Tag Archives: archie

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 7/27

Posted on by

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews.

Logan

House of X #1 (Marvel) Jonathan Hickman’s back at Marvel with big ideas cobbled together from the Grant Morrison, Fraction/Gillen, and even some of Mark Millar’s Ultimate X-Men and Alan Davis’ work at the end of the 1990s. But his biggest influence seems to be the nation of Israel circa 1948, which makes it even more intriguing that Holocaust survivor, Magneto, gets the lion’s share of the action and speech-ifying. In House of X #1, Hickman and artists Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia have created a wide-ranging sandbox of concepts and organizations that have the potential to revitalize the X-Men line of comics. The mutant vs human struggle isn’t (For the most part.) through the usual fisticuffs, but through espionage, diplomacy, corporate restructuring, and yes, the problem of our age: healthcare. House of X #1 did its job in hooking me into sampling more of Hickman and company’s world. It even had some excellent grace notes like Hickman’s design pages that filled out backstory and exposition in a visually interesting way, and his writing of Cyclops as an ultracompetent, unapologetic badass. The panel composition where he stares down Reed Richards will be stuck in my mind for a bit and is, in a sense, Hickman throwing down the gauntlet at of his old characters/runs. Overall: 9 Verdict: Buy

Dark Red #5 (Aftershock) Dark Red #5 marks the end of Tim Seeley and Corin Howell’s first arc in their vampire epic meets satire of states that vote red, wear red MAGA hats, and yes, bleed red in a gory, action-packed issue. Throughout the storyline, Seeley and Howell have done a fantastic job of fleshing out the backstory of protagonist, Chip Ipswich, a WWII veteran turned kinda good guy vampire/convenience worker. He gets to give a big speech to a bunch of Nazi redneck vampires about how their leader, like Hitler, saw them as cannon fodder to create a new world order and used their white supremacy and insecurities to gain power and cause havoc. And then Howell illustrates a fun one page spread of him biting, wounding, and killing various Nazi vampires. Where the story struggles is its structure as Seeley sets up a romance between Chip and a Native American woman named Evie, who becomes a vampire in the issue, but then he immediately separates them after their big moment. The next arc will focus on her in Chicago and Chip in the small town, and honestly, Chip’s letters have less emotional resonance than the touches and glances they share thanks to Howell’s art. But it’s nice to see a story where a character actually tries to change their rural, hateful settings instead of running away so kudos for that. Overall: 8.3 Verdict: Buy

Joe Ryan

House of X #1 (Marvel) – Wow. What a first issue. Hickman on story, Larraz on art and Marte Garcia on colors give me everything I wanted on this book and so much more. I have been a massive X-Men since I began reading comics, and while this is very different, it is very good. Hickman is a master at high level event stories and setting up all kinds of dimension and time threads while keeping the overall plot moving forward. His Avengers run, FF, and Secret Wars are some of my favorite modern Marvel stories. This is a heck of a first issue. Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

History of the Marvel Universe #1 (Marvel) – I think Waid did a great job the story (which is really a Marvel history lesson). Rodriguez and Lopez also did a fantastic job showing all of the characters Marvel has had over the years. This is a fantastic book for any new or old Marvel fan. It is a lot of fun to go through and see all of the characters and depth this universe has. At times I felt like I was looking at some of Kirby’s own work with the art, and that made me smile. Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Valkyrie #1 (Marvel) – I was excited when I saw Ewing and Arron were writing this book together. I really enjoyed Jane Foster’s run as Thor and love what Aaron does on the book and Ewing on most of his work. I thought the issue was a solid first issue, but I wanted a bit more from it. I do think they felt the need to summarize some things for new readers, so I think that took away from some of the story that we get by the end. The set up was solid and I am excited to see what happens going forward. The art by Cafu and Aburtov was great with bright colors and great panel work. Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Buy

