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Review: Metallic Silence #1 & #2

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Christopher Scott Author

A story that introduces you into a dystopian future based on the songs of the Spanish electronic band AZUL y NEGRO. In a world where elites are fleeing to a new planet, there is little place for hope. Or even for music.

Combining elements of Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, and even a subtle nod to The Terminator if you look close enough. There is a lot of crossover as science fiction meets dystopian, meets cyberpunk, meets a small musical. While there is a small love story as well that helps keep the plot grounded, it manages to be a large plot of the story as Basso tries to get his love Charlotte back from the Mannequin. While Mannequin sounds like a cheesy villain name, he is a man obsessed with immortality. He believes Charlotte is the key to that. However in his quest to gain that, he kills Basso (sort of). Basso manages to survive the explosion and returns to reclaim Charlotte after a he becomes a cybernetic version of Frankenstein’s monster.

Dystopian has almost become a synonym for gritty and dark. That is apparent in the art style in both issues of this mini-series. You can see the obvious influence of the film Blade Runner in the art in terms of both the world and the characters. Even a subtle influence of Frank Miller’s Sin City, as for the most part of the world is drawn in shades of gray. In contrast to the main characters who are drawn with more color, even if that color is limited

Story: El Torres Art: Angel Hernandez
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Amigo Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

TV Review: Comic Book Men S5E7 Making Clay

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Brett

In this episode of Comic Book Men, Walt and Bryan audition the Secret Stash employees for a role in their new claymation film with friend and fellow podcaster Brian Quinn.

The first episode of the second half of the season was the best of the season, and it just took one episode for the series to get right back into old habits moving away from the focus on comics and instead being sidetracked with something else.

The episode does have some comic moments, the group buys a really cool toy and gives some solid history about it. While I don’t want a show only of that, it still is more of what the show should be.

Instead the episode introduces the television folks to Brian Quinn and instead has a lot to do with a claymation film that’s being done and their search for voice talent. What that has to do with the show and its comic focus is a big question. Yes the show is about these guys and their world, but, it’s expanded beyond the shop to their wacky adventures, with this being the latest.

For as good as last episode was, this one just goes back to old habits.

Overall rating: 6.4

TV Review: The Walking Dead S6E10 The Next World

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Brett

A seemingly simple scavenging run proves to be very tricky when the group isn’t the only one vying for an unexpected goldmine.

The Walking Dead at times is criticized for dragging things out and being extremely slow. I’m sure the haters will be all over this episode which primarily focuses on Rick and Daryl as they head out on a supply run and run in to a familiar face from comics.

A lot of the episode focuses on Rick and Daryl on their supply run when they run into Jesus, a character from the comic series. It’s not the introduction of Jesus that’s the interesting thing about the episode, it’s the tone of this entire section of the show that’s the fascinating part. It’s very comedic. Yes, there’s a serious tone in many ways, but the interaction between the three has a comedic action vibe of the thief who steals from the other thieves and then the items are stolen back and forth. It’s a common sequence, but in a show that is rather dramatic and relies heavily on horror elements, it’s a rather light hearted sequence.

The rest of the episode is primarily focused on Spencer who we find out has been sneaking into the woods for some reason. Michonne joins him and for as comedic as the trio was, the duo is very serious and dramatic. Spencer has been a rather irritating character in the series, much like an adult Carl, but here we see a bit of maturation.

Compared to the last few episodes, this one slows things down a lot, a very quiet moment compared to what has recently been on the air. Definitely the quiet before the storm.

And that ending… many will be jumping for joy… and laughing out loud.

Overall rating: 8.35

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 20/2/2016

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Alex K Cossa

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for. These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews.

Alex

Kennel Block Blues #1 (Boom!) Was a pretty odd comic about an anthromorphic dog living in a state of half hallucinated reality as he enters prison. It’s good, and it is worth looking into, but likely more a “wait for the trade” kind of book. Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

The Last Contract #2 (Boom!) A comic about a retired hitman getting back into the game long after his retirement, The Last Contract has been a fantastic ride so far, with the eighty-plus year old killer taking no shit from anybody. Well aware of his physical limits, he’s a refreshing change from protagonists that can take on the world with their hands behind their back. Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Gutter Magic #2 (IDW) This has got to be one of the most entertaining comics I’ve read in a long time. The art is fantastically detailed without being overly cluttered, and the characters are inhabiting a rich and vibrant world that feels fully formed before you turn the page. Highly, highly recommended. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Deluge #2 Is an indie comic set during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After reading the first issue, I’d actually thought it was just a one shot comic until I saw this. I actually found that the second issue was more enjoyable than the first, and I liked the first issue’s story about an undercover FBI agent infiltrating the New Orleans underworld amidst a layer of corruption from the local police. It’s a solid book that deserves a wider audience than it’ll end up getting. Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Will Eisner’s The Spirit #8 (Dynamite) I have nothing to say here that hasn’t already been said. A solid comic book that’s well written, well drawn, and above all it’s very, very fun. Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Huck #4 (Image) I just… wow. Just wow. Overall: 9.75 Recommendation: Buy it now, or buy the trade. You need to own this.

