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Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 11/30

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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

Girl On Film (BOOM!/Archaia)– Shade the Changing Girl and Female Furies writer Cecil Castellucci tells her winding journey to becoming an artist in Girl on Film with artists Vicky Leta, Melissa Duffy, V. Gagon, and Jon Berg. Castellucci’s passion for the art of filmmaking comes through, and the framing sequences with her scientist father expand upon the fragility of memory in creating a memoir while not undermining the events of the story. Girl on Film has great energy and honesty as Cecil navigates New York’s Performing Arts High School, the city’s art and film scene, and Montreal’s general art scene. There are some fun celebrity cameos, but Castellucci weaves them into the story so they don’t seem like namedropping or grandstanding. In fact, Girl On Film comes across as a profoundly humble work with Cecil coming to terms with her lack of technical filmmaking skills and finding new ways to tell stories whether that’s in various bands, young adult novels, and finally, comics. Overall: 8 Verdict: Buy

Black Canary Ignite (DC/Zoom)– Black Canary Ignite is a middle grade friendly-friendly fusion of Dinah Lance’s superhero origin and her most recent rock star vigilante solo series from writer Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries) and artist Cara McGee (Dodge City). McGee’s art is adorable and expressive plus she dials up the intensity any time Dinah uses her abilities especially early on when she has no idea what she’s doing. In the early going, Cabot’s writing betrays her inexperience in the comics medium as she describes what is shown in McGee’s art, but she adds some cute wrinkles like Wildcat being Dinah’s P.E. coach and some sassy one-liners. She and McGee are at their finest when focusing on the mother/daughter dynamic between Black Canaries, past and present. Dinah’s first villain is a little weak, but Black Canary Ignite’s slice of life elements are enjoyable. This is one worth skipping for adults and older teens, but is worth a shot for tween and younger readers as well as Black Canary fans hoping for solo content. Overall: 6 Verdict: Pass (I checked out a copy from my local public library.)

Conan 2099 #1 (Marvel)– Gerry Duggan and Roge Antonio turn in the equivalent of a classic Conan with some technological accoutrements (Like flying cars) in Conan 2099 #1. All the tropes are here: Conan struggling with being a good ruler, a magical antagonist, and him turning to wandering once again with the help of a Nova corps helmet. The story doesn’t really place Conan in the context of the 2099 world beyond his kingdom having climate change issues, but Duggan and Antonio nail the fighting, hiding, and heroism parts. The ending is especially heroic and worth reading the whole comic for. Overall: 7.8 Verdict: Read

Killadelphia #1 (Image) Killadelphia #1 has some cool ideas like connecting vampirism to systemic injustices and John Adams bringing yellow fever back from the Carribbean, but the whole comic feels disjointed. Writer Rodney Barnes jumps from the current detective Sangster to his father and then some letters and tries to connect these two eras and create an atmosphere of tension and class inequity, but fails at making me connect with the characters or even establishing a decent mystery or hook. However, Jason Shawn Alexander and Luis NCT’s visuals are outstanding and remind me of Kyle Baker almost painterly style on Truth: Red, White, and Blue. Alexander’s layout choices are like fragments of memory and work with Barnes’ storytelling style. Eventually, this might be coherent in trade paperback format, but it fails the first issue hook test. Overall: 5.5 Verdict: Pass

Shean

Punisher 2099 (Marvel)– I will keep this one sweet and short, a similar story to Frank Castle in that tragedy propels him to become a hero but add a dash of Black Mirror and you have this story which honestly feels already outdated and not compelling. Overall: 4.7 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 (**).

Underrated: Comics Not In Diamond’s Top 100 For October ’19

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Comics not in Diamond’s top 100 sellers for October 2019

This week we’re going to be looking at a list of comics that are all pretty good, but don’t get the attention that they deserve. Now I’m not even going to pretend to have a definitively exhaustive list of underrated comics here, because we’re hoping  that you decide to check at least one of these series out next time you’re looking for something new either online or at your LCS, and giving you a huge list to check out would be counter productive to that. Instead, you’ll find four to six comics that are worth your attention that failed to crack the top 100 in sales. The only hard stipulation for this week: not one of the comics made it into the top 400 (yeah, I went for books that hardly any of you have read for whatever reason) for this month’s comic sales, according to Comichron, which is why they’re Underrated.

Battlepug #1 (Image)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 340/5,040
Why You Should Read It: Mike Norton’s Battlepug is a glorious pastiche of high fantasy that features a fairly straight up barbarian with a giant pug. Think He-Man with a pug instead of Battle Cat and none of the Prince Adam and Cringer crap.

Black Terror #1 (Dynamite)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 300/6,117
Why You Should Read It: I’m always partial to pulp heroes, so this approach with the character having been alive since the 30’s without aging is an interesting take on the heroes of that era. That the comic also seems to touch on the addictive nature of super activity is an added layer that I can’t wait to see peeled away as the series progresses.

Bloodshot #2 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 282/6,891
Why You Should Read It: A popcorn action comic that does exactly what it needs to do. There’s nothing subversive about this book (yet), but it’s a great comic if you want to see a killing machine do his thing. Highly recommended.

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Unless the comics industry ceases any and all publication look for a future installment of Underrated to cover more comics that aren’t cracking the top 100.

Underrated: Comics Not In Diamond’s Top 100 For September ’19

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Comics not in Diamond’s top 100 sellers for September 2019

This week we’re going to be looking at a list of comics that are all pretty good, but don’t get the attention that they deserve. Now I’m not even going to pretend to have a definitively exhaustive list of underrated comics here, because we’re hoping  that you decide to check at least one of these series out next time you’re looking for something new either online or at your LCS, and giving you a huge list to check out would be counter productive to that. Instead, you’ll find four to six comics that are worth your attention that failed to crack the top 100 in sales. The only hard stipulation for this week: not one of the comics made it into the top 400 (yeah, I went for books that hardly any of you have read for whatever reason) for this month’s comic sales, according to Comichron, which is why they’re Underrated.

Banjax #4 (Action Lab)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 522/876
Why You Should Read It: I said it last month, and I’ll say it again; selling less than a thousand copies is a criminal shame for this comic. Telling the story of a disgraced hero on a last quest to clear up crime in his city before his body succumbs to the cancer that resulted from the use of his powers, Banjax isn’t a comic with a happy ending, and writer Rylend Grant always seems to have another twisted angle on what could be a straight forward story to keep you guessing.

If you’re not going to read this in floppy format, at least check out the trade (assuming it gets one).

Outpost #13 (Image)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 388/1,779
Why You Should Read It: It may be the penultimate issue, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth reading. Actually, what it means is that this is a great time for you to plan to pick up the collected editions in the near future.

Psi-Lords #4 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 292/4,460
Why You Should Read It: An epic space romp featuring some utterly fantastic art, and a story that should be read multiple times, this issue is the end of the first arc (or at least where the first trade will end), and it is also a pretty solid jumping on place for yet another strong book from Valiant. .

The Crow Hack Slash #3 (IDW)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 288/4,656
Why You Should Read It: As a big fan of the Crow, I will always read anything Crow-related. Usually, I end up with a half decent read, but this crossover has been really enjoyable. I’ve never met Hack and Slash before, but after this story, I’m more than likely going to be reading more about them in the future.

Tommy Gun Wizards #2 (Dark Horse)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 278/5,240
Why You Should Read It: An interesting mix of genres, it’s exactly what you think it’s going to be. Urban fantasy based around the era of Al Capone (re-imagined as a bootleg magic operator verses alcohol). It’s something different, but incredibly good – and well worth your time and money.

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Unless the comics industry ceases any and all publication look for a future installment of Underrated to cover more comics that aren’t cracking the top 100.

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 10/19

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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

Batman #81 (DC)** – Woof! Yup, folks, this one’s a dog. Tom King’s Bat-famliy beatdown of old man Wayne sucks, dialogue and narration throughout are awful, and after delivering the goods last issue, John Romita, Jr. is back to his really sorry latter-day type of artwork. One of the biggest “downs” of an up-and-down run that has been saddled with FAR more of the latter. The end can’t come soon enough. Overall: 1 Recommendation: Pass

Gideon Falls #17 (Image)** – Not digging where Jeff Lemire is going with this storyline so much right now — “Twin Peaks For Dummies” isn’t really getting the job done, sorry — but at least Andrea Sorrentino is just plain BRINGING IT on art. Would be nice if what he was drawing FELT, as well as LOOKED, compelling, though. Overall: 6 Recommendation: Look at it on the shelf, then put it back.

Trees: Three Fates #2 (Image)** – Well, shoot. After a long hiatus, Warren Ellis is really firing on all cylinders here, establishing a tight and uniformly interesting ensemble cast, creating a strong sense of place in his isolated Russian locale, and seriously cranking up the mystery that’s been present throughout this — what do we call it, series of series? Jason Howard’s art continues to be snappy, stylish, and very pleasing to the eye. Even in a crowded week, this book stands as a high-water mark for quality. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Captain America #15 (Marvel) **– Another competent, if unspectacular, script from Ta-Nehisi Coates propels this mildly intriguing story arc forward, and there’s some solid Sharon/Steve dram to be had, but nothing really makes you go “wow!” about any of it. Ditto for the art by Jason Masters, which certainly gets the job done, but doesn’t exactly stick in the memory in any appreciable way. Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Read

