New Comic Reviews!
Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1
Doctor Solar is a comic character from the 1960’s that has recently been revived by Dark Horse Comics and is written by the legendary Jim Shooter and illustrated by artist Dennis Callero.
The story takes place a short while after the death and resurrection of Doctor Solar, which I am hoping will be explained in more detail in later issues. The story begins with him deep in battle with an enemy known as Leviathan, who soon turns out to be the creation of an author, which Shooter fails to really elaborate on. It is inferred that nobody knows that Doctor Solar has returned from his untimely death, and keeping his secret identity away from his loved ones and the public seems to be one of the main topics of this issue. Without ruining any of the issue, it is action packed to say the least. One of the things I liked about the issue was the art of Callero. It reminded me of the art of Mike McKone (Avengers Academy), but a little sloppier, not having that crisp clean feeling that McKone offers, but it was good nonetheless.
One of the main selling points of this issue is that it a 48 page issue for under $4! It is rare that you will get that much material for such a low price these days, so based on that premise alone it should be worth giving it a shot, and to top it off there are no advertisements detracting from the page count. In addition, the issue also features a reprint of a segment of Solar #1 from 1962, chronicling Doctor Solar’s origins. This is extremely useful when helping a new reader understand the character, especially because there are many storyline and origin holes in this new series. I would even recommend giving the reprinted issue a read before trying to tackle the new content. Also, having this extra material really beefs up the issue, making the issue more than worth cover price, so make sure to check it out, it will be worth your time.
7.2 out of 10
The Sixth Gun #1
The Sixth gun is a new series put out by Indy comic company Oni Press. To be honest, I have not really read many Indy comics, except for a few IDW or Image series here and there. But when you read a book from Oni press, you know it’s as Indy as it can be and you are going to be seeing some of the freshest new talent. Writer Cullen Bunn is relatively knew to the comic world, creating his first work in 2006, while artist Brian Hurt is a little better known having done some work with DC a few years back.
With that said, I can firmly say that the amount of time that these guys have been involved with comics clearly shows in this book. It is safe to say that the highlight of this book was not the writing, it was the art. Hurt’s style really compliments this book well, giving it the dark feeling that it needs in order to shoulder the story being told by Bunn. The story is really confusing at first, Bunn sets up multiple story lines but there is no clear break as to where each one stops and starts, which is something, I really didn’t like. It wasn’t until about mid-way through the issue is when everything finally seems to come together. A major set back-story wise is that there is no back-story really, and many of the story lines that were started were left unfinished/were not tied into the main story. I mean it could be like this because issues one and two were released on the same day and Oni Press figured that people would buy the first two issues together? Or maybe it’s a ploy to get the reader to buy the second issue too? All I can say is that it works, because the last few pages are filled with interesting dialogue and events, so I do have a need to know what happens next.
This book definitely has an interesting premise, some very vague characters who have tons of potential to develop, and lots of violence; even though it is slightly less awesome because of the lack of blood during fight scenes. This is a must read for any Indy reader, and if you’re not really into Indy books, you might just want to check it out.
7 out of 10
Walking Dead 75
by Chris Cormier
This was my first time reading this comic, even after I was told by umpteen amounts of people to check out this critically acclaimed series by Robert Kirkman (Marvel Zombies), and after finishing the issue I am seriously thinking about picking up the Walking Dead hard cover that is on sale at Chris’ Comics right now. This landmark 75th issue has some interesting twists included in it. Featuring a special section of the book that fulfills a promise that Kirkman made to the readers way back in issue seven of the series. I’m not going to ruin it though because it is so bizarre. One thing I will say is that it is in full color, which makes it an even greater eye-popping event within this black and white series.
This issue is action packed, not so much with zombie interactions (don’t worry faithful fans, there is still a small amount of zombies getting their heads blown off etc!). The issue revolves around Rick having a confrontation with the Doctor of the non-infected town they are residing, saying that he should be ejected from the town because he has been abusing his family, but since the man is the doctor of the town the mayor questions Rick and the end result is surprising to say the least. This issue is action packed and entertaining for its entirety, it will be interesting to see how this all pans out and affects the roles of all the characters involved.
