The Final Plague #2

The Final Plague continues! A mutated rabies virus continues to spread across the planet, infecting, killing, and re-animating animals both great and small. Can mankind survive? And what will happen when the first humans are infected? Will they fall, only to rise again?

I’m not the biggest fan of horror movies. It’s taken me a long time to get into them, and it wasn’t until I was well into my 20s before I really got to enjoy them. Good horror can freak me the fuck out. The Final Plague is good horror.

I don’t know what it is, the story, the art, the combination of the two, something really clicks with this series as I find myself squirming as I read through each of the issues. Maybe it’s because it’s rats involved? Possibly because it’s realistic?

Whatever it is, it works. It works really well since I find myself struggling to make it through reading the issue without freaking out. A great story elicits emotion and this does just that.

The fact that I struggled to make it through, like a good horror tale, shows that it’s a solid comic and the fact it’s done that two issues in a row makes it great. This is easily one of Action Lab: Danger Zone’s best comics and one of the best horror comics on the market right now.

Story: JD Arnold Art: Tony Guaraldi-Brown
Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Princeless: Tales of Family Ashe

While Adrienne is having the adventure of her lifetime, her family is getting pulled into the fray! Learn what happens to the ethereal Angelica in the aftermath of Adrienne’s rescue attempt! Shudder to learn what horrible fate has befallen Adrienne’s next sister, Angoisse!

And learn the rest of the tale of the young King Ashe, ensnared in the trap of the fiendish elves.

Serving as an epilogue to the second volume, this one-shot covers some of what happens after Angelica’s rescue as well as serves up what I can only assume is the next sister we get to meet Angoisse.

Like the main series, there’s some amazing writing here and great humor that can be enjoyed by both adults and kids.

The fact is, Princeless is one of the few series that features strong female leads, that are relatable, and on top of that minorities. It’s a comic you can be proud to hand off to people to show what comics can be.

This one-shot is a must for fans of the series and those wanting to find out about events after the end of the second volume. For the rest, you need to do yourself a favor and start from the first volume to read what is one of the best comic series on the market.

Story: Jeremy Whitley Art: Adriana Blake, Jessi Sheron, Isabelle Melancon
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Buy

Princeless: Tales of Girls Who Rock

Princess Adrienne is on the loose again, and this time she brought some friends! While Adrienne may be the first runaway princess, she’s certainly not the only girl who rocks! Come join Adrienne, Bedelia, Sparky, Tempest, and some brand new friends in Princeless: Tales of Girls Who Rock, a one-shot sure to introduce you to your next comics obsession!

They can’t all be winners and for a series that’s been as solid as this, there eventually had to be one issue that didn’t quite work. This one-shot that expands the Princeless universe a bit is entertaining, but as far as stories and flow, something was off for me and didn’t quite click.

What’s amazing is the series has been so good, comparing this one-shot to the rest is almost unfair, but even to the normal comics off, this one didn’t quite speak to me as I expected.

Thinking about what didn’t quite work, I don’t think it’s Whitley’s writing which is entertaining. I can’t say it’s the art, which is good as well. Neither are quite as strong as past issues or one-shots, but they’re all still good. I think the plots themselves didn’t quite seem as enjoyable as past releases.

There’s nothing bad about this at all, and as an addition to the overall Princeless universe and volume it’s nice to see the world expanded a bit. But, the stories at this point don’t seem to add a whole lot for me, which I guess caught me off guard. There’s a lot of potential here though and I’d love to see more of a world formed.

If you’re looking for a place to start with Princeless, this isn’t it, but it is a nice step in a great direction that I’m hoping for more of.

Story: Jeremy Whitley Art: Tara Abbamondi, Jen Vaughn, Agni Shearstone
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read

Skyward #2

The chase is on as an unlikely group of villagers race to catch up to Quinn, who is on the run from the assassin Slog-Riders. Yikes!

Reading the first issue of Skyward, I did wonder one thing, where was the kick-ass female lead. With a proper introduction of Abigail, here we go and more evidence that Action Lab is a publisher that gives a crap about diversity.

Gone is the predictable plot points from the first issue, instead we get very relatable characters (there’s that word again) that draw you further into the fantastical world creator Jeremy Dale has come up with.

And in that relatable department is Abigail, a strong female character who is there for more than to just look at. She has a strong personality and great abilities when it comes to fighting and tracking. She’s every bit as capable and more-so than some of the other male characters. The fact is, she’s a strong female protagonist, something that’s awesome to see.

The issue has great pacing and quickly leads back into and follows up from the events of the first issue. Dale has put together a fantasy series that’s fun and easy to get into for long time fantasy fans and new readers. It’s also fun for old and young alike. A solid series that I hope finds the following it deserves.

Story: Jeremy Dale Art: Jeremy Dale
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Action Lab Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review