Tag Archives: tom b. long

Explore the Dark Side in Star Wars: Vader’s Castle – The Deluxe Library Collection

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Horror comes to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: Vader’s Castle–The Deluxe Library Collection coming soon from Dark Horse Books and Lucasfilm Publishing. This large format hardcover volume collects all the stories from the Sith Lord’s sinister lair, including the only reprinting of the one-shot, Shadow of Vader’s Castle. Featuring creepy new cover art by Francesco Francavilla, the deluxe book collects the following comics stories: Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader’s Castle, Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader’s Castle, Star Wars Adventures: Shadow of Vader’s Castle, Star Wars Adventures: Ghosts of Vader’s Castle, and the Star Wars Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2019 short story “Droid Hunters.”

These tales are written by Cavan Scott and rendered in ghastly detail by acclaimed artists Francesco Francavilla, Derek Charm, Megan Levens, Kelley Jones, Corin Howell, Robert Hack, Nicoletta Baldari, Nick Brockenshire, and Charles Paul Wilson III, colored by Charlie Kirchoff, Michelle Madsen, Valentina Pinto, and Michael Devito, lettered by Robbie Robins, Tom B. Long, Andworld Design, Shawn Lee, and Valeria Lopez.

Exhumed from the lava mines of Mustafar comes the complete legends of Darth Vader’s castle: a shadowy tower haunted by the dark side. Join Rebel Commander Lina Graff, Lieutenant Hudd, and their friends as they sneak through the citadel’s dank corridors in search of escape. Along the way they trade terrifying tales of Obi-Wan, Han, Chewbacca, the Ewoks, and other galactic heroes facing off against interstellar creeps such as menacing Sith, soulless stormtroopers, possessed droids, alien witches, mutant monsters, and more! When Hudd falls into the clutches of Vaneé, the castle’s creepy caretaker, he is treated to further spine-chilling stories of the galaxy’s most vile villains, including Darth Maul, Asajj Ventress, Jabba the Hutt, and Vader himself! Even after the band of rebels flee the fortress, they are pursued by nightmares of rampaging were-Wookiees, Dagobah swamp monsters, and other ghouls!

And for the first time, the Shadow of Vader’s Castle one-shot is collected here, in which the Mustafarian locals share their own hair-raising legends about the villainous stronghold.

Are you brave enough to set foot in the Sith Lord’s fortress of fear?

The Star Wars: Vader’s Castle the Deluxe Library Collection hardcover volume contains 424 pages and measures 8 x 12.1875”. The collection will be available September 24, 2024 in bookstores and September 25, 2024 in comic shops. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, TFAW, and at your local comic shop and bookstore and will retail for $49.99.

Star Wars: Vader’s Castle the Deluxe Library Collection

Review: Transformers: Best of Arcee

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Transformers: Best of Arcee

When it comes to 80s cartoons, I can’t say that there were really any strong female protagonists. The exception being She-Ra, and even that franchise was marred with problematic representations. Then there were overtly sexualized female characters like Smurfette in The Smurfs.

As it was very rare to find any real character development in any of those characters mentioned. It was not until the Transformers movie, where we even saw character like Arcee, who can stand on her own. She not only was a fierce warrior but had a prolific story that carried on in comics. In Transformers: Best of Arcee we get to know more about this Transformers’ iconoclast.

In “An Uneventful Night”, Arcee gets in a friendly fight with her brothers , one in which she learns a n important lesson and saves Earth from a falling spaceship. In ”No Fair Fight”, Arcee delivers the a decisive blow in defeating Galvatron.  In “The Life Of Sideswipe”, Arcee and the rest of the Transformers find out an old ally has outlived his usefulness, giving him an honorable death.  In “Unforgivable”, Arcee flirts with a long time rival, showing her true intentions at the very end.  In “Aspects Of Evil Part 2”, Hot Rod and Arcee fight off an ambush from Galvatron as he attempts to steal the Matrix. In the last story ”Run”, we find out how Arcee and her brothers left Cybertron for Earth

Overall, Transformers: Best of Arcee is a fun set of stories which gives this character her proper spotlight. The stories by the creators are exceptional. The art by the creative teams are magnificent. Altogether, it’s a set of stories that will have fans wishing there was more.

