Author Archives: Brett

Grendel: Devil’s Crucible Defiance #1 is an easy debut for new readers to start with

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Grendel: Devils Crucible Defiance #1

Grendel Prime has returned to Earth, but things are not as he left them. The pockets of humanity that remain and the “Necro Lords” that rule them have turned against Grendel. Grendel Prime will need to hide his identity as he explores his suddenly hostile home planet. Grendel: Devil’s Crucible Defiance #1 kicks off a new story arc that’s surprisingly new reader friendly.

I know nothing about Grendel. It’s not a comic I’ve ever read and it’s a character I have little experience with. I’ve heard good things and it’s one I’ve been intrigued to check out, so Grendel: Devil’s Crucible Defiance #1 felt like a chance to see what it’s all about.

Even with that lack of knowledge, Grendel: Devil’s Crucible Defiance #1 is an easy comic to dive into. It lays out the basics you need to know and keeps the story rather basic and not all that complicated. Grendel Prime is back on Earth and there’s no bosses in town who hunt Grendels and kill them. It’s not more complicated than that.

Matt Wagner who handles the story and art keeps the comic laser focused making it easy to enjoy and read. Grendel Prime is unfamiliar with this world and how its changed, so Wagner uses that to catch up readers as to what’s going on and what they can expect. We get a feudal type world where technology has slid backwards. It’s an interesting take and feels slightly different than the post apocalyptic world we see so often. The story itself has a lone samurai/western vibe to it as Grendel gets in trouble with local authorities and find allies. It’s a narrative we’ve seen many times but it’s done well enough.

The art by Wagner with color by Brennan Wagner and lettering by Rob Leigh is good. There’s an interesting style to it all with it embracing the various ideas and genres it mashes together. There’s that samurai feel along with the broken down technology vibe. The art is good and doesn’t go heavy on too much detail which might distract, instead it keeps things focused on the visuals that matter and help tell the story of the world, not necessarily of Grendel.

Grendel: Devil’s Crucible Defiance #1 isn’t a comic that necessarily has me excited to see what’s next but it’s an entertaining read and I can understand what people can see in the character and world. New readers can dive in without any need of knowing the history and continuity which is impressive. Overall, an enjoyable read but not one that’ll stick out after.

Story: Matt Wagner Art: Matt Wagner
Color: Brennan Wagner Letterer: Rob Leigh
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Free Agents #1 feels like a bit of a throwback for good and bad

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Free Agents #1

Salvo. Pike. Katari. Shakti. Ridge. Maraud. Chalice. They’ve fought every day of their existence and won a terrible victory. Now they’re stranded on Earth, free agents for the first time. But when relics from their long war appear, threatening their chance at better lives, their greatest battle begins. They’ve fought for a million planets. Can they fight to save their own souls? Free Agents #1 is an interesting concept of a comic but its execution falls short of its pitch.

Free Agents #1 packs a lot into the first issue. Not only does it introduce, with a good amount of detail, a large cast, but it also gives their tragic history and kicks things off with some action. Written by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, Free Agents #1 has potential. Its concept of soldiers finding refuge on Earth and trying to move on from their traumatic experience is a story well worth telling. But, this debut issue doesn’t dive into their struggle enough to get that across. The struggle feels almost non-existent.

The comic kicks off with the team battling a remnant from the war they thought they left behind. It teases their being a part of the Image superhero universe, with a name drop of Cyber Force, and has them going back to their “civilian” lives they’re trying to forge. From there it’s debriefs and letting readers know what happened to get to this point in a debut issue that feels a little choppy. I remember reading Image superhero comics in the 90s during the launch, and Free Agents feels a lot like that, the concept is better than the execution with a story that feels like it’s missing details or something to get the point across. Here, reader aren’t given a sense of these individuals really struggling with their past. They treat the battle we witness like it’s part of their war with debriefs instead of really focusing on wanting to get away from it all. They all question “why” far too much instead of some anger about wanting their previous life to go away. We’re told they were all forced to fight but their actions never really indicate they don’t want to fight. They say it but never really act on it.

And the art doesn’t help a ton. Stephen Mooney is talented and I read the comic in a non-ideal digital form but there’s some sequences where things are completely clear as to what’s going on and there’s a rough aspect to it all. With color by Triona Tree Farrell and lettering by Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith, the comic’s visuals, like the story, feels a little rough at times. There’s odd movement in some of the action sequences and the mix of civilian and soldier doesn’t always come across well. The disguises feel like they’re encroached by their soldier uniforms at times or there’s aspects to something they do (like the healing scene) that’s not always clear. The comic attempts to “show” at times instead of “tell” and the show doesn’t make the tell clear. Like the story itself, there’s a lot of potential.

