, not every entry was in-depth, but when has that ever been the goal of a list? Here it is, though, the list and links to everything that was great in Comics, Manga, Anime and Movies from the year 2016.

Dustin Cabeal 12/31/16 Dustin Cabeal 12/31/16

Worst of 2016: The Entire List

By Dustin Cabeal

Surprisingly the "Worst of 2016" was way more popular than the "Best of 2016" which is too bad since I'd much rather that list get the focus. That said, I have a bunch of unpopular choices on this list, but I'm not going to offer an apology. They earned their way on this list. If you disagree, that's okay. I'm all for that. I'm sure my favorite books ended up on someone's worst of list, and that's they way it goes because comics are subjective like all creative mediums. The point I'm getting at is, don't bother telling me I'm wrong because I'm not here to tell you you're wrong. This is my worst of 2016 list, and while it's not as in-depth as some people would like it, the majority of these have been covered on the site and the podcast before showing up on this list. If you want to leave a comment, go for it, but do it on the original post. We'll see you in the next year and at the end of 2017 with another worst of list.