Writer/artist Doug TenNapel (CREATURE TECH, Ghostopolis, Cardboard) and colorist Katherine Garner (Ghostopolis, Nnewts, Tommysaurus Rex) will release a new printing of the full-color graphic novel GEAR this July—just in time for its 20th anniversary.
Read MoreReview: The Flash #45
By Hunter T. Patrick
Perfect Storm is over. The last several issues which all seemed to tie up several elements of Williamson’s story has ended. We all know it is leading up to the epic Flash War. This issue is all about lead up, nothing epic about it. Flash War still has yet to start, and Perfect Storm ended so now we are dealing with the aftermath as we catch up with a few characters. One character, in particular, is mainly there just to lead into yet another title (for more information, instead of getting the review promised here, go see Teen Titans Special #1 in June). This is comics, and there are several lead-ins to various other lead-ins. That’s fine, but this is all this issue is. If it was a chessboard, it is just moving pawns up a spot or two. Luckily the later the issue goes we see a tiny bit more stuff happen, inevitable stuff, but still really glad for it too.
Read MoreReview: Redneck #12
By Hunter T. Patrick
Yet another damn good time with the family. After the climatic end of the first arc, we now get to see the creative team try to one-up themselves. The last several issues felt like things moved very slowly as the main focal point were flashbacks for those issues. Issue 12 gains all the momentum that the last few issues lacked (great stuff learned in those flashbacks so no loss there). Redneck’s second story arc seemed very concerned about going bigger than the last, and this issue caps that off. After so much build up and things got so big it is to wonder if the next story arc will also keep trying to get bigger.
Read More
Review: Kill or Be Killed #18
By Ben Snyder
Kill or Be Killed #18 is unfortunately somewhat of a letdown. Most of Kill or Be Killed’s success has been based off of Ed Brubaker’s characterization of Dylan, Brubaker’s toying with the supernatural/mental illness, and/or Sean Phillips’s predictably stellar art. But issue #18 is missing on most of these qualities. It’s still a solid entry in the series, especially as it is rapidly approaching its endgame. However, Kill or Be Killed #18 mostly feels like a catch-up issue, whose only purpose is to sort out details rather than make them feel purposeful.
Read MoreReview: Rugrats #7
By Hunter T. Patrick
As a big Rugrats fan when I was a child I was really looking forward to this. I have not read the other issues yet, so I am reviewing this as the first issue I read, which it required no background knowledge I noticed of the other issues so that was good. With that in mind, the question is if I enjoyed the comic and if it did give me the nostalgia I was looking forward to. The answer is disappointingly no. The story did not feel like a whole story, it felt way too short. There were several panels without dialogue, which I am a fan of, but they just contributed to making the issue feel like a waste. The story would have worked much better if it was half the comic and they had another mini story for the other half, but sadly that story was it. There could be an argument that it is supposed to be like that as it is a comic about babies, but the show did take things up a notch. The ending was predictable, but there was one little twist to it that was fun to see and where the writer went with it.
Read More
Review: Batgirl #22
By Cat Wyatt
Batgirl issue 22 is the start of a whole new plot, this one titled ‘Strange Loop.’ Between that and the cover, I’m pretty curious about what is going on. The cover shows Batgirl trapped in a maze, but with a twist! The maze appears to be inside her own mind. Or at least that’s what the cover is implying. We’ll have to read on to see how accurate that is.
Read More
Review: Days of Hate #4
By Ben Snyder
Days of Hate #4 continues the series’ hot streak. Writer Aleš Kot and artists Danijel Žeželj and Jordie Bellaire continue to pump out one of the more harrowing and thought-provoking stories this year. Kot has made it stupidly obvious how politically driven this entire tale is as it preys on the fear many United States citizens had after the most recent presidential election. However, this series has succeeded more so due to Kot’s characterization of its core protagonists/antagonists and Žeželj’s art style that makes everything seems not quite right.
Read More
Review: Batman Beyond #19
By Cat Wyatt
The last few issues of Batman Beyond have been pretty anxiety-inducing. Batman and Ten are in Payback’s clutches, Bruce can’t do anything to help (even if he wanted to – his back is too injured to allow him even to stand, let alone fight), and Matt is on the way as a backup. Needless to say, the situation is not good.
Read More
Review: Justice League of America #28
By Jonathan Edwards
After reading and reviewing the absolute hot mess that was Justice League of America #27, I found a question prodding me from the back of my mind: had the introduction of Ahl, God of Superheroes, really been as out of nowhere and slipshod as I’d thought while writing that review? It seemed too poorly thought out for even Orlando, so I did some quick research and discovered that it might’ve very well tied into the recent Milk Wars crossover event between JLA and pretty much every book from DC’s Young Animal imprint. As such, I opted to verify those claims for myself. This led me not just to read the entirety of Milk Wars but also reread the first four issues of Doom Patrol, read issues #6 through #10 for the first time, reread parts of JLA #27 and #22, and, of course, read Justice League of America #28. It could perhaps be considered an excessive amount of reading, as Ahl is only relative to five of those eighteen issues. What’s more, only two of those appearances were in series other than JLA proper, and not even those make his presence here any less problematic.
Read More
Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #43
By Cat Wyatt
In the last issue of Hal Jordan, we had the dramatic introduction of the Darkstars. Even since I’ve been anxiously waiting for this issue, as I can’t wait to see what happens next with them. It’ll be interesting to see what a more lethal version of the Green Lantern Corps will look like!
This issue starts off, unsurprisingly, with many criminals and villains dead. All over the galaxy known criminals are being routinely tracked down and taken out. In some cases, we have proof (witnesses) that the criminals attempted to surrender before they were cut down. The most striking example of this was on Planet Xix. A life sentence prison was attacked – all the guards were fine, but every prisoner was killed. The guards and people are outraged – their planet had abolished the death penalty, and they clearly don’t appreciate another force stepping in to override their rules and wishes.
