Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal

Review: Amerikarate #2

By Dustin Cabeal

The story of Amerikarate continues to be lost on me. Its parodies shift back and forth so harshly that it seems more like a spoof of different scenes of movies tied together by a shoestring story. The humor feels more at home on an animation in which it would be shocking and supported by a voice actor. Instead, it reads like an attempt at capturing the humor from something like Rick and Morty.

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Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal

Review: Rat Queens v2 #2

By Dustin Cabeal

It’s not Kurtis J. Wiebe’s fault that the magic isn’t there for Rat Queens anymore. The industry loved this creator-owned darling and copied the shit out it in numerous ways. The delays were unfortunate, but not a deal breaker. It’s just that when you pair the both of these two factors together, the magic just isn’t there anymore. A series I championed and loved that I own a shirt of is just not the same after so many setbacks.

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Comic Reviews Jonathan Edwards Comic Reviews Jonathan Edwards

Review: Justice League of America #4

By Jonathan Edwards

This fucking book. I was so close to not even bothering with this and dropping it all together. And then, I realized this was the finale of the first bullshit arc, so why not? I've been reviewing this series since Justice League of America: The Atom Rebirth #1 anyway. One more couldn't hurt. At least not that much. For anyone who might happen to be in suspense over whether or not Justice League of America #4 is any good, the answer is no, of course it isn't. It's not a good issue, and it's definitely not a good conclusion. It doesn't even feel structured properly. Some of the scenes feel like they should, logically, have their order switched, and for some reason, we need just about the whole JLA present for the last fight against Lord Havok, even though Vixen and Batman are still the only two that really do anything substantial. It's clearly meant to be parallel storytelling, but that only works when the separate stories have similar weight to them. And, it's really hard to care at all about most of the fights when Lord Havok is the only member of the Extremists that's been consistently developed. It wasn't good development, but I don't even know what Gorgon's deal is, yet I'm still supposed to give a shit the Black Canary is fighting him. For all I know, Gorgon could be the weakest member of the team.

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Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal

Review: Solar Flare #1

By Dustin Cabeal

Solar Flare has several things working in its favor. The familiar concept is one that it always ripe for new interruptions and the art, while overshadowed, is detailed and strong enough to support the plot. That isn’t to say that Solar Flare is perfect or without faults, but with any comic you want the strengths to be more noticeable than the weaknesses.

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Comic Reviews Daniel Vlasaty Comic Reviews Daniel Vlasaty

Review: Spencer & Locke #1

By Daniel Vlasaty

When I was younger I loved Calvin and Hobbes. I remember buying the collected books out of a mail-order catalogue through my school’s book fair when I was maybe in second or third or fourth grade. I am pretty sure Calvin and Hobbes was the first book I picked out and bought for myself. I’m not sure what it was that I liked about it back then, because I definitely didn’t “get” it. I don’t know. I still have the books and I still love them today. So, when Spencer & Locke was announced I was instantly super excited. I mean, it’s a freaking gritty, hard-boiled noir grown up Calvin and Hobbes story!!! Perfect, right? Read on and find out.

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Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal

Review: All Time Comics – Bullwhip #1

By Dustin Cabeal

The best way to describe All Time Comics is to give a what if type statement. In this case, what if EC Comics had created a superhero line back in the heyday of newspaper print? That is what Josh Bayer has created with this line of books, throwback superhero comics, but with a flair of violence and swearing.

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Comic Reviews Levi Remington Comic Reviews Levi Remington

Review: Rose #1

By Levi Remington

When you're dealing with an oversaturated genre such as Fantasy, it's easy for stories to feel repetitive. Creators grow up consuming a limited subset of material and then they write from what they know. This leads to a perpetual narrowing of scope and vision as tropes and cliches fester up. New ideas are risky because while they may occasionally prove successful, it's more likely that they will be rejected. That's why a common, safer approach is to take a well-worn concept and add one or two new elements to make it feel fresh. In the case of Image Comics' Rose, that element is cats.

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Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal

Review: The Fist #3

By Dustin Cabeal

One of my “Best of 2016” picks returns with a new issue, but has it managed to capture a place on our future “Best of 2017” list? The Fist, for the unfamiliar, is a story taking place in an intergalactic fight arena in which several great comic book homages are fighting. Enter The First and his wife, who is a ship. They’re deserters from the galactic military and as such, The Fist’s sisters, Legs, have been sent to retrieve him.

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Comic Reviews Levi Remington Comic Reviews Levi Remington

Review: Vampirella v4 #2

By Levi Remington

No, it wasn't the umpteenth revamp that captured my attention, nor was it the creative team. Instead, what finally led me to read a Vampirella title was the character herself. I had many questions. Why has she persisted for so long? What's her story? Is this title fueled by schlock, or has it gotten by for so long because its founded on a beloved, complex character? Well, after getting three issues deep into Dynamite's most recent run (don't forget the zero issue), I can safely say – with a tinge of sadness and regret – that this book does little to justify Vampirella's longevity. "You can't take the vampire out of the girl," the titular character so wisely observes, but at least you can take Vampirella off your pull list.

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Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal Comic Reviews Dustin Cabeal

Review: Immortal Brothers: The Tale of the Green Knight #1

By Dustin Cabeal

I enjoy the Archer and Armstrong side of the Valiant Universe, particularly for Armstrong and his brothers which are a great concept. Each of them being an Immortal, but living out the ages differently. This issue covers once such journey and is a reimagining of Gawain and the Green Knight or better yet an infusion of the story into the Valiant Universe.

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