Category Archives: Reviews

REVIEW : DARKSEID SPECIAL #1

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As mentioned in my other reviews (on several occasions, broken record that I am) of DC‘s “King 100” specials for this site, these comics have been up-and-down affairs on the whole, but I have to give credit where it’s due — between The Black Racer And Shilo Norman Special #1 and the subject under our metaphorical microscope here, Darkseid Special #1, they at least closed them out on a high note. Yes, we had to endure a couple of clunkers along the way, but these last two both give you plenty for your $4.99.

Mark Evanier was a natural choice to write at least one of these books, given his background as Jack Kirby‘s assistant and, later, biographer, and I can’t think of anybody more qualified to re-introduce the comics-reading public to the original (as opposed the bastardized, “re-imagined” version wreaking havoc in the so-called “DCU” today) version of perhaps the most powerful and iconic symbol of pure evil in the history of the medium than him.  That being said, it would be a lie to say that Darkseid himself is actually the “star” of this book that bears his name.

No, that honor would have to go to a tough-as-nails and decidedly determined young lady named Makayla who, along with a couple of fellow escapees from the orphanage/proving ground run by the dread Granny Goodness, is out to bring the lord of Apokolips down, permanently and by any means necessary. For those who find the societal and economic structure of New Genesis’ dark twin of particular interest, there are plenty of rapid-fire yet entirely effective re-introductions on offer here in addition to the aforementioned Granny : the streets (and sewers) of Armagetto, the Female Furies, Parademons, the Omega Beams, Desaad, Slaughter Mountain — they’re all present and accounted for, not to mention as compelling as ever. Makayla and her cohorts are never going to succeed in their mission, of course, but whether or not they live to fight another day is a fairly open question and offers a bit of “hey, I actually don’t know exactly what’s going to happen here” suspense/intrigue that’s largely been missing from this month’s other Kirby tribute specials. Bonus points to Evanier for titling his story “The Resistance!,” in a move that’s sure to raise the hackles of the increasingly desperate and easily-butt-hurt (talk about “snowflakes”) pro-Trump crowd.

On the artistic side of the ledger, Scott Kolins isn’t going to knock anyone’s socks off with his illustrations here, but it’s at the very least competent (if uninspired) work and the splash pages, in particular, offer a fair enough approximation of Kirby-level majesty and impact in a pinch. Dave McCaig‘s dark-ambient colors offer a nice finishing touch and on the whole these are pleasing, if far from gob-smacking, pages to look at. If you want great art, well — this ain’t it. But it’s plenty good, and sometimes (this being one of them), that’s good enough.

Considerably better, though, is the reunion of the fan-favorite team of  Phil Hester and Ande Parks in the too-damn-short OMAC back-up strip written by former DC head honcho Paul Levitz. The story’s no great shakes — OMAC finally wises up to the fact that Brother Eye is bad news and goes on the run from the Global Peace Agency — but it offers a nice little “twist” ending that old-school Kirby aficionados will appreciate, and the illustrations are straight out of the Steve Rude style school (to the extent that Rude himself is even given a hat-tip in the credits). Pitch-perfect coloring from the always-reliable Dave Stewart adds the finishing touch to this decidedly fun yarn.

As always, the back of the book is handed over to The King himself, and with another “Young Gods Of Supertown” (this one from Forever People #5) strip, and a very interesting story from Tales Of The Unexpected entitled “The All-Seeing Eye” that offers some none-too-subtle visual precursors to Brother Eye, you really can’t go wrong — so if you’re looking for a “total package,” I’m pleased to say that Darkseid Special #1 provides exactly that. Oh, and just for the record, Evanier confirms it in his backmatter essay : it’s pronounced “dark-side.”

Story : Mark Evanier and Paul Levitz  Art : Scott Kolins, Phil Hester, and Ande Parks

Story : 8  Art : 7  Overall : 7.5 Recommendation : Buy

REVIEW : THE BLACK RACER AND SHILO NORMAN SPECIAL #1

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Who in their right mind wasn’t intrigued by this one when it was first announced? The Black Racer is, after all, one of the more immediately-arresting and enigmatic characters in all of Jack Kirby‘s Fourth World canon, and Shilo Norman was fondly remembered as the trusted “kid sidekick” of Mister Miracle — but given the Racer’s occupation/mission, it was pretty obvious from the outset that any story that would bring these two together would possibly, if not probably, mean that poor Shilo’s days were numbered.