Logan

X-Men #1 (Marvel)– Jonathan Hickman and a surprisingly okay Leinil Yu show Krakoa in action as they rescue mutant children from the saving humanity organization Orchis before settling down to a Summers family dinner on the blue side of the Moon. Some of Hickman’s writing is really rough early on as Storm and Cyclops seem to have no familiarity with each other and just spout ideology at each other. Yu and Gerry Alanguilan’s action chops drive this opening scenes with some clever applications of Cyclops’ optic blasts and Magneto stealing the show with pure charisma. He’s in pure god mode throughout the comic, and there is something not quite right with the way he interacts with humans and his fellow mutants. (This will probably get the Internet pissed off at me.) However, what elevates X-Men #1 from the Orchis vs. Krakoa schedule, which frankly isn’t super interesting to me personally, is the interactions between the Summers family members. There lots of little great moments like Corsair being wary of the whole Krakoa thing (Include their dish washing techniques), Vulcan’s social awkwardness, and a diagram implying that Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey are a throuple. If X-Men ends up focusing on Cyclops trying to bring some normalcy to the Summers family, it could be a great book. Or it could end up just being an us vs them slugfest with pretentious dialogue from Hickman. Overall: 7.8 Verdict: Read

Steeple #2 (Dark Horse)– John Allison’s funny and weird saga of a young vicar-in-training named Billie and the monster and Satanist infested town of Tredregyn, Cornwall continues in Steeple #2. Allison opens up with a bit of slapstick as Billie forgets to inflate her bike tires and crashes in front of group of teens. Then comes the highlight of the issue, which is the friendship between Billie and Maggie, a motorcycle riding Satanist, who has good advice for getting teenagers into the church. It’s like when my old youth pastor tried to show the appeal of Christian hip hop, but more British as Billie uses “drill” beefs to get teenagers cleaning up garbage and helping the community. However, Steeple #2 isn’t just religious satire, but features some serious sea monster fighting and also the teens making friends with the sea monster’s kid. Maybe, the vicar of Tredregyn’s whole Buffy the Vampire Slayer act is all wrong, and they should be kind and forgive the monsters instead of bashing them with a rock. John Allison’s art style and sense of humor continue to be wonderfully quirky without being twee, and I’m enjoying seeing the world of Tredregyn through Billie’s ancient, innocent eyes. Overall: 8.8 Verdict: Buy

Cult Classic Creature Feature #1 (Vault)– Eliot Rahal and John Bivens bring an EC Comics meets Stranger Things aesthetic of late horror movies and tweenage and teenage monsters showing their real personalities. Apparently, the color out of the space-type meteorite that made the dinosaurs extinct has returned to small town America and has infected tweens trying out a Ouija board by the lake or rival high school cliques getting into fights at the local fast food drive through. Cult Classic Creature Feature is heavy on atmosphere and light on characterization even though Rahal bakes in some suspense in the last few pages connecting it to the horror host TV show. There are some cool and some clichéd ideas in Cult Classic Creature Feature #1, and it just needs to combined to make a coherent whole. But it’s a book with potential that is drawn the opposite of house style. Overall: 6.5 Verdict: Read

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 10/12

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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

Event Leviathan #5 (DC Comics) This series has been a fantastic thriller from the beginning but that all has come to an abrupt halt as of this issue. I really dug the two teams of detective’s (Batman’s and Lois’ secret group) but this one had me scratching my head for sure. I know in an event that is large in scope you don’t want the identity to be easily guessed but this one is either going to be so left field that I’m not sure the breadcrumbs lead you there properly OR it will be someone so obscure that “Who cares anyways?” I had a lot of high hopes for this series and thought it would be a resurrected hero or someone who really needed a A list bump up but at this moment my interest has certainly waned. Alex Maleev does a great job on art and I have enjoyed his work since his run with Bendis on Daredevil many moons back. This time though with all the build up, unless Bendis can pull an ace out, this one is an utter dud. Score: 5 (mostly for the art) Recommendation: Pass

Logan

Die #8 (Image)- Die #8 focuses on the Matt the Grief Knight and Ash   the Dictator in the hierarchical land of Angria. Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans’ story isn’t as fun and interesting as last issue’s saga of drinking with hobbit type people and the male gaze applied to the fantasy genre. However, the deep dive into Matt is refreshing as he’s been happy the past 20 years and has a hate hate relationship with the grief blade he chose decades ago. This relationship changes in his big battle against the Knights of Joy when he realize home and family isn’t what it used to be and will be very different if he ever gets out of Die. The fight in the cave has a wonderful sense of atmosphere and a scarlet palette from Stephanie Hans. This isn’t my favorite issue of Die, but the bits focusing on Ash and Matt’s family dynamics both in the real world and Die ring true and a few mysteries are happened upon. Overall: 7.6 Verdict: Read

