Category: Reviews

G3 Review: Spencer & Locke #1

Spencer & Locke subverts the homage and is its own animal.

Hey, nerds! I must offer the full disclosure that I am friends with the writer of this comic book, David Pepose. Conflict of interest you say? Well, it’s my blog and I can do what I want, and I want to talk about Spencer & Locke.

While it may be true that I am particularly partial to David as a person and wanting him to succeed in this project, I am even more partial to opinions. As in having them. Also, David has been my review editor for many years, and I can’t pass up the opportunity to critically evaluate his very first comic book! Are you ready, David? Let’s go.

Spencer & Locke #1
Written by David Pepose
Art by Jorge Santiago, Jr.
Colors by Jasen Smith
Letters by Colin Bell
Published by Action Lab Entertainment

Some of the most profound wisdom of my childhood comes from Calvin & Hobbes. Calvin was hilarious as an irreverent, spit-fire of a kid and Hobbes was delightfully feline and a loyal foil that taught us about cynicism, optimism and getting the most out of our wagon. As a kid without the Internet, it was captivating fodder on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Continue reading “G3 Review: Spencer & Locke #1”

REVIEW: Harley’s Little Black Book #1, Midnighter #7

V. is pleasantly reminded that some DC Comics are still pretty damn good.

I have a confession. I haven’t been reading much DC Comics… lately.

Yeah. I like Black Canary, but mostly because I am obsessed with the character and Annie Wu’s art. Bombshells is also a fine example of a superhero comic, and I do get my Secret Six on from time to time. That about sums it up.

I feel kind of blasphemous about it all. Birds of Prey. Wonder Woman. Superman: Birthright. These are the reasons I fell down the rabbit hole, and now I couldn’t give two shits. Much of the recent continuity, excluding Multiversity, rings wholly uninteresting to me. I will acknowledge that my aesthetic has certainly evolved since I began reading comics, and that is undeniably a part of my lackluster feelings towards DC. Also, who am I to judge when I am reading a whopping THREE titles?

So. Here’s me. Reading more DC. Trying to prove myself wrong.

Turns out. It worked.

Check my review of Harley’s Little Black Book #1 featuring Wonder Woman and drawn by Amanda Conner (YAY!). And I went ahead and reviewed Midnighter #7, too. Writer Steve Orlando has a particularly biting vernacular unlike any other, and Aco’s art is fanfreakingtastic. Check it.

REVIEW: Bitch Planet #5

Vanessa reviews Bitch Planet #5

For the final issue of the first arc, the cover warns you to “steel yourselves for heartbreak,” but no amount of armor could come close to preparing you for impact.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Bitch Planet #5”

REVIEW: DC Comics Bombshells #1

Bombshells. It’s bossy.

Falling in love with the many gorgeous statues that are made of our cherished comic book characters can be an expensive endeavor. I was personally obsessed with the second Ame-Comi Wonder Woman designed by artist Dustin Nguyen. You know, the one that is an homage to Greg Rucka’s Wondy that decapitated Medusa blind? Yeah. I eventually got my hands on one, but at great cost to a former paramour as in he paid a pretty penny for it.

DC’s Bombshells statues are just as admirable, if not more. They’re fun, creative, cosplay worthy and inspire all kinds of ideas… you know, like for a comic book! Continue reading “REVIEW: DC Comics Bombshells #1”

REVIEW: Fables #150

V. reviews the Farewell of Fables.

Fables was one of the comics I cut my teeth on, and it will always hold a special place on my shelf. Today, the final (mega) issue of Fables hits comic shops, and the unconventional, intricate, addictive fairy tale is over. Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha and all the other wonderful artists and editors totally stuck the landing.

You can read my full review HERE.

Fables Farewell

REVIEW: Black Canary #2

V. reviews Black Canary #2

You guys! Annie Wu‘s pencils on Black Canary are SO GOOD! I’m basically obsessed, and over-the-moon that Wu is the one drawing my favorite character. I’d be remiss not to mention Lee Loughridge‘s colors. He does fantastic things for the tone of the book. The two of them combined SET the tone of the book. It’s edgy, but not trite. It’s modern and stylized. The art is basically the shit. I mean LOOK at my girl…

Also, check my full review of Black Canary #2 RIGHT HERE.

