Category Archives: Reviews

Review: Sinister War #1

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Sinister War #1

When writer Nick Spencer‘s run on Spider-Man began, it was an enjoyable and fun start that felt pretty welcoming to new readers. An impressive amount of issues later, his run is beginning to wrap up and part of that is Sinister War bringing together various groups of villains for something… along with Mephisto… and Dr. Stange. Sinister War #1 isn’t so much an entry into the event and Spencer’s end-run but the continuation of years of continuity that’s almost impenetrable to new readers.

For those that don’t know the general story, there’s multiple groups of “(fill in word) Six” villains. They all seem to not get along. They either want to fight each other or are pissed about a movie made. For those that didn’t read the Mary Jane miniseries, MJ has made a film and the director is a “reformed” Mysterio. Yeah… Then there’s Mephisto doing his thing which seems like a reference to that so loved “One More Day” storyline. I’m not quite sure. There’s so much packed into the issue that not a lot is explained and there’s just a lot of hints. Then there’s the whole Kindred thing… It’s a jumbled mess.

When events kick off with a miniseries first issue like this, there’s an opportunity to ease new readers in as well as move the story along. A successful issue does exactly that. Instead, this issue just continues everything Spencer has been doing as if it’s just another issue of Amazing Spider-Man. If you’re not caught up, tough luck. It’s the exact opposite of what a solid “event” debut should be and by the end of the issue, I was turned off and resigned to wait for the new creative team to take over in a few months.

Mark Bagley‘s art is… decent. There’s a lot packed into the issue and it’s cool to see Bagley’s take on each of the characters but none of it really pops. I know folks love Bagley’s work on Spider-Man but it’s never been a style that has really hooked me. For me, it’s good, not great. Bagle is joined by Andrew Hennessy, John Dell, and Andy Owens in inks, color by Brian Reber, and lettering by Joe Caramagna. The art is really good at times and at others falls a little flat. It doesn’t help the story is choppy, the art doesn’t pick up the slack making a smooth narrative.

Sinister War #1 had me excited going into the comic. The idea of rival villain groups battling it out sounds like it could be fun and entertaining. But, the story is more a continuation of what’s been going on in Amazing Spider-Man. It’s not a jumping-on-point, just a spin-off to pack everything in and check off storylines. It’s definitely a pass for those who haven’t been reading the series already.

Story: Nick Spencer Art: Mark Bagley
Ink: Andrew Hennessy, John Dell, Andy Owens Color: Brian Reber Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 5.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 5.0 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: Ninjak #1

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Ninjak #1

Out of the shadows and into the spotlight in Ninjak #1… the world’s greatest superspy has been exposed!

Colin King is Ninjak and he has a target on his back like never before. With enemies lurking around every corner, how will Ninjak survive when there’s nowhere left to hide and the world is gunning for him?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room right away, shall we? Javier Pulido‘s art is going to be divisive – though judging from what I’ve seen on various social media platforms there seems to be more people who are, to put it politely, less than thrilled with the art style in the comic, than there are those who are excited to see what can be done with this style of art in a Ninjak story.

If you’ve yet to see the art, scroll down a bit – I’ve included the preview pages so that you can form your own opinion.

For me, I’ll fully acknowledge that this art style wouldn’t be my cup of tea – this isn’t the kind of look that would get me to pick up a comic based solely on the art (but to be completely transparent, I don’t remember the last book I picked up solely because of the art, so that’s nothing but an observation), but I do find myself enjoying what Pulido brings to the table.

This book reminds me of Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior #1. It took me a couple of issues to get used to Raul Allen and Patricia Martin’s art style (which I now love), and so I’m expecting that the art’s going to grow on me over the course of the story. There’s no denying that it’s a different look for the character, and it’s fairly far from what we’ve seen in the past but I don’t think it’s a bad look, either. There’s something exciting about a fresh look for the character’s stories.

Style aside, there were a couple of moments in the comic where it felt as though a panel or two was missing (which is the reason for the score on the art, not because of how it looks). The first, and most obvious is actually in the gallery below on the fourth page; a goon is threatening somebody with an angle grinder before it’s suddenly in Ninjak’s hands and somebody else’s neck. My interpretation of the sequence is that we’re seeing Ninjak’s speed on display, but I’d have preferred at least another panel in the sequence. While there are others examples, since they occur later in the book than I’m showing you I won’t go into specifics – especially since they’re not as obvious as the one below.

