Tag Archives: guiu vilanova

Preview: What If? Aliens #4

Posted on by

What If? Aliens #4

(W) Hans Rodionoff (A) Guiu Villanova (CA) Phil Noto
Rated T+
In Shops: Jun 05, 2024
SRP: $3.99

WHAT IF…CARTER BURKE HAD LIVED?
Or more importantly, what if Carter Burke was about to die a different, even more horrible death?! Xenomorphs are loose on the mining asteroid where Burke’s made his small sad life and even-more-insignificant career. Panic is about to break out, slaughter to follow – and once again, it’s all Burke’s fault. Is this justice at last for the consummate company man? Or is there more to Burke’s character hidden beneath the mountain of mistakes?

What If? Aliens #4

Preview: Cosmic Ghost Rider #5

Posted on by

Cosmic Ghost Rider #5

(W) Stephanie Phillips (A) Guiu Vilanova (CA) Valerio Giangiordano
Rated T+
In Shops: Jul 26, 2023
SRP: $3.99

Cosmic Ghost Rider has been tested like never before as he’s battled his own twisted alter ego across the galaxy. But now, trapped on an isolated moon, he must face off against an entire horde of Cosmic Ghost Riders! Who will be left alive when the moondust settles?! And one character will undergo a shocking transformation as a new force explodes into the Marvel Universe!

Cosmic Ghost Rider #5

Review: A.X.E.: Judgement Day Omega #1

Posted on by

A.X.E.: Judgement Day Omega #1

With the main story wrapped up, A.X.E.: Judgement Day was one of the best events Marvel has had in some time. The Eternals battled the X-Men with the Avengers in the middle. But, the story pivoted when the three groups had to then face a mad god bent on judging the world. A.X.E.: Judgement Day Omega #1 wraps things up setting up the status quo for the Eternals as they deal with the fallout of events.

Written by Kieron Gillen, A.X.E.: Judgement Day Omega #1 focuses on the Eternals as they pick up the pieces of the event and chart a new path. Split into factions, there’s new rules for each to follow as their secret has been revealed to the world and these former heroes are seen as villains. They also have a new outlook on things as the Machine and a new god are there to deal with.

Gillen charts a path that feels more like a prequel for whatever Eternals comic book series is to come as opposed to a follow up end chapter of the current event. Unless you really care about the Eternals, the comic is generally forgettable. Which is interesting. This is an event whose tie-ins have felt like they’ve filled gaps and expanded the story. This one though feels like the bad habit of the past of an event tie-in that doesn’t really need to exist. Everything said within in could, and likely will, be repeated in an Eternals series. There’s little that really stands out beyond a scene with Ikaris.

Not helping is the art by Guiu Vilanova. Vilanova is joined by colorist Andres Mossa and lettering by Travis Lanham. The art of the issue isn’t bad in any way. But, it also doesn’t excite either. There’s something rather melancholy about it all include the art. The body language of the Eternals screaks defeated reminding me of the many I’ve dealt with over the years after an election defeat. There’s a sluggishness about it all and the issue nails that well.

A.X.E.: Judgement Day Omega #1 doesn’t excite. It’s what I’ve run into with the Eternals over and over. There’s something rather dour about them. What I’ve read has been good but there’s only so long you can read a bunch of depressing people before having to move on. This issue captures that aspect and hopefully it gets jettisoned before we see more of the Eternals.

Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Guiu Vilanova
Color: Andres Mossa Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 7.25 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Review: A.X.E.: Death to Mutants #2

Posted on by
A.X.E.: Death to Mutants #2

A.X.E.: Judgement Day has been an interesting event so far. It’s pivoted in some ways from its opening battle to become a far more interesting event story. Debates about roles, actions, judgment, and gods, have created a story that’s as much philosophy as it is action. It’s also a story that overflows. Often we get events with miniseries and one-shot tie ins that feel more like cash-ins than really enhancing the story. Here, we get something a bit different, as each tie-in so far feels more like an addendum, adding to the overall story. As if writer Kieron Gillen can’t fit everything into the main series and needs more notes to really flesh things out. A.X.E.: Death to Mutants #2 is an example of that delivering a mix of new and events we’ve seen before.

A.X.E.: Death to Mutants #2 continues the trend showing us the battle on Krakoa and the Deviants joining forces with the mutant nation. We’ve seen that asking for an alliance elsewhere, but here we get greater detail as to the motivation, adding depth and sympathy to Kro and his decisions. We also get to see how this decision impacts Kor’s judgement as well as the entire Deviant nation.