Free Agents #1 is an interesting concept and there’s a lot to it. Hopefully, like some of those 90s Image superhero comics, the story will clear up with more issues and right its path. But, as far as being a debut issue, it doesn’t live up to the quality you’d expect with the high caliber talent on it. It’s a better idea than execution as the execution doesn’t get the idea across enough. Instead of being soldiers trying to escape to a new life, it comes off as refugee soldiers being dragged back into the war they thought was over. They’re two concepts that are close, but different. This may be one where the first arc is read as a whole instead of individual issues.

Story: Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza Art: Stephen Mooney
Color: Triona Tree Farrell Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry is unfortunately relevant for today

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Horrific scenes of anti-Jewish violence in Europe filled the newsreels in American theaters in the 1930s and 1940s.

What could be done to make sure it didn’t happen in America? One Jewish organization hit upon a remarkable idea–to enlist some of America’s most beloved cartoonists to wage a war on bigotry.

Cartoonists Against Racism uncovers the secret campaign to create anti-racist comics and cartoons to flood America’s newspapers, classrooms, and union halls. Meet the artists and the work that was their ammunition in the battle for America’s soul.

Story: Rafael Medoff, Craig Yoe
Forward by: Susannah Heschel

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.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle
Zeus Comics

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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

Scarlett #2 delivers some solid action and turns Scarlett into even more of a badass

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Scarlett #2

In order to find her missing friend Jinx, Scarlett goes undercover, deep into the belly of Clan Arashikage, to discover the truth. Scarlett #2 sees Scarlett captured and tested in solid second issue.

In the first issue of the series, Scarlett is recruited to infiltrate Clan Arashikage to figure out what’s going on with her missing friend and fellow soldier Jinx. The issue had her fighting her way in by the end surrendering in an attempt to be a part of the group.

Writer Kelly Thompson continues the interesting direction in Scarlett #2 as Scarlett is now captured. While Clan Arashikage accept her and what’s going on with Jinx? It’s an interesting story as Thompson lets things play out slowly. There’s more fights, some interesting details, but overall it makes Scarlett come off like more of a badass.

For those that read the issue, you’ll know what I’m talking about but how Scarlett frees herself is a scene of cringe, holy shit, and showing she’s tough as nails.

All of it is helped by the art of Marco Ferrari. With color by Lee Loughridge and lettering by Rus Wooton, the art is solid and interesting. There’s a sort of glee in how Scarlett is depicted. She has a fight ahead of her but she’s also enjoying it. It’s the expert combatant who’s enjoying the fight in front of them while they still kick ass. It’s very solid and entertaining delivering some badass moments that visually don’t feel like anything seen in G.I. JOE previously (though it’s not like I’ve read every issue).

Scarlett #2 is another solid issue that sets things up further for the mission and delivers action and moments that are memorable. It’s another great expansion of Skybound’s G.I. JOE universe while keeping things tight and focused.

Story: Kelly Thompson Art: Marco Ferrari
Color: Lee Loughridge Letterer: Rus Wooton
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Skybound provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Annihilation 2099 #1 is interesting but feels a bit worn

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Annihilation 2099 #1

A remote town on a remote world is devastated by the ravenous, unforgiving KNULL SET, a gang of raiders and thieves obsessed with offering all life up to the darkness. But that all changes when a stranger comes to town, a stranger from the stars who answers to his own code. THE LAST SURVIVOR OF XANDAR… the LAST NOVA. Who is the Last Nova, and what great tragedy does he carry on his back? Is he the inheritor of the NOVA CORPS or its destroyer? Annihilation 2099 #1 carries the classic event name in the title, but feels a bit more like Old Man Nova in more than one way.

Written by Steve Orlando, Annihilation 2099 #1 features two stories and kicks off a series of one-shot comics that introduces the cosmic side of the 2099 world with new characters. Unfortunately, as far as a first issue, the comic feels more like other stories than the classic Annihilation events.

Orlando in “The Last Nova” introduces us to the last member of the Nova Corps. Who is he? Well, it becomes pretty obvious after a bit, well before the eventual reveal. The story is interesting in that it feels less like Annihilation, which featured a cosmic level event and invasion that was a real threat and instead is more of the western genre, like Old Man Logan. We get a sense as to the tragic story of this Nova member as he takes a stand against a gang in a besieged town. It’s a story we’ve seen so many times before and unfortunately features a character under the helmet that’s worn and overused.

SPOILER

The reason it feels worn is because it is. Under the mask is… Logan, yes Wolverine takes on yet another role. There’s the Phoenix infused future version. There’s the recent Ghost Rider version. Now, we get the Nova version in a story that is aspects of Old Man Logan reskinned. If there was another character under the mask, it might have worked for the better, but as is, it’s rather predictable with a character that’s overused.