And so it would seem right from the outset of Reginald Hudlin‘s script for The Black Racer And Shilo Norman Special #1, wherein Shilo, having assumed and/or inherited the Mister Miracle mantle for himself, is strapped to a missile (a hat-tip to a concept The King first utilized in Scott Free’s adventures four decades back) as part of a charity event sponsored by a casino magnate who’s an obvious stand-in for — shit, do I even need to say it? Suffice to say, we all want to see this asshole forced to fork over the cash to Shilo’s charity of choice, but the Racer appears to have other plans —

If, like me, you prefer your Kirby homages to be of the big, bold, and brash variety, then Hudlin and pencillers Denys Cowan and Ryan Benjamin, along with inkers Bill Sienkiewicz and Richard Friend, certainly deliver the goods — this is fast-paced, and decidedly high-stakes, storytelling that gives a number of terrific comics veterans who we don’t see nearly enough of anymore the chance to really flex their creative chops on some of Jack’s out-and-out coolest characters and concepts as Shilo, desperate to stay alive, finds himself not only making a quick pit stop into the world of Kamandi, but getting into an underwater tussle with none other than OMAC himself! In short, strap yourself in tight because this is one wild ride.

For all its breakneck action, though, there is also plenty of humanity at the heart of these proceedings — we get a deeper look at the Racer’s civilian alter-ego, Willie Walker, than we have at any point since his first appearance way back in New Gods #3, Shilo is both as likable and, frankly, immature (not to mention a tad bit sexist) as ever, and a genuine air of mystery and the unknown is imbued back into “The Source” in a manner that would no doubt make Kirby himself smile with appreciation. Yes, this is as much a re-hash as any and all of the other “King 100” specials, and there’s certainly nothing revolutionary about its sabotage/betrayal central plot conceit, but damn, it hits all the right notes and frankly hits them so well that I think it will have appeal to more than just the “hopeless nostalgia” crowd.

Needless to say, that’s not entirely due to the story alone although, as discussed, that’s certainly quite good — the simple fact, however, is that for a book that’s got an “art by committee” approach, this thing looks pretty damn seamless (thanks in large part to Jeromy Cox‘s vibrant and attention-grabbing colors throughout), and the Cowan/Sienkiewicz team, in particular (always a winning combination “back in the day”), appears not to have lost a step at all. This is fluid, graceful, and expressionistic stuff, rendered with obvious love for both the creations they’re playing with and, crucially, their creator. Heck, it’s borderline majestic in many instances — particular Willie Walker’s Vietnam flashbacks — and consistently dynamic and bracing from start to finish. Prepare to be thoroughly impressed indeed.

Finish it all off with three Kirby “Young Gods Of Supertown” back-up strips from New Gods #s 4, 5, and 6, respectively, and you have a comprehensively fun and entertaining spectacle with plenty of soul to both balance out and underpin all the gloriously far-out cosmic otherworldliness. I’ll be the first to admit that these DC Kirby tribute books have been a decidedly mixed bag on the whole, but The Black Racer And Shilo Norman Special #1 is definitely the best of the bunch and well worth its, fair enough, pretty steep $4.99 asking price. As The King himself used to say : “Don’t ask — just buy it!”

Story : Reginald Hudlin  Art : Denys Cowan, Ryan Benjamin, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Richard Friend

Story : 7.5  Art : 8.5  Overall : 8  Recommendation : Buy

Review: Josie and The Pussycats #9

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Cameron DeOrdio and Marguerite Bennett weave one hell of an action packed punch in Josie and the Pussycats #9. There’s giant robots, kidnapping, catnapping, motorcycle chases and more which could be overwhelming and convoluted but, somehow Deordio and Bennett manage to cram an actual storyline in there making this a fun and exciting read.

The characters stay true to form. The Pussycats face off through the streets against their very own version of The Misfits from Jem) and while band rivalry is an old trope, the writers keep it fresh. The characters aren’t cookie cutter or boring, the storyline makes sense and is fun to follow.

