Tag Archives: ronda pattison

Review: Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1

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Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1

I always say there’s a comic for everyone. It’s a medium that lends itself to so many different styles, stories, and worlds. Anything can happen. Even with an infinite possibilities, it feels great discovering a comic you think is truly unique. It feels like a story and a world you’ve never entered before. Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1 is that type of comic for me.

Taking place in California, Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1 follows a team of firefighters who are prisoners. This is a thing in the state where prisoners can help fight fires as a job and get paid very little for risking their lives. This particular group is of five women, four convicts and the officer in charge. While the comic could be amazing just focused on a group fighting forest fires (a story that is not a common one in comics), this takes it a bit further by turning it into a heist as well. A house with a massive fortune is nearby and one of the women is connected to it, opening up an opportunity to go rob it.

Written by Scott Snyder, Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1 is a hell of a start. The story is narrated by one of the team members. We know how it ends. The question is how did things get to that point? Snyder delivers a tale of tragedy on multiple fronts and one where I don’t expect what’s presented in the beginning to be what the ending actually is. But, it could be, and that’s part of the interesting tale being weaved. There is a sad aspect about the whole concept, the exploitation of the workers, the hinted at ending. But, it’s still a heist story and Snyder knows the beats to hit to make it an exciting one.

The art by Hayden Sherman is amazing. The page layouts are fantastic and this is a comic you’ll want to get a physical copy of. There’s a spread towards the end of the issue that is jaw-dropping and will leave you lingering to get every small detail. The color by Ronda Pattison is fantastic playing off the yellow, orange, and red of the fire. The lettering by Andworld Design adds to the haunting narrative.

Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1 is a hell of a start with amazing art and a very unique concept. It shows off Snyder’s talents as he moves away from the fantastical and horror to a more grounded story. His framing of the story and issue are top notch and mixed with art that will blow you away, this is a hell of a start and an issue that’s a must get.

Story: Scott Snyder Art: Hayden Sherman
Color: Ronda Pattison Letterer: Andworld Design
Story: 8.75 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – TFAW – comiXology/Kindle

Preview: Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1

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Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1

(W) Scott Snyder (A/CA) Hayden Sherman
In Shops: Jul 20, 2022
SRP: $3.99

Six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo Fire, a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program are risking everything on the frontlines when their newest recruit – a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers – discovers they’re mere miles from her crooked former associate’s mansion. When she proposes a plan to abandon their duties and hunt for riches under cover of smoke and ash, the team must decide if they’re ready to jeopardize their one sure path back to normalcy for a shot at a score that would change their lives… But is this a flicker of fortune or a deadly trap? Scott Snyder and breakout artist Hayden Sherman craft an unforgettable heist for a new age in Dark Spaces: Wildfire.

Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1

Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5

After a rather extended wait, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5 is finally here wrapping up the anticipated miniseries. The issue delivers a lot of action, wrapping things nicely, though in a rather predictable fashion. Will Michelangelo get revenge for the death of his family? Will the rebellion succeed?

The previous issue left us with a major blow against the fascist government and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5 kicks things off with the next steps and the anarchy that has spread due to the lack of power and lack of law enforcement. It’s not quite the rally the people feel I was expecting which has the comic delivering at least one surprise. It also helps add to the rather chaotic story that shows how unprepared the resistance was to deal with their oppressors.

The comic really bounces between three plots. There’s April who attempts to save her home from flooding due to the lack of power. There’s her daughter who bounces around not quite knowing what to do. Finally, there’s the Last Ronin seeking his revenge.

The first two plots feel like filler in some way. It gives each of these characters something to do and explains why they don’t help Mikey in his battle. That final battle is satisfying at times with some interesting twists though a few that feel familiar and been there in other stories. The conclusion too is a little predictable where things end. Overall, it’s a final piece of the story that wraps things up in a somewhat ok fashion.

That ok fashion extends to the art which lacks some of the flair and excitement from the previous issues. There’s a lot of action but much feels like odd poses and none of which is memorable. It feel rather anticlimactic in some ways. None of it is bad but there’s an excitement that just lacks at times. Cool moments don’t really come off as such instead just delivering beats and never really taking advantage to build up to anything. The exhaustion and difficulty of the battle is told more than shown leaving things disconnected between the visuals and dialogue.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #5 isn’t a bad finale but it also doesn’t quite have the punch that’s expected. For a series that has been so good, it’s a little bit of a letdown. It does deliver a rather touching final moment but beyond that, this went from a series that was one of the best TMNT stories to just another miniseries that doesn’t stick the landing.