8 out of 10
True Blood #1
by Chris Cormier
Adaptations of TV shows and movies are often hit or miss, but with the True Blood comic from IDW, it is very mixed. The writing is very close to the TV show, which is because the creator of True Blood, Alan Ball writes the book. Even though it is similar, it just feels foreign in the comic and it shows that some things aren’t meant to be in other forms of media.
As for the art, Messina does an alright job, making some characters look really good, almost identical to the show, while other characters look awful. The major flaw with the art is that it is not consistent at all. Many of the characters look completely different from panel to panel.
The story line that Ball is pursuing is sub-par compared to the ones that are used in the show, which makes me think that maybe these were the stories that were rejected from the network or something. Although the story isn’t great, it weirdly worked for this issue.
The story takes place after season two, which means that if someone who is foreign to the show tried to read the comic they would be horribly lost, which in my opinion can be negative to people who are interested in the series enough to try out the comic, but not to commit to buying HBO. It would also make it more appealing to fans if they gave a specific time period in which the story takes place, giving it more of a place in the timeline of the series.
Overall, the book wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The art wasn’t great, and the story line was mediocre, but it still had that True Blood feeling to it. It will be interesting as to how Ball will tie the comic into the main series, and to how the next few issues will be compared to this one. If you aren’t a hardcore fan, this book can be passed on, but for those people who are literally obsessed, this is a must read.
6 out of 10
Charmed #1
The Charmed comic released by Zenescope comics is trying to jump on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer bandwagon, continuing the series after the show ended four years ago, continuing right where it left off.
Since I don’t know anything about the show, I will focus on the writing style and the art of the issue. Like the True Blood comic, Charmed is very close to the source material because of the writing of Paul Ruditis, one of the creative writers from the original show. This helps with containing continuity, and making it easier for fans to retain familiarity with the dialogue and story content. The dialogue is free flowing and maintains same family drama dynamic that the show emphasized.
The art on the book is a little too generic in my opinion. All of the characters look like Barbie and Ken dolls, looking all too plastic like. Also, the colors look a little too bright and colorful as well, although making it more family oriented with its bright demeanor.
Overall the book was all right, it was no Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it wasn’t horrible. The writing is really what shined in the book, especially since the art wasn’t anything special. People who were fans of the show will be happy to see their favorite characters back in action, especially because it takes place a year and a half after the last episode of the TV series. The characters have evolved, the story has evolved, and seeing this popular series brought back to life so long after its demise is astonishing in its own right. Like any series adaptation, this is a must read for fans, and in this case, maybe even for people who just enjoyed the show, parents and children alike.
6.8 out of 10
Magnus: Robot Fighter
Magnus: Robot Fighter is the second installment of Jim Shooter’s re-birth of classic Gold Key comics from the 1960’s; a few weeks ago I reviewed Dr. Solar issue 1. Although Dr. Solar was good, Magnus was even better. The issue starts out with pure action, in fact the whole issue is almost non-stop robot destruction at the hands of Magnus. Aside from the great action, this issue does a better job of showing Magnus’ background than the first issue of Dr. Solar did with Dr. Solar; the issue features a nice mini story about how 1-A raised Magnus to become the robot-fighting machine he grew to be. The art in the issue had this special feel to it, it made me reminisce of 60’s style art, but it also had that feel of modern day to it too, which was very intriguing. As for the writing, I felt as though Shooter’s story was more retro in its nature, reminding me of comics from the 60’s and keeping the natural feel of the character.
The issue kept an all around good feel to it during its duration, and has a very good ending that will have the reader wanting the second issue to come out. In addition to the action packed first installment of this arc, this issue, like Dr. Solar, had an extra story attached to it that is a re-print of the original Magnus: Robot Fighter from 1963. The issue gives insight as to what has been kept from the old series and what has been changed for the new. All-around, this issue was solid.
8 out of 10
Deadpool 1000
Sadly, it is true. It probably has been roughly 100 issues since Deadpool 900 came out, so of course Marvel thought that it would be awesome to put out a Deadpool 1000. I am not trying to complain, I myself am a Deadpool fan, but I do think that his popularity and Marvel’s obsession with the Merc with a Mouth is getting a little out of hand. Regardless, Marvel put out a great issue with Deadpool 1000, way better than my expectations were set at.