Guardians of the Galaxy #7 (Marvel) – Donny Cates loves to torture his characters. There were parts of this issue that made me uncomfortable, and at multiple moments I thought he was going to do some shocking things (even for him). I won’t spoil if he did or didn’t do those things. The art by Cory Smith and colors by David Curiel did a great job showing the action and big set piece moments. There are times when this comic felt like a horror title, and for that, I really enjoyed it. Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Batman: Curse of the White Knight #1 (DC) – I really enjoyed the first run of the White Knight elseworlds tale by Sean Murphy, and this issue only made me enjoy it even more. You should get the first White Knight book in trade so you know what happened, or at least get a summary online, because going into this will confuse you. The art is fantastic, and the story is mostly different enough from the same old Batman/Joker dynamic we’ve seen for ages. I love the ending and the set up to what is to come should be crazy and fun. Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Shean

Sword Master #1 (Marvel) – In what I see as a lead up to Shang Chi’s big screen reveal, we meet a character that is part of his universe. We meet Lin Lie whose father and brother has gone missing thanks to a gang of grave robbers. As he seeks the truth from them, he uncovers even more mysteries connected to their disappearance. By issue’s end, Shang Chi makes his entrance, looking for the sword and so does an unlikely and powerful threat. Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy

Valkyrie Jane Foster #1 (Marvel) – In a rather introspective debut issue, we fet a conflicted titular hero. As she stops a gang of supervillains, one of them dies by mysterious causes. Meanwhile, at her day job, it seems as though her focus is split,leaving her supervisor and coworkers to doubt in her abilities. By issue’s end, in a quest for answers, she goes back to the Asgardian Halls of the Dead, where a powerless villain who has somehow wielded magic is behind all the chaos. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Age of Conan: Belit #5 (Marvel) – In what is a spectacular finale, we finally get a hero that can stand toe to toe with Conan, as we find a woman hell bent on conquering the world by sea and invasion. As this issue feels like they kept the best for lastas compared to the rest of the series, this is the level they should have been operating thr whole time. I can’t quite recommend the series on this issue alone but if you want a strong narrative, this is it. By issue’s and series end, the reader will gladly follow Belit anywhere she leads. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Borrow

Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).

Preview: Archie #706

Posted on by

ARCHIE #706 (ARCHIE & SABRINA PT. 2)

Script: Nick Spencer, Mariko Tamaki
Art: Jenn St-Onge, Matt Herms, Jack Morelli
Cover: Veronica Fish
Variant Covers: Rebekah Isaacs, Stephen Mooney
On Sale Date: 7/24
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

Archie and Sabrina are the hottest couple in Riverdale—but how did their whirlwind romance come to be? This issue introduces readers to the history of their magical love story, as we welcome special co-writer Mariko Tamaki to the Archie universe!

ARCHIE #706

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 7/20

Posted on by

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews.

Joe Hesh

Batman #75 (DC Comics) ** This is it. The big story that Tom King has been building to since Batman #1 and what we’ve determined is… he likes Bane. He likes him a LOT. Now I’m a big Bane fan too and love the original Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan version but I feel like we’ve seen everything to do with Bane and what he can offer but i was wrong. This issue opens up with the two most unlikely detectives of all time with Joker and Riddler. Riddler works for me as he was a PI in Paul Dini’s Detective run and the Joker? Well it’s just batshit and I love it. Couple it in with Hugo Strange as Commissioner and you have an opening to a badass elseworlds tale right? Wrong. This is all canon. It’s all happening. The gist is Thomas Wayne survived the fight with Bruce in the pit last issue and not only survived, but he won. Which is very cool because Thomas is a great dark Batman. So basically what we get here is Bane runs Gotham completely now, which the title is City of Bane so yeah. It works so well as the bad guys are now self imposed “good guys” doing Batman’s job and doing it well. There are a lot of great touches such as the Ventriloquist being the Alfred to Thomas’ Batman and him surgically taking down Two Face. Really really cool stuff. The art is crisp as per usge from Tony Daniel as he thrives on a Batman title. So the first issue gives us a lot of questions but a lot to look forward to. This certainly feels all new. I can’t wait to see more and where the hell is Damian and Gordon here? Hopefully all those questions get answered next Bat Time. Overall: Fantastic opening and very intriguing premise. Great art and moves along strikingly. Score: 9 Verdict: Buy