Story: Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz Script: Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz
Layouts: Kevin Eastman Pencils/Inks: Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, Kevin Eastman
Color Assistance: Samuel Plata Color: Luis Antonio Delgado, Ronda Pattison Letterer: Shawn Lee
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics

Scott Snyder Launches the Dark Spaces Anthology at IDW

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Scott Snyder will debut a chilling original comic book project in July: Dark Spaces, published by IDW Publishing.

Desperate people, desperate situations. In Dark Spaces, Snyder explores the decisions made—and irreversible actions taken—when the walls are closing in, when knuckles are white and teeth are bared. Each character-driven entry in the Dark Spaces anthology series is a fully contained, standalone story written by Scott Snyder. Championing the new generation of comic creators, Snyder will curate additional future projects fitting the Dark Spaces theme from promising young writers and artists.

The first series will debut with a scorching five-part heist entitled Dark Spaces: Wildfire, featuring painstakingly detailed artwork by rising star Hayden Sherman and colors by Ronda Pattison.

Dark Spaces: Wildfire is set six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo fire and introduces a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program risking everything on the frontlines. Their newest recruit—a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers—discovers that they’re mere miles from a former associate’s abandoned mansion and proposes a plan to abandon their duties and hunt for riches under the cover of smoke and ash. The team must decide if they’re ready to jeopardize their one sure path back to normalcy for a score that would truly change their lives… But is this a flicker of fortune or a deadly trap?

Dark Spaces: Wildfire will be published monthly from July through November, with subsequent to-be-announced Dark Spaces storylines debuting in 2023. The first issue of Wildfire will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, featuring artwork by Hayden Sherman, Andrea Sorrentino, Liana Kangas, and Tula Lotay.

Review: Usagi Yojimbo: Lone Goat and Kid #1

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Usagi Yojimbo: Lone Goat and Kid #1

I was a fan of the show Cheaters when it was on. As I found many of the episodes very hilarious. There were some that were truly heartbreaking. What the series did not reveal to viewers is what happened to them before the cameras turned on.

AS we don’t know what lead the one that cheated to find comfort elsewhere. We don’t know how the person affected behaves behind close doors. As relationships are hard, and truth is more than black and white. In this beautifully put together one shot, Stan Sakai weaves a delicate story in Usagi Yojimbo: Lone Goat and Kid #1, a love story with 3 sides. .

In “Frost & Fire”, Usagi gets a job  to locate swords left behind by a samurai who was killed in another village. As Usagi starts his investigation, he soon finds out that there is more to it than the widow revealed. As we find out that he had a mistress because his wife was cold and he had fallen in love with her, hoping for an honorable death. By issue’s end, greed takes over, leaving one dead and ill gotten gains.

Overall, Usagi Yojimbo: Lone Goat and Kid #1 is an excellent story which proves that comics are some of the greatest literature one can intake. The story by Sakai is powerful. The art by the creative team is astounding. Altogether, a story that shows love in different strokes.

Story: Stan Sakai Art: Stan Sakai, Ronda Pattison, and David Petersen
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle

Review: Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams

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Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams

When it comes to who is the most fascinating character in all of comic books, no one comes close to Batman. Bruce Wayne is a modern-day case in childhood trauma. He somehow manifested the death of his parents into a lifelong crusade against evil. As many fans who have read the comic books know, he is much darker than the cartoon version.

Many of us who grew up reading him know the dark recesses of this conflicted hero. This is why we are drawn to him and are attracted to heroes similar to him such as Moon Knight. His crossover adventures with other heroes are legendary, and it helps if his partners are a bit like him. In Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams, we find him with another complicated protagonist, as they hunt down an incessant evil.

We are taken to Gotham City, where Maxx’s delusions have led him to be amongst the homeless, which draws the attention of Batman, who thinks he belongs in Arkham Asylum. As Maxx gets admitted into Arkham, Batman soon unleashes chaos as the world Maxx sees and Gotham merges because of the experiments conducted by an unconventional doctor at Arkham, Dr.Disparu,  leading Batman to take drastic measures. He and the doctor must use the evil minds, some of which are Batman’s rogues, to find a solution to stop the worlds from converging. Eventually, Batman searches out Julie Winters, to enter a dimension hole, where they meet an alternate version of Harley Quinn while Disparu continues his experiments on the Joker, The Penguin, and Harley, which causes unsettling effects on Maxx. By book’s end, Disparu’s secret is revealed and our heroes fight one last stand against the deadliest versions of Batman’s rogues to protect the Outback, in a glorious victory.

Overall, Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams is a true mind-bending journey with the Dark Knight and one of Image Comics’ most complex protagonists. The story by Keith is fun. The art by the creative team is gorgeous. Altogether, an adventure that takes the reader on a bunch of twists and turns, an adventure that will have readers revisiting to see what they missed.

