Benjamin Snyder 1/10/18 Benjamin Snyder 1/10/18

Review: Sleepless #2

By Ben Snyder

Another entry into the Sleepless series another peak into the fantastical world these characters inhibit. While Sleepless #2 focuses more so on the politics of this universe, the few tidbits of information we get regarding the world, and it’s varying inhabitants and organizations definitely do the story justice and flesh out a much larger and intricate universe that one would initially assume.

Benjamin Snyder 1/10/18 Benjamin Snyder 1/10/18

Review: Royal City #9

By Ben Snyder

As anyone who has read any of my Royal City reviews can attest, I am a huge fan of this series and Jeff Lemire’s combined writing and artwork. However, in Royal City #9 some facets are starting to become annoying. Whether it’s Lemire’s colors muddling the details in the environment or the general lack of anything interesting regarding Richie and Tara’s storyline, it seems that the weak points of this fantastic series are finally surfacing.

Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Best Comic Books of 2017 - #1

Welcome to the Comic Bastards end of the year list. Similar to our group reviews, each of the participating writers will be giving their picks for their best and also worst comics of 2017. Without further ado, here are our #1 picks for Best of 2017.

Click here to read #2 on the list!

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Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Worst Comic Books of 2017 - #1

Click here to read #2 on the list!

Click here to read #3 on the list!

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Click here to read #5 on the list!

Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Worst Comic Books of 2017 - #2

Click here to read #3 on the list!

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Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Best Comic Books of 2017 - #3

Click here to read #4 on the list!

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Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Worst Comic Books of 2017 - #3

Click here to read #4 on the list!

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Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Best Comic Books of 2017 - #4

Click here to read #5 on the list!

Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Worst Comic Books of 2017 - #4

Click here to read #5 on the list!

Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Best Comic Books of 2017 - #5

Comic Bastards 1/1/18 Comic Bastards 1/1/18

Worst Comic Books of 2017 - #5

Benjamin Snyder 12/20/17 Benjamin Snyder 12/20/17

Review: Assassinistas #1

By Ben Snyder

The trope of an ex-assassin being pulled back into their old line of work has been done so many times before with varying degrees of success. Lady Killer has been a fun, easy read from recent memory, while films such as John Wick have been tremendous box office success. Assassinistas #1 creates its own standard as a somewhat more indie candidate. With art that looks ripped right out an Adult Swim program and a story packed with enough emotion and humor to keep it interesting, Assassinistas proves to be a stellar read.

Benjamin Snyder 12/20/17 Benjamin Snyder 12/20/17

Review: The Family Trade #3

By Ben Snyder

The Family Trade #3 is definitely the best entry into the series so far. In issue #3, Nikki Ryan and Justin Jordan finally deliver on the mystery of the clan making the shadow government finally seem worthy of their own mythos. Jordan and Ryan’s short political commentary even works well into the story in this issue. But perhaps their greatest achievement is that they made Jessa finally feel like a worthy and interesting main character.

Benjamin Snyder 12/6/17 Benjamin Snyder 12/6/17

Review: Batman: White Knight #3

By Ben Snyder

Joker-centric stories have left a long legacy of being some of the best stories told in the Batman canon. Dating to older series such as A Death In the Family and The Killing Joke to more modern interpretations such as Scott Snyder’s Endgame arc and Brian Azzarello’s Joker mini-series. This theme has even infiltrated other mediums as many consider The Dark Knight to be one of the greatest superhero films of all time. While not quite on par with many of these classics, Sean Murphy’s Batman: White Knight still has been an enlightening read and delves deeper into the relationship between the Joker and Batman. Batman: White Knight #3 continues the story as Jack Napier, and Harleen Quinzel dig deeper into the corruption of Gotham in an attempt to oust Batman, and while it does continue to be a good read, entry #3 suffers mainly because it doesn’t offer any further insight into the mind of Jack/Joker.

Benjamin Snyder 12/6/17 Benjamin Snyder 12/6/17

Review: Sleepless #1

By Ben Snyder

Upon finishing the initial couple of pages in Sleepless #1, I couldn’t help but feel a magical quality about the book and that feeling didn’t let up for the rest of the issue. It’s not that Sleepless intends on revolutionizing the wheel, but more so that it succeeds in all that it sets out to achieve. Sleepless #1 introduces the reader to a story involving politics within the royal class of a far-off land, an assassination, and a mysterious bodyguard class to the royalty.

Benjamin Snyder 11/29/17 Benjamin Snyder 11/29/17

Review: Rumble v2 #1

By Ben Snyder

Rumble #1 does something very few continuing stories achieve successfully. It tells a gripping story that acknowledges it’s past issues but still welcoming to new readers. After a brief introduction into the history of the world and its varying players, the reader is thrown into an entirely original story with interesting characters and a well thought out mythos.

Benjamin Snyder 11/29/17 Benjamin Snyder 11/29/17

Review: Kill or Be Killed #14

By Ben Snyder

Kill or Be Killed #14 wraps up the third story arc in tremendous fashion. Most of the issue wouldn’t necessarily seem that exciting as it mostly just goes through Dylan’s plan of destroying the Russian mafia, which is executed perfectly. But the combination of Ed Brubaker’s masterful script and Sean Phillips beautiful art continually prove with each new installment how great this story is.

Benjamin Snyder 11/15/17 Benjamin Snyder 11/15/17

Review: Descender #26

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.

Benjamin Snyder 11/8/17 Benjamin Snyder 11/8/17

Review: 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank

There a very few books right now that are just flat out fun and enjoyable; forgoing major political or social commentary and the necessity of setting up an expanded universe. 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank is one of these instances and it is an absolute and total success. While extremely funny, what truly allows this book to work is the heartfelt characters, specifically Paige. Paige is an incredibly well designed and written character, and propels the story to a satisfying if not inevitable conclusion.

Benjamin Snyder 11/8/17 Benjamin Snyder 11/8/17

Review: Royal City #7

By Ben Snyder

In Royal City #7, Jeff Lemire finally begins to reveal his intentions with the character of Thomas Pike. Throughout the series so far, every member of the Pike clan pasted their expectations and hopes onto the lost soul that was Tommy. In entry #7, Lemire does a great job of showcasing this while also introducing Tommy’s new role as a broadcasting center of sorts.