Tag Archives: jeff eckleberry

The Terminator #2 is an interesting concept but rough execution

Posted on by
The Terminator #2

Saigon, 1975-The war is winding down, and American forces are in retreat. One G.I. is enjoying his final leave in South Vietnam’s capital city when he is urgently recalled to the front. Back on the line, Private Duggan finds that his sector is being overrun by a mysterious enemy force one that doesn’t operate like any Viet Cong or NVA unit he’s ever faced. As rumors spread through the ranks about a ‘one-man Charlie platoon,’ Duggan suddenly come under murderous fire. Through the thick jungle air the trapped men spy their attacker a lone figure, seemingly impervious to bullets and grenades, completely devoid of fear or hesitation. Implacable. Inescapable. Inhuman. The Terminator #2 takes us back in time to the end of the Vietnam War for a comic whose concept is far better than the execution.

Written by Declan Shalvey The Terminator #2 is a decent idea but the details are where it falls apart. The story focuses on a US soldier named Dug who is scrambling to get something important as the order for evacuation from the country is given. But, in Dug’s search for whatever he needs, he comes across a Terminator who has come from the future and battling local forces.

And that battle begins the silliness. While bullets are pumped into the Terminator and that’s fine, the killing machine also goes up against a tank, throws items in an odd motion, and generally acts even stiffer than normal. The comic as a whole has a stiffness around it in its storytelling and execution, emphasized by the art from David O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan’s art is what drags the issue down. With color by Colin Craker and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry, the Terminator and its actions feels almost like a kid playing with an action figure lacking articulation. The positions and placement are odd and awkward. The design too feels silly at times. It’s just such an odd visual choice and step back from a debut issue that was so good.

Further hampering The Terminator #2 is a back-up story that’s just one page. Written by Sal Crivelli with art by Colin Craker and lettering by Eckleberry, the story is far too short. I don’t remember if it was a continuation of the back-up story from the first issue or something completely new. But, from what we do get to see, the art is really solid and looks good. It’s inclusion as a whole is a bit of a headscratcher. It feels like a second of a story.

The Terminator #2 as a whole is numerous steps back from a fantastic debut issue. The art is stiff, the storytelling choppy, then the inclusion of a back-up story that’s one page all add up to a very odd reading experience. As part of a trade or anthology it’d all be fine but as a single issue, it’s a tough one.

Story: Declan Shalvey, Sal Crivelli Art: David O’Sullivan, Colin Craker
Color: Colin Craker Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 7.0 Art: 6.0 Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Pass

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Kindle

The Terminator #1 is a welcome return of the property to comics and way to celebrate 40 years

Posted on by

The plans to kill Sarah Connor and her son John have failed, but the genocidal Skynet isn’t out of options yet. There are still a few more avenues into the past that will allow it to destroy the human resistance that is poised to smash its processors into silicon shrapnel — it just needs to expand its theater of operations.

Opening a new front in the war, Terminators are dispatched across the globe and throughout time to target current resistance fighters, their ancestors, and anyone else unlucky enough to be in the strike zones. And while none of these secondary assignments are as straightforward as the missions of the first T-800 and T-1000, time is literally on the machines’ side. When all of history becomes a war zone, nowhere — and nowhen — is safe!

Story: Declan Shalvey, Sal Crivelli
Art: Luke Sparrow, Colin Craker
Color: Colin Craker
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

TFAW
Kindle

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

ThunderCats: Cheetara #1 delivers an origin story of one of the show’s most iconic characters

Posted on by
ThunderCats: Cheetara #1

As a child of the 1980s, I cannot believe it has been 40 years since my adolescence. I hated many things about growing up but I also loved many things about it as well. I never could have imagined a time when I had less worries. This is why whenever I am reminded of that time, sometimes; I cannot help but get teary eyed, impacted by the nostalgia of it all.

One of those things I enjoyed was Saturday morning cartoons, which included the ThunderCats. As much as the show was written for kids my age, I always wondered how it would be like it was geared towards a more mature audience. In ThunderCats: Cheetara #1, we get the origin story of one of the show’s most iconic characters, making her even more intriguing.

We are taken to Thundera before the ELE took place, as Cheetara reminisces on the majesty of the planet and its people. We find Cheetara and Jaga as they roam the halls of one of Thundera’s sacred temples, one which holds the Sword of Omens. We soon find out that they are royalty, as they meet up with Tygra, who starting to doubt himself and his place in the royal court. As we find out what happened to Lion-O’s father, how became the ward of Jaga, and how the royal court took a part in his upbringing. By the issue’s end, Cheetara receives a vision that connects Thundera’s past and its impending fatalistic future.

