Daniel Traeger 6/20/18 Daniel Traeger 6/20/18

Review: Stowaway To The Stars

By Dan Traeger

Oh, John Byrne, I just can’t quit you. Try as I might, I admit it; I'll never leave your side. Back in the 1970s when you were working for Charlton Comics, I started following your career. You were the best artist on Space 1999, and I loved Doomsday +1. I followed you to Iron Fist at Marvel, and there you stayed for many years. Your tenures on The Uncanny X-Men and The Fantastic Four reset the bar higher than it had been since the days of Kirby and Lee.

Sam King 6/13/18 Sam King 6/13/18

Review: DuckTales #9

By Sam King

Duck Tales #9 is another generally stand-alone issue containing two episodic stories. It is based on the new animated series reboot that is being aired on Disney Channel and Disney XD. While not creating any long-term stories thus far, it is still a fun one for general fans of the show and characters. At some point, I would like to see at least one longer arc or some more tie-ins to the actual show, but this is not that point. The series is very good for casual readers to pick up and dig into with just curiosity since it is not fully reliant on having watched every episode to date.

Damien Becton 6/6/18 Damien Becton 6/6/18

Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #83

By Damien Becton

The previous issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles excelled in the comedy department, featuring a hilarious fight between the Turtles and group of frogs. Although it was a good issue, one of the things that it lacked was a bit of action to replace some of the filler scenes. TMNT #83 is the exact opposite - heavy on the action and lacking some of the comedy beats that made the previous issue so worthwhile. With that being said, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #83 is another solid entry into the TMNT universe.

Noel Thorne 5/30/18 Noel Thorne 5/30/18

Review: Judge Dredd: Under Siege #1

By Noel Thorne

I’m not gonna lie to you - I’ve read this comic twice now, and I’m still not 100% on the plot nuances. Mutants have taken over a city block, or gangs have, and they’re holding a judge hostage…? It doesn’t matter - the basic premise is Dredd and a female Judge have to shoot their way up a city block. Just like the last Dredd movie! Where do writers get their ideas?!

Sam King 5/23/18 Sam King 5/23/18

Review: TMNT Urban Legends #1

By Sam King

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics have been going around since 1984. This is where the team got its start. TMNT: Urban Legends takes readers back to the days of Volume 3 when Image ran the show, and Eastman and Laird weren’t writing the comics. These were eventually considered “non-canon” and were never fully concluded. This is officially changing now, with a reprint, added color, and an eventual addition of three new issues to finish the series.

Damien Becton 5/23/18 Damien Becton 5/23/18

Review: Delta 13 #1

By Damien Becton

Delta 13 appears to be a science-fiction horror/suspense story along the same lines of Alien and Prometheus and based off of that alone; I was on board coming into the issue - assuming that it would be executed well. The inaugural issue of the story does a decent enough job setting up the plot, establishing how the characters interact with each other, and constituting the tone that will encompass the story but for the first issue of a new book, I feel that it could have done a better job grabbing and holding the reader's’ attention. The entire book felt as if it were the first ten minutes of a movie that you have seen over and over.

Sam King 5/18/18 Sam King 5/18/18

Review: Walt Disney Treasury of Classic Tales vol. 3

By Sam King

This is the third volume collecting comic strips based on Walt Disney films. This is also the first volume of the collection that I’ve read. The volume concentrates on comics that ran during the 1950's and 1960's, so it features stories that are not as familiar to modern audiences as those done during the “Disney Renaissance.” Instead, this volume pulls together 101 Dalmatians, Swiss Family Robinson, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, and several others that are less recognizable to the average Disney fan.

Garrett Hanneken 5/16/18 Garrett Hanneken 5/16/18

Review: Goosebumps: Download and Die! #3

By Garrett Hanneken

Goosebumps Download and Die reached its conclusion and as expected it gathers up the monsters placed throughout the story for its final issue. However, its execution resulted in a lackluster homage to the original series.

Damien Becton 5/16/18 Damien Becton 5/16/18

Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #82

By Damien Becton

There is definitely a lot of work that goes into making a comic book - not even an entire run, just a single issue. Sometimes there is the concern of having “too many cooks in the kitchen” for effective storytelling to take place. As I read the opening pages of the book and saw the credits, I had initial concerns of “too many cooks in the kitchen” when I noticed long series of names TMNT had attached to it. Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman and Bob Curnow and Dave Wachter and Ronda Pattison was a mouthful. However, I’m glad to say that I was proven wrong with TMNT #82. Eastman and Waltz have been writing these characters for a long time, and it shows.

Press Release 5/11/18 Press Release 5/11/18

IDW Publishing Says It Loud with James Brown: Black and Proud

Press Release

IDW Publishing proudly presents James Brown: Black and Proud, an immersive biographical graphic novel drawing back the curtains on a legend of popular music whose influence and appeal continues to reach audiences worldwide, even today. Written and illustrated by Xavier Fathoux, James Brown: Black and Proud will be available in stores in October.