Story: Mairghread Scott, John Barber, Simon Furman, Brian Ruckley
Art: Sara Pitre-Durocher, Andrew Lee Griffith, Kei Zama, Art Wetherell, Umi Miyao, Beth McGuire-Smith
Color: Yamaishi, Josh Burcham, John-Paul Bove, Josh Burcham
Letterer: Tom B. Long, Glib, Jake M. Wood
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Review: Transformers ’84: Secrets & Lies

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Transformers ’84: Secrets & Lies

As a child of the 80s, one of the major changes to Saturday morning cartoons was the introduction of mecha anime. The term wasn’t used then, we just saw it as cartoons with robots. We had a plethora to choose from, giving us different protagonists to root for. An example was Voltron.

One which actually was pretty great despite its comparisons to other cartoons was GoBots. The gold standard and the one which has spawned a massive franchise was The  Transformers. The series at its core is a story about refugees starting a new life. In the powerhouse miniseries, Transformers ’84: Secrets & Lies, we’re transported back to that time and witness a battle for the Decepticons.

We catch up with our narrator, Shockwave, as he regales us with a tale about a time when Cybertron was still in existence. As we find Optimus and Megatron on the same side, but with differing opinions on how to guide Cybertron in its future, leading to the eventual civil war. This pushes Megatron to make hasty moves to steal power, send an unsanctioned group of Decepticons to look for the Ark on Earth in 1017. We also find the Autobots, on a mission of their own, the Ark, not knowing if they will ever be able to make it back, is also sent to Earth but to disrupt Megatron’s plans and with a double agent, Punch in their midst, every move is vital. As we soon find out Shockwave, is part of a group that keeps Cybertron alive, Project Dreadknought, turning the planet in a “war world”, something Megatron looks to use to eviscerate all life on Earth. Meanwhile, Shockwave and Skyfire, along with the Dinobots, have their own plan, which is spoiled by the Decepticons, who are killed. As we find out that this was part of Shockwave’s plan, leading Straxus to become an Ilege, in an effort to gain control for him and get Megatron out of the picture. What he didn’t count on, was a betrayal, and him taking a knee to Megatron. By the story’s end, the Autobots defeat the Decepticons but not without sacrifices, ones that would cost them dearly.

Overall, Transformers ’84: Secrets & Lies is a fun story that gives the reader some insight into why the Dinobots were buried for so long. The story by Simon Furman is layered and exciting. The art by the creative team gives the reader, the feel of those 1980s comics. Altogether, a story that gives us a ton of character insight and is well worth a trip down memory lane

Story: Simon Furman Art: Guido Guidi, John Paul Bove, Jake M Wood and Tom B Long
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW – Bookshop

Review: Star Wars Adventures: Rise of the Wookies

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Star Wars Adventures: Rise of the Wookies

As a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, I was more than happy to find out that there was a film adaptation. I remember the first time I read the books that took me to Middle Earth. I was 8 years old and was enraptured in that world and those characters. Of course, the film adaptation I found at that age was the Ralph Bakshi film of 1970s which left much to be desired. It wasn’t until 2001, that I got to see something that resembled the books.

Peter Jackson imbued the love all we fans had for the series. 20 years later, and I am still in love with those movies, and have even more hope for the new Amazon series. My favorite of Peter Jackson’s movies from that series was The Two Towers as we see our heroes defend the people of Rohan against Sauran’s forces. In the 11th volume of Star Wars Adventures, we get Rise Of  The Wookies, where we see Chewie defend his home planet much like the Fellowship and Riders of Rohan.

In “Ghosts of Kashyyyk”, we find Chewie in the Millennium Falcon leading a Resistance squadron back to his home planet, Kashyyyk, where The First Order has set up a base. Chewbacca goes on a solo recon mission where he finds that First Order has some Wookies as captives which leads to him jailbreaking them and taking Storm Troopers as a prisoner. In our second story, ”Secret Agent Droids”,  our favorite droids, C-3PO, R2D2, and BB-8, thwart the First Order’s plans to block all communications from a desolate planet. In our third story, “Tales From Wild Space”, we meet a young upstart, Emil, who discovers a long lost library, who ends up getting mind-controlled, but not before he is rescued by his droid. In “Loyalty Test”, the First Order arrives on the planet, Vaddexa, where Hux and Kylo Ren, get to test each other’s loyalty. In “Squad Goals”, Poe and Rey, go on a training drill, one that tests Rey’s piloting skills. In The last story,” The Battle for Horizon Base”, Finn leads the charge against the First Order, who is trying to take over an important focal point, and eventually recruits more to the Resistance.

