Tag Archives: josh perez

Crowdfunding Corner: New Publisher PUG-W’s First OGN Universe: SIGNA Visits the Ruins of our Future

Posted on by

Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.

New indie publisher Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide (PUG-W), the brainchild of former Marvel Comics publisher John Nee and Former IDW editor-in-chief John Barber have launched the Kickstarter for its first ever OGN universe with SIGNA – a completely original post-apocalyptic survival tale from the mind of John Barber and longtime collaborator Andrew Lee Griffith. 

A hundred years after a war with renegade mining robots transformed the sun into a red giant, dooming the Earth, the grandchildren of that war struggle to survive off the ashes of the past. That is, until a scavenger named Ketna Vora and her crew find SIGNA—an old war mech that thinks it might know how to save the solar system. But the real question is: save it for who? Because after a century…the machines have returned.

The book’s kickstarter campaign showcases a 48-page exclusive hardcover edition of the first chapter of the SIGNA universe. Five unique cover variants are available (and seen in the press kit above), featuring covers by series artist and co-creator Andrew Lee Griffith, along with guest stars Chrissie Zullo, Tom Sciolli, Alex Milne, and Josh Perez (colors). Plus, don’t miss out on the exclusive PAN UNIVERSAL GALACTIC VISION 3-D cover!

The campaign runs until Friday, May 3, 2024 8:59 PM EDT.

Review: Transformers: Fate of Cybertron

Posted on by
Transformers: Fate of Cybertron

IDW Publishing has had a hell of a run with the Transformers license spanning 17 years. Some of that has been amazing, some a bit bumpy, but a lot of it was very entertaining. I didn’t enjoy the latest volume a whole lot, but decided to check out the finale of the run, Transformers: Fate of Cybertron.

Written by Brian Ruckley, the over-sized one-shot delivers the final stand of Optimus against Megatron for the fate of Cybertron. The issue wraps things up nicely but delivers few surprises, it feels like it’s pretty standard, checking off a lot of boxes.

Optimus attempts to be the voice of reason, wanting to end the conflict as peacefully as possible. Megatron wants nothing of that, headstrong and convinced his way is the correct and only way forward. He demands an audience to prove that.

The comic really only has a limited number of directions it could go. There’s little chance Megatron would win, it would leave a sad, depressing legacy for the series. So, the only two logical outcomes are a draw, entrenched in battle forever, or Optimus wins by defeating Megatron or he sees the light. The latter was also unlikely. Going that route would sully the legacy and what has come over and over in other volumes. So, that leaves us with the middle and where it all goes from here. And that’s an expected speech for us to attach our hopes to. As I said, pretty expected events.

The issue is packed with Transformers artists, Andrew Griffith, Winston Chan, Alex Milne, Ed Pirrie, and Angel Hernandez. They’re joined by Josh Burcham, Josh Perez, and David García Cruz on color and lettering by Jake M. Wood. The art is pretty good. The art style does shift at times and it’s noticeable. But, the comic hits the notes you want with titanic fights between combiners and a chaotic battle where you pause to see all of the bots taking part. But, the comic generally lacks that memorable visual moment that sticks with you.

Transformers: Fate of Cybertron does what it needs to. It wraps up the current volume in a nice package delivering the hope that Optimus and the Autobots represent. It’s not a memorable finale, but it is one. For those who have read the series up to this point, you might get a bit more out of it all but from the casual reader, it doesn’t feel like an ending to remember.

Till all are one.

Story: Brian Ruckley Art: Andrew Griffith, Winston Chan, Alex Milne, Ed Pirrie, Angel Hernandez
Color: Josh Burcham, Josh Perez, David García Cruz Letterer: Jake M. Wood
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics

Call in a Code 45, “Dragons in the tunnels,” in 2021

Posted on by

Code 45 is a 5-issue graphic novel about Vanessa, a subway driver in Montreal who hears rumors that there are ‘dragons’ in the tunnels, monstrous apparitions that seemingly defy any explanation.

Her co-workers are terrified of working nights because of what they’ve seen, and so a large number of them self-medicate to get through their shifts without giving in to fear and anxiety. Gradually, the hallucinations brought on by their drug use have made it impossible for them to tell fact from fantasy.

Vanessa is transferred to the night shift and falls slowly into both this world and, thanks to her DJ roommate, the underground rave scene. The mysterious apparitions and malevolent monsters may or may not be real, but the blaring ‘CODE 45’ alert signaling another inexplicable encounter certainly is.

Dragons, drugs, and hardcore beats on subterranean dancefloors blend into a parallel reality as Vanessa struggles to uncover the truths buried beneath the city streets and confronts a shocking secret from her family’s own past.

Code 45 is being released in 2021 from writer Benjamin Hunting, artist Joe Ng, graphic design/letter Angela Hodge, colorist Josh Perez, and being published by Scout Comics.

Code 45

Preview: Transformers #15

Posted on by

Transformers #15

(W) Brian Ruckley (A) Anna Malkova, Bethany McGuire-Smith (CA) Josh Perez
In Shops: Jan 01, 2020
SRP: $3.99

A conspiracy unravels. The Autobots race to restore order. Megatron reaches his breaking point and Shockwave finds himself broken. There are no more Ascenticons. There is no more Rise. There are only… The Decepticons.

Transformers #15

Mega Man Mastermix #1 Launches Quarterly this January

Posted on by

UDON is bringing the original Blue Bomber back to comic shop shelves with Mega Man Mastermix – a quarterly, 80-page comic series presenting Hitoshi Ariga’s classic Mega Man stories in color for the first time. Featuring colors by Josh Perez, the series launches in January 2018, and joins the celebration of the video game icon’s 30th anniversary!

The Birth of Mega Man! In a world where humans and robots live and work together, six powerful robots have suddenly turned against their programming and set their sights on causing chaos and destruction! Only one heroic robot stands in their path – Mega Man, the greatest creation of Dr. Light!

Mega Man Mastermix #1 sports two standard covers — CVR A by Hitoshi Ariga and Cover B by Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz ( promotional artist for Capcom’s Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 and 2). Also available is a Blank Sketch cover (Cover C), and a Retailer Incentive cover (Cover D) by Rob “Robaato” Porter which homages a classic comic cover from the 1980’s.

Two exclusive covers will also be produced for the issue. The first is for Fried Pie Comics, and features Mega Man battling the enormous Yellow Devil robot (illustrated by Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz). The second is UDON’s own online exclusive cover, showcasing four classic Mega girls – Kalinka, Plum, Splash Woman, and of course, Roll! Illustrated by Aki Li, this cover is available exclusively through FocusAttack.com.

Mega Man Mastermix #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere January 24, 2018.