Tag Archives: bryan valenza

Review: Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1

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Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1

When life becomes too much, most of us find some sort of coping mechanism. Others will seek out outlets for escape. Others focus on doing work to distract themselves. Some of us go to the gym to work our frustrations out. Never do we stop to think about how those challenges shape us. We’re often just happy to get through it, but never really appreciate the journey we’ve gone through. Sometimes we do indeed fall and can find it difficult to get back up. In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1, we find Miles fighting his worst foe, one that will change him forever.

In the debut issue, we’re taken to New York City where Scorpion is creating havoc in Midtown, putting civilians in danger, leaving Miles to rescue one woman out of harm’s way. This leads to a battle royale between the two  and a convenient run in with Damage Control, which makes Miles questions his whole purpose for being a superhero. Meanwhile at school, he gets into trouble with a teacher, leading a few days suspension, which gives him a moment to have heart to heart talk with his parents about his many struggles, and how much hurts because of them. By the issue’s end, he senselessly beats Bumbler, learns that he needs to refocus his energy and finds one damsel in distress was actually a fly in the ointment.

Overall, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 feels like the most personal story of Miles Morales that we have seen so far. The story is Ziglar is spectacular. The art by the creative team is amazing. Altogether, this will gain new fans and affirm old fans of why they love miles Morales in the first place.

Story: Cody Ziglar Art: Federico Vicentini
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle

Get a first look at Kamen Rider Zero-One #2

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Kamen Rider Zero-One #2

(W) Brandon Easton
(A) Hendry Prasetya, Bryan Valenza
(L) Andworld Design – Jaime Martinez
FC, 32pp, $3.99
On sale: January 11, 2023

NEW COMIC SERIES OF THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE NEW TOKUSATSU TV SHOW KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE!

Aruto Hiden is KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE! Along with his trusty humagear companion Izu, he’s saved the world numerous times as the insectile superhero! But when his company HIDEN INTELLIGENCE is attacked by the mysterious RAGNAROK, Aruto must not only face the volcanic cluster cell-powered villain but also his own past…

Kamen Rider Zero-One #2

Review: Invincible Iron Man #1

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Invincible Iron Man #1

When life gives you lemons, what does one do? When you have hit rock bottom, how much lower can you go? These are the questions that one hopes they never have to answer. This is when we all wonder how much more can life throw at us, and if we can keep standing.

I think most of us feel like we get have been there, but someohow some way, fate has different plans. This is why our will to fight is important especially when things don’t go our way. It is that will that tries us  time and time again and allows us to rise to the occasion. In Invincible Iron Man #1, we find Tony Stark in the fight of his life.

As Invincible Iron Man #1 opens, we find Tony Stark at his lowest. He has lost his company, his fortune, and has become a shadow of his former self.  Then one day everything gets even worse, as an explosion of his apartment building , levels it and kills and injures innocent individuals that just so happen to be Tony’s neighbors. This just puts more pressure on Tony as the little fortune he still has sees more strain in the aftermath. Who blew up the building? Was it a mistake he made or is someone out to get him? The issue builds the paranoia well keeping readers guessing until the last third when things are teased as to what’s going to come. But, even that leaves Tony with more questions than answers.

Overall, Invincible Iron Man #1 is a fun debut issue which gives a fresh remix to this very familiar character. The story by Duggan is exhilarating. The art by the creative team is remarkable. Altogether, a story that will have readers find their excitement for this character renewed.

Story: Gerry Duggan Art: Juan Frigeri
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Review: Invincible Iron Man #1

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Invincible Iron Man #1

With a new volume, I thought I’d dive in and see where Tony Stark was in his life/crisis. I read a bit of the last volume but fell off, not because of quality but mostly the amount of comics to keep up with. So, going into Invincible Iron Man #1 I was mostly unaware of where things are in Tony’s life. Thankfully, the comic does a solid job of catching readers up as it rockets into a new direction and adventure.

Written by Gerry Duggan, Tony’s at a low point in his life. Told through a narrative as he works on his autobiography, we’re given the quick recap of where things stand. He no longer has his fortune or his companies. He’s living in a brownstone in New York City. He’s down to a couple of suits of armor. He’s on fumes is the general sense of where things are at. But, he still has his mind and can invent things, so he’s not completely down and out. Unfortunately, someone’s trying to kill him.

When Tony can’t get lower, he does exactly that losing the last bit of things he has to hold on to and convinced someone’s trying to kill him. Well, he’s right there and that opens up the mystery to come as a villain, either a new one or one from his past, is making his life a further living hell.

The art by Juan Frigeri is solid. With color by Bryan Valenza and lettering by Joe Caramagna, the comic looks good and delivers its punches well. What really works is the balance of how the story’s told and the art. For the most part it’s a voice over with Tony recounting his life as he dictates his autobiography. The visuals act as almost a montage of where things are with a slight picture frame delivery of the art. The comic is also able to balance delivering the punches of an explosion and battle with the dour moments of Tony as he slips out of control. It’s a superhero comic but one with a bit of gloom hanging over it. The art captures the sadness.

Invincible Iron Man #1 is a great start that does an excellent job of balancing what has been going on with what’s to come. It should continue to hook and excite long time readers while acting as a perfecting starting point for new ones as well.

Story: Gerry Duggan Art: Juan Frigeri
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.1 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Review: Wakanda #1

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Wakanda #1

When Chadwick Boseman passed, the world pretty much stopped. As everyone was dealing with fatigue of COVID and the deaths related. Never would anyone think that someone like him would pass. As he was the first actor who played a superhero whom many of us saw ourselves in.

So when the news broke that they would continue on with a sequel to the modern classic, Black Panther, many did not know what to expect. As the world speculated that the role would be recast. To many fans great delight, it was not, and they found a way to carry the story forward in Wakanda Forever. In Wakanda #1, fans get to know more about the world where T’Challa was born and a true history of every Panther before him.

In “ Shuri”,  we find a Wakanda with T’Challa on the run, as his sister looks to use her lab for good, creating a synthetic type of vibranium. As she tries to understand how to navigate her future without her brother, Rhino uses smugglers  infiltrate his way into the nation state, but Shuri is there to stop him in his tracks. By story’s end, we find out Rhino was not operating alone, as an old foe surfaces. In “ History Of The Black Panthers Part One”, we are taken to 1,000,000 BC, in the Wakandan wilderness, where we discover how the first Wakandans survived and how many of their myths came to fruition and how the first Black Panther fought his way to the top to lead his people.

Overall, Wakanda #1 is an excellent debut issue which shows why fans have loved the birthplace of T’Challa, even before the movies. The stories by Williams and Narcisse, are funny, powerful and resonating. The art by the different creators are awesome. Altogether, a must buy for Black Panther fans.

Story: Stephanie Williams, Evan Narcisse Art: Paco Medina, Natacha Bustos
Ink: Walden Wong, Elisabetta D’Amico Color: Bryan Valenza, Jordie Bellaire Letterer: Joe Sabino
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Miles Morales’ life as Spider-Man takes a turn in the Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 trailer

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Being Spider-Man is a constant battle. Super villains, school work, balancing a personal life with his responsibilities as a hero, son, and brother–but every time he falls, Miles Morales rises stronger than before. Until now.

This December, acclaimed writer Cody Ziglar and artist Federico Vicentini launch a new run of Miles Morales: Spider-Man where they’ll put the young hero through his greatest trial yet. Whether he’s attending school as Miles or swinging through the streets as Spidey, Miles Morales’ Spider-Sense is about to go into overdrive! Fans can get a glimpse at the danger that awaits in this high-stakes new era in the all-new Miles Morales: Spider-Man trailer, featuring never-before-seen artwork. Packed with action, the trailer includes Miles’ opening showdown with Scorpion and the thrilling debut of new villain Rabble, while also giving readers a glimpse at more personal beats such as his school troubles and his new mentorship under Misty Knight! 

Be there on December 7 for this electrifying new saga of Miles Morales: Spider-Man!

Review: X-Terminators #1

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X-Terminators #1

What are friends for? Real friends know you better than you know yourself. They know when you are acting outside of your norm. They can sense when your energy has changed.

They also know what you need before you do sometimes. Of course I am talking about good friends, which are hard to find and as you get older you learn to ascertain those nuances. Good friends will always have your back. In the X-Terminators #1, three of our favorite X-Men start a wild night that goes off the rails quickly.

We open up on Dazzler as she catches her boyfriend cheating on her, which prompts her to call Jubilee and Boom Boom , who  wants to take her out , so she can start to get over him.  They go to o local bar, where they realize they had been drugged by Alex, Dazzler’s now ex-boyfriend, who has decided to kidnap the girls and put them in a crazy death game. The three friends gets separated and put in dangerous games, where each must fight to the death. By the issue’s end, they each survive the first round, and are reunited but they also find out that they are not the only X-Men, who got taken.

