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Review: Let’s Lagoon Chapters 1-10

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Young Magazine (2007-Present)

Written and Illustrated by Takeshi Okazaki

Summary: Yamada wakes up on an uninhabited island after falling off the cruise ship his class was on in the middle of the ocean during a thick fog. Alone, he begins building a raft and finding ways to survive until he discovers a female classmate has washed ashore as well. The two learn to survive together until one of their teachers washes ashore and generates animosity between the three of them. After nearly two weeks of living on this island Yamada is swept up by a fog out only to regain consciousness while being rescued in the middle of the ocean 15 minutes after he had originally fallen overboard. What is this new reality Yamada finds himself in? No one believes him about the island he stayed upon with his classmate Imaise Chika and their teacher Shibata. But when Shibata shows up unscathed and with no memories of what happened it’s now up to Yamada to discover the truth for himself and find the missing Imaise. Continue reading →

volume 18 cover

Review: Attack on Titan Ch. 79

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Attack on Titan – Chapter 79

(Kodansha 2009)

Story & Art by Hajime Isayama

Storyline Ongoing

Summary: In an alternate telling of the history of the world, mankind has been pushed back behind walls where for the last 100 years they’ve been protected from monsters known as Titans. One day these Titans appeared again and brought one of those walls crashing down – the result almost sent humanity into extinction. This is the story of the last remnants of mankind. Continue reading →

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Review: The X-Files Season 11 #7

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(IDW 2016)

Writer: Joe Harris

Art: Matthew Dow Smith

Colors: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Robbie Robbins

Reunited at last, Mulder and Scully find themselves one step closer to the truth in The X-Files Season 11 #7, as we reach the penultimate issue of Season 11 in IDW’s excellent comic book series. With the help of the Lone Gunmen to decipher a clue provided by Gibson Praise, Mulder and Scully travelled to a top secret facility in Utah, and discover it was really a magnetite mining operation. As Gibson’s machinations unfold, the faceless alien rebels attack, and now Mulder must find out whatí’s happened to Scully. Continue reading →

30-sai no Hoken Taiiku

Review: 30-sai no Hoken Taiiku -Health and Physical Education for 30 yr. olds

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(Comic Rex 2010)

Story & Art by Rikako Inomoto

1 Volume – 5 Chapters

Summary: An instructional series on how to pick up women for 30-Year-Olds. The ins and outs on how to become better a person and finally get with the girl of your dreams. At least, that’s what this series is supposed to be, but how Rikako goes about it is really, rather interesting. Continue reading →

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Marvel: The All New All Different Universe or Life in ANADU by Shawn Warner

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Greetings True Believers and welcome to this special report on the state of the All New All Different Marvel Universe or as I lovingly refer to it, A.N.A.D.U. Things have definitely picked up speed story-wise as many of the debut titles are now into their second issues and already some of these titles are proving their worth while others performances have been lackluster at best. Normally two issues wouldn’t be my cut-off point for a slow starting series but in the era of the $3.99 cover price I have become a bit quicker when it comes to swinging that scythe and separating the chaff from the wheat. I am happy to report, however that the gems outnumber the duds significantly; having said that, let’s start with one of the brightest gems in Marvel’s A.N.A.D.U, Doctor Strange by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo. Continue reading →

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Lost in the Longbox Ep. 29: The Incredible Hulk #296

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(Marvel Comics 1984)

Written by Bill Mantlo

Art by Sal Buscema and Gerry Talaoc

Letters by Joe Rosen

Colors by Bob Sharen

The Hulk is a first for many comic readers. When I was a kid there was a cartoon and a live action show. Everyone can connect with the “man inside the monster” story on some level, and being able to throw a car into space is pretty cool too. Continue reading →

Fate Apocrypha Unbirth cover

REVIEW: Fate/Apocrypha: Unbirth

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Written by Yuichiro Higashide, Illustrated by Taketo Sanada

TYPE-MOON Ace (2011)

Summary: The next Great Holy Grail War is about to begin, but Sagara Hyouma needs to summon a “Servant” to fight with in order to participate. But to summon the “Servant” of his choosing, Jack the Ripper, Hyouma needs to give a live sacrifice to the spirit. When the summoning goes awry, Jack the Ripper still appears but not as Hyouma intended. What will Hyouma do in order to participate in the next Great Holy Grail War?

