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Review: Kill or Be Killed #20
By Ben Snyder
No matter what, reading the last issue of Kill or Be Killed was always going leave me disappointed because I’ve loved the entire series so much. Seeing it end, although it inevitably had to, was always going to leave a bad taste in my mouth. But Kill or Be Killed #20, disappointed me in a different way all-together. After such a stellar run from Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Elizabeth Breitweiser, the ending felt almost mean spirited with several instances of the rug being pulled out from underneath the reader for no purposeful reason besides to fill an entire chapter. Or perhaps I’m just jaded, because despite it’s faults Kill or Be Killed #20 is still better than most finales.
Review: Descender #31
By Ben Snyder
Descender has come a very far ways from where it started. At first, the series was quiet, beautiful, almost meditative on the existence of A.I and the repercussions of its abuse. For a while, I thought that’s how the story would stay, but as the story unfolded it was clear that Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen were telling a sprawling and expansive space epic something on a massive scale. While it hasn’t hit the highs its creators have set out for it; Descender has been a success for most of its issue. Descender #31 is no exception, providing a bombastic and explosive entry before the series finale. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough.
Review: Unnatural #1
Using personified animals has been a very lucrative and productive method throughout the history of animation and cartoons. Disney consistently makes a hit movie every couple of years with this premise, and Fables used this idea to some extent as well. We could even go back to Animal Farm for instance. But that would be the only way that a book such as Unnatural could be mentioned within the same breath of said institutions. Unnatural #1 is one of the most heavy-handed, low grabbing, and uncomfortable stories I’ve read in a long time if not ever. I’d recommend anyone steers clear of this story unless they’re interested in low quality furry fan-fiction.
Review: Days of Hate #6
By Ben Snyder
Media depends on and reflects or draws inspiration from whatever goes in the outside world around it. What is currently happening in America right now only adds to the power and sheer brilliance that is Days of Hate. Days ago news reports came that ICE and border control were separating children from their parents at the Mexican border and placing these children in crates. Some outlets compared them to internment camps. I only mention this because these real-world struggles are literally only small steps away from the hellhole that Aleš Kot, Danijel Žeželj, and Jordie Bellaire depict in their harrowing, bone-chilling saga that is Days of Hate. Days of Hate #6 ends the first half of the tale with a bang, placing all of our “heroes” in dire and dangerous territory.
Review: The Dead Hand #3
By Ben Snyder
Slowly the iron curtain is starting to be pulled back ever so slightly in The Dead Hand #3. In the third chapter we are introduced to the smooth-talking counterpart of Carter Carlson, who is simply known as Ellis (people sound much cooler when they only go by one name). Kyle Higgins, Stephen Mooney, and Jordie Bellaire continue their triumphant run with another stellar entry into the fledging series. While the other two entries relied on superb endings (this one does too), the third chapter succeeds more so for it’s subtlety as it introduces new characters and agendas, while hinting that it may not be as it seems.
Review: By Night #1
Following his landmark success Giant Days, John Allison begins his new mini-series, By Night and while it may seem a bit too similar to his other works at first, By Night #1 does enough by the end of the chapter to set itself apart. Allison shows a remarkable wealth of knowledge and talent in writing dialogue that could conceivably be spoken in real life, and it’s a highlight of the chapter for sure. It is not a perfect chapter as some of Christine Larsen’s illustrations are a bit lacking, Sarah Stern’s colors can be a little to bland, and Allison’s overall story tends to be so-so; By Night #1 is still a more than respectable story.
Review: Royal City #11
By Ben Snyder
Royal City #11 picks up exactly where it left off prior to its flashback arc; with Patrick and his recently discovered niece awaiting his estranged wife Greta as she joins him in the titular Royal City. It’s hard to give this entry a positive review when it leaves the reader in a state of perpetual malaise. But one hallucinatory character says it best near the end of the chapter, “That’s what this place does to you… leaves you in between.” That is why this chapter is successful; Jeff Lemire is totally in control of the story and flexing his artistic muscles by forcing the reader to join the characters in this semi-purgatorial rotting steel town.
Review: Kill or Be Killed #19
By Ben Snyder
Although, I have been an avid fan of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s Kill or Be Killed so far, there hasn’t quite been an issue that left me saying “what?” until this chapter. Kill or Be Killed #19 obviously signals the eventual series ending with a final page that will leave readers feeling and saying similarly, but it shouldn’t detract or distract from a thoroughly intense albeit dialogue heavy chapter. If there’s one complaint to Ed Brubaker’s style is that he can be a bit too dialogue-heavy and that is very prevalent in this chapter. Despite this, I think teamed up with Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breitweiser, this complaint is soothed a bit, as each cog works together harmoniously to produce another solid issue of Kill or Be Killed.
Review: Skyward #2
By Ben Snyder
While the zero gravity makes common-place earth and its dynamics interesting, the rest of Skywards #2’s script is anything but. Writer Joe Henderson and Artist Lee Garbett attempt to forge forward and examine how no gravity would affect our world and it’s inhabitants, the result is simply not that unique. It feels like a story repeatedly told with so little to differentiate it from the crowd. It’s not unreadable, and it’s not boring, I think the Zero-gravity is more than enough of a hook for right now, but something else will need to change, specifically its main character.
Review: Xerxes: The Fall of The House of Darius and The Rise of Alexander #2
By Ben Snyder
Despite the disappointment I felt last month after reading Xerxes #1, I couldn’t help but feel hopeful for the follow up issue Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and The Rise of Alexander #2. Unfortunately, I am left feeling as thought his series is entirely unnecessary and disappointing. Frank Miller’s script continues to be a slog due to his overused narration and reliance on Greek prayers and feels half finished. Miller’s art however takes it to another level, an extremely poor one. It all collides to create a feeling that this entire endeavor was rushed and unfinished.
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On December 2nd, we unleash LANCER #1, a brutal near-future action thriller. LANCER is ALIENS meets the gig economy: military veterans use an app to hunt dangerous species for cash, until one job beneath New York City hunts them back.