SPOILER ENDS

The comic also features “Dracula Risen” with the classic Dracula found and terrorizing the crew of a spaceship. The comic has a B-movie horror aspect about it that’s fun in a goofy way and hopefully we get more of this but it’s a story that’s more potential than payoff.

Ibraim Roberson handles the art for the first story while Dale Eaglesham handles the second. The art is decent for both and visually they’re interesting. Nova embraces its western genre roots while the latter plays with its horror movie aspects. They’re joined by Neeraj Menon and Raul Angulo on color and Cory Petit on lettering. When it comes to the art, make sure to check out the notes at the end and the details of the Nova outfit. It made me appreciate the art a bit more than the initial comic.

Overall, Annihilation 2099 #1 isn’t bad but it’s not what’s expected concerning its name. If you go in think it’s a new take on the classic story, you’ll be disappointed like I was. But, it could be interesting to kick off an expansion of the 2099 universe, introducing new aspects and characters leading to… something. Overall, this could be one where the whole is better than the individual parts.

Story: Steve Orland Art: Ibraim Roberson, Dale Eaglesham
Color: Neeraj Menon, Raul Angulo Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Space Ghost #3 excites as it continues to expand the classic universe

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Space Ghost #3

Enter the Widow! Is she friend or foe? Rolling the dice and trusting the potentially untrustworthy, the Ghost crew takes the fight to Robo-Corp. Will their new ally be the key they’ve been missing in bringing down the evil Robo-Corp once-and-for-all? Space Ghost #3 continues the adventure with some predictable twists and turns and a hell of a lot of fun.

Written by David Pepose, Space Ghost #3 continues to expand upon the classic character and world while also carving out a voice all its own. Space Ghost is on a mission, to take down the evil Robo-Corp and to do that, he’ll need to team up with Widow, a villain who might have similar goals. It’s the classic “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” with results that are a bit predictable but none the less fun.

Pepose has clearly been having fun mining the classic property while charting a new direction. The writing feels like it’s all its own but at the same time also has a bit of a classic feel to it all. I grew up watching the classic cartoons and Pepose has nailed down the beats those shorts would hit with each episode. But, while those comics tended to be rather quaint and innocent in some ways, Pepose and the team feel like they’ve added a bit of dirt and grit, leaning a bit more into the “Batman” aspects of the character and concept. It’s a superhero with adopted kids, one who is a bit emotionally cut off but at the same time is creating a family.

Where the series truly stands out is each of the first three issues feel like they can stand on their own while at the same time creating a grander story of a corrupt system that Space Ghost is attempting to dismantle while Jan and Jace are attempting to figure out who killed their father and why with Space Ghost’s help.

The art by Jonathan Lau is great. It has inspiration from the classic cartoon but Lau’s own style and take. You can see inspiration at times, like the writing, but it’s not a comic that attempts to recreate what has come before visually. Lau is helped by Andrew Dalhouse‘s color and the lettering by Taylor Esposito. The team together creates a comic that’s a bit “darker” and grittier than the original but underneath still has the hear of the original. It’s an interesting mix visually and it works well.

Space Ghost #3 is another solid issue for a series that has injected new life into the classic character and property. Here’s hoping it goes on for years and continues to not just reintroduce this world and characters but also give us new adventures and aspects we’ve never seen. Currently, it’s blend of old and new has been fantastic and makes this a series you don’t want to miss.

Writer: David Pepose Art: Jonathan Lau
Color: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Absolute Power #1 takes disinformation to the extreme as Amanda Waller strikes

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Absolute Power #1

DC officially kicks off its summer event with Absolute Power #1. Amanda Waller has manipulated Failsafe, Brainiac Queen, and more and has launched a blitzkrieg against every hero and villain on planet Earth. The story has been building for quite some while and it all begins to pay off here!

Written by Mark Waid, Absolute Power #1 is an enjoyable and entertaining start for an event that has been years in the making. Waid weaves in the fantastical and the practical giving us a story that feels like it’s partially ripped from the headlines and also a warning of what’s to come.

Waller has been putting the pieces of her puzzle together to take on Earth’s heroes and villains, seeing them as a threat to humanity. The concept has echoes of Orchis’ recent blitz against Marvel’s mutants and the execution is similar in some ways. Waller’s plan plays out in phases with each weapon tailored and carefully plotted. First up, a massive misinformation campaign that sways public opinion to her side and the people against those with powers. Waid’s inclusion of this is an interesting one, playing off the questions and fears today of AI, deep fakes, and the prevalent misinformation that’s damaging are world and society. But, where Waid’s writing gets truly interesting is the quandary of how to deal with it all? Much like today’s struggles, there’s debate and questions as to how to push back against Waller’s ruling of the airwaves that not only includes false news but outright deepfakes of debates and discussions concerning the dangers of metahumans. But that’s only one part of her plan.