Kelsey Shannon adds a bit of new school magic to the old style drawing making the art familiar and fun. The colors are muted and the lines are simple like the old Archie comics I read as a child but, there features are updated and things look somewhat realistic. While the body types stay similar I give Shannon credit for not sexualizing the characters to a point where their bodies are the primary focus for the panels.

Between Shannon’s great art work, that allows the panels to be characters and propel the story forward all by themselves and DeOrdio and Bennett’s smart, realistic and fun writing this issue is a quick read and a refreshing action packed, page turner. The story ends on a sweet note with a hint of more to come and I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for them.

Story: Marguerite Bennett and Cameron DeOrdio
Art: Kelsey Shannon Colors: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.3 Recommendation: Buy

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Movie Review: The Trip to Spain

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The Trip To Spain PosterThe end of summer always brings a sort of ennui.

Unless you’ve pulled a total Phineas and Ferb, managing to suck the marrow out of every single day, you’re faced with the regret of things left undone as the days get shorter and shorter into Fall.

The Trip to Spain is the perfect movie for this perfect time of year, as we join Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden for their third semi-autobiographical romp through food and the countryside. And yes, you get your first Michael Caine impression less than fifteen minutes into the runtime.

For fans of the first two films, this is very much the same, with even a wink at the audience at the beginning that sequels, and especially trilogies, never hold up to their original.

And yet, this brings a fresh and original message as our stars play Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, gallivanting through the countryside trying to pretend they’re not getting older– and how being 50 is a strange concept. While the second trip film largely dealt with Bryden, this third one spends more focus on Coogan, especially his (unspoken) fears that he may have peaked– and also that he is not recognized for his work.

It’s this honesty and rawness that makes this film more than just a string of silly impressions and riffing — although the new territory of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Marlon Brando impressions are especially fun.

And then there’s the food. Once again, this takes on a special air of high class food porn. Although, some of it is reduced to the most ridiculous levels, as Coogan proclaims his butter is “life-affirming.” You can’t help that these amazing meals are being consumed by the most idiotic, egotistical middle-aged man-children ever to walk the earth. And that’s ultimately why these films work.

However, this chapter ends very strangely and ambiguously. Indeed, it’s almost a cliffhanger. Without an obligatory sequel, it seems strange that this is where they’d end it.

Other than that, the trip is good, even if the final destination isn’t. And perhaps that’s the point of the film, is that reaching a milestone of middle age like 50 is ambiguous and strange. But there’s certainly no better way to do it than surrounded by good friends, good food, and ridiculous impressions.

¡Buen provecho!

3 out of 5 stars

 

Review: Kim and Kim Love is a Battlefield #2

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“Feel your feelings fool!”-The Regrettes

Mags Visaggio, Eva Cabrera, and Claudia Aguirre continue to showcase one of the best friendships period in Kim and Kim Love is a Battlefield #2  with some real talk, ass kicking, and humorous Terry Pratchett with touch of matriarchal worldbuilding as Kim Q and Kim D run after Kim D’s ex Laz, who has a vial of blood from their last bounty that is worth a hell of a lot of money. Cabrera and Aguirre can sure choreograph a fight scene against faceless mooks featuring sick bass guitar moves, but it’s the conversations after and before the battles that really hit home. This is because Kim and Kim: Love is a Battlefield #2 is about a strained relationship between two friends because one friend keeps trying to make up with an ex, who continually tries to hurt her. And they happen to be interplanetary bounty hunters, who go to literal Hell sometimes.

Visaggio keeps Kim and Kim Love is a Battlefield fresh by switching the character dynamic and making Kim Q basically even though she totally hooked up with former enemy and definite fuzzy dude Saar last issue. Exhibit A through Z is the final fight scene of the issue where Kim Q is painfully taking out a horde of Laz’s goons while Kim D chases after her ex. Through Cabrera’s facial expressions, it’s pretty obvious that Kim D is grasping at one last reunion with Laz, which Kim Q totally calls her out on while getting sewn up back in the van. Never underestimate the power of physical attraction and deep sexy chemistry to trump reason and morality.