Sam King 5/9/18 Sam King 5/9/18

Review: The Spider King #4

By Sam King

This is the last issue of the currently planned miniseries, although based on the ending, this may not be the full end of the story. The Spider King finally concludes, and I enjoyed the last half of the miniseries much more than the beginning half. This comic is basically what happens when you combine Vikings and aliens. It is the unlikely and chaotic marriage of historical fantasy elements and science fiction craziness.

Press Release 4/27/18 Press Release 4/27/18

Big Hero 6 Comics Coming from IDW this Summer

Press Release

Debuting on Disney Channel on Saturday June 9, Big Hero 6 The Series will usher in new adventures of legendary superhero team Big Hero 6 -- Hiro, Wasabi, Fred, Go Go, Honey Lemon and Baymax -- for viewers. To coincide, IDW will be bringing even more excitement to readers in an all-ages comic book series! The fun kicks off this July with the first issue of an ongoing series.

Press Release 4/20/18 Press Release 4/20/18

IDW’s EuroComics to Unveil ENOLA HOLMES Graphic Novel in October

Press Release

IDW Publishing's EuroComics imprint has just announced plans to publish a new graphic novel series featuring the adventures of Enola Holmes, kid sister to the world-renowned detective Sherlock Holmes. The graphic novels are adapted from the Nancy Springer stories by writer/artist Serena Blasco.

Press Release 4/19/18 Press Release 4/19/18

IDW EuroComics Proudly Announces First Volume in THE QUEST OF EWILAN Series

Press Release

EuroComics proudly presents the English-language debut of The Quest of Ewilan, Vol. 1: From One World to Another, the first chapter in the sequential adaption of Pierre Bottero's bestselling novel series and a whimsical adventure featuring strong female characters, in the tradition of Lewis' Narnia and L'Engle's Time Quartet. Scripted by Lylian and illustrated by Laurence Baldetti, The Quest of Ewilan, Vol. 1 will be available in stores in September.

Sam King 4/18/18 Sam King 4/18/18

Review: Goosebumps Monsters at Midnight

I still own several dozen Goosebumps books. Occasionally on Halloween I watch old episodes of the show. Seeing a comic with fan favorite Slappy on the cover got me real excited, but this one is written by a different person than normal and it shows. The story really feels like it is missing the R.L. Stone touch. The creep levels are lacking and the characters really aren’t that interesting.

Sam King 4/18/18 Sam King 4/18/18

Review: Walt Disney Showcase #2

By Sam King

This series is basically the result of bringing Italian Disney comics to America. This is a pretty cool comic for major Disney fans like myself, but even I found a couple things kind of interesting about this that I wasn’t expecting. If you love Disney, knock yourself out and pick it up. If not, you’re probably better off with some of the other Disney titles that are out there depending on what you like. Each Walt Disney Showcase issue so far is a republishing of a foreign story that American audiences are now getting the opportunity to enjoy. There is no real continuity here as each seems to be a stand-alone story you can pick up and enjoy without reading prior issues.

Benjamin Snyder 4/18/18 Benjamin Snyder 4/18/18

Review: Antar: The Black Knight #1

By Ben Snyder

Antar #1 is an exceptionally adequate comic. Nothing is particularly amazing or noteworthy but it aspires to do, it achieves in moderation. Retelling the legend of Antar, a pre-Islamic warrior poet from Arabia, writer Nnedi Okorafor hits all the necessary beats needed. There is some issue with him using the flashback narrative to tell his story as often times details can be left out, but often times you can piece together the important stuff. However the art and colors by Eric Battle and Jason Scott Jones respectively are simply not on the same level of the writing, which really isn’t saying much considering the overall meh-ness of the former.

Garrett Hanneken 4/11/18 Garrett Hanneken 4/11/18

Review: Sonic the Hedgehog #2

By Garrett Hanneken

This comic can be defined with its fast-paced action from panel to panel as the art bursts out with Sonic’s speed. But in the end, it all seems a little too familiar in regards to story compared to the previous issue.

Sonic saves a group of citizens from another robot attack, but this time he is accompanied by Amy Rose. Amy tries to talk to Sonic, just like Tails from the last issue, but Sonic is too busy with his own agenda to truly listen. In conclusion, Sonic races on to the next town to find Knuckles which seems to be the pattern of the series so far: Sonic goes from town to town teaming up with various allies.

Sam King 4/11/18 Sam King 4/11/18

Review: DuckTales #8

By Sam King

DuckTales the comic series takes the characters from the 2017 reboot of the original cartoon that ran from 1987-1990 and puts them in new adventures. Having owned and watched every original DuckTales episode, I guess you could call me a pretty big fan of the "franchise" in general. I’m in the middle of the reboot and couldn’t pass on the chance to review the matching comics. I wouldn’t say that the new adventures beat out the originals, but for a fresh audience, it isn’t that bad.

Garrett Hanneken 4/4/18 Garrett Hanneken 4/4/18

Review: Sonic The Hedgehog #1

By Garrett Hanneken

Sonic The Hedgehog finds a new home at IDW publishing with an all-new #1. However, you shouldn’t expect any major changes to the character with this issue. Which beckons the question if a change would have been beneficial to this brand new start?