Archie #1 is a flawless relaunch

Looks like Riverdale is reborn in the best way possible.

Writer Mark Waid and artist Fiona Staples are working a special kind of magic with Archie #1. They’ve managed to create something that’s fresh and surprising without sacrificing any of the things that make the best Archie stories so much fun. The two of them just plain get it, and the result is a flawless re-launch that will delight longtime readers and intrigue newcomers. Continue reading “Archie #1 is a flawless relaunch”

REVIEW: Spider-Gwen #1

L. reviews the highly-anticipated Spider-Gwen!

Having rattled many a figurative comics cage in my blogging time in attempts to get publishers to take notice (and they didn’t), it is beyond gratifying to see Spider-Gwen #1 come to print. Last September, a spidey-powered Gwen Stacy graced the pages of Edge of the Spider-Verse #2 as just an alternate-world character, but the fan response was so overwhelmingly positive that Marvel gave Gwen her own book.

What does that mean? Continue reading “REVIEW: Spider-Gwen #1”

REVIEW: Miami Vice Remix #1

A remix, indeed.

Buddy cop comics really aren’t my thing unless it’s Birds of Prey, and they’re not really cops. Although, I’d totally ready a book that paired up Renee Montoya with Starling. That’d be fun. I digress.

Miami Vice had the ultimate buddy cops. Tubbs and Crockett set trends that have reverberated through the film and television generations. Now, there is a comic. One that I think is totally worth your time, particularly if you were ever a fan of the show. This version has some modern pop culture mixed in and Jim Mahfood’s extravagant art. “Remix” is a perfect moniker.

You can read my full review HERE.

miami2

REVIEW: Casanova Acedia #1

“The rules are simple. The gun is always loaded. The safety is always off. The fucker always fires.”

As a brief introduction, Casanova #8 was one of the first comics I picked up when I started working at a comic shop in 2008. I had no idea what it was – it might have been a FCBD promo – and the title led me to believe that it would revolve around a dude boning a lot of ladies or something. Not really my wheelhouse, but the cover drew me in immediately. Continue reading “REVIEW: Casanova Acedia #1”

REVIEW: Daredevil #12

Waid and Samnee continue to create an excellent comic in DAREDEVIL.

Tons of my comic nerd colleagues sing the praises of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s Daredevil. So, I have known for like years that I should probably read it, but it’s just one of many books I had not gotten around to reading yet. Continue reading “REVIEW: Daredevil #12”

REVIEW: Lady Killer #1

Consider Lady Killer added to V’s pull list.

Dark Horse Comics kicks off the year with an excellent new comic called Lady Killer by Joëlle Jones, Jamie S. Rich and Laura Allred. I’ve actually been a fan of Joëlle’s style for quite some time now, and you may have seen her selling some of her prints at a con near you. Anyway, her talent is thoroughly showcased in this book. The art is fantastic, you guys. And Laura Allred’s colors are to die for (pun intended). Continue reading “REVIEW: Lady Killer #1”

REVIEW: Bitch Planet #1

V. is non-compliant.

How do you take the exploitation inherent to the “Women in Prison” genre fiction and turn it on its head to be an allegory for patriarchal oppression giving way to an unapologetic feminist theme? Continue reading “REVIEW: Bitch Planet #1”

Binge Reading: Alex + Ada

E. dives in to what makes Alex + Ada worth your time.

Awkward.
Awkward.

If you had the resources, would you buy companionship? Not the temporary human kind but something programmed to serve and please you? And what if that companion were so lifelike that, at first glance, you wouldn’t know he or she wasn’t sentient?

It’s possible in Alex + Ada (Image), and the answers aren’t as simple as you’d think. The subject of people interacting with human-like beings has been explored before, but Alex + Ada goes beyond the obvious pros and cons to unfold in ways that are surprising, frequently suspenseful and emotionally resonant. After totally sleeping on this comic by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn for the past year, I’ve gone into full binge-reading mode. Continue reading “Binge Reading: Alex + Ada”