We saw in Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1, Waller also was prepping more weapons beyond Failsafe and Brainiac Queen. Each hero is target with a quick move and attack that takes away their powers resulting in Superman shot and wounded.

Where things can both be good and bad is watching Batman’s terror unfold as he realizes what’s going on. If Waller has made a move like this, she believes she has already won. Waid, and the art by Dan Mora, perfectly captures the moment as Batman comes to this conclusion and his fear feels real and justified. But, it also centers another event around Batman as it’ll be his brains and tactical abilities against Waller it seems. Where the comic also feels interesting is delivering some solid motivation as to why Green Arrow would side with Waller. His speech to Batman makes his views clear and frames it in an interesting way as to why it would work with his political leanings. What seemed odd at first makes complete sense by the end.

The art by Dan Mora is fantastic. With color by Alejandro Sanchez and lettering by Ariana Maher, the comic looks fantastic mixing in so many different concepts and ideas and making it all work seamlessly. Mora nails the terror of Batman realizing what’s going on to also taking what should be an idyllic day and making it one of fear and destruction as mobs attack the heroes. The visuals capture the mob mentality and shock of the events so well. There’s a lot packed in and Mora and the team handle it perfectly conveying the emotion while also delivering over the top moments.

Absolute Power #1 is a solid start to an event that takes inspiration from real world fears and hits the zeitgeist in many ways. Waller deals a populist blow by manipulating the people to rise up against those who do have power, but also help society too in imperfect ways. Waid and the team have a start of an event that might seem like a flashy surface but underneath there’s some interesting substance as well.

Story: Mark Waid Art: Dan Mora
Color: Alejandro Sanchez Letterer: Ariana Maher
Story: 8.5 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

I AM BATMAN!… in One:12 Collective form. We unbox the figure!

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Vengeance joins the One:12 Collective!

The Batman is outfitted in a screen-accurate armored Batsuit with chest insignia. The costume features an integrated posing wire in the cape, utility belt, a thigh pouch, and two vambrace. Batman comes complete with four head portraits including an unmasked Bruce Wayne portrait, all featuring the likeness of actor Robert Pattinson.

Equipped with multiple Batarangs, sticky bombs, handcuffs, grapple launcher, and smoke bombs, Batman fights crime in the wet and grimy streets of Gotham.

Check it out and then get your own!

Mezco Toyz (waitlist)
Entertainment Earth
Big Bad Toy Store

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

Inside Out 2 Three-peats Winning the Weekend Box Office

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Inside Out 2

Inside Out 2 delivered another monster weekend taking first place at the box office. The film grossed an estimated $57.4 million to bring its domestic total to $469.3 million. Over the week, it grossed $176.3 million to bring its international total to $545.5 million. The movie has crossed the billion dollar mark with $1.015 billion after just 3 weeks. That’s over $150 million more than the entire run for the original film in 2015 and shows the claims of Pixar and Disney’s demise was premature.

A Quiet Place: Day One debuted in second place with $53 million domestically and $45.5 million internationally for a worldwide gross of $98.5 million. In 2018, A Quiet Place debuted with $50.2 million and went on to gross just under $341 million worldwide. A Quiet Place II debuted in 2020 with $47.5 million and went on to gross $297.4 million.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was a clunked of a debut coming in third place with $11 million. There was no international gross reported.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die slipped to fourth place with $10.3 million to bring its domestic total to $165.3 million. Internationally, the film grossed $24.5 million over the week to bring that total to $166.7 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed to just under $332 million.

Kalki 2898 AD debuted in fifth place with $5.5 million domestically with no international gross.

In comic film news…

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi debuted at #13 with $1.1 million domestically and it has grossed $10.2 million internationally for a worldwide total of $11.2 million.

Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle grossed $200,000 domestically where its total now stands at $7 million. Internationally, the movie added about $600,000 over the week to bring that total to a little under $82.7 million for a worldwide gross of just under $89.7 million.

Spy x Family Code: White, domestically has grossed $8.1 million. Internationally, the film remained at $51.5 million for a worldwide total of $59.6 million.

The week’s overall box office success…

Numbers have 62 films earning $154,433,473 from 31,412 theaters. That’s very similar to the previous weekend’s $153,615,984 from 32,395 theaters and 65 films. The average earning was $4,916.39 which is a bit higher than the previous weekend’s $4,741.97 but likely will decrease when the weekend’s final numbers are reported.

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