Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard #1 Written/drawn by David Petersen, Mark Buckingham, Skottie Young, Hannah Christenson Published by BOOM!/Archaia At the June Alley Inn, should you lack the funds to pay for your food, drink, or lodging you can open a tab. Should that tab remain unpaid, the Proprietor will propose a trade. A tale …
HaloGen #1 Written by Josh Tierney Art by Afu Chan Colors by Shelly Chen Published by BOOM! Studios/Archaia Well, A god is dead, anyways. That’s what HaloGen #1 establishes in its opening page: a withered, sprawling space god, Det’Houva, floating in the nothingness of space, scavengers (of a sort) hauling it away. Immediately, we’re introduced to a cult, learn of …
For a comic such as Adventure Time, the writing reflects a maturity in it for adults and humor for children. Hastings stops to reflect on the important role of food in the everyday world and its role in society. Food and cooking in the land of Ooo plays a large role in keeping social order and peace. Without food, the citizens of the Ooo become restless and dangerous. The concept gives readers food for thought.
Feathers #1 Written and drawn by Jorge Corona Published by BOOM! Studios/Archaia If you’re the kind of adult prone to big eye rolls whenever someone praises a kids’ movie because it has a few grown-up jokes wedged in amongst the stultifying cuteness, a cursory flip through the premiere issue of Boom! Studios’ Feathers won’t hold much …
A new arc takes shape in Steven Universe #5 as it explores the dangers of having a yard sale while the Crystal Gems are around. A giant slug (and Pearl to a certain extent) recently destroyed the Beach City Library, so Steven and Connie decide to raise some money and build a new one. Steven and Connie have the noblest of intentions when they gather up junk to sell, and their altruistic nature is in no way linked to Connie’s desire to read the next volume of the Unfamiliar Familiar.
Cullen Bunn is unique. If nothing else can be said about him, he is certainly unique. The Empty Man shows the full extent of Bunn’s ability. The series focuses on two detectives as they struggle to sort out the mystery surrounding a series of suspicious deaths and murders. The deaths are connected by the strange hallucinations experienced by the perpetrators, as well as their last words “The Empty Man made me do it”. The Empty Man is unpredictable because it follows so very few tropes. Nothing like this series has been seen before, and readers will be asking themselves the same question over and over: Who is the Empty Man? (Or “What the F*ck?”).
2014 was an incredibly rewarding year to be a comics reader. Veteran creators, like Grant Morrison, Kurt Busiek, and Matt Wagner continued to churn out some of the best work of their career while new creators, like Noelle Stevenson, Babs Tarr, and Tula Lotay had very strong starts. Marvel and DC published their fair share of events, including Original Sin, …
Bravest Warriors: Paralyzed Horse Giant “Jellyfish Beach”: Written by James Tynion IV and Illustrated by Erica Henderson “Flies”: Written and Illustrated by Kat Leyh “Got Your Back”: Written and Illustrated by Tessa Stone “Paralyzed With Hunger”: Written and Illustrated by Pranas T. Naujokaitis “Outside the Realm of Time”: Written by Mairghread Scott and Illustrated by …
Over the first arc of Lumberjanes, it’s been slowly revealed that the reason for the strange happenings at the Camp for Hardcore Lady Types is a sibling squabble between the twin gods Artemis (or Diane as she is called in the comic) and Apollo. Jo is somehow connected to these characters as well, which was revealed in Lumberjanes #7. And Lumberjanes #8 is the huge payoff after all these reveals. Writers Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis continue to give each Lumberjane a unique voice as a character, and each of them (including camp counselor Jen) play a pivotal role in the final battle against/with Diane, Apollo, and an army of rabid Boy Scouts.
Adventure Time has always had a seemingly loose continuity filled with standalone stories that becomes woven together over the course of the series. Bitter Sweets, published by Boom! Studios, feels no different.