Just looking at this issue caused me to think two positive thoughts. Number one, look at the size of this issue! It’s a HUGE book! And for the cover price of $5, it is definitely worth it. The second thing I noticed was the great wrap around cover by Dave Johnson. I always love seeing his covers, and he never lets me down when it comes to Deadpool (if you haven’t already, check out his connecting covers from Prelude to Deadpool Corps). Then when I opened the issue, I was even more impressed.
The issue is comprised of eleven different Deadpool stories, and surprisingly they are all pretty quality stories, but the first four are easily the best of the group, and sport the biggest names as well. Speaking of talent, I was really surprised at the people Marvel got to write and illustrate the stories for this book. A few mentionable writers are David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Detective), and Rick Remender (Punisher). While the book sports art from big name artists like Paco Medina (X-Men, Deadpool), and Jerome Opena (Punisher).
I was surprised at how quickly this monster issue read, and how interesting it was. I enjoyed some of the more quirky stories such as “Too Many Deadpools” and “A Day in the Life” which took a new view on the Merc with a Mouth. It is always nice to see this much talent put into one issue, and it is rare for every story to be good in an issue that collects short stories (especially when it gets into the double digets). I usually try to not recommend Deadpool comics to people who have never read him before because his ever growing fan base is a little too intense if you ask me, but Deadpool 1000 is a solid issue and should be read by all comic fans.
9.8 out of 10
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors
by Chris Cormier
I remember hearing about this book a few months ago and thinking, another Green Lantern book? But after thinking about it, with Green Lantern being the biggest thing since sliced bread in the DCU why would I be surprised? When I opened this issue today I remembered the real reason I thought the book was out of the blue, it was because the book focuses on Green Lantern Guy Gardner. Although a major player in the Green Lantern universe, it just seems out of place and un-needed that Gardner have his own book, but you cannot always judge a book by its cover, so I opened up and took a look for myself.
One of the first things I noticed when starting this book is that the art is great! Fernando Pasarin (JSA, The Outsiders) has a nice clean look to his art, lots of detail and style, which is definitely needed when it comes to a Green Lantern title. On top of that you have the great story telling of Peter Tomasi (Green Lantern Corps) that does not fail to deliver in this issue.
The story itself has its ups and downs though. Lets get the negatives out of the way first so that we can end on a positive note. Many Green Lantern fans may have noticed by now that they are not able to enjoy any of the Green Lantern books without taking part in the Brightest Day cross over that is occurring right now because of how intertwined the stories are, and with this book there is no exception. The entire story that is occurring in this issue stems off of an event that took place in Brightest Day #0, which I understand that major crossovers effect the other books involved, but not to a degree in which a new reader, or even an older reader in this case cannot enjoy the book. I myself was forced to drop all the Lantern books because I was not a fan of Brightest Day.
Lets switch from this negative attitude to a positive one. This book was not bad at all! Like I said before the art and story were great! The book has the perfect amount of action to information ratio and was a really great first issue. It delve deeper into the pact that was made between Gardner, Ganthet, and Atrocious, as well as shined more light upon why exactly the Blackest Night occurred. It demonstrated the over the top, powerful nature of Guy Gardner and his newly appointed authoritative role in the Green Lantern universe. To top it all of, there is a surprise ending that will leave any Green Lantern fan seriously wanting more!
8 out of 10
Locke and Key #1
By Chris Cormier
Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom is the newest installment to the Locke & Key series from Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. Since I have never read an issue from the Locke and Key series before, but I had always heard that it was great, I was happy to check it out.
The first thing that I think needs to be mentioned about this book is the art of Gabriel Rodriquez. First and foremost, the page layouts he uses are the most unique and interesting page layouts I have ever experienced. Rodriquez uses the middle of the page for his primary art consisting of four equal size squares, while the area around it is used for more graphic and detailed art, it’s astounding to say the least. On top of an awesome page layout Rodriquez’s art has this reminiscent feeling of Charles Shultz (Charlie Brown), even though his art is fairly detailed. I really enjoyed the intricate, yet simple feel to it.