The story in this issue of Ninjak picks up several months after the close of Christos Gage’s Ninja-K, and finds Ninjak as a freelance operative being trailed by MI-6. Jeff Parker paces the story well, and sheds light on the events of the last few months that we don’t see by utilizing the internal monologues of Ninjak and the MI-6 agent tailing him – at times their thought bubbles are in synch, and at times they’re slightly off which did give me a pause when trying to figure out what order to read the words on the page. Not the end of the world, ultimately. Given that the story is just beginning, Parker balances exposition with action admirably, with the comic moving at a brisk pace while still allowing Pulido to flex his creative muscles. That Parker wastes no time in dragging the story out longer than necessary is to be commended; he uses Ninjak #1 to reintroduce us to the purple ninja and his supporting cast, catch us up with what’s been going on in the time since we last saw them and set the stage for what’s to come. All in all, this is an impressive book for that reason alone.

Ninjak #1 is almost exactly what I wasn’t expecting after seeing the previews; though not perfect, a genuinely good comic. Yes, the art isn’t for everyone, but at the end of the day this is a comic visually unlike anything Valiant have put out, and I’m happy that they’re willing to take the chance. Parker builds a solid foundation for what’s to come, while ensuring new readers can pick up the comic and not be muddled down with mountains of unexplained backstory.

I’m biased because of my love for the character, but Ninjak #1 is a welcome return for Valiant’s purple hero.

Words and Art: Jeff Parker and Javier Pulido
Letters: Dave Sharpe and Javier Pulido
Story: 7.9 Art: 7.5: Overall: 7.7 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Pre-order: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: Bubble

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The hit monster hunting podcast Bubble comes to comics! Written by series creator Jordan Morris and series writer Sarah Morgan, and illustrated by Tony Cliff, the graphic novel adaptation follows an unlikely group of friends who come together thanks to an Uber-like app for hunting monsters called Huntr. While the characters are the same, the images and storyline additions offer a whole new layer of context for fans of the podcast to devour.

Created by: Jordan Morris
Written by: Jordan Morris, Sarah Morgan
Adapted by: Tony Cliff, Jordan Morris, Sarah Morgan
Color by: Natalie Riess

Get your copy in comic shops! 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.

Amazon (Hardcover)
Amazon (Paperback)
Kindle
Zeus Comics
TFAW
Bookshop

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

Review: The Walking Dead Deluxe #18

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The Walking Dead returns in full color with extras! The Walking Dead Deluxe takes us back to the beginning with each issue now featuring full color. There’s also extras of what might have been with notes as part of “The Cutting Room Floor.”

What’s it like to revisit this modern classic? How does it change all these years later… and in color? Find out!

Story: Robert Kirkman
Art: Charlie Adlard
Color: Dave McCaig
Letterer: Rus Wooton

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.

comiXology
Amazon
Kindle
Zeus Comics
TFAW

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

Review: The Secrets of Chocolate

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The Secrets of Chocolate: A Gourmand’s Trip Through a Top Chef’s Atelier is an interesting trip through the world of chocolate.

Writer/artist Franckie Alarcon teams with Chef Jacques Genin for a dive into the world of chocolate as we learn the work that goes into making the enjoyment we experience while eating it.

Also within are recipes where you can make your own chocolate treats!

Story: Franckie Alarcon
Art: Franckie Alarcon
Translation: Montana Kane
Letterer: Ortho

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.

comiXology
Amazon
Kindle
TFAW
Bookshop

NBM 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

Mini Reviews and Recommendations For The Week Ending 07/10/2021

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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. Given the lack of new comics, expect this weekly update to begin featuring comics that we think you’ll enjoy while you can’t get anything new to read – only new to you.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Crush and Lobo #2 (DC)– Crush and Lobo by Mariko Tamaki and Amancay Nahuelpan is really my current comfort comic. It mixes the queer yearning with a deadpan sense of humor, and it’s set in space. Tamaki layers Crush’s relationship with her ex Katie and her dad Lobo into a fun slice of life-meet-adventure story. Basically, space baristas aren’t to be trifled with. Nahuelpan’s action chops on his creator owned Black Mask titles definitely transfer over to this book, and he gets to draw zero grav fight sequences in this one. My one slight issue with this book is that there’s not a whole lot of Lobo in it, but a hilarious prison group therapy sequence shows that Mariko Tamaki already has his voice. I can’t wait to see his interactions with Crush in the next issue. Overall: 9.0 Verdict: Buy