Ryan C

Detective Comics #1013 (DC) **– Another rather insubstantial script from Peter Tomasi that moves his pervy Mr. Freeze storyline forward just a nudge until a big last-page cliffhanger, at least Doug Mahnke’s art is as sharp as ever, but when that’s all you can say in a comic’s defense, well — that ain’t a whole lot, is it? Not when these things have a $3.99 cover price. Overall: 4 Recommendation: Pass

Ice Cream Man #15 (Image)** – Well, this one was creepy AF — -even by this series’ standards. How much we get stuck with by means of genetic inheritance is the question W. Maxwell Prince’s story asks — and the answer, not to give too much away, appears to be “more than we’d probably like.” Martin Morazzo’s art is, as always, crisp, expressive, and pitch-perfect for the material. Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Oliver #4 (Image)** – Did you forget about this series? I forgot about this series — and so, apparently, did writer Gary Whitta, who wraps things up (for the arc or for the series? No telling either way)in slapdash and easy fashion — fortunately, Darick Robertson draws the hell out of every line, loads up every panel with stuff worth looking at, and just plain delivers the goods, plus interest. Am I really going to tell you to buy this comic just for the art? Oh, yes I am. Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Buy

 Batman Vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #2 (DC) **– The most gonzo book in the “Big Two” publishing schedule ups its game with more nonsensical dialogue, more pointless “talking head” scenes, more lame and uninvolving mystery, more way-off-base characterization, and more weird perspective shots and page layouts that make you realize Neal Adams isn’t just past his prime — he’s gone and left any memories of it in the dust. In other words, this comic will blow your mind, and you pass on it at your peril. Overall: 0 Recommendation: Buy. That’s not a typo.

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 10/5

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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 #80 (DC Comics)** Having been critical on and off of Tom King, while I have really enjoyed the City of Bane arc and especially the interludes. This one was kind of just … there. The whole issue is essentially an action sequence to set up Batman’s triumphant return to Gotham and the show down with this estranged and deranged father and Bane. So while I certainly love me some JR JR art this was not the case this time as I felt it lacked the punch needed. I really dug the opening with Bruce taking down Bane’s deputies as his Matches Malone persona though.
Him doing the one on one showdown’s reminded me of an old school video game and just going up the tower. Also as much as I love King’s take on Kite Man, this Hell yeah stuff has to stop. It feels like when you knew Snyder couldn’t wait to get to issue #50 just to write the line “Who died and made you Batman?” Only this time it lacked any sort of emotion behind it. I am a very big fan of Bat/Cat relationship (damn the haters) but Selena didn’t do much here.
Since Bruce seems to already know Bane’s plan for Damian with Thomas, I find it doubly hard that he wouldn’t know that Alfred is dead. For me there lies the huge problem. He should not be cool and calm, he should be angry and outraged and ready to break his eternal killing rule. There has been no emotional fallout from Alfred’s death and that is beyond blasphemous. I don’t understand why kill him in such graphic fashion on screen back in issue #77 only to not mention it again?
There is a lot to wrap up here and I know we have a few more chapters but the placement of this issue and its content just seems wacky to me. Normally as of late I would give this rave marks but this one was a very meh of mill for me. Overall: I will be reading to see how this story fills out but this one certainly put a giant penny sized dent in my momentum. Score: 6.5.

Ryan C

The Immortal Hulk #24 (Marvel)** – The most creatively exciting series to come out of “The Big Two” in a good few years keeps on keeping on, with a new and interesting status quo being established by issue’s end while a plot twist NO ONE saw coming — or even fully understands at this point — threatens to complicate matters in some REALLY unexpected ways. Al Ewing is really stepping up his game here, and Joe Bennett’s art is just plain perfect for this kind of “body-horror” material. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Batman #80 (DC)** – With the “City Of Bane” storyline limping toward its anti-climax, Tom King tries his best to redeem another wasted arc with a big cliffhanger, but it’s probably a case of “too little, too late,” and John Romita Jr.’s art really can’t save the proceedings despite looking really nice. Overall: 4 Recommendation: Pass

Berserker Unbound #3 (Dark Horse)** – I dunno, Jeff Lemire just seems to be going through the motions with this barbarian-and-homeless-guy “buddy book,”but Mike Deodato Jr;’s art is so innovate and good-looking that it ALMOST makes the book worth a purchase. Notice I say “almost” — as in, not quite. Overall: 6 Recommendation: Pass