Black Hood #9 (Dark Circle) Is a solid comic. It’s not my favourite comic from this publisher (that honour belongs to The Fox), but it’s a very good gritty vigilante thriller with a hero who is very much just a man. A decent series that’s worth checking out. Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Elana

Catwoman #49 (DC)* When the Messina/Valentine creative team ended their landmark run of Catwoman as a crime boss I thought Catwoman would go down hill. And while the comic did return to its roots with a far more traditional Catwoman story it’s still a really good comic! It’s a smart, interesting story suspensefully told. The lines are almost delicate and the splash pages pack in far more visual information that you think at first glance. Selina fighting Croc in front of a Nosferatu billboard? That’s cool! And the intrigue is high. I keep reading because it’s quality comics. So should you. Overall: 8 Recommendation: Read

Ryan C

American Monster #2 (Aftershock) *: Brian Azzarello and Juan Doe’s journey into the dark underbelly of America’s sleaziest small town continues with some revelations of both the major and minor variety that will serve to suck readers into the web they’re spinning ever deeper. Two issues in, I remain convinced that this has the potential to be Azzarello’s best series since “100 Bullets,” and Doe’s art, while first striking me as being a bit too “cartoonish” for the dark subject matter, is quickly starting to grow on me. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Lucifer #3 (Vertigo) *: The devil went to The Dreaming, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt. Oh, and a damn good story — Gaiman-esque myth-spinning anchors one of Holly Black’s two main plot threads while the other, involving a trapped demon on Earth scheming to be set free, is pure Delano-era “Hellblazer.” Combine the two with Lee Garbett’s fun-yet-appropriately-grim artwork and a guest appearance by Matthew the Raven (who just turned up in his human form in the latest issue of “Swamp Thing”) and you’ve got yourself a heck — sorry, hell — of a book here. They say everything old is new again, and after three issues this series is proving that to be absolutely true. Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

The Tithe #8 (Image/Top Cow) **: Not a bad extra-length issue from writer Matt Hawkins and artists Rashan Ekedal and Phillip Sevy, but not a great one, either. The problem with the whole “Islamophobia” story arc isn’t that it was poorly done, just that it only had one big revelation in store and it gave that away in the opening installment. After that, we knew exactly where events were headed, and they simply proceeded to go there. It apparently pissed off a handful of right-wing dumbfucks online, though, so points to the creators for at least raising the blood pressure of all the right people. Overall: 6. Recommendation: Read.

The Shield #2 (Dark Circle) : Normally I’d say this isn’t a half-bad little issue because, well, it isn’t, but given that the gap between numbers one and two was something like five or six months in length, it should have — perhaps even needed to — return with a big splash, and it didn’t. I’m sure Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig’s script was “in the can” some time ago, but some tinkering around the edges to re-engage readers into the storyline more fully would have been welcome, and the art-by-committee approach with Drew Johnson and Ray Snyder doing the first half of the book and Al Barrionuevo taking over the second half is jarring and messy. Still, we’ve got a Steve Rude painted cover as one of the variants this time out, so how petty am I for bitching about anything? Dark Circle’s been plagued with delays on pretty much all of their titles barring “The Black Hood,” though, so Archie really needs to get their shit together with this line or it will die the same quick death that these characters always seem to bring upon themselves in one decade after another. Overall: 6. Recommendation: Read

Shean

Bill and Ted Go To Hell#1 (Boom!): we catch up with the Wild Stallyns shortly after their adventures in the Triumphant Return.Colonel Oats and gang of baddies are enroute to Hell , kidnapping Bill And Ted’s buddy, the Grim Reaper, with them. The boys have to call on the help of Rufus and company to rescue him. By issue’s end , there is a bigger plan in play, than either of them expected. Overall:9.3 Recommendation: Buy

Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write.

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).

