Category Archives: Comics

Sean Murphy’s Batman: White Knight is collected with a DC Compact Comics edition

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Batman: White Knight follows the man now known as Jack Napier as he embarks on a quest to heal the city he once terrorized. After reconciling with his long-suffering partner, Harley Quinn, he sets in motion a carefully plotted campaign to discredit the one person whom he views as Gotham City’s true enemy: Batman.

His crusade exposes a decades-long history of corruption within the Gotham City Police Department and transforms Napier into a city councilman and civic hero. But when the sins of his past return to threaten everything that he has accomplished, the distinctions between savior and destroyer begin to break down for both The Joker and Batman alike—and with them any hope for Gotham’s future.

Story: Sean Murphy
Art: Sean Murphy
Color: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Todd Klein

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.

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I Survived The California Wildfires 2018 is a nice introduction to this reality for kids

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All across California, deadly wildfires rage . . .

Still reeling from the life-changing challenges that propelled him and his mother across the country, Josh finds solace in the California wilderness and in the newfound friendship with his cousin Holly.

But on a trip into the nearby forest, Josh and Holly suddenly find themselves in the middle of a frighteningly powerful firestorm, one which threatens to burn down everything in its path. Josh needs to confront the family issues burning him up inside, but first he’ll have to survive the flames roaring all around him.

Story: Lauren Tarshis
Adapted: Georgia Ball
Art: Cassie Anderson
Color: David Miles

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

Graphix 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

Space Chasers: To the Moon has some nice lessons and action for kids who dream of going to space

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The team of kids-turned-astronauts are back again and this time they are heading farther than any kid has traveled before…to the moon!

But ever since Steven got back from being injured and going through physical therapy, his friends are acting a little strange. They are extra courteous to him, almost tripping over themselves to help, and stuttering over the wrong words. They mean well but Steven just wants to be treated like a regular member of the team. Plus the moon is an unstable environment, and when moonquakes keep shaking things up, the lives of the entire team are danger. It’ll be up to the kids to trust each other’s wits, capabilities and strengths in order to get through the crisis and get each other home safely.

Story: Leland Melvin, Joe Caramagna
Art: Alison Acton

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

First Second 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

Mama Came Callin’: A Graphic Novel is some solid horror with nice underlying themes and concepts

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Kirah was born from an improbable interracial relationship that, in central Florida’s infamous Asurupa County, defied all the odds. But her idyllic childhood was shattered by an urban legend come to life. The “Gatorman” was a nightmare on the lips of kids and grown-ups alike all the way back to Jim Crow: a monster with the body of a man, the head of an alligator—and a taste for Black children. That’s who crawled into Kirah’s window when Kirah was just five years old. According to the police, it was Kirah’s own father who put on that gator mask and tried to kill her.

Twenty years later, Kirah works hard to build a life unburdened by the traumatic events of her childhood. Just when it seems like she’s managed to find her stride, her dad, fresh out of prison, crashes back into her world with a chilling message: “He’s coming for you.”

Finally forced to face the hideous family history she’s been avoiding, Kirah sets off to discover where, and who, she truly came from. And the more she learns, the more disturbing the whole picture becomes. Turns out there’s a lot more to the Gatorman than Kirah thought, and even worse: he isn’t through with her just yet.

Story: Ezra Claytan Daniels
Art: Camilla Sucre

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

William Morrow Paperbacks 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

Magik and Colossus #1 Takes the Duo Home as They Face their Past

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Magik and Colossus #1

Illyana Rasputin is a cynical sorceress with power harnessed from the dark realm of Limbo. Piotr Rasputin is made of metal, but with a heart much softer than his exterior. But despite being family, blood does not run thicker than water! When they return to their mother country, they discover ancient monsters from Russian folklore preying on the innocent! Can these two mutant siblings set aside their differences to save their country?

Magik and Colossus #1 brings the brother and sister together for this “Shadows of Tomorrow” series that takes them home to deal with their past. Written by Ashley Allen, the comic feels a bit like a throwback to a miniseries that might have been released in the late 90s. There’s a lot of history for these two characters and the debut issue does its best to keep to the major details that are needed for the series.

It has the duo taking on an ancient evil teasing a bigger bad hiding in the shadows waiting to be revealed. It’s easy to guess who the character might be, the comic is all about foreshadowing what’s to come. But, the initial fight is interesting to see how these two deal with folklore terrorizing villages.

The comic dives into the relationship with the two and while it goes over a lot, it never quite clicks as to real emotion. There’s a coldness from both, but it’s nice to see Illyana in ways the adult between her and Peter. Where the comics I read it was clear that Peter was protecting her, things have shifted in many ways and the roles are reversed.

