Category Archives: Comics

Preview: Sonic the Hedgehog #288

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SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #288

Script: Ian Flynn
Art: Tracy Yardley, Terry Austin, Gabriel Cassata & John Workman
Cover: Patrick Spaziante
Variant Cover: Genevieve FT
On Sale Date: 11/9
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

SONIC is BACK in “Genesis of a Hero” Part One: It’s Sonic’s 25th Anniversary and we’re celebrating in style—retro-style that is!  See Sonic in his first climactic show-down with Dr. Eggman, straight from the gameplay of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game!  But what happens after the battle?  And what new force arises once the dust has settled?  It’s the story you know with a new twist! Featuring cover art by the legendary Patrick Spaziante and a “Best Buds” variant by the lovely Genevieve FT!

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Preview: James Bond: Hammerhead #2

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James Bond: Hammerhead #2

writer: Andy Diggle
artist: Luca Casalanguida
covers: Francesco Francavilla (a)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Teen+

Assigned to hunt down and eliminate a terrorist threatening Britain’s nuclear deterrent, 007 shadows the nation’s leading defense contractor at the Dubai Arms Fair. As a lethal trap is sprung around him, Bond finds an unexpected ally in glamorous arms company executive Victoria Hunt.

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Preview: Power Man and Iron Fist #10

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Power Man and Iron Fist #10

(W) David Walker (A/CA) Sanford Greene
Rated T+
In Shops: Nov 09, 2016
SRP: $3.99

“HARLEM BURNS” STARTS NOW!

The battle for Harlem begins here! As Luke and Danny struggle to pick up the pieces of Civil War II, the ultimate turf war erupts right under their noses! Tombstone, Mr. Fish, Piranha, Cottonmouth, Black Cat, and a mysterious new player are all vying for a piece of the pie – and the citizens of New York are caught in the crossfire! Can Power Man and Iron Fist help former prisoners and protect the innocent all at the same time?

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Arcade Brewery Releases Six-Pack Comic by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton

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arcade-brewery-six-pack-comic-1Chicago craft brewery, Arcade Brewery, announced today it will release the 3rd volume of 6-Pack Stories™ on new comic day, Wednesday November 16th. Ten Pin Creep: A Revival Mystery is a spinoff of the hit rural noir Revival published by Image Comics and written by Tim Seeley and illustrated by Mike Norton across six bottles of Imperial Red Ale.

Arcade co-founder Lance Curran said the idea for our 3rd volume of 6 Pack Stories was to partner with a local Chicago creative team.

6-Pack Stories™ creates a unique experience for the craft beer and comic book lover. A rarity in beer and story telling, 6-Pack Stories™ will become an instant collector’s item and a must-have gift for any beer-drinking comic fan. Past six-packs have featured the illustration talents of The Walking Dead co-creator Tony Moore as well as the late Darwyn Cooke. Popular comic writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Jason Aaron have also contributed to past six-packs.

Ten Pin Creep is a limited release and will be available in Chicago area bottle shops. See a map of locations, or you can buy it online at The Beer Temple.

Arcade Brewery will host a signing and tasting with Tim Seeley and Mike Norton on Wednesday November 16th at The Beer Temple from 6pm to 9pm. 6 packs will be available for purchase and to be signed by the popular comic creators.

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Review: Namesake #1

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namesake_001_a_mainOnce every seven years, Earth overlaps with Ektae, a world where alchemy is not pseudo-science but the driving force of industry. For seven days, Ektae breaches our world, bringing dirty magic and ideas.

Jordan Molossus was born of Earth and Ektae and abandoned by both, but when he receives two cast iron urns containing his estranged fathers’ ashes, he’ll leave everything behind to put his parents to rest before Ektae disappears for another seven years.

Writer Steve Orlando brings his talents to this creator-owned series which mixes magic with reality for a fun start that feels very influenced by Heavy Metal and British creators, and that might be partially due to artist Jakub Rebelka‘s style.

Namesake #1 throws us into the thick of things slowly teasing the world and details out until we’re about halfway through the first issue. If you’re looking for a series that explains every detail, this isn’t it. Instead, Orlando has the reader put a lot of the details together and we learn as the main character learns as well. It’s a fun and interesting way to introduce us to what’s an interesting world and instead of getting speeches about how things work, we naturally learn from the situations presented.

And things are presented in an interesting way. Jordan Molossus is a firefighter and things have kicked up quite a bit as the breach has occurred. Through that, we learn more and more about this world and are introduced to the mystery that is Molossus.