Overall, a fun romp throughout the Star War universe. The stories by John Barber and Michael Moreci are compelling. The art by the creative team is enchanting. Altogether, a set of stories that reminds you why you fell in love with these characters in the first place.

Story: John Barber and Michael Moreci
Art: Derek Charm, Jake M. Wood, Tom B. Long, Matt Herms, David Buisan, Arianna Florean, Charlie Kirchoff, Mario Del Pennino, Valentina Taddeo, and Tony Fleecs
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Reccomendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: Gudetama-Love for the Lazy

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Gudetama: Love for the Lazy

Sanrio’s latest great creation, the lazy egg Gudetama, comes to comics in Gudetama: Love for the Lazy by Wook-Jin Clark. This comic is hilarious, relatable, and sometimes pretty weird as this surprisingly thick raw egg mascot. Gudetama is a collection of short stories and vignettes where Gudetama gives dating advice, and there are some actual great ideas in here sprinkled in with the obvious trolling.

Wook-Jin Clark’s background working on adorable licensed properties like Bee and Puppycat as well as the food-centric comic Flavor serves him well in this book where Gudetama can go from hiding in its shell to be a part of a very yummy bowl of ramen. He understands that the raw egg works best as a kind of “host” for these stories a la Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, but more of a slacker and interjects with one-liners and weird transformations when the story needs it.

At times, Gudetama is an aspirational figure. It’s effortlessly cool and laid back, and people like it in spite of it not trying so hard. Gudetama is a cross between an angel and devil on your angst-ridden saying, “Take it easy, and don’t take things too seriously.” It’s great making a Tinder profile.

Gudetama: Love for the Lazy is at its best and most wholesome when it’s in short story mode. There’s the saga of two cosplayers falling in love, another story about the struggle of dating solely “IRL” instead of in the online world, and one about partners dealing with a cat affection issue through the power of hugs. My personal favorite one features the gamer Tobi, who wants to go from being married to a centaur to dating in meatspace. His story has a lot of humor with his sushi date featuring an actual nightmare human, who hunts animals for a living, and Wook-Jin Clark nails the awkward half hug, half handshake from a date that didn’t really have many sparks. However, Clark gives the conclusion of the story a warm underpinning as he turns its gamer aesthetic to eleven and has Tobi find real connection while on another date at an arcade bar. This confirms my theory that arcade bars are fantastic date spots even if you suck at most video games like yours truly.

Another reason why Gudetama: Love for the Lazy resonated with me is that it’s a romance comic disguised as a licensed comic. Its tales of relationship woes in pitfalls between short advice column-esque sketches and supplemental material, like a game where you progress through the various post-breakup stages. Wook-Jin Clark uses Gudetama as a vessel to show the awkwardness of dating (Especially the online kind.) and building connections and relationships while also providing hope with the sarcasm.

Gudetama: Love for the Lazy is Modern Love for anxious slackers who would rather be flirting with their Twitter crushes, playing a video game, or going to town on a bowl of ramen than dealing with the rituals of dating in 2020. Wook-Jin Clark’s writing and art is sharp, yet gentle and shows that a raw egg with a nice butt and an even better attitude can make anyone smile. (Gudetama needs a nap though.)

Story: Wook-Jin Clark Art: Wook-Jin Clark Letters: Tom B. Long
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Review: Transformers/Ghostbusters #1

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Transformers/Ghostbusters #1

Transformers/Ghostbusters #1 shouldn’t work. One has to do with robots and the other ghosts. In fairness, Transformers did have the ghost of Starscream haunting Cybertron for a bit. But, the concept just sounds so out there. But it works. It really works and does so very well. Both Transformers and Ghostbusters are celebrating 35 years this year and IDW Publishing has put together this miniseries to celebrate (as well as Hasbro with the toy spinoff).

The story spins the original Ghostbusters film a bit with Gozer winding up on Cybertron a little after the Autobots fled the planet. From there the journey heads to Earth where a signal is discovered by the Autobots that they must investigate. And, the two teams come together.

What’s interesting is writer Erik Burnham spins familiar things we’ve seen mixing it up enough to be original but also leaving enough to be familiar. The new Autobot Ecto has a personality that is straight out of the Ghostbusters and the art by Dan Schoening feels like a combination of the Transformers and Ghostbusters cartoons.

