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 reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Space Ghost #2 (Dynamite) – David Pepose and Jonathan Lau start to probe into Space Ghost’s psyche with memories and glimpses of a past with kids and family while also unleashing some action-packed space adventures and creating a real bond between the titular character, Jan, Jace, and Blip. It’s whimsical to see Jace in Space Ghost’s ship bopping around like Anakin Skywalker in Phantom Menace, but there’s a real sense of peril once he hits the vacuum of space. Pepose and Lau make Space Ghost feel like playing with action figures as an adult with responsibilities, but end this issue on a light note that feels like classic Batman and Robin comics with a cosmic bent. Overall: 8.6 Verdict: Buy

Bear Pirate Viking Queen #2 (Image) – Sean Lewis and Jonathan Marks Barravecchia continue their masterful exploration of generational violence and imperialism in the middle chapter of Bear Pirate Viking Queen (BPVQ) Sure, you can learn about colonization in a classroom or from a textbook, but something about a godlike Viking and his bear companion ripping apart a unwitting family’s (Generically named Smith) home drives the point home more effectively language. Lewis’ poetic, yet straightforward captions brought to life by Barravecchia’s hand lettering continue to meld with the artist’s images that often bleed from page to page in ways that evoke Bill Sienkewicz or even Ralph Steadman in his portrayal of the Queen. BPVQ #2’s big ideas, striking imagery, and literal medieval ultraviolence definitely whetted my appetite for the series’ upcoming conclusion while being an intellectually satisfying chapter in its own right. Overall: 9.0 Verdict: Buy

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 reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Bear Pirate Viking Queen #1 (Image) – History and myth blur in Sean Lewis and Jonathan Marks Barravecchia‘s Bear Pirate Viking Queen #1. I wasn’t aware of Barravecchia’s work before this book, but in the future, his stuff will be an instant buy for me as his watercolors convey violence, nightmares, and eventually despair as a British sailor becomes a pirate baron and runs into a nemesis from another era. BPVQ oozes primality, and its cast members die in inventive ways as its protagonist channels a bear spirit until it bites him in the ass. On a more elevator pitch level, this book is basically Master and Commander meets The Northman with idiosyncratic visuals channeling Bill Sienkiewicz and even Ralph Steadman during the more darkly humorous scenes. (In a pirate raid, one of the crew member tries to board the ship by saying he needs to take a shit.) It’s utterly engaging and has a bit of a twist of the end and shift in perspectives that definitely makes me want to follow the rest of the series. Overall: 8.9 Verdict: Buy

Space Ghost #1 (Dynamite) – David Pepose and Jonathan Lau take Space Ghost back to his action adventure roots in this rollicking new series for Dynamite. Space Ghost himself is a mysterious, powerful force in the background while most of the comic is centered around Jan and Jace dealing with the loss of their father while fighting evil. There is tension from page one with explosions galore as Jan and Jace hide from space pirates and eventually fight back with the help of a costumed hero with the perfect Toth silhouette. On a visual level, I love the contrast between the realistic designs for the other characters and the ships and the simple linework for Space Ghost. It makes him look more otherworldly and definitely a little bit scary initially to some kids on their own. However, by the end of the first issue, he’s a true figure of hope against impossible odds as Pepose and Lau marry superheroes and space opera. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy