Category Archives: Reviews

Leviathan Freedom #1 is an Intriguing Start to a Sci-Fi Revolution

Posted on by Leave a comment
Leviathan #1

Leviathan Freedom is a sci-fi reimagining of the legacy of Robert Smalls, a man born into slavery who seized his own freedom by commandeering a Confederate warship, sailing himself, his family, and others to liberation. In Leviathan Freedom, the galaxy is divided by civil war. And the profound human cost of conflict is felt not in the war rooms but by the Doldrums, the laborer caste essential for the war machine–until one man decides to stand against it. Leviathan Freedom #1 is a pretty solid start setting up the revolution to come.

When it comes to genres, I’m much more of a sci-fi person than fantasy. And, when it comes to sci-fi, large space battles and revolutions are something I find intriguing. The story of a small group rising up against their overlords is something I can get behind as they tend to bring big sweeping emotions and lots of action. Leviathan Freedom #1 begins to deliver that as we’re introduced to the world and the characters within.

Written by Tom Morello and Marc Guggenheim, the story is a reimagining of real history with the main character Smalls part of a sub-class that’s a clear analogy for the slaves of the Confederacy. They outnumber their masters, ruled over by a group that knows they’re outnumbered and if there was ever a revolution, they’d be overwhelmed. All that ruling class really has to their advantage are weapons that might help even the odds.

Leviathan Freedom #1 keeps things focused taking us on a tour of the ship that Smalls calls home and painting a broad picture of the situation. It doesn’t go into small details, just keeps things broad that makes it easy to understand the revolution to come. It also introduces a reluctant leader in Smalls, a man trusted by the ship’s Captain because it’s perceived those around him will listen. the broader war itself isn’t really dived into, just that there’s a war and giant ships float around to battle it out.

The art by Szymon Kudrański is solid with lettering by DC Hopkins. The art delivers large, sweeping visuals, that help make it clear the size of the ship everyone is on and the key sequence of that ship entering an atmosphere is inspiring and looks great. While the issue does feature that, it’s mainly tight and focused on the characters as we see the struggle they all have, either in their role in life or the nervousness of being outnumbered. There’s a slight tense feeling to it all that helps emphasize this is a pressure cooker of a situation and it’s going to explode soon.

Leviathan Freedom #1 is a solid start to the series that introduces the key characters and the world but doesn’t dwell on small details readers don’t need to know and would distract. It keeps things focused on what’s important and drives the story but at the same time gives us enough sweeping situations that make it all feel rather epic.

Story: Tom Morello, Marc Guggenheim Art: Szymon Kudrański Letterer: DC Hopkins
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.1 Recommendation: Buy

comiXology Originals provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Kindle

Jungle Juice Vol. 7 packs 90s X-Men vibes in an exciting volume that changes things up a lot

Posted on by Leave a comment

SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS. As the insect-human college students welcome a new semester, they are in turn greeted by the consequences and fruits of their previous labors. Suchan has found camaraderie and support in Huijin and friends, Professor Ji is absent after his sacrifice left him in a coma, and Breeder and his Predators have been brought to a standstill. Or…have they? Unbeknownst to NEST, Breeder is simply lying in wait for his seed of chaos to grow. And the moment of truth comes when the fear and insecurity he sowed in a force-fed Suchan sprout into terror and panic…Isolated, alone, and accused of giving in to his feed training, will Suchan play right into Breeder’s hands? Or will he fall into the clutches of a mysterious new anti-NEST group first?

Story: Hyeong Eun
Art: Juder
Translation: Ah Cho
Letterer: Adam Jankowski

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

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

Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom Vol. 9 will keep you guessing as to what’s going to happen next

Posted on by Leave a comment

Once upon a time, a mermaid fell in love with a beautiful queen…At the request of the mermaid princess Nadia, the royal family prepares to welcome the Atlancian delegation, but they find themselves facing an uphill battle! Many years of skirmishes and outright hostility between the mermaids and the citizens of Nerghen have soured their relationship, seemingly to the point of no return. With tensions swiftly rising between human and nonhuman kingdoms, everything must go off without a hitch―and fortunately, Blanche has a secret weapon to win the mermaids over!

Story: Iru
Art: Mo9rang
Translation: Kakao Entertainment
Letterer: Chana Conley

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

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

Batman: Under the Red Hood makes for one thick DC Compact Comics edition

Posted on by Leave a comment

A ghost from Batman’s past returns with a vengeance. The mysterious Red Hood is taking Gotham’s underworld by storm—and he knows all of Batman’s secrets.