Overall, ThunderCats: Cheetara #1 is an excellent origin story that every ThunderCats fans like me have been waiting four decades for. The story by Soo Lee is enlightening. The art by the creative team of Domenico Carbone, Chiara Di Francia, and Jeff Eckelberry is glorious. Altogether, ThunderCats: Cheetara #1 is a story fans of the franchise will love.

Story: Soo Lee Art: Domenico Carbone
Color: Chiara Di Francia Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Kindle

A Mind-Bending Murder Mystery on the Streets of LA in Profane #1

Posted on by

BOOM! Studios has revealed a first look at Profane #1, the debut issue of a brand new mind-bending murder mystery from comics legend Peter Milligan, veteran artist Raül Fernandez, colorist Giada Marchisio, and letterer Jeff Eckleberry, that treads the precarious razor’s edge between reality and fiction. Coming to comic shops on June 5, 2024.

Will Profane is a seasoned private eye, and solving murders in the sunbaked streets of Los Angeles is his daily bread. But something is strange about his latest case. Every clue leads him back to a world-famous crime novelist lying at the center of this mystery–and dangerous truths about Profane’s own life.

Profane #1 features main cover art by star artist Javier Rodriguez and variant covers by acclaimed illustrators Mike Deodato with Jão Canola, and Marguerite Sauvage!

Profane #1

ThunderCats #2 has some interesting moments but is a bit too predictable

Posted on by
ThunderCats #2

In the aftermath of his first battle with the Mu’Tants, Lion-O attempts to use the Sight Beyond Sight to ask for guidance from their lost leader, Jaga. The vision he receives instead leads the ThunderCats to discover another Thundarian survivor on Third Earth! Meanwhile, Slithe and his Mu’Tant band have discovered the pyramid of Mumm Ra – and they’re about to learn firsthand how dangerous the Ever-Living one can be! ThunderCats #2 isn’t bad but overall is a bit too predictable.

Written by Declan Shalvey, ThunderCats #2 is an entertaining comic and has some fantastic moments but is hampered with plot points that you can see coming from a mile away. The comic, like the debut issue, invokes a style that hearkens back to the television show. There’s some moments that feel classic in some ways but it takes the easy route.

Where Shalvey’s take really stands out is its interaction between the ThunderCats themselves. Lion-O is a leader who is young and untested and attempting to organize a group that is thrust in a difficult situation. Their base is tattered, supplies limited, they’re marooned and besieged. They’re off their game and Lion-O’s inexperience isn’t helping. It leads to friction in the team and some disagreement about priorities and how to handle things. It feels right for a group in this situation and shows some good character growth and depth. Lion-O will need to learn how to lead and Shalvey’s focus on a kid suddenly thrusted to being a man is the best part of the series.

That inexperience leads Lion-O dive into the deep end when it comes to a brand-new character. While the rest of the team is skeptical, it’s clear and pretty obvious there’s more to this new mysterious character. It all feels like it’d fit quite well in the animated series but it all is a bit all too obvious as to where it’s going.

The art by Drew Moss is good. With color by Ciara Di Francia and Martina Pignedoli and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry, the comic has a look slightly different than the traditional from the animated show and toys, but still good. For the most part everyone looks like their classic self but there’s some small changes. The only gripe is things are a bit too neat and tidy right now. The ThunderCats and even the Mu’Tant ship all feel a bit too organized and not haggard enough. The world itself comes off as dusty and grimy but that doesn’t extend to the ThunderCats or base.

ThunderCats #2, like the debut, shows potential. There’s some things that are fantastic but there’s also aspects that feel a bit too easy. Like the sword shattering in the first issue, the comic goes for plots that are predictable and the narrative itself has a choppy aspect at times, like a record skipping a bit. It’s a series that feels like it can be tightened just a bit and it’d be one that stands out on the shelf.

Story: Declan Shalvey Art: Drew Moss
Color: Ciara Di Francia, Martina Pignedoli Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.15 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

ThunderCats #2 Debuts a New Character Calica!

Posted on by

Dynamite and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products have announced a huge new addition to the ThunderCats mythos, with the introduction of a brand new character in issue #2!