Story: Sam Keith Art: Sam Keith, Ronda Pattison, and Shawn Lee
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – TFAW – Bookshop

Review: Usagi Yojimbo: Dragon Bellow Conspiracy #1

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Usagi Yojimbo: Dragon Bellow Conspiracy #1

As a fan of the Star Trek movies, I have had many misgivings with the different iterations. Each cast brings its own flavors and also presents its own limitations. The movies have highlighted why fans have loved each of these casts but also shows why many of these shows’ stories never truly translated to the big screen. In fact, if you watched the first-ever Star Trek movie, hopes for a sequel would be far off based solely on that film’s success.

It’s the sequel movies that came which introduced this universe to generations who were not even born yet when the original TV series aired. One of the best movies to come from this series of movies was Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country. The film utilized canon and cross-pollinate with some other genres, spy thriller, being the most prominent. In Usagi Yojimbo: Dragon Bellow Conspiracy #1, a plot as dense as Star Trek IV emerges, in one of Stan Sakai’s best stories.

We open on Tomoe, on a mission for Lord Noriyuki, one that she cannot fail, fiercely fighting her way through a brigade of soldiers. As the reader soon finds out Lord Hikiji, is looking for favor with the Shogun in changing his station, secretly amassing an arsenal, one that can possibly outmaneuver any rival. Gen soon uncovers the boxes of guns Lord Tamakuro is hiding, a piece of intelligence, which Lord Noriyuki would benefit from knowing. Meanwhile, we find Gennosuke, Zato-Ino, and Usagi coming together as they soon realize Tomoe has been captured. By the issue’s end, Tomoe must find a way to let Lord Noriyuki know what’s going on while her three friends look to rescue her.

Overall, Usagi Yojimbo: Dragon Bellow Conspiracy #1 is a tense thriller, one which shows the different dimensions to Sakai’s storytelling abilities. The story Sakai is engrossing. The art by the creative team is beautiful. Altogether, an excellent entry point for anyone interested in why this Samurai who just so happens to be a rabbit has gained so many fans.

Story: Stan Sakai Art: Stan Sakai
Color: Ronda Pattison Letterer: Stan Sakai
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Preview: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Reborn Vol. 2 Life After Death

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Reborn Vol. 2 Life After Death

(W) Sophie Campbell, Ronda Pattison (A) Jodie Nishijima (A/CA) Nelson Daniel
In Shops: Apr 28, 2021
SRP: $19.99

The mutagen bomb’s fallout continues to affect NYC in increasingly disturbing ways. As the government struggles to come to grips with a growing humanitarian crisis, mutants start to go missing. The TMNT trace the clues to the waterfront and find something terrifying that is now living in the depths! Meanwhile, a falling out between Baxter and April could have dire consequences for Mutant Town. But life somehow finds a way to move forward, and in a standalone story that delves deeper into the denizens of Mutant Town, follow three interconnected stories as the TMNT immerse themselves in their new home.

Collects issues #106-110 of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Reborn Vol. 2 Life After Death

Review: Usagi Yojimbo Origins Vol. 1

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Usagi Yojimbo Origins Vol. 1

When it comes to the early days of superheroes, fans love to find out how those characters’ nuances first came to be. That’s why Smallville was so indelible. It gave fans a view of how Kal-El eventually became Superman. The show focused not only how he discovered himself but also how his loved ones molded him. It also showed those trials and tribulations where they found their inner strength.

The show changed the narrative in many ways. We found out Clark and Lex were actually best friends before they became mortal enemies. The audience got to enjoy the journey while appreciating the fact that we know where he is going. In Usagi Yojimbo: Origins Vol. 1, we get a collection of stories of how this sword for hire came to be.

In “Samurai”, we meet Usagi’s teacher Katsuichi-Sensei. Katsuichi-Sensei trains him in the way of the Samurai and Usagi moves up the ranks under Lord Mifune quickly, before his untimely death and because of a friend’s betrayal. “Kappa” has Usagi saving a man from a water monster ad incidentally runs into his dead mother. In “Quiet Meal”, Usagi makes quick waste of a bunch of drunkards starting trouble. “Blind Swords Pig” features Usagi running into Zato, a blind outlaw, which eventually ends in a duel between the two swordsmen. In the final tale, “Lone Rabbit and Child”, Usagi takes a job to protect a young heir and his guardian, long enough to be installed as the head of his clan.

Overall, Usagi Yojimbo Origins Vol. 1 is an engaging powerful origin story which shows just how skilled Stan Sakai is, as a storyteller. The stories by Sakai are fun and gripping. The art by Stan Sakai and Ronda Pattison is awe-inspiring. Altogether, a set of stories that give excellent insight into what makes Sakai’s protagonist, still so magnetic to readers.

Story: Stan Sakai Art: Stan Sakai and Ronda Pattison
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW – Bookshop

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