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Review: Man of Steel #5

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Brett

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 Superman!

Man of Steel #5 is by Brian Michael Bendis, Adam Hughes, Jason Fabok, Alex Sinclair, Josh Reed, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Jessica Chen, Michael Cotton, and Brian Cunningham.

Get your copy in comic shops today. 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/Kindle/comiXology or TFAW

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
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Review: Man of Steel #4

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Brett

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 Superman!

Man of Steel #4 is by Brian Michael Bendis, Kevin Maguire, Jason Fabok, Alex Sinclair, Josh Reed, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Jessica Chen, Michael Cotton, and Brian Cunningham.

Get your copy in comic shops today. 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/Kindle/comiXology

Review: DC Nation #0

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Brett

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 three stories for 25 cents!

DC Nation #0 features Tom King, Clay Mann, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles, Brittany Holzherr, Jamie S. Rich, Brian Michael Bendis, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Dexter Vines, Alex Sinclair, Josh Reed, Jessica Chen, Mike Cotton, Brian Cunningham, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez, Andworld Design, Andrea Shea, Rebecca Taylor, and Marie Javins.

Get your copy in comic shops today. 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/Kindle/comiXology

Review: The Immortal Men #1

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Brett

There is a secret history to the DC Universe of heroes who have protected humanity from the shadows since the dawn of time…and who can live forever. Enter the Immortal Men! The team, headed by the Immortal Man, has waged a secret war against the House of Conquest for countless years-but Conquest has dealt a devastating blow. When their base of operations, known as the Campus, is savagely attacked, the Immortal Men must seek out their last hope-an emerging metahuman known as Caden Park! Caden’s emerging powers may be able to ensure the Immortal Men’s survival-but will Conquest get to him first?

Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin, and James Tynion IV have come together like Voltron for this new series which is… interesting. DC Comics’ “New Age of Heroes” promised to introduce us to the next generation of heroes giving us all new stories and new directions. The Immortal Men #1 does that to a certain extent but what’s present feels like it is a new volume of a series that has a long history and continuity. That’s both good and bad.

Having recently reread Marvel’s Eternals, I can’t help but compare the two as the concepts presented feel similar and Neil Gaiman’s take, out in trade today, presents a much more straightforward story to this first issue. Both feature a character that doesn’t know their real history/potential. Both feature beings that have shaped history. Both feature characters that for the most part immortal. This first issue even plays with “the truth” coming through dreams.

This difference between the two is the execution where Eternals feels like you’re discovering this reality along with the characters, The Immortal Men #1 feels like you’re dropped into a story arc already in progress. It explains some things but it’s not clear enough. That’s in stark contrast to the other series such as Damage, Sideways, and Curse of Brimstone which are much easier to dive in to. While those three series were fresh origin stories, this debut is more in line with The Terrifics where you might need some knowledge to truly enjoy it.

While I was a bit mixed on the story, the art is a different story. Like the story itself there’s a long list of those contributors including Benjamin and Lee, Scott Williams and Richard Friend on inks, Jeremiah Skipper and Alex Sinclair on color, and Carlos M. Mangual on lettering. There’s some great visuals though. The art is fantastic with really interesting settings and the characters look fantastic. The use of a dream state opens things up to give us some impressive visuals that’ll have you lingering to decipher it all.

Much like Caden Park, we’re thrown into things and hoping for something greater. I couldn’t help walking away feeling a bit disappointed, especially due to the fact all of the other releases for the “New Age of Heroes” have been so good. I can see what the creative team was going for, I’m just not convinced they pulled it off in one issue. As a trade, or a graphic novel, this would have read much better but as a single issue it falls a bit short in execution.

Story: Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin, James Tynion IV
Ink: Scott Williams, Richard Friend Color: Jeremiah Skipper, Alex Sinclair Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair
Group Editor: Jamie S. Rich Editor: Katie Kubert Associate Editor: Jessica Chen
Story: 6.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 6.0 Recommendation: Pass

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: The Immortal Men #1

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Graphic Policy Team

The Immortal Men #1

Story: Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin, James Tynion IV
Ink: Scott Williams, Richard Friend
Color: Jeremiah Skipper, Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair
Group Editor: Jamie S. Rich
Editor: Katie Kubert
Associate Editor: Jessica Chen
RATED T+
In Shops: Apr 11, 2018
SRP: $2.99

“THE END OF FOREVER” part one! There is a secret history to the DC Universe of heroes who have protected humanity from the shadows since the dawn of time…and who can live forever. Enter the Immortal Men! The team, headed by the Immortal Man, has waged a secret war against the House of Conquest for countless years-but Conquest has dealt a devastating blow. When their base of operations, known as the Campus, is savagely attacked, the Immortal Men must seek out their last hope-an emerging metahuman known as Caden Park! Caden’s emerging powers may be able to ensure the Immortal Men’s survival-but will Conquest get to him first?

Review: The Curse of Brimstone #1

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Graphic Policy Team

Joe Chamberlain would do anything to save his small, forgotten town-even make a deal with the devil. But things get worse, and Joe finds himself cursed with the power of Brimstone. With the power of fire and destruction coursing through his hands, Joe must now track down and destroy the demon he made his deal with before the power he now wields destroys the town he was trying to save. But as the fiery pain inside him grows, can this young man overcome his own demons before his power rips him apart from the inside out?