Elana

War Scrolls #2 (Marvel) Yes it’s late but I finally got my hands on # War Scrolls issue with Anthony Oliveira, Nick Robles, and Cris Peter’s story “My Drag Brunch with Loki”. It’s one of the top two back-up stories of 2019. So happy to see these voices in Marvel making art about morality, symbolism, family, what friends owe each other & of course drag queens, all rooted in canon. Featuring a drag brunch from people who’d know. Dante’s Inferno (because of course Anthony) and Billy and Teddy actually styled like gay men (because of course Nick Robles). More comics about LGBTQ characters by LGBTQ creators. We do it best. The rest of the issue is good too. I hadn’t read the series thus far and it still all made sense thanks to strong writing and a good In Last Issue page. Verdict: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Jughead’s Time Police 1 & 2 (Archie)Unlike every other reader of American Comics I didn’t read Archie comics as a kid. Since the relaunch I’ve dipped my toes in and out of various titles. Seeing Sina Grace’s name as writer on this series piqued my interest. What would this acclaimed newish queer voice in comics bring to the newish queer-er Archie world? Derek Charm’s art combines the classic Archie look with a modern aesthetic. It reminds me of a less zany Ericka Henderson and more zany Elsa Charretier. Regardless it’s fun, funny and pretty. The comic’s Many jokes earth their chuckles. Pop culture references are written by someone who knows what’s up, and the twist was something I did not guess and that I’m excited to read more about next month. It’s a fun comic. 

Logan

Blade Runner 2019 #1 (Titan)** After the bloated, yet beautiful mythology of Blade Runner 2049, writers Michael Green and Mike Johnson and artist Andres Guinaldo return to its film noir roots as mysterious Los Angeles blade runner Ash looks for the missing child and wife of a corporate magnate, who have mysteries all of their own. There is definitely an Euro-comic influence to Guinaldo’s visuals with boxy panels as Ash searches the rain drenched streets of L.A. for leads for her case occasionally punctuated by a gorgeous, thickly inked splash page of this alternate present world. Green and Johnson also give us a pretty good idea of Ash’s personality and vulnerabilities even if the narration is overbearing at times. Obviously, this comic isn’t as good as the classic film, but it’s a compelling side story for fans of the franchise like myself, who want to explore more of the nooks and crannies of this rich vision of the future. Having Syd Mead, who did the concept art for both Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, be the cover artist is a nice treat too. Overall: 7.7 Verdict: Read

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #1 (DC) This was such a fun, zippy read that the final page was unexpected. Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber create comedy gold in Jimmy Olsen #1 beginning with a fantastic satire of New Amsterdam/New York and the birth of America in general, finding some slapstick along the way, and finishing it up with a side of deadpan reaction shots and panels. Along the way, they reinvent Superman’s inexplicable BFF for the Buzzfeed era with some hilarious moments like Perry White realizing that Jimmy’s “viral” shenanigans are the only reason people click on articles from the Daily Planet and the grudging respect he gets from Planet publisher/crime kingpin Ms. Leone. Fraction and Lieber structure the comic like a series of short vignettes that are high energy, joke packed, and easy to follow. This breezy, free wheeling feel makes Jimmy Olsen #1 one of my favorite debuts of 2019, and I can’t wait to see where Fraction and Lieber take Superman’s pal next. Overall: 9.3 Verdict: Buy

Loki #1 (Marvel) After the events of War of the Realms, Loki is now the king of Jotunheim, and Daniel Kibblesmith and Oscar Bazaldua show what he does with his newfound kingdom, namely, delegate, come up with solutions straight out of the Hebrew Bible, and of course, piss off Thor. Bazaldua nails the half-mocking, half-serious tone of the first page which is a recap of Loki’s recent history while also roasting his new status quo. This flow throughout the first issue, which has funny moments and little adventures, but doesn’t find its focus until Kibblesmith via Thor lays some connective tissue to Kieron Gillen’s excellent work on Journey into Mystery. It introduces some much needed consequences to the story without getting rid of the jokes that are mostly Loki trying to be good, but ending up trickster-y. Honestly, this comic is worth reading for the snowman sidekick alone. Disney should take notes for the next Frozen installment. Overall: 8 Verdict: Buy

Shean

Ghost Panther Annual #1 (Marvel) In a world of Mashups this is a story that will bewilder and spellbind. As we Johnny Blaze or T’ Challa in the midst of being killed by Bushman The Hunter, but as we soon find out his powers are immense, making his escape and inevitable defeat of said villain, a mere turn. As the Defenders gather, Captain Peace a cross between Captain Nova and Captain Marvel, brings their attention to the Martian Invasion, Ghost Panther assumes the difficult task of hiding the Time Diamond. By issue’s end,the Defenders get an unexpected surprise by another superhero team from another Universe. Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