The story by Joe Hill had a perfect contrast to it, showing how the soul of a person can effect their whole being, perfectly balancing a destructive to innocent ratio, which was able to feed both side of my person who looks for a solid story with solid emotion, as well as a good amount of violence as well. Another key aspect of Hill’s writing that I enjoyed was the dialogue he used. It was on par if not better than Brian Michael Bendis (New Avengers), who I consider to be one of the best dialogue writers in the business.
As for the issue itself, the first issue of Keys to the Kingdom is a touching story of childhood, as well as a story of jealousy and rage, a very interesting combo if you ask me. Bode discovers the animal key while in the park one day, and uses it to begin a very touching adventure of fun, love, and death. The story kept me on the edge of my chair the entire time and I was sad to see the issue end.
One of the best parts of this issue was the fact that even though I was a first time reader I was able to pick up on the nature of the characters and the storyline of the series, which is a definite plus. In addition, the story itself was self-contained and even if the reader chose not to read the next issue, there was conflict resolution at the end of the issue. Overall this issue was near perfect, which is why I am giving it a:
10 out of 10
Green Arrow #3
By Chris Cormier
This is the third issue in the newest Green Arrow series released by DC, and is just one of the many titles that is tied into the Brightest Day crossover that has been going on for the last four months. I have had an interest in reading this series for awhile since I really enjoy Green Arrow as a character, but have avoided it due to the fact that I am not reading Brightest Day in any way, shape, or form. I feel as though i would be lost at many points in the story, so I never gave it a chance. Finally after hearing it was a good book from so many people, I decided to suck it up and check it out, and to be honest I was completely wrong, I wasn’t really lost at all.
Issue three starts off after a more than exciting event that took place at the end of issue two; Oliver Queen had been shot in the head, ironically, with an arrow. As our hero lies there thinking he is going to die, a strange, unknown character rescues him. The story contains a lot of backstory, including information about the new character that has been introduced. But the majority of the backstory is about Green Arrows father and the corruption that surrounded him. One of the interesting things that occur in the book is the allusion to the Brightest Day, such as placement of the White Lantern symbol, the strategic use of the word “brightest” and the use of the term giving life. It is quite creative if you ask me.
The writing and art are great in this book. I was a big fan of J.T Krul on the last Green Arrow series, so to see him continue with the character was okay in my opinion. I was even happier to see that Diogenes Neves was working on the book; I was a huge fan of his art on New Mutants, so to see his talent being used in this book made me more than happy. Above all though, the best part of this series is the fact that DC has Mauro Cascioli doing the covers for this series. I loved his work on Cry for Justice and it is really hard to one-up his painted covers.
Overall, this was a great issue. Some downsides are that it is an information issue, so there isn’t a large amount of action, and the main thing that I did not like about this book was that it read too darn fast! But like I said, it was a fun read and is worked on by men of great talent.
8.2 out of 10
X-Men Curse of the Mutants: Storm and Gambit
By Chris Cormier
When it comes to tie-ins for comic book series I always want to read every single additional book I can so I can get the full story, but the majority of the time I cannot justify doing so because most of the stories aren’t anything crucial or even good for that matter, and it just costs too much. But, I decided to pick up Storm and Gambit because of three reasons. 1. The art is done by Chris Bachalo, 2. Its only a one-shot so even if its not great at least I got the full story, and 3. both Storm and Gambit are both great characters.
When I opened the book I was even happier that I picked it up because I quickly learned that this issue was incredibly important to the main storyline and I knew it would be worth the money it cost.
The story centers around Storm and Gambit and a mission they undertake into a secret Vampire lair in order to recover the body of Dracula. Little do they know is that everything is against them and not only are their mutant abilities going haywire, but there is no way they can get back-up from the other X-Men. The story goes on to have many interesting plot twists, and is action packed with exciting and gruesome battles where you get to see Storm in a form you never imagined. On top of it all, its One-Shot length is prefect and really goes from start to finish without a bump in the road.