Review: Snowfall #1

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Ryan C. (trashfilmguru)

In my experience, taking a “flier” on a new book you’ve attached no pre-conceived expectations to going in can pay off nicely. Right now, in fact, my pull list is populated with a number of series that I’m absolutely loving — from American Monster to Hip-Hop Family Tree to Last Sons Of America to The Violent — that are the work of creators who I was either “down on” at one point and decided to give another chance to, or whose prior work (assuming there even was any) I was completely unfamiliar with. I like the new. I like the unexpected. If I want the familiar, well — there’s always “The Big Two” for that.

Writer Joe Harris and artist Martin Morazzo are not, of course, new names — at least not for those of us who read their Image Comics series Great Pacific — nor are they creators who are in need of a second chance from yours truly, but still : when I first heard about their then-forthcoming, now-arrived new title Snowfall, I was in no way sure what to expect. It sounded — and judging by the few preview pages that were made available in recent months also looked and read — like something dramatically different to their prior work, and so my interest was piqued. Like I said, often the unfamiliar can yield surprisingly good results.

Ya know what, though? Not always. And unfortunately that’s the case here.

None of the blame for why this extra-sized first issue (a nice value with 32 pages of story and art for $3.99 — full disclosure compels me to also inform you that I purchased my copy, no “review freebie” here) doesn’t work should rest on the shoulders of the artistic team, though. Morazzo and colorist-on-the-rise Kelly Fitzpatrick both go about their business splendidly, in fact. And the set-up that Harris presents us with involving a future Earth (the year being 2045, to be precise) that has seen some sort of “climate collapse” resulting in the desertification of much of the planet and the fall of the United States/subsequent rise of a new open corporate oligarchy called the “Cooperative States Of America” is an interesting enough bit of preliminary “world-building.” What he so clearly forgets to include, though, is any character-building, and so the search for the so-called “White Wizard” — some guy who has the power to make it snow and might be a terrorist, a freedom fighter, a mad scientist, you name it — falls well and truly flat.

Don’t get me wrong — I feel bad that the various folks we’re introduced to here have to live in some sort of shitty dystopian society — but I don’t feel anything for any of them individually and frankly have a hard time discerning from events as presented who our main protagonists are even supposed to be, so completely one-note and un-involving are the lot of ’em. Memo to Joe Harris : first issues are supposed to grab you with more than just an attractive price point, they’re supposed to make you interested enough in the proceedings to come back for more. Nothing on offer here manages to accomplish that most basic of tasks.

Obviously, Image has a reasonable amount of faith in these guys, and perhaps we should too — Great Pacific, after all, was something of a “slow burn” itself — but I’ve got (bad pun coming, you’ve been warned) cold feet already. A “slow burn” I can absolutely handle no problem — but this book feels like it’s in a deep freeze right out of the gate.

Story: Joe Harris Art: Martin Morazzo Color: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Story: 2 Art: 8 Overall: 5 Recommendation : Pass

Review: The Power of Power Man and Iron Fist

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Elana Levin

Luke Cage is one of the great all time superheroes and David F Walker and Sanford Green do more than justice by him in their new series Power Man and Iron Fist.

Luke Cage: a struggling kid wrongfully imprisoned for the petty BS the criminal injustice system sends black men to jail for. Used as in medical experiments while incarcerated — which is never ever truly consensual. Made bulletproof, which as Joseph Phillip Illidge describes in his must-read essay Real Life Proves Why Luke Cage Endures:

“Is there any doubt the power fantasy of the Black man in the years following multiple assassinations of his leaders and children by way of the gun would be superhuman resistance to bullets?”

He marries detective Jessica Jones, a true survivor like himself and moves to Brooklyn to have a baby (like ya do). At the public’s request he briefly considered running for Brooklyn Borough President. Luke is the best. The core brilliance of the character survived years of clueless white men writing his dialog in a butchered black vernacular that they invented, seemingly without any knowledge of actual black vernacular.

With excellent writer (and excellent podcast guest) David F Walker and Sanford Green on art (one of Marvel’s only two black creative teams) I knew I’d like this comic. I love it.

I didn’t expect to get emotional about Power Man and Iron Fist but I did.

Something about how Luke is struggling between being a parent and being a hero and being a friend. Some days I’m Luke at the start of this issue: I just want to get home to my husband and cat. Some days I’m all about my job saving the world– or technically saving New York since I work for a NY community organization. And some days I’m Danny Rand, trying to get my friends with kids to leave their apartments and come to a party with me.