A brand-new member is being added to the core cast by the creative team of Declan Shalvey and Drew Moss. Fans will get the chance to meet Calica early into the second issue, which arrives in stores March 13. A potential love interest for a Lion-O trying to mature and establish himself as a worthy leader, Calica’s story could go any number of ways in the forthcoming chapters and story arcs…

As her name may imply, this new young Thunderian is inspired by the appearance of Calico cats, with a tri-color fur pattern and a distinctive black patch around one of her eyes. She’s found among the wreckage of a Mu’Tant ship. More of her backstory will be revealed in the issue and beyond for readers.

Alongside the character’s first appearance, Dynamite will be unveiling a surprise second cover for the issue by series writer and superstar artist Declan Shalvey.

ThunderCats #2 will be in stores March 13. It is written by Declan Shalvey, drawn by Drew Moss, colored by Arancia Studio, lettered by Jeff Eckleberry, and edited by Nate Cosby. In addition to the newly announced covers by Shalvey, Moss, and Ken Haeser, the issue features variant covers by David Nakayama, Lucio Parrillo, Jae Lee, Ivan Tao, and an action figure cover.

ThunderCats #1 kicks off a new era for the beloved franchise

Posted on by
ThunderCats #1

ThunderCats #1 has a tough task. It kicks off a new era for a franchise that has had a resurgence in toys but hasn’t had much else for some time. It’s a property full of nostalgia. And, as a new series, it must play to long time fans as well as welcome new readers for something that originally launched nearly 40 years ago. Written by Declan Shalvey, ThunderCats #1 does a decent job of delivering a balance that sets up what’s to come and establishes what this take of ThunderCats is about.

I wasn’t the biggest ThunderCats fan, but remember watching the animated series in the 80s and had some of the toys. There were other 80s cartoons I was far more into. But, I remember the basics of who the good guys and bad guys are and the general personalities. The specifics, that eludes me. Thankfully, ThunderCats #1 delivers all of that, focusing on the ThunderCats escape from their dying world and being attacked, eventually winding up on Third Earth. But beyond that, the rest feels new and fresh and I have no idea how much has changed and how much remains the same.

Shalvey’s main focus seems to be Lion-O, the leader of the ThunderCats. In this take Lion-O aged up during his space travel, creating a man without the experience of his years. Lion-O is also forced into leadership, though it’s never quite explained why this has to be. That’s part of the issue with the debut, there’s a lot packed in and a lot delivered in broad strokes. It feels like the comic rushes through some of its more interesting aspects to get to its “shocking” ending. That creates for a somewhat choppy read.

The art by Drew Moss to isn’t quite as consistent as I’d hope. While the characters are familiar and overall the comic looks good, there’s slight panels where the characters don’t quite look themselves. It’s small quibbles and here but it’s noticeable. The interior doesn’t quite have the polish of the covers or the excitement and like the story itself, the art feels a little choppy at times. With color by Chiara Di Francia and Martina Pignedoli, and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry, the overall looks is good but not great. Moments that should pop, don’t. There’s nothing visually that I get excited about.

ThunderCats #1 is a good start that lays the groundwork for what’s to come. It mostly rushes through it’s story to get to its finale which is the real hook for what’s to come. It teases too much and doesn’t focus enough on what makes the debut comic truly interesting. It’s a bit scattered. But still, it’s nice to see this classic property return and as a debut, it’s more than enough to see what comes next.

Story: Declan Shalvey Art: Drew Moss
Color: Chiara Di Francia, Martina Pignedoli Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 7.35 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.2 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics

Lilo and Stitch #1 is a cute start

Posted on by
Lilo and Stitch #1

Life seems to have calmed down for Experiment 626 and his new family on Earth – at least until evil aliens come hunting for everyone’s favorite blue-furred troublemaker. The kicker? They’re using giant robots that are powered by Stitch’s own DNA! Will Lilo’s beloved pet be able to take on these villains and lead them away from his adopted planet and loved ones? And even if he succeeds, will he be able to find his way back home? Lilo and Stitch #1 kicks off a brand new adventure based on the beloved animated film.

I’ll admit, I’ve never seen the film or read anything involving Lilo and Stitch. Still, I know the very basics and what little I have seen, it looks very adorable. So, I went into reading Lilo and Stitch #1 with no history and no expectations beyond Dynamite doing a fantastic job so far with their Disney comics. Also, Grep Pak writing didn’t hurt. And, I’m happy to say, Lilo and Stitch #1 is a very cute start that should welcome back long time fans and make new ones with its easy entry.