Star Wars Age of Rebellion: Captain Phasma #1 (Marvel) In a story surrounding one do the Star Wars Universe’s most mysterious characters, we get a tale that shows what is really beneath that armor. As we find Phasma leading a battalion where casualties are far too regular. A brave Stormtrooper stands up to her which Phasma admires and makes her, second in command. By issue’s end, we find out that Phasma truly believes that Stormtroopers are mere necessary casualties, as no one is above the mission.Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

Wolverine Vs Blade Special #1 (Marvel) – I will keep this one sweet and short. GO BUY NOW!!! The art by Wilkins alone is rather impressive with shades of influence from Alex Ross and Jim Lee. If that is not your cup of tea, than the story of a vampire cult turning mutants into vampires which both Wolverine and Blade with the help of Doctor Strange must find and destroy. Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 6/15

Posted on by

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews.

Ryan C

Silver Surfer: Black #1 (Marvel) **– There’s no sadder statement on the current state of comics than the fact that more readers seemed excited by the prospect of Donny Cates WRITING the Silver Surfer than they were about Tradd Moore DRAWING the Silver Surfer. Well, this first issue should shovel dirt on the notion that the writer is the “star” of this book, because Cates serves up an absolute go-nowhere mediocrity of a script, while Moore absolutely kills it with his mind-boggling, phantasmagoric art. A visual feast and a literary snooze that loses two full points for Cates’ nauseating postscript page where he says than the Surfer was “Stan Lee’s favorite of all his creations.” News flash, “company man” Cates : Lee had nothing to do with creating the Surfer and even said he was surprised to first see him inserted into a story and wondered who he was and how and why Jack Kirby came up with him — then, of course, he went on to take credit for creating him anyway. Confused overall score for this one: 3. Recommendation: Buy it anyway, but solely for the art. And fuck anyone who says Jack Kirby didn’t create the Silver Surfer — or pretty much the rest of the entire Marvel universe, for that matter.

The King

The Immortal Hulk #19 (Marvel) ** – I have no idea how Al Ewing and Joe Bennett are managing to maintain such a high standard on a book that comes out twice a month, but damn if they aren’t doing precisely that, and this issue sees more of the horrific transformation of Betty Ross counter-balanced with a hell of a fight between the big green guy and the latest iteration of The Abomination. Solid script, spectacular art, consistently one of the best “Big Two” comics around. Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Detective Comics #1005 (DC) ** – About the best you can say for the poorly-conceived and incompetently-scripted “Medieval” storyline is that, hey, at least as of this issue it’s finally over. Brad Walker’s art remains nice, but Peter J. Tomasi just embarrassed himself with this arc, and ends it with his most poorly-written issue yet, loaded with cumbersome expository dialogue, wooden characterization, and the most dull-as-dry-toast “climax” you’ll ever see. Overall: 1 Recommendation: Pass

Event Leviathan #1 (DC) ** – I guess in order to understand what the fuck is going on here, you need to have purchased that absurd 10 dollar “Superman” lead-in book a few weeks back, and since I didn’t — I was extremely hard pressed to find any reason to buy into the proceedings in this book. Alex Maleev’s art is nice, but Brian Michael Bendis writes his DC characters just like he wrote his Marvel characters, which is to say — not very well at all, and interchangeably. No need to ride out this one, as it seems exceptionally lousy even by the low standards we all have for these “crossover” events. Overall: 3 Recommendation: Pass

Logan

Jughead’s Time Police #1 (Archie)– Sina Grace and Derek Charm remind readers that Archie isn’t just a horror publisher in Jughead’s Time Police, which features the wacky humor of the late, great Jughead ongoing with a sci-fi twist. The premise is that Jughead wants to go back in time to add a special ingredient to his lemon meringue pie so he isn’t disqualified from the contest. Of course, it goes horribly wrong. (That’s what you get when your dog ends up doing all the math/physics part.) Charm continues to show why he’s one of the most underrated comics artists with his aesthetically pleasing, cartoonish art style, and Grace nails the brisk slice of life pace of the first issue. This is probably the first Archie comic to mention Jenny Lewis. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy

Shean

Silver Surfer Black #1( Marvel) I will keep this one sweet and short. For the most part, this book really feels Blah. This script reads like an acid trip with Silver Surfer doing a crap load of brooding. The art by Moore is a gem though, as every character looks new especially Beta Ray Bill and definitely Silver Surfer whose look got the gloss finish that you would think he would have in real life. Overall, I would wait for the TPB. Overall: 5 Recommendation: Wait for the Trade

Star Wars Age of Rebellion Luke Skywalker #1 (Marvel) In a tale where Luke Skywalker’s path as a Jedi is tested, he becomes who we see in The Last Jedi. As he is sent on a mission where the Emperor sees it as prime opportunity to turn him to the dark side. As he leans into the same rage as Anakin more than a few times but never gives in completely. By issue’s end, he and his commanding officer save a colony and he gives all the credit to him. Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

Joe Ryan

Silver Surfer Black #1 (Marvel) – When you give me Donny Cates and Tradd Moore, you’ve got my interest. Add Silver Surfer, and you’ve raised my interest. This book is a crazy yet beautiful psychedelic trip through space with the usual Donny Cates tense cliffhangers that makes you want the next issue right away. The way this book connects to another book of his by the end is exciting. Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

The Immortal Hulk #19 (Marvel) – Ewing and Bennett keep raising the bar on the insane story between the covers of this comic. This book steps on the gas even harder and by the end crashes and burns in the best way. The final page had my eyes wide and my mouth opened in shock. Another must buy. Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

The Batman Who Laughs #6 (DC) – Snyder had one of my favorite Batman runs on his New 52 run. This continues his over the top “the world is going to end”, destroy everything style in great fashion. This is straight out of Snyder’s Metal event, and follows that craziness with the fantastic artist who did Black Mirror with him, Jock. One more issue to go! Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).

Preview: Archie #705

Posted on by

ARCHIE #705 (ARCHIE & SABRINA PT 1)

Script: Nick Spencer
Art: Sandy Jarrell, Matt Herms, Jack Morelli
Cover: Veronica Fish
Variant Covers: Tyler Boss, Elsa Charretier
On Sale Date: 6/12
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

ARCHIE AND SABRINA starts here! A new era begins as the enchanting romance between Archie and Sabrina intensifies! But what does that mean for everyone else in Archie’s life?

ARCHIE #705 (ARCHIE & SABRINA PT 1)

Archie & Sabrina Begins in Archie #705

Posted on by

ARCHIE #705: ARCHIE AND SABRINA 1 (of 5)

Script: Nick Spencer
Art: Sandy Jarrell, Matt Herms, Jack Morelli
Cover: Veronica Fish
Variant Covers: Tyler Boss, Elsa Charretier
On Sale Date: 6/12
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

ARCHIE AND SABRINA starts here! A new era begins as the enchanting romance between Archie and Sabrina intensifies! But what does that mean for everyone else in Archie’s life?

ARCHIE #705

Preview: Archie #704

Posted on by

ARCHIE #704

Script: Nick Spencer
Art: Sandy Jarrell, Matt Herms, Jack Morelli
Cover: Veronica Fish
Variant Covers: Sandy Jarrell, Matthew Dow Smith
On Sale Date: 5/8
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

Jughead has a mystery to solve. But every question he thinks he finds an answer to only leads to more questions. Does everyone in Riverdale have something to hide?

ARCHIE #704

Jughead digs in to the Mantle Mystery in this advance preview of Archie #704!

Posted on by

ARCHIE #704

Script: Nick Spencer
Art: Sandy Jarrell, Matt Herms, Jack Morelli
Cover: Veronica Fish
Variant Covers: Sandy Jarrell, Matthew Dow Smith
On Sale Date: 5/1
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

Jughead has a mystery to solve. But every question he thinks he finds an answer to only leads to more questions. Does everyone in Riverdale have something to hide?

ARCHIE #704

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 3/23

Posted on by

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews.