Green’s art has a scribbly, sketchy looseness that’s perfect for Luke’s roundhouse of a fighting style and perfect for Danny’s perpetually loose posture and body language.

The clothes are realistic and contemporary. Luke’s beard is a new look for him and it definitely works with his tough-guy-cool-dad mystique

82% of women in prison are victims of domestic abuse and so is Luke and Danny’s former office assistant Jenny, who is released from Rikers in this issue. Jenny’s incarceration for killing her abusive boyfriend while she was possessed by a devil rings 1000% true in a world where magic is real.

The story is as firmly rooted in NYC as it must be and the NYC they depict feels real. The moments of interaction with the Marvel U are delicate and well placed and funny when they should be.

I’m one of the many people who agrees with Keith Chow and other Asian-American comics fans who’ve called on Marvel to make Danny Rand Asian-American because it both resolves problematic aspects of his origin (a “White Savior” story), gives much needed diversity AND would be the source of great stories. A buddy comedy between a black hero and Asian-American hero can addresses specific issues of inter-racial friendships.

But that ship has sailed. And if Marvel wants yet another blond American hero at least this team is the one writing him. Their Danny is anarchic and adorable. His enthusiasm makes the reader have fun too. I support his sideburns and tracksuit look.

I’m really loving this comic. Can’t wait for issue 2!

If you want to do something to help domestic violence victims facing unjust incarceration you can learn more about the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act in NY.

Overall Rating: 9 Recommendation: Buy!

Review: Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird #3

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Christopher Scott Author

Dancy Flammarion was content to spend eternity in the nothingness of hell, but when a twisted pair of incestuous bounty hunters initiates a dark ritual, she finds herself unceremoniously cast from the afterlife into the deadly waters of the bayou! Now, new dangers are stalking Dancy, some of whom wear familiar faces . . .

Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird #3 marks the midpoint of this five issue miniseries from the writer of Silk, Caitlin R. Kiernan. Why I haven’t read Silk? I have a suspicious feeling it is dark, fantastical, and down right strange. Honestly, the more I read of this series, the more I want to buy more works form Caitlin R. Kiernan. The writing is solid, complex and filled with unique characters. Of course this issue is no exception, as the past comes to life. Reuniting lovers, strangers, and a good chunk of backstory. Looking forward to the next issue.

The art by Daniel Warren Johnson continues the realism, as more occult influence begins to appear. Of course the art manage to create flashbacks of Dancy as she is brought out of the muddy waters of a swamp. The characters continue the streak of having a feeling of life, as they try to navigate the strangeness of the world.

Story: Caitlin R. Kiernan Art: Daniel Warren Johnson
Story: 8.5 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: The Precinct #3

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Christopher Scott Author

Mort and Jo dive deeper into the mystery of the steampunk monstrosities, while danger lurks around the corner! A dangerous new opponent makes his move, and our heroes face off against an army of mechanical spiders. Not everyone is going to survive, so find out who lives and who dies in the thrilling new steampunk series from Frank J. Barbiere and Crizam Zamora.

The worlds of mysticism and steampunk continue to collide, as a new player emerges from the shadows. Mort and Joe continue finding, a dangerous dwarf who was making the large steampunk monsters. Of course as they do that, another murder occurs at the legs of mechanical spiders, removing a powerful figure from the alchemy academy. I’m curious to see how the story written by Frank J. Barbiere develops further, with only two issues left after this.

The art and story, intertwine as more machines appear. Even the machines change in size, and complexity as the plot continues to develop around an atmosphere, of machines, magic, and murder. Despite the change in size, and complexity they still manage to retain a degree of realism. That’s all due to the talent of Crizam Zamora. I will admit the cover is gorgeous, managing to display the collision of steampunk and magic. Well done Sergio Davila.

Story: Frank J. Barbiere Art: Crizam Zamora
Story: 8.5 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Blood Feud #5

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Christopher Scott Author

R.F., Sue, and Big Jack are up to their armpits in tarantulas and vampires! But the true, ghastly secret of the Blood Feud has yet to be revealed. In order to save the town of Spider Creek–and the world–they’ll have to make a terrible sacrifice.

Blood Feud #5 marks this miniseries’ last issue, and thus the story concludes. It ends in the way it begins, with violence, and vampires. However at least it reveals the origins of how the vampires came to be. However be warned the ending that writer Cullen Bunn has come up with isn’t a happy one.