Kim Q and Kim D’s “descent into the underworld” is yet another nice riff off classical storytelling tropes from Mags Visaggio because Hell isn’t ruled by an emo rocker and his ugly friends or a blue flamed hair guy, who keeps women against their will, but a wise and badass grandmother figure, who happens to be Kim D’s ancestor. Claudia Aguirre uses some sick yellows and purples to show the transfer in dimensions while Eva Cabrera adds some shiny glitter to the background to show different it is from the waking world. Also, both Kim’s are incredibly truthful in Hell with Kim D waxing incredibly poetic about a giraffe necklace that she got from Laz for her “monthiversary” that turns out to be a fake. On the other hand, a bright eyed Kim Q pours out her heart about how Kim D is “stuck” with her, and those eyes return when Kim Q continues to tell Kim D how much she cares throughout the issue. As always, Visaggio tempers the emotional moments with clever humor like having Kim Q remark about how the patriarchy is destroying romance novels.

Even though their physical fights are against death-shades and masked goons, the real battle in Kim and Kim: Love is a Battlefield #2 is between emotional honesty and deflection. Early on in the issue, Kim Q says that she’s there for Kim D to pour out her feelings after the messiness of the previous installment. However, Kim D keeps ducking the question and won’t even clear up why her necromancy had some unnecessary side effects although the caption boxes reveal that Laz was on her mind too much while she was in Hell. Usually, Kim D’s trademark wink followed by a question about Kim Q’s sexy times is adorable or funny, but it’s a little annoying when she has some real things to work through. And this annoyance erupts like a volcano when the usually bound-at-the-hip Kim Q and Kim D take a little break from each other. It’s not a melodramatic “Cyclops leaves the X-Men and becomes a shirtless fishing boat crew member” break, but there’s definitely a little more space between them than usual.

Kim and Kim: Love is a Battlefield #2 combines soul searing friend chats about relationships past and present with ass kicking, interdimensional travel, and a fierce fashion aeshetic. Mags Visaggio, Eva Cabrera, and Claudia Aguirre continue to do fantastic work crafting one of the most complicated, funny, and plain awesome female friendships in comics.

Story: Mags Visaggio Art: Eva Cabrera Colors: Claudia Aguirre
Story: 8.5 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Black Mask Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Weekly Graphic Novel Review: Clueless

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It’s Wednesday which means it’s new comic book day with new releases hitting shelves, both physical and digital, all across the world. This week we’ve got Clueless!

Clueless: Senior Year is by Amber Benson, Sarah Kuhn, Siobhan Keenan, Shan Murphy.

The graphic novel is in comic and book stores now.

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.

Clueless: Senior Year
Amazon/Kindle/comiXology or TFW

 

 

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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Weekly Graphic Novel Review: Return of the Dapper Men

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It’s Wednesday which means it’s new comic book day with new releases hitting shelves, both physical and digital, all across the world. This week it’s a new edition of Return of the Dapper Men!

Return of the Dapper Men is by Jim McCann and Janet K. Lee and this edition has tons of new extras.

The graphic novel is out now in comic and book stores.

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.

Return of the Dapper Men
Amazon/Kindle/comiXology

 

 

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: Star Wars #35

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Star Wars #35 is the second of two issues featuring tales of the Star Wars underworld! Han and Chewie are sent on a musion to smuggle…for a Hutt?!

While I’ve always enjoyed bigger stories that tie into the greater Star Wars narrative, there’s something about self-contained ones that you can just sit back and enjoy without having to know a whole lot or be stuck into reading multiple issues. One-shots feel rare in today’s comic world and Star Wars #35 (as well as the previous issue) pull off exactly that in a way that’s satisfying for everyone.

Writer Jason Aaron does an amazing job of giving us two issues that we can enjoy on their own but at the same time have so much packed in that Star Wars fans will be satisfied with the small winks and nods. Here a certain Hutt (not Jabba) comes into play and it’s one that has dropped in and out of Marvel’s new Star Wars comics.

What Aaron does well is also give us twists and turns to the point we never really know what’s up Han’s sleeve until things are revealed. When the final things are in play and the “twist” is shown the story is even more enjoyably than its expected swagger and quips. The ending delivers and delivers in a great way.

That’s helped by the art of Salvador Larroca who nails it with the Star Wars world and gives Han his signature smirks throughout the issue. It’s not just what’s being said and the action but also the small details of the corner of his mouth or how his head is cocked. Larroca captures everything that made Harrison Ford’s performance great.