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REVIEW: Rampant

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(Source Point Press, 2014)

Written and Illustrated by Joshua Werner

This is a bit of a departure for me as I usually stay in the realm of the comic book when I’m reviewing something.  Joshua Werner is a comic writer and illustrator on top of a novelist, so I’m not straying too far from the self-made boundaries of my tiny comfort zone. Continue reading →

HIT1955

REVIEW: Hit 1955

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(Boom! Studios, 2014)

Written by Bryce Carlson
Illustrated by Vanessa R. Del Rey
Colors by Archie Van Buren
Letters by Ed Dukeshire

I’ve gotten past the idea that the awesome cover art that peeks over the dividers on comic store shelves matches the art inside.  My younger self was burned more than once on the deal.  With Hit 1955 I was pleasantly surprised.  The awesome cover art only opened into pages and pages of similarly awesome interior art. Continue reading →

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Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1

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(Marvel Comics, 2015)

Writer - Brian Michael Mendis
Artist - Frank Cho
Colors - Jason Keith

Let me begin this review with an apology; I am sorry if I offend, annoy or otherwise displease anyone with my gushing admiration of this book and its stellar creative team. With that out of the way, let the love fest begin, this issue has it all, huge action, intelligent humor, razor sharp wit and some of the most eye popping pages ever created by artiste extraordinaire, Frank Cho. I know this is the pinnacle of fanboyism but, hey this is why I love comic books so much. Bendis and Cho really knock this one out of the park; they take all the elements that made this summer’s GotG movie so much fun with the addition of setting the story firmly in current continuity.

The issue opens with a clever page composition featuring Star Lord bursting with kinetic energy as he quite literally leaps across the page where the rest of his teammates are depicted rather dramatically in a column of equally sized panels; Gamora gazes icily into the distance, Drax peers stoically from the page, Captain Marvel appears poised, ready for anything, Venom hangs inverted his head enters from the top of the panel and finally Groot and Rocket share a panel playing up their vastly differing statures. The page acts as an introduction, though none is needed, and sets a break-neck pace that never slows until the final panel of the issue. Continue reading →

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Review: Critical Hit #3 & Pirouette #2

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(Black Mask Studios, 2014)

Black Mask Roundup: Of Clowns and Hunters
Critical Hit #3
Written by Matt Miner
Pencils and Inks by Jonathan Brandon Sawyer
Colors by Doug Garbark

Pirouette #2
Created and Written by Mark L. Miller
Pencils and Inks by Carlos Granda
Colors by El Comic En Linea Foundation

I blame the holidays.  They sneak up on you and hit you where it hurts the most, in your “to read” pile.  And the comics don’t stop; they keep coming week after week.  So, with apologies to the creators of these two fine books, I’m combining reviews here, hoping that I can catch up and still spread the good word about great indie books.

It’s one of the things that make it hard not to read books when I see they have that Black Mask Studios logo attached.  This company has a commitment to great storytelling and some of the finest and most original art out there. These are just good comics. Continue reading →

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REVIEW: Superior Iron Man #1

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(Marvel Comics, 2014)

Writer - Tom Taylor
Artist - Yildiray Cinar
Colors - Guru eFX

The inversion effects of the events taking place in Axis continue to wreak havoc upon the Marvel Universe turning heroes into villains and vice versa. Perhaps no other hero’s personality has been quite so adversely altered as Tony Stark; the once bright shining knight in high tech armor has pulled up stakes on his east coast digs and relocated to San Francisco, but that is the least of the changes that have turned Stark from hero to heel.

Tony has unleashed his perfection inducing Extremis 3.0 App on the populace of his new hometown, however, unfortunately for him Daredevil has made the exodus to the west ahead of him and DD does not like what Stark has planned for his city. With the even more arrogant and far more devious aspects of Tony’s personality coming to the forefront, profit has become his motivation over any of the altruistic ideals he had previously held in such high regard. Continue reading →

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Review: Toe Tag Riot #1

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(Black Mask Studios, 2014)

Toe Tag Riot #1
Written by Matt Miner
Pencils and Inks by Sean Von Gorman
Colors by John Rauch
Lettered by Sean Von Gorman

Matt Miner, king of the Kickstarter komics, extra “k” for dramatic effect, is back, and with a hunger that can only be satiated by human flesh and punk rock.  Toe Tag Riot #1, the much-anticipated first issue of Miner’s latest series, is on shelves Wednesday, and it is everything that you’d expect from Mr. Miner.