DCeased #5 (DC)** – It seems that DC has a legit hit on their hands with this series, but for the life (or should that be death?) of me, I can’t see why : Tom Taylor’s script pulls out every cliche you’d expect in a non-continuity yarn (“You mean I can kill ANYBODY”?), while Trevor Hairsine’s art tries its level best to spice up an overly-obvious story with some gruesomely fun panels that that WOULD be memorable — if they actually mattered to the DC Universe “proper.” Which, again, they don’t. All in all, pretty mediocre stuff. Overall: 5 Recommendation: Pass

Logan

Nomen Omen #1 (Image)– This translation of Marco Bucci and Jacopo Camagni’s horror magic story is a little too uneven for me to fully recommend. Bucci’s script never gets a handle over who these young people are supposed to be using shortcuts like social media, birthdays, and mommy problems to establish them. The visuals, especially during the more terror-stricken bits, fare a little better with fragmented panels and a pull away to an image of an overturned 18 wheeler and apples everywhere capturing the fear of being in a crash with a tractor trailer. The ending of the first issue is much more classic slasher, but takes itself too seriously for me to give the next one a try. Overall: 5.5 Verdict: Pass

Copra #1 (Image)– It’s about time I read this super hyped up comic from Michel Fiffe. Copra #1 is a distillation of what made comics like John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad and Larry Hama’s G.I. Joe great, but through a slick auteur lens. What draws me most to this comic is the unique look that Fiffe gives it through his art, layouts, color palette, lettering, and brusque dialogue. It feels like the best old fan comic from 1988, and that’s a compliment. Fiffe also knows there’s a lot of new readers jumping onto the Copra bandwagon thanks to its publication by Image Comics so he does a great job quickly introducing his large cast of characters and then distills the stories of the previous issues (Which I seriously want to read.) at the end of the main story in a way that feels a lot like “Copra Grand Design”. Overall: 8.8 Verdict: Buy

House of X #6 (Marvel) Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz conclude the House of X miniseries with a glimpse of Krakoa in action as the Quiet Council creates the first laws and conducts the first trial in the new nation. I love seeing the variety of ethical POVs characters ranging from Jean Grey and Nightcrawler to freaking Apocalypse and, of course, Xavier and Magneto bring to the trial of Sabretooth even though he’s an easy target. Larraz’s grids are perfect for statecraft, and the second part of the comic is a mostly silent celebration of mutantdom complete with Dazzler fireworks and Jean Grey, Logan, Cyclops, and Emma Frost sharing beers. Larraz’s art does the bulk of the storytelling, and he and Hickman get to bask in this new world they’ve created that synthesized X-Men lore as well as acted as a fantastic exercise in speculative fiction, worldbuilding, and even a little statecraft. Overall: 9.5 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 (**).

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 9/28

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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.

Shean

Star Wars Age of Rebellion Kylo Ren #1 (Marvel) In an impressive one shot story surrounding Kylo Ren, we get a view of what makes him tick. As he is sent by Snoke to conduct a negotiation, from an uneasy allie. As negotiations turn tense, he kills the leaders of the sovereign state but knows he must kill their deity before it becomes a massacre. By issue’s end, Vader’s legacy still weighs heavy on Kylo, as the shadows of his grandfather has made him the most dangerous man in the universe. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Logan

Harleen #1 (DC/Black Label) Stjepan Sejic tells the first chapter of what might end up being the definitive Harley Quinn origin story in Harleen #1. His approach is both operatic and grounded with sequences ranging from a gladiator type battle between Batman and the Joker in the smoky streets of Gotham to meetings that Dr. Quinzel has with Lucius Fox and Harvey Dent about her research into the connection between lack of empathy and sociopathic behavior. Sejic enjoys playing with irony and reader expectations like a full page splash of Quinzel beaming as she’s been transferred to Arkham Asylum to do research complete with sunlight. Harleen #1 is filled with both gorgeous compositions and deep character insights as Stjepan Sejic slowly builds the road from Quinzel seeing Joker as a creature of nightmare to her “Mr. J”. Or in simpler terms, Harleen #1 is Sejic dunking on Paul Dini and Bruce Timm over and over again. Overall: 9 Verdict: Buy

Strikeforce #1 (Marvel) Tini Howard and German Peralta have certainly assembled a team of fun, morally ambiguous characters that work for both action and banter purposes in Strikeforce #1. However, despite the monster baddies, crimson color palette from Jordie Bellaire, and a very Bronze Age Blade flashback, I’m not 100% hooked yet. However, issue one does get the team assembling/expositional heavy lifting out of the way so that hopefully future issues can focus on the monster killing and cool magic shit. Angela and Blade get the best action while Wiccan has the funniest lines. Overall: 7.7 Verdict: Read

New Mutants War Children #1 (Marvel) Bill Sienkiewicz doing interiors again is a real treat, but this is basically Dark Phoenix Saga with Warlock, and I couldn’t really get invested into Chris Claremont’s script. Overall: 3 Verdict: Pass

SFSX #1 (Image) Tina Horn and Simon Dowling’s comic SFSX is like Bitch Planet with more orgies and vibrators. It’s set in a world of extreme gentrification and repress where one’s sex life can be audited if you’re doing anything other than missionary with a heterosexual spouse. Dowling’s art brings out the emotion in a lead character who tries to conform to this new world order, but honestly it’s not worth it in the end. Overall: 8.6 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 (**).