Black’s Myth #1 (Ahoy)– Black’s Myth #1 is a comic about white supremacist attacking, werewolf P.I. nicknamed after Joe Strummer from writer Eric Palicki and artist Wendell Cavalcanti, who does the whole book in black and white with lots of grid layouts. It starts intense with its protagonist bleeding out from a silver bullet wound in the bath tub and never lets up and doesn’t shy away from its supernatural elements. In fact, Cavalcanti’s best work happens when he’s slinging ink and blacks around when a recovering Strummer decides to fuck up some Nazis in an alley and find out who’s trying to kill her. Black’s Myth hits that sweet spot between crime and fantasy, and the art style gave me strong David Lapham vibes. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Hellions #13 (Marvel)– Hellions #13 kicks off a new arc, and Zeb Wells, Roge Antonio, and Rain Beredo dig into the consequences of the team’s (Well, mainly, Mr. Sinister) actions in previous storylines. So, there’s the return of the insane, Frankenstein Monster with a cape Mr. Sinister clone, who led the suicide mission into Arakko in X of Swords and also some subplots featuring the A.I. mutant baby the team rescued and X-Factor investigating their resurrections. (The book’s cancelled, and this plot is only in one data page, but an X-Factor vs. Hellions book would have been great fun.) But this issue isn’t just clones and the return of the past enemies as Wells and Antonio take time for team-bonding like Empath and Wild Child joking around about heroic sacrifices, or Orphan-Maker latching onto Greycrow as a parental figure now that Nanny spends all her time with the A.I. These moments make a predominantly table-setting issue more interesting as Zeb Wells sets up a big brawl for the next issue. Overall: 7.8 Verdict: Buy

X-Force #21 (Marvel)– Spinning out of the Terra Verde incident (Think the Iran/Contra affair, but more psychic and telefloronic), Benjamin Percy, Joshua Cassara, Robert Gill, and Guru eFX are back on their sentient plant shit in X-Force #21. Somehow, a strain of Man-Thing is infecting humans in politics, corporate boardrooms, police forces etc. all across the U.S., and they’re doing irrational things like murder. X-Force is on the case to find the cause of these happenings and see if there are any connections to Terra Verde, and more frightening, Krakoa. Cassara and Gill’s art and Guru eFX’s color palette do a good job with the body horror sequences, and there’s one especially nauseating sequence with Wolverine early on. The big panel layouts work well for an action-driven book, and they and Percy give Wolverine and Quentin Quire a fun kind of chemistry and their own unique fastball special. Some readers may shrug at Benjamin Percy introducing yet another plotline to X-Force, but he threads the needle and connects the Man-Things to the long running XENO plot as well as the recent telefloronic happenings. Also, immediately fighting a being that is benevolent, yet misunderstood is totally in the mutant CIA’s M.O. Overall: 8.1 Verdict: Buy

Brett

X-Men #1 (Marvel) – A decent start for the new series that has its moments but never quite excites. There’s a lot of setup in this newest volume and that rather slow aspect is given some action to give the issue a little excitement. Unfortunately, that action fills like filler material in between major arcs. It’s not a bad start, there’s a lot that’s intriguing, but it doesn’t quite have that spark that has me immediately wanting to see what’s next. Overall Rating: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

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

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: Yeahaw Blue #2

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Yeehaw Blue

As a fan of the show, Supernatural, I have always loved when they poked fun at themselves. The Winchester Brothers, from the very start, have always been the Luke Skywalker and Han Solo of monster hunting. As Dean’s cynicism is always matched with Sam’s righteousness. Through the show’s 11 seasons, it has always found a way to make the siblings relatable yet stoic in some aspect.

The show has always endured because the brothers with the help of their winged friend, Castiel, and occasionally from their father figure, Bobby, are all of us. We are not one thing because of our family but are many things because of those we call friends. In an episode in the previous season, we saw, the Brothers play out their own version of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. In the second issue of Yeehaw Blue, Reya much like the Winchesters must recover to persevere.