Overall, X-Terminators #1 is a pretty screwed up version of The Hangover but with mutants. The story by Williams is pure joy. The art by the creative team is gorgeous. Altogether, X-Terminators #1 is a story that comic book fans will both enjoy and cringe.  

Story: Leah Williams Art: Carlos Gomez
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Review: Marvel’s Voices: Identity #1

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Marvel Voices: Identity

The impact of Shang Chi and the Ten Rings cannot be understated. The fact that Marvel took a big swing by giving a movie to a character with no prior introduction, was risky. AS the fan base, other than the actual comic book readers, know who he was. The movie met the moment in this time and place.

 As with what happened when Black Panther was released, suddenly fans that never saw themselves were finally …seen. The movie much like the iconic Chadwick Boseman starrer,  also had a nuanced flawed and complicated villain , in Tony Leung’s Mandarin As the world waits for the Ms. Marvel TV show, the visibility of  AAPIs have never been as apparent . In what seems to be Marvel’s annual one shots showing diversity, we get Marvel’s Voices: Identity, showcasing some of the Marvel Universe’s mightiest Asian heroes.

In “ Secrets”, we find Jimmy Woo and Shang Chi, as prey in a  a challenge much akin to Saw coordinated by Crossfire, which finds them saying hard truths to each other, only to become closer for it.  In “ Fool Me Twice”,  Ms. Marvel meets a former love interest /fellow Inhuman/foe, who attempts to use her feelings about him against her but thankfully Shang Chi , shows up , to open her eyes. In “The Primeval Paradox”, Groot and Mantis take a trip to her home planet,   but instead elicits memories of her family who been long gone. In the last story, “While You Were Out”, Wong fights off a creature trying to enter the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Overall, Marvel Voices: Identity is an excellent collection of stories which offers the right bit of nuance, and just how super we all are. The stories by the different creators are immersive. The art by the different creators are beautiful. Altogether, an excellent  one shot that, I hope will continue for many years.

Story: Pornsak Pichetshote, Sabir Prizada, Jeremy Holt, Emily Kim
Art: Creees Lee, Eric Koda, Kei Zama, Rickie Yagawa
Color: Bryan Valenza, Brian Reber, Irma Kniivila, Sebastian Cheng
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics

See what awaits for Marvel’s greatest Asian heroes in the Marvel’s Voices: Identity Trailer

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In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month, Marvel’s Voices: Identity returns to stands tomorrow with an all-new collection of stories starring some of Marvel’s most iconic Asian heroes! Crafted by an incredible lineup of AANHPI writers and artists from throughout the comics industry, this year’s issue will spotlight Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, Mantis, Wong, and Jimmy Woo in four action-packed and heartfelt adventures! Fans can get a first look at the action to come in the all-new Marvel’s Voices: Identity #1 trailer, featuring never-before-seen artwork!

  • Writer Pornsak Pichetshote and artist Creees Lee take Shang-Chi and Jimmy Woo on a vital mission with some unexpected surprises
  • Writer Sabir Pirzada and artist Eric Koda teams up Ms. Marvel with Shang-Chi in a story that explore these two heroes’ differences and similarities
  • Writer Jeremy Holt and artist Kei Zama spotlight the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Mantis, diving into the iconic character’s fascinating past and gearing her up for a bright future
  • Writer Emily Kim and artist Rickie Yagawa showcase the power and expertise of master of the mystic arts, Wong, in an exciting solo adventure

Marvel’s Voices: Identity #1 2022 continues the tradition of inspiring and uplifting storytelling that truly reflects “the world outside your window.” These stories celebrate Marvel’s ongoing, ever-expanding pantheon of heroes and the vastness of all Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Island cultures and identities. Celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month with Marvel Comics by picking up Marvel’s Voices: Identity #1 tomorrow, digitally or at your local comic shop!

Preview: Marvel Voices: Identity #1

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Marvel Voices: Identity #1

(W) Pornsak Pichetshote, Sabir Pirzada, Jeremy Holt, Emily Kim (A) Creees Lee, Eric Koda, Kei Zama, Rickie Yagawa (c) Bryan Valenza, Brian Reber, Irma Kniivila, Sebastian Cheng (CA) Creees Lee
RATED T
In Shops: May 18, 2022
SRP: $5.99

THE GREATEST ASIAN SUPER HEROES AND CREATORS RETURN!
Just in time for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, comes a new spotlight on the best Asian super heroes in comics! Ms. Marvel! Shang-Chi! Wong! Mantis! Plus, more surprises to come from an amazing lineup of new and established AAPI creators!

Marvel Voices: Identity #1
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