But, the heart of what Orlando presents is really the most important thing of them all. Through the magical world we’ll find out about, the story is about Molossus finding out about his roots and his family. That’s a story so many of us can relate to whether one is adopted or not. The story is about family history and I’m interested in seeing where Orlando goes with it all.

Rebelka’s art is fantastic in a Heavy Metal sort of way. I’m not quite sure how to describe in, but there’s a cool design about it all and while there’s this weird world of Ektae, things aren’t too out there so that we’re distracted (so far). In a magical world, things visually are still pretty grounded.

Namesake #1 is a solid debut that will take us on a magical journey of discovery and it’s one I can’t wait to read the next issue.

Story: Steve Orlando Art: Jakub Rebelka
Story: 7.95 Art: 8.05 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Wednesday Comic Rally: The Paybacks #4

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the-paybaks-4Too often comic fans rally around a series far too late, when it’s already been cancelled or announced its ending. We’ve recently seen that with the cancellation of Nighthawk and Mockingbird, two solid series that featured excellent writing, but lacked the buzz to keep them going.

Introducing “Wednesday Comic Rally” (the eventual name to still be determined) where I hope to spotlight a series, comic, graphic novel, etc., that you should go check out when you head to the shop each week. The idea is to focus on small press and indie comics as well as low selling mainstream comics and make the case as to why you should get it (and actually provide options as to where you can purchase the comic if you don’t have a local shop or prefer digital).

We saw how easily we can boost a series like Mockingbird so lets show our power as comic fans and speak with our dollars to keep quality comics around by showing our support.

This week’s rally? The Paybacks #4 by Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal, Geoff Shaw, and published by Heavy Metal.

Heroism doesn’t come cheap, so when superheroes borrow money to finance their genetic enhancements or crime-fighting supercomputers, their debts make student loans look like IOUs. Enter the Paybacks, a repo squad composed of bankrupt former heroes here to foreclose on everybody’s secret lairs!

The second volume has to do with a database of superhero identities being leaked and the Paybacks being blamed for it. Yes, this is Wikileaks meets superheroes and it’s funny as all hell.

There’s been two volumes of The Paybacks with the first being published by Dark Horse and second by Heavy Metal and judging by its sales numbers that’s estimated, a lot of you missed the series. The basic gist is explained above taking a comedic send-up to the superhero genre lampooning so many characters it’s almost too many to name (there’s an entire character based around pouches!). It’s funny. It’s really funny. But more importantly, the comic is fun. If you grew up reading comics in the 90s, it especially nails the ridiculous nature of some of the characters that ruled the stands during that time and in general many of the comic icons today.

Without the comedic tone of the series, it’d likely fall flat being too serious and it wouldn’t work, not standing out at all from the bunch. The humor is what really makes the comic, taking what otherwise would be just another action superhero comic and moving it to a whole other level of entertainment. From the gags in the action and the characters to every small detail in the background each issue packs laughs within.

Everyone that I’ve had read an issue has been converted and hopped on board. It’s a style of comic that you just don’t see a lot of on the shelves which makes it stand out even more and really feels like a unique experience. This fourth issue looks to wrap things up, but you can catch up digitally and find out why this is a series I continuously gush about. You won’t be disappointed.

You can purchase The Paybacks #4 at your local shop, on comiXology, volume 1 through Amazon, or some single issues through Things From Another World.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt Out November 15th

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mobilesuitgundamthunderbolt-gn01VIZ Media unleashes a fresh take on the classic Gundam universe with the release of Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt on November 15th.

The new manga series created by Yasuo Ohtagaki delivers an action-packed, character-driven story set in the distant future where the forces of the Earth Federation fight to quell an uprising by the rebellious Principality of Zeon. The preeminent weapons in this struggle are massive robots with human pilots called Mobile Suits.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt will be published in print under the VIZ Signature imprint and is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens. Volume 1 will carry an MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $19.99 CAN. Future volumes will be published on a quarterly basis.

In the Universal Century year 0079, the space colony known as Side 3 proclaims independence as the Principality of Zeon and declares war on the Earth Federation. One year later, they are locked in a fierce battle for the Thunderbolt Sector, an area of space scarred by the wreckage of destroyed colonies.

As the first volume opens, two veteran Mobile Suit pilots leap into this maelstrom of destruction: the deadly Zeon sniper Daryl Lorenz, and Federation ace Io Fleming. It’s the beginning of a rivalry that can end only when one of them is destroyed. The lightning-streaked debris fields are about to become the stage for an epic duel where death is the only true winner.

Nova #1 Brings the Return of a Long Lost Hero!