Read More
Review: Jeepers Creepers #1
By Garrett Hanneken
Jeepers Creepers makes its comic book debut after spawning three movies. For fans of the franchise, this comic delivers a glimpse of what so many have wondered: what is the origin of the Creeper?
Jeepers Creepers #1 focuses on two main storylines: a grad student named Devon working on his thesis in Mexico and the Creeper working on his consumption of human flesh. Devon’s story allows the reader to familiarize themselves with our protagonist, and although I didn’t care much for Devon, I was still able to gather his character traits: geeky and awkward. The Creeper’s story, on the other hand, was much more captivating, which should be expected, as we see the creature on the prowl for food. However, the standout moment and the glimpse at an origin was the Creeper’s ties to the Aztecs.
Read More
Review: Lumberjanes #49
By Cat Wyatt
It’s that time again! Time for a new issue of the Lumberjanes. Issue number 49 of the Lumberjanes starts off a new plot (and quest) for our lovely Lumberjanes. Thanks to the last issue, we now know how the Lumberjanes can tell what the weather will be like. Unfortunately forewarning doesn’t seem like it’s much of a help, when they’re looking at several days of rainstorms in a row. I think we all know that trying to keep that crew inside for an extended period of time would be a huge undertaking…
Read More
Review: Raven: Daughter of Darkness #4
By Kelly Gaines
Leave it to an ex-demon wife to bring her drama to someone else’s funeral. Raven’s estranged mother, Angela, has returned- and become an extra layer of irritation on an already messy plot. After #3, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep reading Raven. History keeps underwhelmingly repeating itself in Wolfman’s recent Raven stories. There’s a promising start, followed by a slow aggravating decline into boredom. You’d think having roughly four interlocking storylines would give readers something to come back for, but none of the plots are explored with enough depth and detail to make them interesting. Instead, the whole thing feels like reading a loosely related anthology of stories about Raven. I will say that issue #4 is a slight step up from issue #3, but Raven Daughter of Darkness has miles to go before becoming a worthwhile series.
Read More
Review: Mother Panic Gotham A.D. #2
By Cat Wyatt
Mother Panic Gotham A.D. issue 2 continues the saga started. Violet is on a quest to find her mother, and the latest hint given to her (assuming she’s willing to trust an even more deranged Joker than normal…) has her heading towards Arkham Asylum.
Read More
Review: Mera, Queen of Atlantis #3
By Kelly Gaines
What’s something you would never want your adopted kid to see? Your high school yearbook photos? Your erotic film collection? What about walking in on you as you're about to decapitate your brother’s wife? Ocean Master has quite a bit to go before he becomes real family material, but fortunately, Mera is here to help- as long as he doesn’t kill her. Mera Queen of Atlantis #3 is another great chapter in on of DC’s new, and oddly charming, titles. Stuck on land while her body heals, Mera tries to subdue the spread of the Atlantean civil war by acting as an ambassador to the surface world. The separation anxiety may not have pulled her head underwater yet, but the appearance of Ocean Master (Orm) has raised the stakes significantly.
Read More
Review: Motherlands #4
By Cat Wyatt
Motherlands is continuing its tale of a mother and daughter who have teamed up in an attempt to bring down one final bounty. Granted, the mother hopes to bring the bounty in alive, being that he’s her son and all. Tab doesn’t care so much about that since he left her alone with her hag of a mother. The last issue left us off with Sylph in shock and in tears after Tab apparently shot her son…
Who was obviously a decoy. Tab is actually shocked (and maybe a little embarrassed) that Sylph couldn’t seem to tell the difference. Though I suppose it could be Sylph’s theatrics that are the real cause here…
Read More
Review: Aliens: Dust to Dust #1
By Sam King
I have read a LOT of Aliens comics and have regular access to the Dark Horse omnibus collections that have come out. The last Alien comic series I read disappointed me in art and story quality (Dead Orbit). Aliens: Dust to Dust #1 actually does things a little differently and feels fresh. Let me rephrase that: this comic is as fresh as a franchise can possibly be when the main plot line is always humans discover bad things in space and killer aliens run rampant.
Read More
Review: Suicide Squad #40
By Cat Wyatt
Issue 40 of Suicide Squad brings about the conclusion to the latest plotline they’ve been working on lately. The Wall is no longer holding Washington D.C. hostage, and instead is heading directly towards the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Only Waller knows the reason why the Wall would do this, and it isn’t good.
Of course, thanks to the beauty of different perspectives in storytelling, we know exactly what the Wall is up to. He’s going to kill Waller’s daughter, Coretta. Or at least, he’s going to try. Coretta’s wonderful brothers step up and try to protect her, which is quite lovely (makes you wonder how they could ever be Waller’s children, doesn’t it?).
Read More
Review: The Lost City Explorers #1
I have always been fascinated by stories of exploration and lost cities, like El Dorado and Atlantis. This comic so far seems to be focusing on Atlantis. To start, there is a lot of human drama going on and we get a little taste of some mystery elements that will progress as the series really gets rolling. While it is not the greatest comic I have read this year, this one has a lot of potential to become a good time, so long as the characters do not get tiresome.
Read More
Review: Silencer #4
By Cat Wyatt
The Silencer #4 continues Honor’s epic quest to be free of Leviathan and all of its enemies. In the last issue, we saw her survive against all odds, but it’s incredibly likely that the others will figure out she’s still alive sooner rather than later. She’s going to have to figure out a longer-term plan if she wants to keep her life intact and her family safe.
Read More