Ryan C

Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt #3 (Dynamite) **– Forget “Doomsday Clock,” Kieron Gillen and Casper Wijngarrd’s entirely unofficial “Watchmen” sequel is superior in every way, and this issue raises the stakes, includes some terrific (if obvious) “Easter eggs,” and regales us with sleek, stylish art, a pacy script, and one hell of a cliffhanger. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Freedom Fighters #4 (DC)** – This series is turning into my very own slow-motion car wreck, with me in the role of nosy-ass bystander. Robet Venditti sure doesn’t do subtle, as the first page features a Nazi soldier shooting a bald eagle, and it only gets more lame and ridiculous from there, with Uncle Sam rising from the grave in the Alan-Moore-without-the-brains “extradimensional realm of ideas,” while on Earth our heroes blow up the Hitler head on the new Forth Reich version of Mount Rushmore. Eddy Barrows really turns in some nice art, but it’s utterly wasted on this laughably stupid script. Overall: 2 Recommendation: Pass. I purchased my copy because I’m a glutton for punishment.

Invaders #3 (Marvel)** – I’m actually really liking this series so far, and this is probably the best issue yet, with the ever-morally-ambiguous Namor’s plans sort of coming into view in Chip Zdarsky’s script while artist Carlos Magno turns in his typical nicely-detailed work. Nothing Earth-shattering is going on here, but it’s competent and involving comic book storytelling that’s worth at least a look, if not four bucks of your money. Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read

Black Hammer: Age Of Doom #9 (Dark Horse)** – After getting off track a little bit, Jeff Lemire is righting course here in this issue, as our heroes — or a couple of them, at any rate — fight to break free of yet another alternate reality, one in which they’re powerless and amnesiac for the most part. Dean Ormston’s art is, of course, spectacular, and all indications are that this series will be again on the whole quite soon. Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Shean

Spider-Man Far From Home Prelude #1(Marvel)** – This book, I really can’t say too much about, as anyone who has watched Spider-Man Homecoming, will definitely have dejavu, as this is a Cliff Notes comic book version of the movie, an almost direct Telegraph of the movie. Either way, it probably what most of us comic book readers hate about comic book adaptations, though story still is decent. Overall: 6.7 Recommendation: Borrow

Joe Ryan

Daredevil #3 (Marvel) – Zdarsky on writing and Checcetto on pencils were meant for this book, and this character. The pacing, and excellent storytelling from Zdarsky are top notch, and the comic is accessible for long time readers or fans of the Netflix show. Checcetto’s panel work is great. It can’t be easy to showcase how Matt senses his foes, but this book nails it in such a unique way, and that is also in part due to Sunny Gho’s excellent color work. Great job all around. I love this book. Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Avengers: No Road Home #7 (Marvel) – This book is a summer blockbuster, and it is a blast. It is a quick but action packed read. Zub, Ewing, and Waid do a great job on the story, and balance the writing duties well. There isn’t a moment where I can tell the writing apart, and its very fluid. The art by Paco Medina and Jesus Aburtov balances the fantastical story somewhere between a classic animated film and traditional comic book well. The covers by Yasmine Putri have been excellent. This is a wild ride, and even with them throwing Conan in, it works, and works well. Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

The Amazing Spider-Man #18 (Marvel) We are already on issue #18? Wow this book has flown by. For the most part, I am enjoying The Hunted arc, and what Nick Spencer is doing with Kraven is different enough to work. Ramos on art gives that familiar Spidey art we know, and it’s good, with his usual proportion defying character models. The event has been entertaining, and I am hoping for a big solid finale, because that is something Spidey events, have been lacking in my opinion. Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Buy

Heroes in Crisis #7 (DC) – This book is often times very controversial, and I am definitely a Tom King fan overall. This story is one that I do believe will be best read collected in trade, as it’s a slow pace, and has a lot of deception going on as far as the storytelling goes. I did like this issue overall, and we got some strong hints something else is going on, and Clay Mann is a beast on art. Especially that Heroes In Crisis spelt in flowers with Wally standing over them. Wow. Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Read In Trade