Underrated: Comics Not In Diamond’s Top 100 For August ’19

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Comics not in Diamond’s top 100 sellers for August 2019

This week we’re going to be looking at a list of comics that are all pretty good, but don’t get the attention that they deserve. Now I’m not even going to pretend to have a definitively exhaustive list of underrated comics here, because we’re hoping  that you decide to check at least one of these series out next time you’re looking for something new either online or at your LCS, and giving you a huge list to check out would be counter productive to that. Instead, you’ll find four to six comics that are worth your attention that failed to crack the top 100 in sales. The only hard stipulation for this week: not one of the comics made it into the top 400 (yeah, I went for books that hardly any of you have read for whatever reason) for this month’s comic sales, according to Comichron, which is why they’re Underrated.

Banjax #3 (Action Lab)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 426/996
Why You Should Read It: Selling less than a thousand copies is a criminal shame for this comic. Telling the story of a disgraced hero on a last quest to clear up crime in his city before his body succumbs to the cancer that resulted from the use of his powers, Banjax isn’t a comic with a happy ending, and writer Rylend Grant always seems to have another twisted angle on what could be a straight forward story to keep you guessing.

Grumble #9 (Albatross)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 396/1,285
Why You Should Read It: I feel like I’ve talked about this series quite a bit over the last few months… but it still remains (to my mind) one of the most underrated books out there. The mix of magic, dark humour and the underdog story just ticks every box for me.

Livewire #9 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 289/3,843
Why You Should Read It: Although we’re nine issues in, this comic kicks off a new arc that finds the titular hero address her PR problems (I mean accidentally killing hundred and thousands of people is more than a PR problem, but go with me here) in much the same way those running for public office tend to do. Making this a topical, and very interesting book.

The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada #6 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 271/4,558
Why You Should Read It: I usually try and avoid two series from the same publisher in the same column of sales numbers, but The Life and Death of Toyo Harada was the culmination of Joshua Dysart’s work with the character across multiple series and around 50(ish) issues of story. It’s a phenomenal miniseries, and while you don’t need to read the build up, it certainly helps (especially with how good those books are). .

Image Firsts: Oblivion Song #1 (Image)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 240/5,949
Why You Should Read It: Oblivion Song‘s setting is brilliant, a post apocalyptic world mixed with a near future’s reaction to such an event. If you were ever curious about the series, this $1 comic is an ideal place to sate your curiosity.

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Unless the comics industry ceases any and all publication look for a future installment of Underrated to cover more comics that aren’t cracking the top 100.

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 9/1

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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

Absolute Carnage #2 (Marvel)** Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman do it again. They bring me the over the top event I didnt need but sure as hell didn’t know I wanted. We get the best Spidey and Venom team up this side of ever and it is rockin! The story moves along simply and brisk with Kletus Casady back in the red symobiote driver’s seat attempting to ascend to dark godhood. The way he makes a second banana out of Norman Osborn is a blast and oh seeing Eddie use his symbiote to sprout freaking bat wings was pure awesome sauce. Tjis comic reads like an armageddon fairy tale and just paints the pages with imagery. Also not to mention the calvary arrives and we are left with such a cool cliffhanger for next issue. Score: 9 Reccomendation: Buy. I got my copy for free but I’m going to purchase. Too much fun. Make mine Marvel madness!

Alex

Marvel Comics #1000 (Marvel)** I honestly thought that I’d think of this as nothing but a cheap gimmick as Marvel plays Keeping Up With The Jones (or in this case DC) by releasing a thousandth issue (we’re going to ignore the fact that they’ve published Wolverine #1000 before), but I was more than pleasantly surprised by what I read. Despite the elevated price tag, this collection is an absolute must for Marvel fans as the cavalcade of writers and artists take us down memory lane – and for many of us it’s a reminder that Marvel’s memory stretches a lot further than our lifespan. Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