By the time I got to the end of the issue it’s clear we need more one-shots in comics that anyone can pick up and enjoy and anyone doesn’t need years of backstory to get the full story. This does that and includes so much for those who have stuck with it all. Aaron pulls off the impressive with that and shows why he’s one of the best writers in comics.

Story: Jason Aaron Art: Salvador Larroca Cover Art: Mike Mayhew
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Savage Dragon #226

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When a tyrannical madman assumes command of the United States, aliens are deemed a threat to national security and targeted for elimination-and that includes Malcolm Dragon and his family! With a country turned against him, Malcolm Dragon fights as he’s never fought before!

It’s been a really long time since I’ve read an issue of Savage Dragon (like 150+ probably) but with the idea of President Trump being the bad guy and Savage Dragon heading to Canada, the concept had me intrigued enough to check out Savage Dragon #226.

The issue picks up with whatever big event just happened that involved an alien invasion and character’s death but as a “new” reader I didn’t need to know much of that. It just meant about a quarter of the issue was a bit foreign to me and little impact. What I did enjoy was writer Erik Larsen’s take on the current political climate. Xenophobia, racism, hatred, feel like they’re at all time highs with brazen attacks and statements being thrown about, made possible by our current Cheeto-in-Chief, Trump.

Larsen captures that in what feels like it should be parody but in reality is not. He doesn’t hold back using language that will make any decent reader cringe but being done so in a way that these hatemongers are clearly the bad guys and not held up on a pedestal at all.

It’s interesting to see Larsen’s take on the current state of things and in this issue he begins his social commentary on where we are as a nation and society and it’s not pretty. Larsen doesn’t pull punches and lays it out there with clear bad guys when it comes to this and in doing so creates clear sympathy with Malcolm and his friends.

And it’d be a good issue if it just focused on Savage Dragon, but instead things are elevated in just a few panels where Larsen shows the impact on this policy to an “average” alien who is fired because he’s in an “at will state” adding in a reality so many overlook or unaware of. That’s the gut punch of the story.

Will Dragon eventually go to Canada? Will he and his friends become an enemy of the United States? How long will this last? I haven’t been reading in quite some time but in this simple, focused issue, Larsen has me interested in coming to see where he takes this all and how this magical world full of superheroes deals with real world bigotry.

Story: Erik Larsen Art: Erik Larsen
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Transformers: Optimus #10

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When Optimus Prime of Alpha Trion, the ancient sage reveals a tale of Cybertron’s earliest days, when the original Thirteen Primes united the world. Optimus Prime meets with Alpha Trion, the ancient sage, who reveals a tale of Cybertron’s earliest days, when the original Thirteen Primes united the world.

After last month’s near perfect issue that featured the death of a character in a beyond touching story, this month takes a very different route. In a tale told by Alpha Trion we’re told the story of the uniting of the Cybertronian tribes and the beginning of the Autobot sigil.

Transformers: Optimus Prime #10 we get an allegory heard by Pyra Magma, Optimus, and Starscream as Earth meets to elect its leader who will represent it before the Council of Worlds. It’s a prequel story to the currently ongoing First Strike event but the majority of the content stands on its own.

Written by John Barber we get an allegory, something IDW Publishing‘s Transformers comics excel in and even after reading this story I debate the lesson within. Part of me says to not believe false gods and religion as an opiate of the masses, part of me thinks “fake news,” part of me is that this is a story to shed light on the nature of Arcee and Galvatron, and part of me thinks this is a text to read again and again and really think about. Barber again shows Transformers has morphed into something that’s more than giant robots beating each other up.

The art by Livio Ramondelli and Kei Zama is stunning helped by the colors of Ramondelli and Josh Brucham. At times Ramondelli’s art and colors is dark and hard to make out but here it’s just nailed in every sense with each character standing out in their own way and everyone being unique with tons of personality. The mix of a primitive world with cybernetic beings too is fascinating and visually unique in so many ways.

Transformers: Optimus Prime #10 continues to show that IDW’s Transformers comics are so much more than people give them credit for and deliver commentary and lessons regularly like the best sci-fi does. A layered story and issue that’ll leave you pondering its meaning for some time to come.

Story: John Barber Art: Livio Ramondelli and Kei Zama
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.55 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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