Batman is confronted with a hidden face from the past—it’s the return of the vigilante Red Hood who appears to be Batman’s one-time partner Jason Todd, the same Jason Todd that died many years ago. But the Red Hood’s violent ways pit him against the Dark Knight in his hunt for the very person responsible for his death: The Joker.

Batman: Under the Red Hood – DC Compact Comics Edition collects the full original Red Hood saga from Batman #635–641, #645–650, and Batman Annual #25.

Story: Judd Winick, Jeph Loeb
Art: Doug Mahnke, Paul Lee, Shane Davis, Eric Battle, Jim Lee
Ink: Tom Nguyen, Cam Smith, Rodney Ramos, Wayne Faucher, Lary Stucker, Mark Morales, Scott Williams
Color: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Pat Brosseau, Rob Leigh, Phil Balsman, Ken Lopez, Nick J. Napolitano, Jared K. Fletcher, Travis Lanham, Richard Starkings

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.

Zeus Comics
Bookshop
Amazon

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

Excommunicated #2 Delivers a Heaven and Hell Odd Couple Adventure

Posted on by Leave a comment
Excommunicated #2

Josephine joins forces with the demon Edimmu to avoid a horrific attack, but when she comes to, she has no memory of how she got to the train station. When she realizes the demon is manipulating her and that she has no choice but to accept his help, she confronts Father Santos and returns to the site of the failed exorcism…where Vatican forces are waiting for them! Excommunicated #2 ups the violence as our unlikely pair must figure out what exactly is going on.

Written by Jeremy Robinson, Excommunicated #2 is simply a buddy-cop story with a rather odd pairing. Instead of the cop that plays by the rules and the wild card, we get a former nun who generally plays by the rules and a demon who for some reason can’t go back to hell. Both are trying to figure out what’s going on and why sending them on a series of moments as they try to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Josephine and Edimmu are an interesting pairing with potential. They obviously don’t get along and generally don’t like each other but are forced to work together to try to figure out each of their mysteries. Someone tried to kill Josephine and someone has locked Edimmu out of hell. Most likely… the same someone. It’s not that complicated of a concept but it’s pairing delivers something new and interesting. The comic has potential as the two debate religion and various beliefs and rules but the comic only touches upon that topic briefly at various times leaving serious debate with the reader and themselves.

The art by Tiago Palma is fun with color by Manuel J. Rodriguez and lettering by Jim Campbell. The comic looks good with the character designs and it delivers a lot of its humor with images that are exaggerated and over the top in their delivery. There’s some interesting aspects to the art, particularly when the demon possesses individuals, and more than enough to give the comic a pop sense to its craziness.

Excommunicated #2 is a fun comic that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is the shallow action story its story genes generally deliver. This isn’t a story of depth, instead going for crazy action and violence, enough to give pause to catch all of the details of the carnage. It’s an overall fun issue that delivers on the potential of the series, one you can sit back and enjoy without thinking too much.

Story: Jeremy Robinson Art: Tiago Palma
Color: Manuel J. Rodriguez Letterer: Jim Campbell
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.15 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Vault Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Amazon – Bookshop

Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 is an interesting concept but only a few interesting moments

Posted on by Leave a comment
Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1

A DARK HOMECOMING AWAITS… It’s a world before the Punisher. A world where the existence of the Hulk is but a whisper of a rumor. A world where A.I.M. has just developed a Cosmic Cube in the jungles of South America. Frank Castle, Bruce Banner and Peter Parker are all on a mission to keep the Cube out of the wrong hands – including each other’s. In this three-way free-for-all for the power of the cosmos, who will come out on top? Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 is an interesting start with moments of potential that never really come together.

Written by Jonathan Hickman, Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 is an in-continuity, out of continuity, we’re not really sure, story that pits Frank Castle, Hulk, and Spider-Man against each other for a cosmic cube. I mention the continuity bit because it’s Frank Castle that takes part in this, not the Punisher, putting his origin and all of that up in the air and how this all fits in.

Castle is part of a mercenary group sent on a mission by S.H.I.E.L.D. to retrieve a Cosmic Cube. Standing in the way is AIM and Hydra and for some reason the Hulk gets involved. We’re not quite sure of that motivation and then Spider-Man is recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. to take on the Hulk… which feels like it’s a complete misunderstanding of power sets on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s part. All of it is convoluted and far more complicated than it needs to be.