The art by Drew Moss and Nick Filardi is dark, grim, and of course filled with shades of red. However the Master Vampire image, does bring to mind a lesser known foe of Batman, Manbat. Just a more twisted, vampiric, and fearsome one. While despite its much darker origins, you can see the obvious differences.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Drew Moss, Nick Filardi
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

TV Review: Broad City S3E01 Two Chainz

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Logan Dalton

Broad City airs at 10 PM EST on Comedy Central.

In its season three premiere, Broad City continues to put the insane in the mundane while also making port a johns and truck hitches funny again in one deftly executed edit. “Two Chainz” follows Ilana and Abbi as they look for a public restroom and get ready for a gallery show featuring Abbi’s old roommate Maxanne (Emily Meade), who looks like a rejected entry for one of Queen Amidala’s handmaidens. Writers Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs show why Broad City is TV’s best hangout TV show while Abbi Jacobson brings the physical comedy and Ilana continues to making everything sexual even as the credits literally roll across the screen as Abbi and Ilana. (To avoid confusion, I’ll be referring to the actresses as Jacobson and Glazer and the characters as Abbi and Ilana. This is what happens when you name your main characters as yourself.) They make the plot and surrounding characters almost irrelevant, except for Hannibal Burress’ Lincoln, who continues to bring one-liners, warmth, and even a little spontaneity in this episode as his “graduation” has nothing do with his steady day job as a dentist.

Broad City’s comedy doesn’t just come from the dialogue and jokes written by Aniello and Downs; a lot of it comes from the set design, editing, and even costuming. The two minute cold open of Ilana and Abbi doing things in the bathroom (Whoa, that came out wrong.) is shot in a split screen style that reminded me of some of Edgar Wright’s work. It is packed with call-backs to the previous seasons, like Abbi with a Bed Bath and Beyond bag and Ilana falling asleep on the toilet after smoking weed, and all kinds of quick gags and character moments that warrants a rewatch. The scene also reintroduces us to Ilana’s amazing wardrobe choices opening with “Female Body Inspector” hinting at her bisexuality to the titular “chain” that is attached to her the entire episode and instant fodder for hilarity because she forgot the basic rule of “phones, key wallet”. Her “Perv” snapback is fantastic too. (Lincoln quips about her being an extra in a DMX music video.)

“Two Chainz” also has a pair of almost sketch-like parodies about the rabidness of shoppers during blowout sales and the art community in general. The first is fairly quick and non-verbal with cuts of various shoppers beating up each other at a 90% off warehouse sale, which Abbi braves to find a public bathroom and get an outfit for the gallery show. It is topped off by a wonderful line, “This is a pop up bitches” and a quick edit to a completely bare store reminding me of those random Halloween stores that sneak into strip malls every September, but more fashion forward. The art parody is more developed if a little predictable stab at the pretentious of the art scene. But the scene lands thanks to the vapid dialogue of Maxanne (“So surreal. So real. At the same time so surreal. At the same time so real.”) and the slapstick skills of Jacobson as she wipes off blue ink from Maxanne’s painting of a fingerprint that took two and a half years to complete while the gallery screams at her. This is also a nice punchline to the running gag of the security tag that Abbi has been trying to take off herself just like Ilana has been trying to take off her chain.

An interesting development in Broad City Season 3 is that Ilana is really amping up her romantic interest in Abbi. It’s all played for laughs for now (It kind of reminds me of the dynamic Spider-Man and Deadpool have in the Spider-Man/Deadpool comic, but Ilana and Abbi have an actual wacky, yet vibrant friendship.), but both Abbi and Ilana let things slip about their possibly less than platonic relationship. Abbi says that Ilana is her girlfriend at the pop up store, and Ilana proposes after Abbi rescues her from being hitched to a truck driven by a porno watching creep. Even if these comes to nothing, Aniello doesn’t shy away from showing Ilana’s bisexuality (and polysexuality) as she does sexy things with both Lincoln and various women in the opening sequence.

One reason I find Broad City so fun and refreshing is that unlike some other show on HBO by a supposed “auteur” showrunner, it’s not interested in making any sweeping statements about being in your twenties, the nature of art, or such navel gazing bullshit. It’s just about two friends trying to makes ends meet and have a good time in New York while having some excellent “stealth feminism” moments, like a stab at the lack of women’s restrooms in a major world city (Marvel Comics’ offices had this problem too.) or Abbi giving a cat-caller a piece of her mind. And “Two Chainz” is a triumphant return for the most fun friendship on TV with a side of hijinks.

Score: 9.1

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