Along with longtime collaborator Sean Von Gorman, Miner drops his newest offering to the comic gods in the form of a zombie punk band, ready to chew up the competition and gnaw through the mores established by rock and roll icons.

Toe Tag Riot is not only the name of the comic but also that of the featured players in the story.  They are a band formed of various long-timers, those who stood out from other bands and couldn’t handle the b.s. that goes with working with musicians.   Continue reading →

Attack on Avengers

Review: Attack on Avengers – Attack on Titan/Avengers Crossover One-Shot

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(Marvel Comics, 2014)

Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Hajime Isayama

Scenario/Breakdown: Hajime Isayama/C.B. Cebulski
Line Artist: Gerardo Sandoval
Color Artist: Dono Sanchez Almara
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos

Summary: One day in New York there comes a sudden attack from mysterious creatures known as Titans. It seems the only ones who can save the innocent public from being eaten by these ferocious beasts are Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the… Guardians of the Galaxy?! Let the ultimate battle for humanity begin!

Review: Well hey, it was a fun thought wasn’t it? Pitting the destructive Titans from the dominating series Attack on Titan against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes from Marvel comics (but mostly their Marvel Cinematic Universe movie heroes + Spider-Man). To be fair, I really shouldn’t have expected much from the story with it only being 8-pages long and Isayama having to put in as many of these characters as possible.
Continue reading →

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Review: Spider-Woman #1

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(Marvel Comics, 2014)

Writer- Dennis Hopeless
Pencils- Greg Land
Inks- Jay Leisten
Colors- Frank D’Armata

Reviewed by Shawn Warner

This was one of those books that I was really looking forward to; in spite of all the flack surrounding the ill-fated original cover by woman exploiter extraordinaire, Milo Manara there was some real excitement generated by the return of Jessica Drew to her own solo monthly series. Drew has been in and out of the Marvel Universe spotlight over the years, most recently taking center stage in the events of Secret Invasion. Her role was second only to Norman Osborne’s in its pivotal nature.After that she sort of faded back into the shadows taking her place in the supporting cast of the next few Marvel events. Continue reading →

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Review: The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1

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(DC Comics, 2014)

Grant Morrison- Writer
Frank Quitely- Artist

The Lemniscate, The Cassini Oval, The Devil’s Curve, The Mobius Strip, these are all names for the twisted cylinder used to represent the concept of infinity, it is also a recurring theme in what is hands down the most brilliant single issue of 2014. However, to refer to Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s Pax Americana as a single issue is somewhat misleading due to the fact that it reads much more like a graphic novel; thematically as well as for sheer quantity of content, this book contains not one single superfluous panel. Morrison and his longtime collaborator Quitely have crafted a work of storytelling brilliance as well as an exploration of mathematical theorem as applied to a literary endeavor.

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RAI-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Rai’ #1

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(Valiant Entertainment, 2014)

Written by Matt Kindt
Art by Clayton Crain
Letters by Dave Panphear

The tech bug was one that didn’t bite me.  I never had a need to know how things worked, never had that wonder when looking at a computer as to how the words I typed showed on the screen.  Facebook and Twitter are a constant mystery to me.  This bewilderment with technology also seems to have extended to my interests in reading Continue reading →

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REVIEW: ‘Goof’ #1 - 3

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(New World Comics, 2013)

Written by Guy Hasson
Art by Guillermo Ramirez Issue #1
Borja Pindado Issue #2 and #3

“The World’s Goofiest Superhero?”  There could be a hundred different heroes that creep into your grey matter to fit this bill.  Super Goof, or, Disney’s Goofy in long wooly underwear, was the first that struck me.  There are no shortage of silly heroes, dunderheads and clumsy oafs who are given the chance to live a “super” life and completely mess it up, as is their wont. Continue reading →