The Curse of Brimstone is the latest entry into DC Comics’ “New Age of Heroes” which introduces us to new characters, new settings, and hopefully new ideas. Justin Jordan and Philip Tan are the team behind this series whose first issue is a solid set up.

In particular, the issue takes us to small town America, something we don’t see too often in comics beyond Smallville. This is the part of America left behind where factories have closed and the people struggle to make ends meat. The simplest tasks seem huge and in a world where people can fly, it’s an interesting concept that these places are forgotten. With wonders like Metropolis and Superman, what does it say for dying towns with no future? That seems to be at the heart of this series and it’s a concept that’s not explored enough in comics which makes this one stand out.

The art by Tan, colors by Rain Beredo, and lettering by Wes Abbott adds to the sense of desperation and lost. It’s one thing to tell the story in words but visually you need to see it as well and the creative team have nailed it down.

What’s presented in both story and look is small town America not many of us experience. These are the towns I see driving between DC and New York. You wonder how they function and why the people are still there and this series takes us into that in a ways. With that, we get a fresh voice and perspective to comics and one that’s hopefully explored more as the series continues.

Storytellers: Philip Tan, Justin Jordan Dialogue: Justin Jordan
Color: Rain Beredo Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover: Philip Tan, Rain Beredo
Group Editor: Brian Cunningham Editor: Jessica Chen
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.35 Overall: Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: The Curse of Brimstone #1

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Graphic Policy Team

The Curse of Brimstone #1

Storytellers: Philip Tan, Justin Jordan
Dialogue: Justin Jordan
Color: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover: Philip Tan, Rain Beredo
Group Editor: Brian Cunningham
Editor: Jessica Chen
In Shops: Apr 04, 2018
SRP: $2.99

Joe Chamberlain would do anything to save his small, forgotten town-even make a deal with the devil. But things get worse, and Joe finds himself cursed with the power of BRIMSTONE. With the power of fire and destruction coursing through his hands, Joe must now track down and destroy the demon he made his deal with before the power he now wields destroys the town he was trying to save. But as the fiery pain inside him grows, can this young man overcome his own demons before his power rips him apart from the inside out?

Preview: Sideways #2

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Graphic Policy Team

Sideways #2

Story: Kenneth Rocafort, Dan Didio, Justin Jordan Art: Kenneth Rocafort
Color: Daniel Brown Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Art: Kenneth Rocafort
Group Editor: Jamie S. Rich Editor: Katie Kubert Associate Editor: Jessica Chen
In Shops: Mar 14, 2018
SRP: $2.99

Wrestling with the perils of a lost phone and a death threat from an extraterrestrial keeper of time and space known as Tempus Fuginaut, Derek James discovers that the life of a hero can land you in the hospital, especially when things go sideways.

Review: The Terrifics #1

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Brett

Bound together by fate, united by the spirit of exploration and hope for tomorrow, the Terrifics are bound from the Dark Multiverse of Metal! When Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Plastic Man and Phantom Girl find themselves literally bound together by a tragic accident, our team of unlikely allies must rely on one another to make their way back home. But a startling revelation on their return trip brings them face to face with a new mystery: Where in the universe is Tom Strong?

Spinning out of the Dark Nights: Metal event, The Terrifics kicks off with Mr. Terrific coming upon the abuse of his technology which has created a rift with the Dark Multiverse. Since we don’t know how things end in the event, how we got to this point is a little unclear. Despite that, the comic is a fun start though and generally you don’t need to know about the event, it’s just helpful. That’s all on the shoulders of Jeff Lemire and Ivan Reis who are both credited with the story. Reis also provides the art with Joe Prado on inks, Marcelo Maiolo‘s color, and lettering by Tom Napolitano.

The first issue is our heroes thrown into the unknown of the Dark Multiverse with the set-up of conflict in personalities. And that’s a lot of the draw of the comic. Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, and Plastic Man are three personalities that couldn’t be further apart and the conflict there is the entertainment.

What’s also interesting is Lemire and Reis’ exploration of the downright abuse of Plastic Man. There’s some things laid out here that shows a character who’s dealing with recent abuse and to the storyteller credits you see him dealing with that a bit through humor. It’s subtle and smart. Through their journey too the characters pick up a fourth team member and then that discovery of Tom Strong… sort of. It’s a message from him really. Your enjoyment may hinge on how you respond to the use of the character.

The art is epic with a great sci-fi feel about it all and there’s some imagery that’s jaw dropping cool. There’s also an ominous feel about it all and that’s helped by the color and ink which help change the mood of the scenes as the comic progresses. The lettering too helps convey the emotion and how out of hand some of the situations are.

The comic has some familiar things to it. There’s absolutely some Fantastic Four elements. There’s some Lost in Space. It’s fun. While the first issue doesn’t blow me away it is more than enough to provide enjoyment and I can’t wait to see where the next issues takes us.

Story: Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis Art: Ivan Reis Cover: Ivan Reis, Marcelo Maiolo
Ink: Joe Prado Colors: Marcelo Maiolo Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Group Editor: Marie Javins Editor: Paul Kaminski Associate Editor: Jessica Chen
Story: 7.85 Art: 8.05 Overall: 7.85 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review