The story is very simple. Lilo and Stitch have settled down and having fun with their family and lives when evil aliens show up to kidnap Stitch. It doesn’t get that more complicated yet and with that simplicity, Pak is also able to re-introduce the characters and dynamic giving a lot of time to reminding us all about Stitch. That seems to be the focus, Stitch and its amazing abilities. There’s an almost Marvin the Martian/Looney Tunes vibe to it all with how Pak presents it and it just works really well with the ending setting up what should be some meta fun.

Helping is the art by Giulia Giacomino who handles the color as well. Giulia is joined by Jeff Eckleberry on lettering and together they capture the look of the film and everything else I’ve seen of the characters. The comic does a solid job of capturing the playful nature of it all. And, even when the evil aliens arrive, the comic still has a cute aspect about it. Even in the “scary” parts, it doesn’t veer away from its cheerful nature and look.

Lilo and Stitch #1 is a nice start to the series. While not the strongest Disney comic debut of the bunch, it captures what I know of the property well. It feels like it’s just having fun delivering an adventure that’ll take the characters to unexpected placed and in unexpected locations. Fans of the characters won’t want to miss this and kids will have a lot of fun with it.

Story: Greg Pak Art: Giulia Giacomino
Color: Giulia Giacomino Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics

Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1 kicks off some solid 80s action

Posted on by
Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1

Following the grisly events of Bloodlines, the woman formerly known as Jessica Blute – a.k.a. Jen Fellows, a.k.a. Jennifer Blood – finds herself involved with a new class of criminals. This one-woman bane of organized crime is supposedly dead and buried, and that’s exactly what she wants the world to think. Now, however, a visit to her original penitentiary gravesite puts Blood in the crosshairs of a vicious prison gang – one that has no idea of what’s about to hit them! Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1 is the start of a whole new story that’s new reader friendly and evokes 80s action films.

Written by Fred Van Lente, Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1 is a solid start to the new miniseries, one that any new reader can walk right in to. I regularly read the series when it debuted many years ago, loving the over the top action that reminded me of films I grew up with. Admittedly, I fell off from reading each subsequent series and it’s been quite a while since I have. That being said, the comic catches readers up with everything they need to know making it easy to jump right in to and appreciate.

And if you’re a fan of 80s action films, you’ll appreciate it. Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1 has a vibe that’s a little Cobra, a little revenge films, delivering a read where the dialogue should just be expected as cheesy and the action unrealistic. And it works, it works well. Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1 delivers exactly what you’d expect and readers of the series will want.

Artist Robert Carey delivers the cool with color by Dearbhla Kelly and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry. While the action here isn’t quite as prevalent as one might expect, Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1 delivers more than enough to keep readers engaged and excited. Part of the visual fun is not knowing where things are going to go. There’s a build up to each moment and visually, you never know where things might go. It could be some amazing action, it could just be a cool back and forth in dialogue. It’s just a solid visual delivery the entire time.

Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1 is a good jumping on point. If you just want a comic that knows exactly what it is and delivers some good action where the bullets fly and body count rises, look no further. This is a series that delivers exactly what the audience expects and enjoys.

Story: Fred Van Lente Art: Robert Carey
Color: Dearbhla Kelly Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Dynamite’s ThunderCats comic details revealed! Character designs, covers, and more!

Posted on by

Following the announcement of the broader partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and early details on the exciting new era of ThunderCats comics at New York Comic Con, Dynamite has revealed even more details about the anticipated new series! The new ThunderCats series will be written by Declan Shalvey with art by Drew Moss and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry.

ThunderCats is set to feature a range of incredible cover art from industry legends. In addition to the two previously revealed by Declan Shalvey himself and Lucio Parrillo, they will be joined by David Nakayama, Jae Lee, and Ivan Tao. Nakayama’s stunning rendition will also be featured as the cover for Diamond Comic Distributors’ November catalog for titles releasing in February.

The ThunderCats mythos of fierce feline warriors from the planet Thundera was created by Ted Wolf. With their beloved homeworld in its death throes, they must flee and find a new home, but are attacked by the Mutants of Plun-Darr, diverting them to Third Earth and starting a long conflict between these two groups. With other foes like the ancient Mumm-Ra, the likes of Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra, Panthro, WilyKit and WilyKat, and others will hone their skills and survive. Readers can expect to see these elements and characters in the new comics.

Fans can see character design work from artist Drew Moss, and stay tuned for a look at his interior art.

ThunderCats #1 is coming to shops in February 2024. 

« Older Entries Recent Entries »