All of it comes together to what is a surprisingly fun comic. I finished it with a smile on my face and wanting to read more immediately. It’s all set up but it’s a good one that’ll get you to want to come back for more. And it works really well using familiar things with a slightly different spin.

Transformers/Ghostbusters #1 is a comic I’m honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I went in thinking a simple cash grab and came out smiling and wanting more. It’s a celebration of two properties that feel so far apart but its shown can work together.

Story: Erik Burnham Art: Dan Schoening
Color: Luis Antonio Delgado Letters: Tom B. Long
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Transformers #5

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Transformers #5

Transformers #5 is an improvement on the previous four issues but still falls short of being enjoyable. Written by Brian Ruckley, the issue bounces around the various characters involved with the murder mystery as well as peals back some of what Bumblebee has been up to.

This is an issue I want to like and a series I’m attempting to enjoy. Transformers #5 though bounces around a bit too much never quite focusing enough on one plotline or character.

Ruckley delivers an issue that’s an improvement on the previous. It still falls short in entertainment. The issue is a piece of the larger narrative and in that way it is one of the strongest released so far. The structure of the issue is interesting as well delivering some scenes that feel out of place and not needed and others that feel out of order or could have benefited from not being broken up into various segments.

This is most evident in Rubble’s story. Instead of the breaks in his narrative, the issue would have been stronger focusing just on his story and building up the tension and fear better. As is, the ending feels a tad out of place and not the impact it was going for. Instead of terror and dread leading to sadness the overall delivery is that of melancholy.

The art doesn’t help matters either. A trio of artists work on the issue as they have in the past and their differing styles are standing out more. Anna Malkova, Angel Hernandez, and Sara Pitre-Durocher all would be great on their own. Together though, the styles don’t quite work anymore. At times it also doesn’t quite match the tone either. Opening pages have a more cartoon like quality which doesn’t work for Megatron’s serious nature and moment. That transition to the next segment and art style becomes more abrupt due to the mismatched nature of the start. With a bi-monthly comic, picking two artists and switching off would make for a stronger comic visually or banking issues with one artist and switching on the next arc would have been the best overall.

Transformers #5 is absolutely an improvement on the series moving the murder mystery forward and adding more political intrigue. Still, the issue’s pacing and narrative structure works against it creating an experience that again falls short of what was and what could be.

Story: Brian Ruckley Art: Anna Malkova, Angel Hernandez, Sara Pitre-Durocher
Color: Joana Lafuente Letterer: Tom B. Long
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Transformers #3

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Transformers #3

High above Cybertron, the planet’s inner moon unfolds to become a gigantic energon harvester, a magnificent show for Bumblebee and his new friend. Meanwhile, Megatron is assembling a new security force, but rumors abound about the new team.

I haven’t been too keen on the first two issues of this new direction for IDW Publishing‘s Transformers series but this third issue things seem to be moving into a more positive direction.

Writer Brian Ruckley has taken the series into more of a crime procedural direction with a bit of politics thrown in the background. The death of a Transformer has lead to questions like who and why with the main thrust o the series focused on that criminal investigation. That ties into Bumblebee who is mentoring a newly forged Transformer Rumble and through that we get to learn about this version of Cybertron.

I called the series “Law & Order: Cybertron” mostly because it focuses too much on that crime approach with a slow plodding investigation. It fails to really find the interesting aspect in the rise of Megatron and is Ascenticons. The fire and intelligence of this aspect of the Transformers history we saw in the previous volume is diluted so far. Instead of Megatron’s focus on philosophy, we get assassination attempts and the formation of a brute squad. It’s all choppy in the execution. A case is never made for Megatron leaving him as the empty revolutionary, the clear bad guy to Orion Pax and the Autobots. We seen the case for Megatron made before and that added layers to what was originally a simple story of good vs. bad. Hopefully Ruckley can pivot a bit in that focus and add some of the political depth.

Angel Hernandez and Cachét Whitman provide the art trading off on pages. The two differing styles are clear and though doesn’t create a huge issue with the story and series it’s more a question as to why? The two styles are very traditional in what we’ve seen and the designs are solid. The issue is one creator has more of an modern animated look and the other a more traditional comic look. The two styles are similar but the difference is there.