The comic takes place in Russia and features Russian folklore as the initial monsters to deal with. It doesn’t touch upon today’s reality and reading the comic it feels a little odd to be disconnected to that in some ways when the X-Men as a whole have had no issues touching upon real world issues. While it doesn’t distract, it does linger.

The art by German Peralta is good. With color by Arthur Hesli and lettering by Ariana Maher, the comic looks solid and the action is interesting. I can’t say anything about the setting but what stands out about the art is the sadness that’s clearly present between the two main characters. There’s a morose aspect to it that comes through.

Magik and Colossus #1 is for the hardcore fans of the characters. It doesn’t hit quite as emotionally as one might expect but feels like it can be a nice side adventure for these two who definitely don’t get enough time together.

Story: Ashley Allen Art: German Peralta
Color: Arthur Hesli Letterer: Ariana Maher
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Archie x Army of Darkness #1 has its moments but overall is a choppy start

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Archie x Army of Darkness #1

There’s a certain man — name’s Ash, you may have heard of him — who is doomed to battle against the forces of evil, over and over again, whether he likes it or not. No matter where he goes, the cycle of violence always repeats itself — until the day that he arrives in the picturesque town of Riverdale.

This supernaturally wholesome community seems to break the curse that has plagued Ash ever since he first encountered its otherworldly evil all those years ago. Or rather, the curse was broken — until an over-curious teenager named Archie finds a copy of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis and reads a portion of it aloud, summoning the horrifying Deadites once again!

Now Ash and the good townsfolk of Riverdale must hold back the undead hordes long enough for Archie to undo what he’s unwittingly done. Otherwise, an Army of Darkness will roll over Riverdale and destroy everything and everyone in its path — and that’s just not going to happen on Ashley J. Williams’s watch!

Archie x Army of Darkness #1 has the potential to be up there with some of the crazy crossovers the Riverdale gang has had. And, with such comics like Afterlife with Archie, it could also go a bit harder in its tone. What we get in Archie x Army of Darkness #1 is a debut that shows off what could be but also delivers a rather disconnected and choppy debut.

Written by Erik Burnham, Archie x Army of Darkness #1 has a bit of fun with tropes taking the kids to a lakeside cabin where they discover a book that unleashes the Deadites who go on a killing spree. You’d expect for the end of the comic to be Ash Williams using his boom stick to put a hole through a Deadite to save the kids, but instead, it flashes back to Archie getting a job!?

It’s all a rather confusing choice which really sums up Archie x Army of Darkness #1. There’s so much that could be done with this series but it instead overall plays things rather safe and then even when it breaks expectations it pivots to something that feels disconnected to the here and now.

The art by Bill Galvan is good. With ink by Ben Galvan, color by Ellie Wright, and lettering by Carlos M. Mangual, it sticks to the classic Archie style, but a bit more of the blood and guts. It works in some ways but it delivers a feel that’s rather cartoonish in a way that’s not conveyed by the story. It feels a bit more Scooby-Doo with some blood than Archie in its tone. With what we’ve seen Archie has done in the past, the choice is interesting to stick to the rather standard style and it could work but it overall feels like it’s missing something to really put it over the top.

Archie x Army of Darkness #1 isn’t bad but it also doesn’t feel like it really hits the insanity one would expect from the crossover. The fact it strangely jumps to the past to show Archie getting a job at S-Mart kills the momentum the series could have had by sticking to the expected formula. There’s some aspects that could work well going forward but as a debut, there’s better Archie crossovers out there.

Story: Erik Burnham Art: Bill Galvan
Ink: Ben Galvan Color: Ellie Wright Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Cyberarchy #3 is interesting in concept but a step back from the first two issues

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Cyberarchy #3

Welcome to Defa 9 – the safest you will ever be. An advanced society under the complete control of a loyal automated military. Warbots on every street and cameras on every corner. Our huge orbital satellites are even able to protect you from the weather – and should events ever get out of hand, you’ll be happy to hear we can remotely lock you all safely in your homes! A secure and unassailable world, all under the watchful eye of our mechanical AI advisers. So should skydiving assault teams from another world attack Defa-9 – we have everything under control with absolutely zero surprises…what could possibly go wrong? Cyberarchy #3 is an interesting concept and has some intriguing ideas but overall doesn’t hold up to the quality of the first two issues.

Written by Matthew Hardy, Cyberarchy is a series that explores humanity, AI, and robots in a series of one-shot comics that have been entertaining and intriguing. The first two issues were fantastic catapulting the series to being one of the best on the shelves right now. But, Cyberarchy #3 feels a bit like a step back in quality.

