By Dustin Cabeal

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020 - Well after some computer problems/cloud issues, I'm back! Episode twenty... feels like I should have been here much sooner. Are you enjoying this weekly podcast with just one dude talking? If so, please let me know or just subscribe to the show via the links below. Before reviews, I do cover one bit of news so hang on to the object in your hand that you're not very likely to drop, but fuck... maybe you will. Thanks for listening!

Books covered in this episode:

• Batman: Who Laughs #1
• Dark Fang #1
• Ninja-K #1
• Little Guardians

By Jonathan Edwards

God this book sucks. So hard. This issue finally touches on the “retcon” premise this book, and it makes something clear. You absolutely have to go into this book knowing the premise for it to make any semblance of sense. Otherwise, you’ll hit the third issue, and the resetting time concept will come completely out of left field (and, not in a good way). But despite all that, the premise also isn’t wholly accurate. Retcon isn’t so much the “reboot of a comic book miniseries that has never existed” as it is the events right before said reboot has always happened in the previous iterations of this universe. Of course, it’s possible that time is meant to always reset to the first panel of the first page of the first issue, but the exposition here suggests it goes back much further than that. And when I say exposition, I mean there’s a lot of it. In fact, Retcon #3 is practically nothing but exposition. Too bad none of it has any emotional impact since it’s trying to make a point of how “different it is this time,” but we never saw any of the previous attempts, so that doesn’t end up meaning much if anything.  

By Justin McCarty

Only a month after DC reintroduced Deadman with a new number one, we get Etrigan, another lesser known anti-hero. I feel like special care has to be taken to grab the potential reader where the lesser known properties are concerned. Demon is an intriguing comic, but it doesn’t do enough to introduce us to these characters and their world.

By Cat Wyatt

Evolution is a new series by Image, and the divergence from the typical cover art styles caught my attention. This will likely be a good read for any fans of Lovecraft (as that is the impression I’ve gotten from the first issue).

By Ben Snyder

Picking up immediately after issue #25, Descender #26 concludes the “Rise of the Robots” event arc. Unfortunately, the conclusion isn’t that satisfying because this issue actually really doesn’t even feel like a conclusion to but more so an introduction to a new arc. Every character is left on the precipice of a major story path, and it feels like a cheap, unnecessary cliffhanger. Despite this, issue #26 is still a worthy entry into the Descender story.

By Cat Wyatt

First off, let’s talk about issue #35’s title: “Oh Bolphunga Where Art Thou? Part 1” (in case you were wondering, yet I had to check the spelling on that one). I don’t know about you, but this title made me crack up, perhaps it’s just my sense of humor. Anyway, we can clearly get an idea of the events that are about to occur in this issue.

By Daniel Vlasaty

Ninjak is something I’ve been aware of for some time now. As a comic book reader this should be obvious. He’s a character I’ve seen here and there. But one I don’t think I’ve ever actually sat down to read before. It’s kind of like that with a lot of the Valiant stuff for me, though. I’m aware of most of it, maybe even read an issue or two. But for whatever reason it’s a publisher I tend to pass by on the shelves. I don’t know why. It’s nothing personal. Nothing against Valiant or the books they’re steady putting out. I think that I just get so wrapped up in the DC, Marvel, and Image books I buy and read each week that I kind of forget about all the other companies putting new books out week after week.

By Cat Wyatt

Quick heads up: I’m what you call a vampire snob, I love vampire stories, but only when they’re done certain ways. When I spotted Dark Fang, I immediately knew that I was going to have to give it a try, the artwork alone was screaming at me to read it, that couple with the vampiric elements and I was sold.

By Justin McCarty

I was not familiar with Cynthia von Buhler before picking up this title. For those that don’t know she is a contemporary artist that has been creating art that ranges from illustrations and fine art to theater and performance art. Perusing her Wikipedia page and website gives you quite a lot of insight into how her style informed this comic. Minky Woodcock The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini is a new ongoing title from Titan Comics’ Hard Case Crime series. Its protagonist is a somewhat plucky wannabe private detective that, as the title suggests, gets herself involved in a mystery that centers on the charming illusionist Harry Houdini.

By Cat Wyatt

Fence is a new series by Boom! and as the title implies is about a group of Fencers. Nicholas Cox is the main character, he’s new to the local Fencing competitions, but he’s not afraid of that (also, he has amazing hair). In short order, it’s revealed that his first match will be against Seiji Katayama (he’s the guy on the cover, for those that are curious), whom apparently is the best around (so good that people are surprised he’s still around, as opposed to fencing in bigger matches).