On top of a great story, the art of Chris Bachalo (Uncanny X-Men, X-Men Legacy) is spectacular in this issue. He really has a style that perfectly fits the dark and dreary atmosphere of Vampires. He also does a great job illustrating the fight scenes, even when there is an overwhelming amount going on in the panels, he never makes them hard to follow or allows them to be jumbled. His art is pure beauty.
Overall this was a great book, and the story really fit perfectly into its One-Shot packaging. I had never read anything by Chuck Kim, but his writing was great and I think that he allowed for great chemistry between Storm and Gambit that really made the issue pop. When it comes to One-Shots and mini-series, comic companies usually slack on whom they have writing and drawing the issues, but with this One-Shot they did the complete opposite and I was very glad to see that. If you are reading Victor Gischler’s X-Men series and any of the other Curse of the Mutants tie-ins then this issue is a must. Don’t miss out.
9.8 out of 10
Veronica #202
By Chris Cormier
To most people this issue of Veronica from Archie Comics just looks like another run of the mill issue, but to comic readers all around the country, it was a milestone issue that many had been waiting for.
This was my first time reading an Archie comic, I always knew that they were these fun, relatable kinds of stories that have been loved by fans for years. Even though I am familiar with the cast of characters in Archie comics, I was afraid that jumping into the franchise on this issue would cause me to feel a little lost, but that was not the case. When I opened up the issue and started reading I felt as though I had been reading these characters stories my whole life. Well, except for the character Kevin Keller, the character that this issue was all about.
What is so special about Kevin Keller one may ask? Well for months it has been known that Archie was going to be introducing the first gay character to ever come to Riverdale, and that character is Kevin Keller.
When I opened the issue I was wondering when, where and how the comic was going to reveal that he is gay and to my surprise, it only took 6 pages! I thought the way they introduced Kevin was really unique, tactful, and comfortable. It is a fun, funny story that kept me interested the whole time. The issue was written in a way that used easy to read words and keeping the sentence structure simple so that a large age group could enjoy it. Also, I really like how Archie Comics have kept the old art style alive, not really deterring from the original style, keeping it simple and classic.
What I really like about this issue is that it reads like a one-shot and if anyone wanted to read this comic they could with relative ease and enjoy the story. I feel as though that Kevin will fit right in with the Archie Universe and will be a popular addition. I am looking forward to how his character will be developed. This is a great read, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
10 out of 10
Morning Glories #1
When picking up Morning Glories I noticed that I had never read anything by the author Nick Spencer, or the artist Joe Eisma so I really had nothing to base my decision off of when picking up this book, aside from hearing it was an interesting new original series.
The series centers on a group of kids who are accepted into Morning Glory Prep, a very prestigious school that attracts students from all over the world.
The beginning of the book starts out with a bang by throwing you into the story without introducing any of the character and really having no clue what is going on. After a couple pages of that, the story reverts to the past and starts to introduce the characters one by one. After about half of the issue was over, I was getting kind of bored with the explanations of the characters, and the long drawn out first interactions with each other and it just seemed like nothing important was really happening, but then I read a little bit more and stuff started to get weird.
After the rooming process happens, that is when the book started to finally get interesting. One of the students, Casey makes an interesting discovery that links all of the characters in the book and as the end of the issue approaches, she learns even more disturbing things about the school, leading up to the craziest part of the issue, the last page. This book leaves the reader with a cliffhanger like no other. It made reading the issue completely worth it and just left me wanting more.
The writing in this issue was very realistic, and I think that Spencer did a great job capturing the personalities of so many different characters in this book, and if he can keep developing them in their different ways, then the remainder of these issues will be just as good script wise. As for the art, I really didn’t feel that Eisma’s art was anything special, I mean don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad or anything there just wasn’t that something that made me think “Wow this guy is amazing!”, but nonetheless it wasn’t a deterrent for the issue.
Overall, Morning Glories did not fall below my expectations. It was actually a little better. Even though at the beginning of the issue I was scared that it was going to be extremely boring, it really made up for it in the end. The one thing I can really relate this issue to is the show LOST. A lot of different interesting characters, many unexplained phenomenon, and cliffhangers like no other. So if you like those kinds of stories then definitely check out Morning Glories.
8.5 out of 10