The comic stands out as best when it’s Frank and the team he’s working with attempting to escape a Hulk who’s hunting them for the Cosmic Cube. The comic has a Predator vibe to it as members of the squad are picked off and there’s a sense of dread and terror surrounding it all. And honestly, the comic should have just kept it to that. Keep it simple and focused.

Instead, we get Spider-Man thrown into the mix for some reason, a match-up that feels rather one-sided. It’s an odd mix of characters that doesn’t quite click in how it’s presented. It makes things far too complicated and dialing it back a bit, the comic would have excelled and been really interesting (and potentially created more motivation for Frank’s eventual war).

The art by Adam Kubert is what makes the interesting parts actually interesting. With color by Arthur Hesli and lettering by Ariana Maher, Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 presents the chaos and terror of Frank and his fellow soldiers well. You get a sense that they really don’t know what’s going on and what to do. There’s also small moments as the Hulk picks them off one by one. Stretch all of that out and the comic would be overall much stronger, a horror comic featuring Frank Castle being stalked by the Hulk who’s toying with him the whole time.

Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 isn’t a bad start but also doesn’t really stand out. It’s an oddity in that it doesn’t really make much of a case for it to exist. It’s entertaining in some ways. It has some moments that stand out. But, it’s a comic you read and generally forget about soon after. It doesn’t shine with so many choices, even many choices with just these characters, out there.

Story: Jonathan Hickman Art: Adam Kubert
Color: Arthur Hesli Letterer: Ariana Maher
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.95 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Odin #2 keeps up the Blair Witch 2 Vibes While it Fumbles its Nazi Subjects

Posted on by Leave a comment
Odin #2

Robert gave up being Roberto to fit in with his Nazi punk friends. Now those same friends have dragged him to the frozen forests of Norway to summon a “god.” And he may have to give up much, much more before they’re through with him… Odin #2 continues a surface level discussion of modern white supremacy that continues to feel too much like Blair Witch 2.

Written by Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion IV, Odin #2 is an interesting issue that has the group gathering their thoughts and figuring out a plan after the shocking conclusion of the debut issue. They’re lost, cold, and cannibals, and the options as to what to do next aren’t many or clear.

The issue has some interesting aspects, like going into the history of the Swastika and some of the Norse gods, but overall, it’s a horror story that’s about survival.

That focus extends beyond the here and now for the group. We get the backstory of one of the members, Robert, whose real name is Roberto, and it’s hinted his joining a hate group was his way to survive. We’re given a reason, and some sympathy as to his plight. And that’s part of the issue with the series so far. These are individuals who we should have no sympathy for. They are reprehensible with garbage beliefs, but the comic feels like it dances around those, teasing them instead of spelling it out. We should be cheering on their torture instead of feeling for their plight.

What stands out is the art by Letizia Cadonici with color by Jordie Bellaire and lettering by Tom Napolitano. It evokes the nightmare the individuals are experiencing with a dreamlike style about it. It goes from grounded moments to ones of visual hallucinations that might be actual visions. While the story itself doesn’t make the individuals out to be as sinister as it should, the art paints them in a way that feels like vampires, hunting their prey, a danger to all those around them.

Odin #2‘s issue is that it makes you feel some sympathy for these people. That might be the point, but with a washing of their bigoted beliefs mixed in, it feels like a story that mainstreams their ideology as if it’s just any other political/cultural/religious belief. And, while it touches upon Norse religion and beliefs, it comes off as new-age bullshit spouted off by individuals selling crystals, Goop, and whatever garbage being sold to gullible white individuals. It’s a surface level take on what is a deeply troubling reality. It misses the mark of delivering depth and a warning about a little known corner of the white supremacy movement.

Story: Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV Art: Letizia Cadonici
Color: Jordie Bellaire Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 7.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Land of Never #1 Twists Peter Pan into the Crime Horror it is

Posted on by Leave a comment
Land of Never #1

Six months ago, Jim Hoke’s daughter Wendy disappeared from her room. All Jim caught was a glimpse of a hulking figure at the window—the kind of late night vision that’s easily written off as a hallucination. No one believes Jim’s story—and six months later, the retired pathologist is just looking for anyone who’ll still listen. With Wendy’s disappearance declared the coldest of cases, Jim believes he’s the only one who cares about finding his daughter. And he’s got a withered Father’s Day card in his pocket to remind him—all he can do is his best. Land of Never #1 delivers a new take on the classic Peter Pan.