Like the first two issues, Cyberarchy #3 is an intriguing tale which is intended to get readers to think about its concept and themes as well as entertains. This issue focuses more on AI and the dangers of succeeding too much to artificial overlords. It can resort in some negative consequences. With AI being such a hot topic, it’s an issue that I was looking forward to, but it doesn’t really tread any new topics and those that it does, feel rather worn and basic in their approach. The issue isn’t bad but when the first two are so good, in comparison, this one isn’t close.

The art by Clark Bint is solid. The characters, robots, and world all have an interesting look, giving a futuristic and alien feel but at the same time it’s familiar and easy to dive in to. There’s some good action and a nice flow but the art is also a bit muddied compared to the first two issues where it’s hard to make out exactly what is going on. This could be due to the fact it was read digitally, but it too feels a little like a step back. Rob Jones‘ lettering helps set the world with it all featuring a bit of character to match the various alien races.

Cyberarchy #3 has it’s moments and underneath there’s some of the quality we’ve seen, but overall this third issue just doesn’t come close to the first two in excellence. Here’s hoping it’s just a temporary bump and the next gets right back to matching the high expectations.

Story: Matthew Hardy Art: Clark Bint Letterer: Rob Jones
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.85 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Mad Cave Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

D’Orc #1 delivers a fun start to an off the rails fantasy adventure

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D'Orc #1

Armed with nothing but a magical yet ambitiously violent shield, a lonely orphan stumbles headfirst into Sunderaine’s never-ending war between the Light and Dark. Elves vs. Orcs. Wizards vs. Common Sense. Dragons vs. Literally Everyone. And caught dead-center? D’Orc.

With a wholly inconvenient doomsday prophecy, the half dwarf, half orc—all D’Orc—is fated to end the world. Soon, every human, elf, goblin, dwarf, Snargletooth, Necroid, Ice Giant, Trauma Llama, and at least three other unpronounceable magical creatures, will know his name and want him dead. There will also be a chicken.

Written by Brett Bean, D’Orc #1 is a new fantasy adventure that has more in common with Skullkickers and Barbaric than it does Conan. D’Orc just wants to do his thing but the world is divided and at war between the light and the dark. D’Orc doesn’t want to choose sides, let alone get involved, but his talking shield with an appetite for killing has other plans.

It’s hard to not read D’Orc #1 and immediately think of Barbaric, with its talking axe with a bloodlust. Both feature off the rails fantasy and some biting humor, but it’s the art and the world where things differ. D’Orc features Bean’s style with a cartoonish look that delivers cuteness along with lots of ultra violence. With color by Jean-Francois Beaulieu and lettering by Nate Piekos, the comic looks great where the art and style match the humorous tone it’s going for.

D’Orc #1 is interesting to read with its “both sides suck” view of the world, echoing so many in our real world, but it thankfully has a bit more going for it than an apathetic character who oozes Gen X neutrality. The debut teases a story about how when even staying neutral you can be negatively caught up in the actions of others. That neutrality doesn’t work and action needs to be taken to right things or at least counter the negativity that abounds. Take those lessons and mix them with a cute facade and an increasing body count and you have a series we’re excited for.

Story: Brett Bean Art: Brett Bean
Color: Jean-Francois Beaulieu Letterer: Nate Piekos
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 Teases Potential But Feels like it Holds Back

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DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1

Unexpected fighters from beyond the DC Comics enter the arena! Wait… What? WHO?! As the remaining champions in the K.O. tournament prepare for the final rounds, they discover that there isn’t enough Omega energy left to crown the winner a King Omega. To have any hope of stopping Darkseid, they’ll need to engage in combat with the champions of other worlds beyond our own including Annabelle, Homelander, Sub-Zero, and more! This shocking, star-studded crossover sets the stage for the final chapters of the epic DC K.O. event and features matchups you never imagined possible. The ultimate battle is only beginning! DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 delivers some unexpected battles but overall feels like it doesn’t go far enough.

DC K.O. has been going on for the past couple of months and has DC’s heroes and villains going through a gauntlet to see who will eventually challenge Darkseid. As part of that, the contest has felt like video game match ups mixed with a March Madness bracket as the contestants get winnowed with each release. DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 takes place after the third issue of the series and has the remaining four heroes battling characters from outside of the DC universe to gain power to then use against Darkseid. It’s a side quest to level up.

Written by Jeremy Adams, the comic brings together some very unlikely characters and match-ups and has a few that we’d like to see more of. Contestants are sent to various worlds to battle having heroes and villains face Annabelle, Homelander, Sub-Zero, Sabrina, Vampirella, and Samantha Strong. Some of the battles work and work really well while others barely happen.