But beyond that, we see the struggle of so many to deal with the current situation. The Eternals themselves are torn in multiple ways as to what to do. They’re confronted by a new god who is here to judge them and some want to reason while others see the Eternals as a force that’s long past its use. There’s also the introduction of a new player on the board, one who should shake things up. It’s an event we’ve seen elsewhere but here we get more details about it all.

Guiu Vilanova‘s art is good. I’m not the biggest fan of the style overall but it looks generally good. With color by Alex Guimarães and lettering by Travis Lanham the team balances big battles with more subdued moments. There’s also a lot packed in with a lot of settings, dozens of characters, and just such varied situations. But, it all flows together nicely and even as different “segments,” it all works and works well.

A.X.E.: Death to Mutants #2 feels like the expanded version of A.X.E.: Judgement Day. It fleshes out characters and events giving us more depth as to what’s going on. It enhances the story, not working on its own but instead building on what’s elsewhere creating a greater tableau.

Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Guiu Vilanova
Color: Alex Guimarães Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.1 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle

Review: A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1

Posted on by
A.X.E.: Death to Mutants #1

A.X.E.: Judgement Day has been an intriguing event so far. There’s a lot to do with religious extremism as the Eternals’ new leadership has declared mutants to be deviation. With an initial devastating strike the Eternals have declared war and the mutant nation is on the defensive. Caught in the middle are the Avengers who are attempting to bring peace. For the most part, we’ve seen events from the perspective of the Eternals who are front and center with a small group against the current actions. A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1 also focuses on the Eternals, but the “rebels” who are standing up against Druig and their role in current events.

Event mastermind Kieron Gillen writes this story filling in some of the gaps of the events that have taken place and showing us what the rebel Eternals are up to. This is the group that has a plan to create a new god and as we find out, have helped the mutants in other ways. There’s some small details that are nice here and makes the comic feel more like a companion read than something that stands on its own. Without reading the main series, this miniseries wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense overall.

The art by Guiu Vilanova is just ok for me. With color by Dijjo Lima and lettering by Travis Lanham, the characters look a like off at times and there’s a smoothness of the main series that’s missing here. The art at time looks a bit rough like there’s a final step missing. Characters have either a lot of detail or very little but also there’s an inconsistency in the looks, shapes, details of their faces. Inconsistent and incomplete is the general sense. The comic has its visual moments but overall falls very short.

A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1 is ok. It adds in details from the main event but that’s the entire draw of the issue. It feels like it should have been a part of the main series but the flow wouldn’t work combining everything. As is, you’re left with a comic that acts more like an addendum than a story on its own. It doesn’t work without all of the other issues released while those are fine without this. It’s a comic that feels like it’s the “director’s cut” that adds some context but overall it’ll be mixed as to whether it really enhances the experience.

Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Guiu Vilanova
Color: Dijjo Lima Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 7.35 Art: 6.85 Overall: 7.2 Recommendation Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

SDCC 2022: Marvel dives into Judgement Day as A.X.E.: Judgement Day Omega is announced as well as Blade: Vampire Nation!

Posted on by

Announced at the Marvel Comics: Judgment Day Panel at San Diego Comic-Con, A.X.E.: Judgement Day will receive a special one-shot that showcases just how this monumental saga will impact the Avengers, X-Men, Eternals, and the rest of the Marvel Universe! Hitting stands in November, A.X.E.: Judgement Day Omega will be naturally written by event architect Kieron Gillen and his collaborator on the upcoming A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants limited series, artist Guiu Vilanova.

Last week’s A.X.E.: Judgement Day #1 showed fans just how high the stakes were as they paid witness to the destruction of the mutant planet Arakko, the vicious invasion of Krakoa, and Iron Man, Ajak, Makkari, and Mister Sinister joining forces to build a brand-new Celestial. Strap in as this thrilling and emotionally charged Marvel Comics epic escalates tremendously in the coming weeks and be there when for the dawn of a new Eternals era in A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY OMEGA #1. After events, there are promises. “Nothing will ever be the same again.” For the Eternals, it’s a lie. It’s always the same and always will be. However, in the wake of Judgment Day, they discover what is truly Eternal…

Check out all of the comics announced below as well as art from what’s to come in A.X.E.: Judgement Day!

