The weekend is almost here! What geeky things are you all doing? Sound off in the comments! While you wait for the weekday to end and the weekend to begin, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.
DCist – Federal Board Says Georgetown Transformers Sculptures Must Be Removed – Well, that’s bullshit.
Reviews
CBR – Disney Villains: Scar #1
CBR – Immoral X-Men #3
The Beat – Kitaro, Japan’s Classic Manga
CBR – Star Wars #33
I’ll admit it, I’m not sure if I’ve ever watched The Lion King. I feel like I’ve seen the musical, but the film, can’t really remember. So, going into Disney Villains: Scar #1, I’m pretty blank as far as what to expect. I know the basics, Scar thinks he should be king and has an issue Simba possibly taking the throne “away” from him.
Disney Villains: Scar #1 takes place during the film, a story that’s parallel to it, revealing unknown moments in Scar’s journey. The first issue shows Scar at a low point, beaten, broken, a plan begins to formulate which sends him on a journey to claim the throne.
Writer Chuck Brown does a fantastic job of creating a story that can be enjoyed on its own or as part of a bigger story. Scar, grumbling and angry, is a character that’s easy to understand and his journey can be enjoyed even not knowing the main story of The Lion King. While I don’t know them, Scar’s journey has him coming across and meeting various characters who I’m sure are more familiar to those who know the movie. But, prior knowledge isn’t needed at all.
The art by Trevor Fraley is solid. The characters look good and there’s a dark cloud that hangs over the issue without it feeling gloomy. That’s helped by the color by Chiara Di Francia and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry which each adds to the overall vibe of the debut. At moments, the visuals actually make you feel a bit sorry for Scar. But, you’re quickly reminded he’s the villain of the story… as far as we know.
Disney Villains: Scar #1 is a solid start. It does a fantastic job of forging its own path of a story while also weaving that through an established and loved story that has existed for decades. It’s additive in that way presenting a main character we know we’re supposed to hiss at but the comic delivers just enough to feel some sympathy too.
Story: Chuck Brown Art: Trevor Fraley
Color: Chiara Di Francia Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.2 Recommendation: Buy
Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle
Disney Villains: Scar #1
Writer: Chuck Brown
Artist: Trevor Fraley
Covers: Jahnoy Lindsay (A), Karen Darboe (B), Erica Henderson (C), Junggeun Yoon (D), Gene Ha (E), Blank Authentix (F)
FC | 32 pages | Adventure | $3.99 | Teen
A startling new vision starring Disney’s greatest villain, set within the world of The Lion King! Eisner and Ringo Award-winning author Chuck Brown (Bitter Root) and stunning artist Trevor Fraley tell a tale of fire and fury, centered on an enraged Scar, unable to accept that he will never be king — not so long as long as Mufasa and his new son inhabit Pride Rock. A plan is starting to formulate within Scar’s corrupt mind, which will bring him face-to-face with the mysterious shaman, Rafiki…
This series debuts with a special, 27-page story at the regular cover price of just $3.99!
Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in
Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.
Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 (DC Comics) – The first issue was a bit slow but we want to see Jon deal with some of the worst versions of Superman out there.
Disney Villains: Scar #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – The Lion King villain gets the spotlight. So far, Dynamite’s “Disney comics” have been pretty solid.
Hairball #1 (Dark Horse Comics/Flux House) – Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins do horror. Yeah, this is on the list easily.
Junk Rabbit #1 (Image Comics) – A new hero rises from mountains of consumer waste, mass homelessness, and devastating climate change. A hero rises from climate disaster. We’re intrigued.
Magic #25 (BOOM! Studios) – The series wraps up here and we’re not sure how it pulls it all off in an issue.
The Nasty #1 (Vault Comics) – A story about the perception of evil, the power of genre, the love of fandom, the need to create art, oh, and crap-your-pants TERROR! A new horror comic? There’s been a solid run of new releases so far.
Planet of the Apes #1 (Marvel) – We’re excited to see what this new era of this classic franchise brings.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dog of War #1 (IDW Publishing) – A “lost episode where Quark purchases an extremely rare purebred corgi from Earth.
Samurai Doggy #5 (AfterShock) – The art has been amazing with every issue in this western meets sci-fi.
Second Coming: Trinity #1 (AHOY Comics) – Jesus Christ, the Son of God, tackles his biggest challenge in 2000 years: babysitting a child with super powers! That bit alone has us hooked.
Where Monsters Lie #3 (Dark Horse) – The series about what happens in a community where serial killers spend their time off has been amazing so far.
Disney Villains: Scar #1
Writer: Chuck Brown
Artist: Trevor Fraley
Covers: Jahnoy Lindsay (A), Karen Darboe (B), Erica Henderson (C), Junggeun Yoon (D), Gene Ha (E), Blank Authentix (F)
FC | 32 pages | Adventure | $3.99 | Teen
A startling new vision starring Disney’s greatest villain, set within the world of The Lion King! Eisner and Ringo Award-winning author Chuck Brown (Bitter Root) and stunning artist Trevor Fraley tell a tale of fire and fury, centered on an enraged Scar, unable to accept that he will never be king — not so long as long as Mufasa and his new son inhabit Pride Rock. A plan is starting to formulate within Scar’s corrupt mind, which will bring him face-to-face with the mysterious shaman, Rafiki…
This series debuts with a special, 27-page story at the regular cover price of just $3.99!
The Pride Lands are home to many, but few are as fearsome as the one and only Scar! Brother of Mufasa and uncle of the young Simba, Dynamite presents an untold chapter from the iconic character’s legacy alongside writer Chuck Brown, artist Trevor Fraley, and more.
This captivating new story is set within the world of The Lion King between scenes from the iconic original film. With Simba’s iconic birth, it has fully set in that Scar is never meant to be king while his brother and nephew inhabit Pride Rock. Unable to accept that fate, the imposing, corrupt lion begins to formulate devious plans. This journey will bring him face-to-face with the mysterious and fan-favorite shaman Rafiki. What more could be revealed in this first-ever spotlight on the character?
Fans can learn more about this chapter in the tapestry by picking up Disney Villains: Scar #1 this April and preordering it with their Local Comic Shop starting in late January and February. The series debuts with a special extra-sized 27-page story, but sticking at the regular cover price of just $3.99! Due to scheduling, Dynamite can also note that a collected edition of this series will not be available before at least summer 2025.
Fans keeping track of all the colorful characters in the Lion King mythos will be excited to see some interact together that never do in the film. Which characters from Mufasa’s inner circle may have actually thought Scar could be a better heir? Brown and Fraley will also be introducing the new characters of the Wake, a pack of winged foes whose scheming and cunning is second only to Scar. Dynamite invites fans to discover a whole new side of the Pride Lands.
In addition to the thrilling original story and Fraley’s fitting artwork, Dynamite presents a set of gorgeous variant covers for fans and collectors on the title. Jahnoy Lindsay leads the pack with a pitch perfect take on the protagonist. Other covers are contributed by Karen Darboe, Erica Henderson, Junggeun Yoon, Gene Ha, and David Nakayama, with more to be revealed!