The issue, and series, isn’t bad there’s just a bit of depth and maturity that’s missing. The story and series is pretty basic keeping it to a whodunnit story. There’s also a bit of a feeling that some choices are done more for fanservice from the previous volume as opposed to really driving the story (ex. Elita-1’s inclusion in this issue). This issue is an improvement but this is definitely a different direction and vision than what we’ve previously seen.

Story: Brian Ruckley Art: Angel Hernandez, Cachét Whitman
Color: Joana Lafuente Letterer: Tom B. Long
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Transformers: Lost Light #23

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The final battle is here! Bots will live, bots will die, and the craziness can only increase! We’re halfway through a finale six years in the making! And if you’ve ever loved a bot, you won’t want to miss this.

While Cybertron burns due to Unicron, Cybertrons burn due to Primus from another dimension. Writer James Roberts is giving us an epic story that rivals the main event as the Lost Light and all of those picked up do their best to stop a rampaging robot the size of a planet.

While Transformers: Unicron has a disaster feel about it all, Transformers: Lost Light has a solid sense of humor to it all and moments that lighten it all. This is the Armageddon to the more serious Deep Impact. And it’s all enjoyable.

A good chunk of the comic is focused on the revelation that the Transformers’ “gods” are among them. It’s a weird revelation and one hell of a twist that definitely has you rethink a lot of what we’ve read in the past and what they’ve experienced as characters. There’s also some philosophical stuff there that I’m still trying to unpack.

The art is fantastic with a style that feels like the traditional look of the Transformers comic but a little lighter in style. The art by Jack Lawrence with color by Joana Lafuente matches the tone perfectly. There’s also some great imagery as a giant destroys everything around them.

There’s a twist later in the comic that feels like a shift on the level of the gods reveal. I’m still trying to process all of that. It’s a hell of a comic that’s part of an epic story. While there’s a main event, this is pretty close to surpassing it in entertainment. Don’t miss out of this one as it’s bringing together so much and paying off in a way that’ll put a smile on your face.

Story: James Roberts Art: Jack Lawrence
Color: Joana Lafuente Letterer: Tom B. Long
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Transformers: Optimus Prime #23

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The battle against Unicron forces Optimus Prime’s colonist soldiers to contend with a brutal reality-they have no homes to return to. But when they make a move against Trypticon, the human-controlled home of the next generation of Cybertronians… can the end be far behind?

Transformers: Optimus Prime #23 could have been an interesting tie-in to the current “Unicron” storyline. Instead of exploring the concept of the end of the world and what you should do, the issue devolves into a typical battle due to misunderstandings. Like the “Unicron” main series, it also has no problem killing characters off, indicating the end is near in multiple ways.

Writer John Barber gives us a pretty typical story of things getting out of hand due to misunderstandings. It all escalates in expected ways and of course there’s that moment of no return. In all of those ways, the comic is pretty lackluster for what’s presented.

What’s interesting though is the exploration of the Cybertronian history and their true nature of destruction. Even though they think they protect, they destroy. It’s a cycle that seems to play out in numerous ways over and over. It’s even manifested in the character Jazz himself. Unfortunately, the protector/destructor duality is spelled out for us. Jazz reminds us multiple times in his dialogue. So, even the interesting aspects stumble in this issue. Add in those who reject Optimus and decide to attack, it all just comes together in a comic that throws a lot into the pot but doesn’t quite make the case for any of it.

The art by Priscilla Tramontano is also a let down. The G.I. Joe characters look a bit too cartoony and their style doesn’t mix well with both their vehicles and the Transformers that surround them. It feels like two different stories mashed together in that way. Tramontano’s style would work really well for a younger reader Transformers/G.I. Joe series, or if the Cybertronians had a similar flow in their style as the humans. The color by Josh Burcham is cool and reminds me of the comics from the 80s that I love so much.

The issue has an interesting idea and set up but never quite lands things. It has to spell things out for the reader or falls into a story that we’ve seen too many times before. As far as a tie-in, this issue falls flat when so many others have been so good. It feels like a wasted opportunity to explore more of the Hasbro universe before things wrap up.

Story: John Barber Art: Priscilla Tramontano
Color: Josh Burcham Letterer: Tom B. Long
Story: 6.0 Art: 6.0 Overall: 6.0 Recommendation: Pass

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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