We find Reya, shortly after her fight with a Teras, as she recovers in the school infirmary. As we soon find out that Reya and Boonie were both burnt, and neither of them nor the school knows how a Teras could breathe fire. As the nurse and the headmaster discuss the implications of what may come from the incident, they soon realize the school may have been underestimating Reya’s skills. By the issue’s end, Reya’s family heirloom seems to be more a knickknack, as it causes eerie visions that only Boone can see when holding it.

Overall, it’s a fun chapter that dives a bit into character exploration. The story by the creative team is exciting. The art by Jones is stunning. Altogether, a story that gives a different look at the underdog.

Story: Shay Jones, Johnny O’Bryant, Marcus Johnson, and Corey Mikkell Art: Shay Jones
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Bu

Review: The Next Batman: Second Son #4

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Jace is attempting to turn his life around. As one chapter ends for him a new one begins as this mini-series wraps up.

Story: John Ridley
Art: Travel Foreman
Ink: Norm Rapmund, Le Beau Underhood
Color: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Andworld Design

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.

Amazon
comiXology
Kindle
Zeus Comics
TFAW

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

Review: Arms of the Dragon #4

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Arms of the Dragon #4

When one suffers a tragedy, it becomes sometimes hard to get past it. As life throws you these curves and makes you question everything. It becomes sometimes untenable as to how much our heart can’t take before it goes asunder. Then that heartbreak can lead to some very dark places.

As it becomes easy to get caught up in it to the point, that you feel that the world is working against you. The truth is that you have to define what that new normal is for you. As you can become inspired or never be the same for the worst. In Noir Ceasar’s fourth chapter of Arms of the Dragon, Shou is left to pick up the pieces.

We find Shou, in shambles, as his family is now gone, and all he has left is a letter from a girl who he showed some grace. As the girl, Chizuru, left him some food, knowing that he is looking for a bit of hope. It would not be long before one of the Shottas finds out what she did and makes her an example. By the issue’s end, Shou finds out what happened to Chizuru, leaving him in a rage.

Overall, Arms of the Dragon #4 is a harrowing episode that will adds a layer of despair to the story. The story by Marcus Johnson and John Lawrence is moving. The art by Chris Krady is beautiful. Altogether, a story that digs into the evils of this world.

Story: Marcus Johnson and John Lawrence Art: Chris Krady
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Review: Captain America #30

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Captain America #30

Captain America #30 wraps up Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run on Captain America. Captain America will (yet again) finally face off with his biggest foe, the Red Skull. After thoroughly thrashing Crossbones, Cap’s plan to defeat his foe lies not in punching him out but in exposing his true intentions to the many internet followers that the Red Skull has.

My first thought after reading this issue is that Coates wraps up his take on the character with not a bang but a whisper. There have been so many fights between Cap and the Skull and it’s maybe as damaging to expose your enemy to their blindsided followers as it is to beat them unconscious. But, it did feel a tad bit lackluster. This run hasn’t been about establishing power levels or memorable fights; it’s been more thought-provoking. I think there’s some legitimate darkness and evil to some of the rhetoric of the Red Skull that’s been used in this storyline and you can certainly see it reflected in our very real lives. I love that Coates tapped into that to see how damaging it can really be. To some, that’s boring and bland but I have an appreciation for stories driven like this. Cap is in a good place for when the next creative team relaunches the title.

I thought the overall look of Captain America #30 was good but not anything really special. I’ve liked Leonard Kirk’s work more on other books but there was just something about it with Cap that almost felt wasted on this issue. His artistic style really shines on a book with a lot of colorful suits and big action. Matt Milla’s colors work with the art and Joe Caramagna’s letters don’t hide anything but there’s almost a lack of energy to the overall product.

Captain America #30 is a fine end to the Coates era of Captain America. I think there were some important ideals tackled with this particular story and it really puts some thoughts in your head about extremism. It would have been nice to also see someone like the Red Skull get punched out, too. I think if you have passion for what Coates did with Cap or if you are critical of his work on the character, an issue like this is going to do little to sway your opinion. I found it to be a decent end for another memorable run of Captain America.

Story: Ta-Nehisi Coates Art: Leonard Kirk
Colors: Matt Milla Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Story: 7.0 Art: 6.0 Overall: 6.5

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

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