House Of X #3 (Marvel)** I’ve been constantly surprised by how much I am enjoying this series, because despite being billed as a Massive Event, so far House/Powers Of X hasn’t even come close to sucking, Now, with the X-Men on their first real mission in the present day since the story started, we’re really starting to feel the tension creep higher. A great comic for those even partially interested in the merry mutants. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Knights Temporal #2 (Aftershock) Time travel has always fascinated me, as has the middle ages. So when a comic comes along that feature a crusader knight being thrust into various different time periods, sometimes with minimal memory of doing so, then I’m going to pick up the first issue. When the first issue is every bit as good as I hoped… then I’ll be back for the second. Which is also just as good as the first. There’s a wonderful sense of intrigue here, with the bigger picture hanging just out of view; Cullen Bunn doesn’t hand anything to you as he tells the story from the time travelling Auguste Rivera’s point of view. My new favourite series. Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

Once And Future #1 (Boom)** I’m late to this party, but it was difficult to find this comic in the wild (review copy be damned). Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora are two top notch creators, and reading a comic set in the same part of England that I grew up in was an oddly nostalgic moment. Added to that, it’s a comic about the legends that shaped my childhood, and so I was oddly nervous that the comic wouldn’t live up to the hype surrounding (and the sky rocketing price of the first issue’s first print), but it does. It really does. Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy

Banjax #3 (Action Lab) Another comic I’m behind on reading. Rilend Grant’s tale about the last crusade of a fallen hero trying to save his city before his cancer claims him blurs the lines between hero and villain constantly. Banjax is a hero because of what he does, not necessarily why he does it – or how. In a world where super heroes are idolized like movie stars and have very little secret identity it’s strange to watch a man who almost turned villain try to save a city with no intent on redemption (I’m not sure if they get paid by the state… or how they make money, but that’s the adult in me and not the comic reader suspending his disbelief). I think this is going to be a sleeper hit in years to come. Overall: 8.1 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 8/17

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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

Event Leviathan #3 (DC) This is a miniseries where I’m starting to enjoy the character interactions and Alex Maleev’s art more than Brian Michael Bendis’ plot. There’s a cool fight scene between Jason Todd and the members of Batman’s group of detectives that culminates in an even more fascinating war of words between him and Lois Lane. She sees the big picture, knows what questions to ask, and has a personal stake in the attacks, which makes her dangerous. However, in the big picture, Bendis is no closer to revealing the who and why of Leviathan even if we see the return of another important player on the board towards the end of the issue. The dialogue and art is nice, but if he and Maleev blow the big reveals, this whole thing could end up being a stinker. Overall: 6 Verdict: Pass

Superman Year One #2 (DC/Black Label) Frank Miller and John Romita Jr go way off Superman’s traditional canon in the second issue of Superman Year One focusing on Clark’s time as a Navy Seal trainee and his romance with Lori Lemaris that brings him into direct conflict with Poseidon, King of Atlantis. (Who is also into incest wtf.) Romita’s art does a fantastic job showing Clark’s physical strength in his navy drills, and when he fights Poseidon’s kraken in a duel of superman vs monster. During these tasks, Miller’s inner monologue is basically how easy this is for Superman. He is a god laughing at mortals although in a pivotal action sequence against stereotypical terrorists, we see his unwillingness to take a life. Even though Superman’s relationship with Lori is the crux of this issue and his motivation after leaving the navy, Miller writes her as object to be won and not an equal. Hopefully, he fares better with Lois Lane in issue three, but I’m not getting my hopes up. This was seriously one weird comic with some strong visual moments from Romita, Danny Miki, and Alex Sinclair. Overall: 5 Verdict: Pass

Pretty Violent #1 (Image) I feel like I’ve read this comic before, and it was called I Hate Fairyland. But this one has superheroes and no narrative focus to go with a kid swearing and entrails everywhere illustrated with glee by Derek Hunter. There is something to chuckle at from a superhero utterly fucking up, but Hunter and Jason Young’s comic feels like a series of sketches instead of a coherent, funny story. The time travel and Cable skewering backup story is a pretty great parody, and maybe because it doesn’t feature our frankly annoying protagonist. Overall: 4.7 Verdict: Pass

Powers of X #3 (Marvel) Jonathan Hickman proves that he can pull off a classic X-Men team action sequence, deal with the whole time travel thing a la “Days of Future Past”, and deal with alternate universe versions of characters a la “Age of Apocalypse” in Powers of X #3. Instead of jumping between eras, he, R.B. Silva, and Marte Gracia focus on 100 years in the future with the remaining mutants going on a mission to steal a shard of data from Nimrod, the ur-Sentinel. Gracia’s color are a real highlight in this issue from the bright, flat palette of Nimrod’s HUD to Xorn unleashing a black hole or even a final epic battle between Apocalypse and Wolverine and the Sentinels. Along with the Moira retcon (Which plays a part in this issue), heroic Apocalypse is one of the most memorable moments of Hickman’s run so far, and it’s simply breathtaking to lay his life on the line for the mutants in this comic. It’s pure popcorn storytelling and a great climax to the Powers of X mini. Overall: 9 Verdict: Buy

