CaptainAmerica-No7--1

REVIEW: “Captain America” #7

(Marvel Comics, 2013)

Review by Shawn Warner

WRITTEN BY:  Rick Remender
PENCILS BY:  John Romita Jr.
INKS BY:  Scott Hanna & Klaus Janson
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Dean White

There is light at the end of the tunnel but will Cap survive to reach it and if he does will he be in one piece, recent events in Zolandia would make this a tough call. Issue number seven begins with a flashback two years prior to the events currently taking place. Continue reading

anathema_vol__1_trade_cover_by_theironrachel-d618tcd

RearView Review: “Anathema” TPB

(Tiny Behemoth Press, 2012)

Review by Brad Gischia

WRITTEN BY:  Rachel Deering
ARTWORK BY:  Christopher Mooneyham & Wesley St. Claire
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Fares Maese & Ian Herring
LETTERING BY:  Rachel Deering

A Return to Classic Horror Story Telling.

Greetings from the Wasteland!
*Warning here there be Spoilers!

I came to this book through social media and the wonders of the comic book convention.  (I will not ever stop talking about the wonders of the Con, I don’t want to and you can’t make me.)  I was browsing the list of artists that were going to be at C2E2 when I saw the name Rachel Deering, and upon further digging found the name of the trade she had recently penned, Anathema.  I checked it out and made sure her booth was a stop on my stroll through artists’ alley. Continue reading

X-Men-NEW-2013--cover1

REVIEW: “X-Men” #1 (2013)

(Marvel Comics, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY:  Brian Wood
PENCILS BY:  Olivier Coipel
INKS BY:  Mark Morales & Olivier Coipel
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Laura Martin
LETTERING BY:  VC’s Joe Caramagna

This opening issue to Marvel’s newest X title - just “X-Men” this time around - is an interesting one, to say the least.  What you might normally expect from a first issue, and especially an X title, is a huge opener with a ton of weight and characters to toss around, with huge villains and even larger problems. Continue reading

CrisisOnInfiniteEarths-cover1

RearView Review: “Crisis on Infinite Earths” (1985)

(DC Comics, 1985)

Review by Brad Gischia

WRITTEN BY:  Marv Wolfman
PENCILS / LAYOUTS BY:  George Perez
INKING / EMBELLISHING BY:  Mike DeCarlo, Dick Giordano,
Jerry Ordway

Greetings from the Wasteland!

*Note and general spoiler alert.  These books are nearly thirty years old so there should be no reason to alert anyone to plot points herein discussed.  On the other hand, I myself read these books with virgin eyes only days ago, so there is a chance that lifelong comic fans have never read this series. Continue reading

Avengers-12-Cover1

REVIEW: “Avengers” #12

(Marvel Comics, 2013)

Review by Shawn Warner

WRITTEN BY:  Jonathan Hickman & Nick Spencer
ARTWORK BY:  Mike Deodato
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Frank Martin
LETTERING BY:  VC’s Cory Petit

There is no denying that Jonathan Hickman is taking his time telling his Avengers story. Everything that has happened thus far including the White Event has been yet another puzzle piece slipped meticulously into place leading up to Infinity. Continue reading

SubatomicPartyGirls-Issue-One-cover

REVIEW: “Subatomic Party Girls” #1

(Monkeybrain Comics, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY:  Chris Sims & Chad Bowers
ARTWORK BY:  Erica Henderson
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Erica Henderson
LETTERING BY:  Josh Krach

“Subatomic Party Girls” has quite an interesting name, and is one that might turn some people away from this title before they actually look into it.  Honestly, the title of this comic is one of the only things I found off-putting with this first issue, as what you’ll find inside is some awesome and lively comic work - fun for fans of rock ‘n’ roll, space adventures, aliens, and classic characters. Continue reading

REPORT: The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books (1938-1950) Exhibit

Zap! Pow! Bam! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books (1938-1950)
An Exhibit at the Jewish Museum of Maryland from January 27- August 18, 2013

Report by Shawn Warner

___________

In my bag of goodies I picked up on Free Comic Book Day I found a flier with a coupon printed on it for one free admission with a paid admission to the Jewish Museum of Maryland’s comic book exhibit. Continue reading

REVIEW: “A Ninja Named Stan” TPB

(Arcana, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY:  Mike Whittenberger
ARTWORK BY:  Delia Gable
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Delia Gable
LETTERING BY:  Mike Whittenberger

I’ve been reading a ton of very creative and unique comics as of late, and almost all of this has come straight out of publishers like Arcana - projects with all the heart and talent the creators can muster, creating millions of titles that not only tell interesting tales in an interesting way, but also comics that are so fun you lose time while reading. Continue reading