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This December, buckle up because a double dose of Human Rocket is coming to Marvel NOW! Today, Marvel is pleased to present your first look inside Nova #1 – the highly anticipated new ongoing series from creators Jeff Loveness and Ramon Perez.

For years, he stood as one of Earth’s greatest heroes. He fought alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers, stopped the Annihilation Wave from eradicating all life in the galaxy, among other great deeds. In the end, he sacrificed his life to save everyone. But now, Richard Rider has returned from the brink, unsure of his place in a universe that has moved on without him. In his absence, a new Nova has stepped up to fill the void he left behind. Can Sam Alexander remind Rich what it means to be the Human Rocket? You better believe it! Sam just has to finish his homework first. Strap in True Believer, this is NOVA like you’ve never seen it before!

The first issue features a cover by Ramon Perez, teaser variant by Francesco Mattina, action figure variant with John Tyler Christopher, ICX variant by Khoi Pham, and hip-hop variant by Christian Ward.

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Doctor Strange/The Punisher: Magic Bullets #1 Unites the Two Heroes

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The team-up to end all team-ups is here! That’s right True Believers, the Mater of the Mystic Arts and the One Man War on Crime collide this December – with combustible results! Marvel has released a first look at Doctor Strange/The Punisher: Magic Bullets #1 – the new four-issue limited series coming to comic shops everywhere on December 7th! From creators John Barber, Andrea Broccardo and Jason Muhr – there are new players in the organized crime game, and they’re turning to magic to get the upper hand.

Frank Castle is a bit out of his league so he’s calling in a little help from the Sorcerer Supreme himself! Is it time for the Punisher to use a little magic? Or is it time for Doctor Strange to adapt to Frank Castle’s lethal way of thinking? Be there as the Marvel Universe’s newest odd couple embarks on a new adventure

The first issue features a cover by Michael Walsh and variant by Alex Maleev.

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Review: Invincible Iron Man #1

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invincible_iron_man__1From the violent streets of Chicago, a new armored hero rises! Clad in her very own Iron Man armor, Riri Williams is ready to show the Marvel Universe what she can do as the self-made hero of tomorrow. But is she ready for all the problems that come with stepping into Iron Man’s jet boots? Where’s a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist when you need one?

I want to get the bad out there. Much like a few of the other series that Marvel has debuted lately, Invincible Iron Man #1 suffers a little bit by the fact that Civil War II hasn’t ended. The fate of Tony Stark is teased here and teased elsewhere, but the specifics have yet to be discussed. It doesn’t cause too many issues with this first issue, but it’s a factor and impacts the comic for good or bad.

And lets get to the good because there’s so much good here. Invincible Iron Man is the “debut” of a new Iron Man in Riri Williams, a super-genius level teenage African-American girl who builds a suit of armor and takes to crime fighting filling a gap left by whatever happened to Tony Stark.

invincible_iron_man__1-10Riri is an interesting hero in so many ways beyond the color of her skin and her gender. Unlike Spider-Man, Iron Man, and so many others, Riri is a character who is socially awkward displaying what I think are signs of Aspergers or something of the sort (someone who knows these things please sound off in the comments). She has trouble interacting with people preferring to dive into her work and focus on her projects instead of simple tasks like eating. It’s fascinating in that Riri represents so many in so many ways and so many who we haven’t seen as a superhero before. With many focused on her gender or her ethnicity, her social interaction may be the most fascinating of them all.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis lays things out giving us action and personality all around in a fantastic debut that is an  amazing introduction to the character. For those who do not know her yet, this comic is an introduction that gets you running. It’s beyond perfect for new readers and a great introduction into the superhero world. The fun tone is set from the beginning page which you can see at the right and continues throughout.

Bendis is helped in all of that by Stefano Caselli with colors by Marte Gracia and lettering by Vc’s Clayton Cowles. The art is beyond fantastic with a style that pops from the page. It may be a bit “Marvel House Style,” but it really works especially due to the detail Caselli puts into every panel. From the technology that’s show to Riri’s facial expressions, the comic nails it when it comes to the art. There’s action. There’s quiet introspection. There’s a lot of touching moments. Caselli delivers them all with skill.

I had no idea what to expect going into this first issue, but I’ve come out of it a Riri fan. She’s so much new and so much even I can relate to. This doesn’t feel like a derivative of what was, there’s so much there that’s new. And what it especially has is heart and something we can relate to. An absolutely fantastic debut.

Story: Brian Michael Bendis Art: Stefano Caselli
Story: 8.85 Art: 8.85 Overall: 8.85 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

 

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