Jane Foster Valkyrie #2 (Marvel) Jane Foster Valkyrie #2 is an all action issue with a touch of empathy from Jason Aaron, Al Ewing, Cafu, and Jesus Aburtov. Bullseye has the previous Valkyrie, Brunnhilde’s sword, and Jane Foster must fight to get it back before he kills Heimdall and commits mass murder on a mass scale. With eloquent captions, Aaron and Ewing create a strong contrast between Bullseye, a man who only wants to kill and Jane, who sworn an oath as a doctor to do no harm. Cafu uses big panels and detailed facial expressions without being static as the battle rages all over New York, and Jane’s All-Weapon is wonderful for creative fight moves. But this comic isn’t just a beat ‘em up and has some real pathos while also changing the book’s status quo from yet another Asgardian superhero comic. Overall: 8 Verdict: Buy

Ryan C

Batman #77 (DC)** Come on. Seriously? When your comic hinges on a plot twist and nothing more, you’ve got yourself a lame comic. And does anyone think this “major development” is gonna stick? Mikel Janin’s pages look good, I’ll give this issue that much, but Tony S. Daniel’s stuff is lame and boring and Tom King’s script is lazy and atrocious. Overall: 2 Recommendation: Pass

Superman: Year One #2 (DC/Black Label)** Maybe it’s Danny Miki’s inks, I dunno, but this is the best-looking John Romita Jr. art in years. Unfortunately, Frank Miller’s script lets the side down in a big way. Not as horrifyingly stupid as the first issue, true, but not much could be. Still a long way to go before this thing earns its eight dollar cover price. Overall: 4.5 Recommendation: Pass

Faithless #5 (Boom! Studios)** – Maria Llovet’s art continues to astonish in this series, but Brian Azzarello’s ambitious contemporary take on Dante’s Inferno (plus sex) is still consistently missing the mark and none of the characters have a very distinctive voice yet. An interesting narrative experiment with gorgeous art is hardly the worst thing to spend your money on, but I can’t recommend that you do so on the merits of the work itself to this point. Overall: 5.5 Recommendation: Look at it for sure, but don’t bother to read or buy it.

Batman #232 Facsimilie Edition (DC) – Neal Adams. Denny O’Neil. The first appearance of Ra’s Al Ghul. An exact reproduction down to the original ads, letter columns, etc. What more could you possibly want, or ask for? Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Shean

Absolute Carnage Vs Deadpool #1 (Marvel) We find Deadpool and Spider-Man running from Spidey’s rogue gallery, as Deadpool eventually annoys Peter. Weeks later, Deadpool finds a note which leads him to a Sanitarium where Carnage has taken over. Before he can get away, Carnage has cornered him, leaving him not much choice on how to move. By issue’s end, Deadpool ultimately escapes but had created something more dangerous than what he evaded. Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy

Ghost Spider #1 (Marvel) We find Gwen Stacy trying to find some semblance of a normal life, as back on her earth, we find her having a squibble with one of her band mates.As she soon realizes that her alter ego as Spider Gwen is her escape from everything that gives her tension in her life, as she chooses to Utilize her powers to transport between worlds as her means of relief. As she looks to be a normal college student on Peter Parker’s world. As she finds her real jot in working with Peter. By issue’s end, her exploits don’t go unnoticed, as the Jackal emerges. Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

Joe Hesh

Batman #77 (DC) **SPOILERS FOLLOW** King and Daniels deliver a mixed bag. Stunning art and parts of the script is wonderful. Really dug the rooftop fight with Damian and Thomas, but someone needs to clip Gotham Girl’s wings asap. She is just an annoyance of acharacter as of late. Really still enjoying the villains as the GCPD dynamic. All good there. The slow burn on Selina and Bruce’s return is well done too. Now for the mixed part. So this is the infamous issue where Tom King makes a monumental dynamic change to the Bat family. I’m not sure how to feel about it. One one hand it is shocking and could open the door to some interesting tales now that this anchor in Bruce’s life has been eliminated. One the other hand.. I’m so fucking pissed. Doing this out of shock value is just wrong. The manner it’s done too doesn’t leave room for redemption for Thomas which is a shame because I just loved him and Bruce together in The Button crossover. This though is heinous. Goes wayy beyond tough love. Now for Bane. No question for this storyline Batman has to break his moral code and end Bane. Yes, I mean kill him. Either that or paralyze Bane completely so that he’s never retconned to come back. There better be a big comeuppance but that said I’m still so argghhh.. the feels. We will miss you Alfred. Godspeed Master Bruce and make this right. Overall: get this and sip with some Earl Grey tea. Especially before the last few pages. Score: 8 Reccomendation: Buy. It’s a good book but it’s only going to shoot up in value from here out. Especially if it sticks.

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 (**).

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