Imagine someone else wrote the story of your life, determined your character traits, and threatened to wipe your memories should you decide to deviate from your path. This is the world Little Red Riding Hood (Red) and Woof (The Big Bad Wolf) find themselves fleeing in Fairy Quest: Outcasts.
Over the Garden Wall Special #1 Created & Written by: Pat McHale Illustrated by: Jim Campbell Colors by: Danielle Burgos Publisher: Boom! Studios Acting as a companion to the mini-series that aired Nov. 3-7 on Cartoon Network, Over the Garden Wall Special #1 gives readers the chance to see some of the off-screen shenanigans that Wirt …
The Jim Henson Company is no stranger to incredible storytelling, and this year they’ve revived The Storyteller. Originally an American/ British mini-series from the late 1980’s, The Storyteller featured an old storyteller who retold European folk tales to his rather sarcastic dog. This year The Storyteller seeks out folk tales that center on witches from the world over.
You are reading this review on a laptop, smartphone, tablet… some sort of personal computing device. How did you get here? What else is dancing, pulsing on the outer rim of this review and where will you click to next? How long have you been at it, staring at this screen in front of you? We live in a world overrun with social-networking, buzzfeeds, text messages, viral videos. Earlier today I received one of those “have you seeeen the [insert trending pic/vid/etc*]?” Commonplace in 2014, but James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan’s new limited series Memetic serves up a somewhat cautionary tale on the new normal.
It is a very wonderful thing for the artwork of Italian artist Sergio Toppi to exist in our world, his brilliance extremely evident upon the first few pages of The Collector: this beautiful release by Archaia through BOOM! Studios. The Collector is the only single English translated release of Toppi’s works that is available at the moment. Beforehand, the artwork could leave a lasting impression within the French or Italian editions, but now, the words of Toppi can be shared in English alongside his great visuals.
Children’s stories are darker than we realize. A lot darker. Fiction Squad takes this notion and runs with it straight into arms of crime. Written by Paul Jenkins, Fiction Squad is considered to be a sequel of sorts to Fairy Quest. Both comics take place in the larger world of Fablewood, a land where stories take on a life of their own. Jenkins’ third successful Kickstarter project, Fiction Squad holds a magnifying glass up to some classic tales in order to reveal the gritty reality lurking beneath the surface of “Once upon a time.”
Sirens #1 Written and drawn by George Perez Colors by Leonardo Paciarotti Published by BOOM! Studios One of my favorite things about George Perez as an artist other than the consistent quality of his lines is his ability to draw group shots where all the characters have a unique face, body shape, and usually costume. This is why he was the king …
Translucid #5 Written by Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert Art by Daniel Bayliss Published by Boom! Studios I’m gonna miss this comic once it’s gone. It has been one of the best superhero comics I’ve read in a while, simple because it is bringing something new to the genre. Issue #5 of Translucid continues dissecting …
As everyone knows, Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop is a science fiction classic, but after two terrible sequels and a middle-of-the-road reboot, the character hasn’t had much success outside the initial film. Thankfully things may be changing with BOOM! Studios’ new ongoing Robocop series by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Carlos Magno. Taking place directly after the …
This is the first issue where I’ve felt really drawn in by the comic. Something about the last two issues held the reader at bay while the series offered clues as to what was really going on. Now that we’ve amassed enough information and established enough context, the story is really coming together.
Black Market is a comic book with an interesting premise. Superhuman DNA is extremely valuable, and a few people are making a living by stealing it right out of the superheroes. The artwork has a charming retro feel to it, along with the design of the superheroes, and the book’s first issue promises a good story in subsequent installments.
Translucid #4 is another chapter in the history of the Navigator, and demonstrates the way that the Navigator has used his superheroics to ignore all of his own problems for far too long. Translucid continues to be a brilliant critique of the superhero genre and the characters that make it up.
Big Trouble In Little China #2 beats the sophomore slump and proves that the first issue wasn’t a fluke. As far a movie licenses go, this one is top notch.