There’s some battles like Batwoman vs. Vampirella that seem like they’d be great but barely register in the comic. Sabrina’s addition feels rather odd in its execution. But, Wonder Woman vs. Red Sonja and Superman vs. Homelander are both battles we need to get an entire comic of. And that pretty much sums up the issue. There’s some aspects that are barely a blip while others don’t get enough of a focus. Lex Luthor taking on Samantha from Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees has so much potential and seeing Lex freak out with what he’s facing has some great humor to it. But, that gets far too few pages. The Joker arguing with Annabelle has some laugh out loud moments. Again, it too is given little beyond a few pages but they’re a highlight. Superman fighting Homelander could be great to really juxtapose those characters but it doesn’t go far enough to do so. It’s a comic that’s full of hits and misses. It teases something really great but isn’t given enough pages to do it and with what little each moment has, plays it rather conservative.

The art is handled by Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, and Pablo M. Collar with color by Hi-Fi and lettering by Tom Napolitano. It looks pretty solid and there’s some sequences that look absolutely solid. The art has a rather quick and frenetic aspect to it that matches the rather short time given to each aspect of the comic. There’s some matches that really stand out and there’s moments where a lot is packed into the issue.

And that’s the thing with DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1, it packs a lot in. It expands the story beyond the remaining for contestants. If it focused on just that four, it’d have been a far tighter and better issue with each getting a bit more time to enjoy. But, it’s an issue that attempts to put too much into it which makes everything feel a bit short. It’s not bad and there’s some things that are really great. It overall shows off some potential we’ll hopefully see more of in the future.

Story: Jeremy Adams Art: Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, Pablo M. Collar
Color: Hi-Fi Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.3 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

DC x AEW #1 focuses on the Build up to the Main Event

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DC x AEW #1

The Intergalactic Title is far more than a championship belt! This Big Galactic Belt is made of pure Element X—the most powerful metal in the universe! Ruptured in a post-match beatdown, the belt scatters across the DC Universe—but every single shard is a weapon that can rewrite reality itself. With the world at stake, the Justice League teams with AEW’s roster to crisscross the globe and recover the shards of the belt before DC’s worst villains use them to turn our world into their deadly playground. It’s the Justice League Elite as you’ve never seen them before—with Excalibur and Booster Gold calling the action! DC x AEW #1 delivers a team-up event that has fun with the concept.

Growing up in the 80s, I watched wrestling in its boom as larger than life characters took to the ring to tell stories and entertain. I stopped watching and then picked it up a bit again in college during the days of the NWO and DeGeneration X. I haven’t regularly watched any wrestling in quite some time but occasionally catch an episode of AEW or clips online. So, I have some familiarity with that world going into DC x AEW #1 a team up series that has its ups and its downs.

Written by Steve Orlando, DC x AEW #1 is an interesting debut issue as it rushes through its initial concept getting to the juicier part of the story which kicks off in the second issue. A belt is made of a powerful substance and the heroes of DC team up with the wrestlers of AEW to get that substance back. Orlando doesn’t drag that part out instead giving each team-up a few pages as the shards of the belt of gathered for the meat of the story that begins in the next issue. The debut issue is very much the set up of where it’s all going.

And, the comic is… ok. It feels like something you might get for attending an event with a ticket purchase, really playing to the fans of AEW more than anything else. The characters feel like themselves for the most part but that also means there’s some leaning on some of the verbal ticks they’re known for (how many times can Ospery say “bruv”) or teasing some of the AEW’s wrestler’s characters. You get a sense of each but overall, the initial team-ups are a bit odd in that it’s wrestlers fighting DC villains with the Justice League helping. Orlando doesn’t make the wrestlers super powerful but let’s face it, beyond using their acrobatics/athleticism to get the shard pieces, they’d likely get their asses kicked dealing with all of these villains. The short page count for each team also doesn’t give much time to really spotlight the characters, instead feeling like quick vignettes to get things rolling.

The art is ok. Travis Mercer has the Justice League and villains looking great and some of the AEW wrestlers look recognizable, there’s others I needed the comic to tell me who they where. With color by Andrew Dalhouse and lettering by Josh Reed, there’s a lot of action and overall some good interaction between the characters but overall the comic isn’t anything spectacular visually. And it’d be difficult to. AEW’s wrestling style is very dynamic in its moves and motion, something not easily done on the comic page. Watching the wrestlers “dance” with their moves in impressive gymnastic like moves in quick succession looks great on television. The comic here needed a few more recognizable moves to get the visual pops it is going for.

DC x AEW #1 is fun and entertaining, a nice distraction from the seriousness of the world. But, the comic is very much geared towards the AEW fans and feels a little like all of the product placement/crossovers from the WCW days. It can be fun and deliver something a little different.

Story: Steve Orlando Art: Travis Mercer
Color: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Josh Reed
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

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