Written by Steve Orlando, Land of Never #1 is a solid start taking a classic story and giving it a nice updated twist. When you really think about it, the story of Peter Pan is a rather twisted one that’s been sanitized by Disney making it feel a bit more wholesome. Children are take away from their family, willingly or unwillingly, it has a tinge of kidnapping that you think would leave their families in fear and devastated.

Land of Never #1 takes all of that and just cuts things out mixing the beloved classic with a true crime spin. A disgraced father is desperate searching for his daughter and all he knows is an individual flew her out of her room. The Floating Man is an internet myth, spotted in the area committing similar acts, with children disappearing.

What Orlando does really well is drives home the emotional fallout of the situation. Not just with Wendy’s father, but other individuals he meets while trying to discover the truth. He doesn’t know what to expect and is confronted by individuals whose reaction varies… a lot. It teases at a possible conspiracy but more of the emotional devastation the events have brought upon individuals.

The art drives home the horrific nature of it all. Miguel Mora not just depicts the Floating Man as a massive hulking being, feeling slightly twisted and non-human, but Wendy’s father Jim is shown as a broken man spiraling. With color by Fares Maese and lettering by Micah Myers, the visuals of the comic teases the desperation and the damaged life of Jim. But, it’s not just in his search for his daughter. Leading up to that moment, the visuals tell the readers all they need to know about Jim without going into specifics yet. We know just from the panels that he’s a screw-up and sunk to low depths. It’s only later we find out why. The visuals tease what is eventually revealed.

Land of Never #1 is a solid start to the series that delivers an interesting spin and unknown future direction. This isn’t as simple as Wendy being taken to a magical land, and the Floating Man is teased as something a bit more sinister. If you’re a fan of Peter Pan but want to see a bit more horror infused into the story, this is a debut to check out.

Story: Steve Orlando Art: Miguel Mora
Color: Fares Maese Letterer: Micah Myers
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

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

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Star Trek: The Last Starship #8 Reveals The Borg’s Big Plan Delivering a Surprising Ending

Posted on by Leave a comment
Star Trek: The Last Starship #8

Seeing a solution to the tragedy of the Burn within the singularity on Deep Space Hope, Borg Queen Agnes Jurati leaves the crew of the U.S.S. Omega behind and attempts to assimilate its power. But she’s not alone; Kirk has followed her aboard, determined to ferret out why she and the Borg brought him back to life. Was it to be the galaxy’s savior? Or its demise? The standoff that follows is one for the ages—resistance is futile, after all… …unless you’re Captain James T. Kirk. Star Trek: The Last Starship #8 delivers a horror and action infused issue the Borg Queen’s plan is revealed.

Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, Star Trek: The Last Starship has delivered a vision of Star Trek where hope and the ideals of the Federation are at their lowest point. The alliances that once were have been shattered and all that remains in an attempt to rebuild the peace and order is the crew of the Omega and it’s leader Sato. The previous issue had the crew heading to Deep Space Hope with a mission to hopefully reveal a solution to the Burn but have instead come across a cult-like horror.

Star Trek: The Last Starship #8 delivers an even bigger picture than a simple mission as the Borg’s greater vision is revealed and it’s one that twists their traditional motives presenting an offer that’s in no way acceptable.

But, where Star Trek: The Last Starship #8 gets most interesting is it’s cutting down of Sato and the Omega’s mission. Though it hasn’t been long, it has failed at each step. The Federation’s alliances have fallen apart. A criminal enterprise has risen up to take its place. Is it even possible to recreate what the Federation once was? Or, does a different approach need to be had with a slightly different vision to create a similar lasting peach and order?

The art by Hernan Gonzalez is interesting in that it captures the chaos of the situation. With colors by Lee Loughridge and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic has a grainy look that feels like what you might remember from a nightmare you had. The characters’ interactions and reactions evoke the slightly over the top cheesy emotions of classic Trek, in a good way. The reveals and how they’re presented each bring shock with the visuals emphasizing each moment in ways that’ll leave you slowly turning the page to see what happens next.

Star Trek: The Last Starship #8 is a solid issue packed with reveals, action, and surprises. There’s so much within that moves the series forward in unexpected ways while revealing things that have been teased for a while. It’s a Star Trek series that might seem rather dark, ominous, and hopeless, but with each issue, it has delivered just enough to make readers believe there’s a better way and better days to come.

Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Hernan Gonzalez
Color: Lee Loughridge Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

« Older Entries