Wolverine-and-theX-Men--No29-cover

REVIEW: “Wolverine and the X-Men” #29

(Marvel Comics, 2013)

Review by Shawn Warner

WRITTEN BY:  Jason Aaron
ARTWORK BY:  Ramon Perez
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Laura Martin
LETTERING BY:  VC’s Joe Caramagna

Time travel seems to be playing a very significant role in the Marvel Now universe and although this is not a time travel story in the way that say Age of Ultron is, this issue of Wolverine and the X-Men does rely at least in part on time travel. Continue reading

KINSKI-COVER--1

REVIEW: “Kinski” #1

(Monkeybrain Comics, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY:  Gabriel Hardman
ARTWORK BY:  Gabriel Hardman

Releasing this Wednesday the 15th, “Kinski” has to be one of the most subtle and curious titles I’ve read in nearly 30 years of reading comics.  While I can see someone flipping through this and not getting much out of it, I found that hidden ‘between the lines’ was an intricate character study, an engaging story that so far is totally not what would be expected. Continue reading

SolidStateTankGirl_01-cover1

REVIEW: “Solid State Tank Girl” #1

(Titan Comics, 2013)

Review by Raymond Jacques

WRITTEN BY:  Alan C. Martin
ARTWORK BY:  Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
DESIGNER:  Rob Farmer
LETTERING BY:  Andrew James & Jon Chapple

ATTENTION! Tank Girl, Jet Girl, Barney, & Booga are all back with their own particular brand of nihilistic absurdity in Alan C. Martin & Warwick Johnson-Cadwell’s Solid State Tank Girl #1…AND IT IS SO DAMN FUN! It has been a sheer joy to read and review an advanced copy of this book and would love to read more (hint ,hint). Continue reading

Secret_Avengers_Vol_2_4

REVIEW: “Secret Avengers” #4

(Marvel Comics, 2013)

Review by Shawn Warner

WRITTEN BY:  Nick Spencer
ARTWORK BY:  Luke Ross

A.I.M. has stolen the Iron Patriot technology and recruited Mentallo, a disaffected S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, to bring sentience to the armor. They began to think and reason, they ascended. They set about serving the will of their makers- no matter what the cost in lives. Continue reading

Bigfoot-Sword-No3-cover-small1

REVIEW: “Bigfoot: Sword of the Earthman” #3

(Brewhouse Comics, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY:  Josh S. Henaman
ARTWORK BY:  Andy Taylor
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Thomas Bonvillain

One of the very first reviews posted here on Bag & Bored was for issue #1 of this title, ‘Bigfoot: Sword of the Earthman’, and I’m happy to say we’ve been following it since then.  Issue #3 is out now, and I while I had some great expectations of this issue, I am very glad to announce my expectations were blown to tiny bits.  And then blown again into nothing.  I sat down with this issue and before I knew it I had read it a number of times over the course of the following three days. Continue reading

Adventures-of-Superman--No2

REVIEW: “Adventures of Superman” Chapter #2 (Digital Firsts)

(DC Comics Digital Firsts, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY:  Jeff Lemire
ARWORK:  Jeff Lemire
COLOR ARTWORK:  Jose Villarrubia
LETTERING:  Wes Abbott

DC Comics’s ‘Digital Firsts’ are a short comic or chapter in a longer arc, releasing once a week and available for .99 cents.  They have titles ranging from ‘Legends of the Dark Knight’, ‘Justice League Beyond’, to a companion comic to TV’s “Arrow” and a ‘Smallville’ title continuing past the long-gone television show of the same name.  They’re usually great fun, and a nice little bit of a comic for when you want to read but not get too involved in a storyline. Continue reading

DetectiveComicsNo20-cover1

REVIEW: “Detective Comics” #20

(DC Comics, 2013)

Review by Raymond Jacques

MAIN STORY: “King For A Day”
WRITTEN BY:  Jon Layman
ARTWORK BY:  Jason Fabok
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Jeromy Cox
LETTERING BY:  Jared K. Fletcher

BACKUP STORY“Empire Of The Son”
WRITTEN BY:  John Layman
ARTWORK BY:  Andy Clarke
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Blond
LETTERING BY:  Dezi Sienty

This issue is the finale of the “Emperor Penguin” storyline that began in Detective Comics #13 which followed the rise of henchman, Ignatius Ogilvy, from the ranks of The Penguin’s Lieutenant and his calculated dismantling of Oswald Cobblepot’s unbreakable grip on Gotham City’s underworld. Continue reading