By Robert Ramos

Guess who’s back, back again. ME. I had so much fun doing my first round of mini-reviews that I’m here for a second run. I sort of went with a theme this week, covering new titles and current ones, so hopefully you guys can jive with that. Let’s go!

Cinderella – Serial Killer Princess #1 – Score: 4/5

I went into this thinking it would be your typical Zenescope book: great looking art with meh story. Well, I was surely in for a surprise. This book was FUN. Here’s the gist: Robyn Hood killed Cinderella and a guy name Voodoo has “brought” her back to life. You can pretty much guess what happens next. Blood and gore and witty one-liners. Ugh, so cheesy good. Even though I don’t know much of the backstory of these characters, or much of the Zenescope universe for that matter, it was easy to pick up and follow. Being a Zenescope book, you bet the art is great. I love the character designs as well as the coloring. It’s definitely some of the best I’ve seen. Now, I hate to compare, but this definitely felt like it could be a Harley Quinn title, if Harley Quinn was ever done properly. Notwithstanding, I will definitely be back for issue 2.

Red Sonja #0 – Score: 2/5

Since we’re on the subject of great art and meh story, I present to you Red Sonja #0. This isn’t my first rodeo with Red Sonja. I previously read the #1 by Marguerite Bennett, you know, the one where she’s clothed more than usual. Anyway, this is a new reincarnation of the story and I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. During a battle, Red Sonja is “transported” to the present time and has to escape from a subway. That’s essentially the issue in a nutshell. After reading the solicitation, they claim she was placed in a magical deep sleep. I didn’t get a sense of that at all, so I will stand by my transported theory. While the story itself is initially lacking, the art is not. Fantastic art with fantastic coloring. Red Sonja is an absolute bombshell and the scenery was on point. Oh, and she’s back with her revealing get-up. Die-hard fans rejoice! Did I mention it’s only a quarter? Yeah, if you got spare change, give it a shot. Who knows, you might actually enjoy it.

Zombie Tramp #30 – Score: 3/5

I have no idea what’s going on in the story, but I really don’t care at this point. We have zombie likenesses of Gene Wilder, David Bowie, and mother fucking Prince. How can you not possibly be intrigued by that?! Zombie Gene Wilder is directing zombie oompa loompas as they bake cookies, while zombie Prince and Bowie are playing chess. All the while the RV driven by  Janey (had to look that up) is duking it out with 18-wheeler driven by a big bad wolf. Visually, this is not my style. It’s cartoony and campy but it suits the title very well, so I cannot fault it. Story-wise, well, while I appreciated the violence (I’m a huge sucker for gratuitous blood/gore, leave me alone), I certainly wasn’t blown away by it. As a new reader of Zombie Tramp, I am not completely opposed to diving into previous issues. Who knows, maybe my opinion will sway if I read back and get better acquainted with the characters and the story at hand.

Wonder Woman #12 – Score: 3/5

I do not like Wonder Woman. I’ve never read any of her books and to be frank, I only picked this up to continue my theme for the week. Don’t get me wrong. I love that women and little girls look up to her. I absolutely love that, but as an actual comic book character, I cannot stand her. I think she’s way too powerful in a world where all-mighty gods, male and female, already exist. I prefer the more human variety capes, but that’s just me ranting about unnecessary info.

Let’s get back to the issue at hand: this issue of Wonder Woman. So it’s part 5 of Year One and it looks like I picked a good spot to start reading this…Not. As with any Year One story, we’re learning the background of our main character. Cool. Wonder Woman can talk to birds and can pick up languages easily, which explains her ability to communicate with lover boy Steve Trevor.  We also learn of her abilities to pick up tanks and deflect shit with her bangles. There’s usage of the lasso of truth to benefit the clique she’s with, too. All is typical until the very last page. Someone appears and, I’m not going to lie, I want to check out what happens next. It’s a character that was a big part of Year Four of Injustice, which is probably a spoiler..so whatever. The art is for the most part on point, with a few hiccups with the emotions displayed. Ok, so I didn’t hate this issue, but I also didn’t love it. It wasn’t bad and I was pleasantly surprised.  

Another mini-reviews review complete. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this. Maybe I’ll be back next week for another exciting session of Mini-Reviews. Stay Tuned! Same bastard-time, same bastard-site!