A.X.E.: Judgment Day Omega #1

Written by KIERON GILLEN  
Art by GUIU VILANOVA  
Cover by PASQUAL FERRY
THE FALLOUT OF JUDGMENT DAY IS FELT! 
After events, we make promises. “Nothing will ever be the same again.” For the Eternals, it’s a lie. It’s always the same and always will be. However, in the wake of Judgment Day, they discover what is truly Eternal… 

On Sale 11/2

A.X.E.: Judgment Day Omega #1

Interior Artwork from A.X.E.: Judgment Day #2

Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia

On Sale 8/10

All-Out Avengers #3 Cover

Written by Derek Landy
Art by Greg Land
Cover by Greg Land

On Sale 11/23

All-Out Avengers #3

Interior Artwork from A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1

Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Guiu Villanova

On Sale 8/17

Blade: Vampire Nation #1

Written by Mark Russell
Art by Mico Suayan
Cover by Valerio Giangiordano

A deep dive into Dracula’s new kingdom as established in AVENGERS. Starring BLADE, the sheriff of Vampire Nation! An assassination threatens to unravel the fledgling country and spread chaos throughout the world. But is getting rid of a nation full of bloodsuckers really all that bad of an idea? Blade himself isn’t too sure…

One-shot/On Sale 11/16

Blade: Vampire Nation #1

Interior Artwork from Avengers #60, an A.X.E.: Judgment Day Tie-In

Written by Mark Russell
Art by Greg Land

On Sale 8/22

Interior Artwork from Fantastic Four #47, an A.X.E.: Judgment Day Tie-In*

Written by David Pepose
Art by Juann Cabal

On Sale 9/21

Interior Artwork form Immortal X-Men #5, an A.X.E.: Judgment Day Tie-In *

Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Michele Bandini
On Sale 8/3

Immortal X-Men #5

The Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals Struggle to find Peace as Judgement Day Looms

Posted on by

In the land of the righteous, the wicked will be put to death!”

This summer, the Marvel Universe will be judged by a power greater than anything they’ve encountered before in A.X.E.: Judgement Day, the latest Marvel Comics crossover event. Written by mastermind creator Kieron Gillen and drawn by the epically talent Valerio Schiti, A.X.E.: Judgement Day will find the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals embroiled in a deadly conflict. Kicking off after the Eternals boldly attack mutantkind’s new home on Krakoa, this complex saga will pay off various plot threads that have defined these franchises in recent years including mutantkind’s newfound immortality, the Eternals’ discovery of long-hidden truths about their species, and the Avengers intense dealings with the Celestials. The event will have a massive impact on the characters involved and their stories moving forward and fans can get their first hint of the full scope of A.X.E.: Judgement Day right now by learning more about the event’s issues and tie-ins set to debut in July.

July will see the release of both A.X.E.: Judgement Day #1 and A.X.E.: Judgement Day #2 and Gillen and Schiti’s emotional opening issues promise to define the summer. Both issues feature covers by Mark Brooks! The X-Men claim they’re the planets’ new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. The Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have kept from them. Years of tension lead to a volcanic eruption as two worlds burn. Who has leaked the X-Men’s secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world? As the world shakes, an unlikely group of heroes and less-than-heroes gather to find a peaceful solution. Sadly, the best laid plans of man, mutant and Eternal oft go awry…

Gillen will also team up with artist Guiu Vilanova to explore the root of the Eternals’ fury against mutantkind and the schism it’s causing in their society in a three-issue limited series beginning in July titled A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants. Esad Ribíc provides the cover to the debut issue. The mutants are Deviants. Eternals are coded to correct excess deviation. The mutants are eternal, Mars colonizers, ever-spreading. Eternals know what they should do. Our heroes don’t want to, but can they resist the murderous designs coded into their body as surely as any Sentinel? And if they can’t, can anyone survive the coming judgment?

In addition, A.X.E.: Judgement Day will spin off into the following titles throughout July:

  • Immortal X-Men #5 will see Gillen and artist Michele Bandini spotlighting one of mutantkind’s most fervent warriors—EXODUS. Bennet du Paris was born in the 12th century. Exodus marched forth with a sword in his hand and a shield in his heart to protect what he believes. It’s now the 21st century. What’s changed? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And the Eternals who dared attack Krakoa are going to discover what that means. With a cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli.
  • Deadpool joins and Kraven’s mutant hunt begins in Benjamin Percy and Robert Gill’s X-Force #30. X-Force has taken some lumps, but a new era begins as old-school X-Forcer Wade Wilson makes his grand return! Well, grand for him, necessary for the team, as X-Force needs all the help it can get in the fallout from the Hellfire Gala and the revelations of A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY! Find out why Kraven the Hunter is involved in the start of a landmark storyline titled “The Hunt for X.” Joshua Cassara provides the main cover with a variant by Carlos Magno.
  • Who are the true inheritors of the Earth? The X-Men and Eternals fight over the answer to that question in X-Men #13 by Gerry Duggan and C.F. Villa. The mutants are the next stage of evolution. Evolution depends on a mutation of genes – the genes of the offspring deviating from their progenitors. Some would call the X-gene EXCESS deviation. Those people are gonna need to be taken down a few pegs. With a cover by Martin Coccolo.
  • And Arakko sees war yet again in X-Men Red #5 by Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli. No one who is not an Omega-level mutant has ever taken one of the nine seats of the Great Ring. Together, they are the greatest power Arakko has ever known – and it’s nine against one. So, if the nine are losing…what does that say about the one? Judgment Day has come to the Red Planet – and it’s Arakko’s greatest test since X OF SWORDS! Featuring a cover by Russell Dauterman!