Detective Comics #1000 (DC) It’s hard to grade an issue like this. It’s really an anthology and a celebration of 80 years of the most famous superhero of all time. But, it costs $10, so I will share my thoughts! The stories in the book are solid overall, with some standouts. There are many covers to pick from, and there are some great ones. I personally love the Jock and Michael Cho covers. The final story which will be the one that continues was a solid tease of The Arkham Knight (from Rocksteady’s game of the same name), and I am definitely hyped for what happens next. Tomasi and Mahnke have done a great job on the series, and I can’t wait to see who is under the mantle this time. I would say to buy this, because it’s the 1000th issue of a comic. That is a crazy feat that DC, and all of these creators should be very proud of. Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Logan

Bad Luck Chuck #1 (Dark Horse)– Lela Gwenn, Matthew Dow Smith, and Kelly Fitzpatrick turn in an entertaining piece of speculative fiction about a woman named Chuck, who has an artifact that allows her to be a walking disaster. She’s a “cash in the insurance” rabbit’s foot for dozens of laundromats and parents whose kids got into cults all across the country. However, an investigator is finally on her trail (and think she’s a serial arsonist) adding tension to the mix although Gwenn and Smith use the first issue to let Chuck do her thing. Smith and Fitzpatrick’s visuals are very noir, which works for the criminal investigative type plotline and Chuck’s mysterious background. This is definitely the best magical artifact Dark Horse comic since The Mask. Overall: 8 Verdict: Buy

Action Comics #1009(DC)- In the last arc, Brian Michael Bendis crafted a Superman crime story, and in this one, he and Steve Epting are crafting a Superman spy story. They have a little bit of glee having Superman fly around the world connecting dots and give an all too short glimpse at the Question. But the real fun is the interactions between Lois Lane and Amanda Waller aka lots of arguing and even a punch. Bendis and Epting use them to ask the question of who is there to protect the DC Universe when all these secret organizations like ARGUS, the DEO, and Spyral all fry out. Epting’s art is smooth, yet shadowy and sucks all the bright, hopeful parts of Superman out. Also, he gets a chance to draw the dinosaur in the Batcave. This issue, and “Leviathan” in general, is proof that you can tell a dark Superman story without neck snapping and angst; just put him in a genre that he’s not super experienced in. Or is he. Overall: 8.6 Verdict: Buy

Sabrina The Teenage Witch #1 (Archie)– Kelly Thompson, Veronica Fish, and Andy Fish’s take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch is an occasionally pleasing mix of high school soap opera and current Archie horror. It starts with a horned monster in the woods and then cuts to Salem being grumpy (and talking) and waking Sabrina up. Thompson takes a lot of pages out of the early seasons of Buffy playbook connecting metaphorical monsters to real ones and the temptation of using one’s powers to make high school a little easier. However, there’s some clever and sweet writing here and there like her traditional love interest Harvey seeing her white hair in the sun even though she’s turned it blonde with a glamor. The Fishes’ art is also expressive and suitably dark when horror monsters grow up and gives the cast of character a range of body types, hairstyles, and clothing choices plus a unique color palette whenever magic is used. And the art is the real draw of a story that is really middling monster of the week stuff. Overall: 7 Verdict: Read

Age of X-Man: X-Tremists #2 (Marvel)– On the tin, it’s an alternate universe event tie-in, but in Age of X-Man: X-Tremists #2, Leah Williams, Georges Jeanty, and Roberto Poggi have given readers a full fledged slow burn romance comic. In a world where attachments are forbidden, Blob has strong feelings for Psylocke, and she’s psychic so she knows. Williams gives him a beautiful speech about unrequited love and makes him a three dimensional character, who is basically a rock of of the exercise in bureaucracy that is Department X and also loves books and art. On the other hand, Psylocke thinks she is a good, understanding person, but keeps a pregnant woman in the basement so she can keep up appearances with her superiors, the X-Men. This comic is a giant rush of moral dilemmas and forbidden love and basically all the feels filled parts of X-Men with no filler. I’m still not 100% sold on the art, but Jeanty and Poggi’s facial expressions and character acting are decent. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).

Preview: Archie #703

Posted on by

ARCHIE #703

Script: Nick Spencer
Art: Sandy Jarrell, Matt Herms, Jack Morelli
Cover: Marguerite Sauvage
Variant Covers: Tula Lotay, Chip Zdarsky
On Sale Date: 3/20
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

Archie is in love! Yes, again. But this time his newfound romance has the whole town whispering. Who is this mystery lady, and how the heck did this happen?

« Older Entries Recent Entries »