Review: Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – IG-88 #1

Posted on by
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters - IG-88

As a fan of Star Wars, as far back as I can remember, I’ve been continuously amazed by how many different stories exist with the world. As an early purveyor of the series, I can remember a time when the only stories that existed outside of Episodes IV-VI, were the comics that Dark Horse produced and the book from the Lucasfilm Story Group. The comics that Dark Horse produced, were some of the best that have been seen. The books that LSG pushed were instant classics.

It was not until George Lucas decided to do Parts I-III, which we got a full circle moment and got to see that world back on the big screen. Truthfully, that universe did not get its full realization until Lucas would sell the intellectual property of Star Wars to Disney. We are now getting to enjoy a fully realized world with different storylines featuring old and new characters. One of those characters, just so happens to be one that we haven’t seen since Empire Strikes. We get to see him on a dangerous assignment in the one-shot, Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – IG-88.

We find IG-88, as the reader relives his death at the hands of Darth Vader, as he lays in shambles, a mysterious stranger, known as RB-919, searches for him, to revive him for a new job. As we find out that he was hired by Deva Lompop, a fellow bounty hunter, who had her own motive, to hunt Boba Fett, all because he sold Han Solo to another buyer, hence starting the War Of The Bounty Hunters. As soon as RB 919 reassembles IG-88, he would go no to kill him and the security droids on his vessel, as he soon finds out from Deva, that he is in the employ of the Crimson Dawn. With the memory of Vader killing him, still haunts him, IG-88 struggles to keep his focus, knowing Boba , is a formidable target, and in a tough terrain, as he is presently on Tatooine.  IG-88, finds a window of time, to get on Boba’s ship and retrieve Han, but before he could leave, Boba intercedes. By the issue’s end, the two get into a gunfight, which Boba immobilizes IG-88, leaving him frozen and helpless.

Overall, Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – IG-88 is an exciting story which reintroduces this character, which most would not pay attention to. The story by Barnes is fun. The art by the creative team is gorgeous. Altogether, this story is exactly why now is the best time to be a Star Wars fan.

Story: Rodney Barnes Art: Guiu Vilanova
Color: Antonio Fabela Letterer: Ariana Maher
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – TFAW

Preview: Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters IG-88 #1

Posted on by

Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters IG-88 #1

(W) Woo Chul Lee (A) Guiu Vilanova (CA) Mahmud A. Asrar
RATED T
In Shops: Oct 27, 2021
SRP: $4.99

NO ONE CAN DEFEAT IG-88! WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS TIE-IN!
IG-88 is an advanced assassin droid designed for death, destruction, and mayhem. Its weapons systems are unparalleled, its design flawless. Yet the galaxy’s most sinister droid bounty hunter can still fail. What motivates IG-88’s resurrection time and time again? Is it programming or something… more? And can IG-88 find a strategy to overcome its old foe, Boba Fett?! Rodney Barnes’ and Guiu Vilanova’s one-shot is the fourth of four action-packed
“War of the Bounty Hunters” tie-ins about the criminal underworld’s most notorious hunters and scoundrels, all told by the best STAR WARS writers and illustrators in the galaxy.

Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters IG-88 #1

Preview: S.W.O.R.D. #8

Posted on by

S.W.O.R.D. #8

(W) Al Ewing (A) Guiu Vilanova (CA) Stefano Caselli
Rated T+
In Shops: Sep 29, 2021
SRP: $3.99

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!
By the time you’re reading this, you know. You know who sits in the central seat of Arakko. You know who speaks for Sol. Storm rules. But when you have to prove to your people who you are, every single day without fail…What becomes of who you were?

S.W.O.R.D. #8
« Older Entries