ToeTagRiotCover

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.
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SW1

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 →

PAX1

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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REVIEW: ‘After Daylight’ Volume #1

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After Daylight Volume 1

Created by Sarah Roark

2014

Art has to be constantly changing, constantly becoming something new. The fact that printed comics have been the main mode of distribution for comic books for the last eight decades, while not coming to an end, has already begun to evolve. Digital comics, on sites like Comixology and the major comic company apps, are delivering comics into your devices sooner than they could ever get into your hands off of a spinner rack. Continue reading →

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REVIEW: ‘Starburn’ #1

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(Markosia, 2014)

Created and Written by Kelly Bender
Illustrations by Brian Balondo
Inks by Cristian Docolomansky
Colors by Laura Lee
Letters by Nic J Shaw

I’ve got a small beef with the term “indie” when it comes to certain companies. It seems that many people use the term when talking about any book not published by Marvel or DC, and I understand that in a sense. When some of these other companies came out, Dark Horse, Image, IDW, etc., they Continue reading →

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REVIEW: ‘Lone Ranger: Vindicated’ #1

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(Dynamite Entertainment, 2014)

Story: Justin Gray
Art: Rey Villegas
Colours: Morgan Hickman
Letters: Simon Bowland

I didn’t follow Dynamite’s Lone Ranger comics which launched in 2006 and recently ended despite reading a number of positive reviews over the years and it was with some trepidation that I requested this #1 to review. I’ve been in the wilderness for a while and reviewing a first issue feels like a good jumping-in point Continue reading →

MenOfWrath-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Men of Wrath’ #2

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(Icon/Marvel Comics, 2014)

Written by Jason Aaron
Artwork by Ron Garney
Color Artwork by Matt Milla
Lettering by Jared K. Fletcher

Jason Aaron has never been one to shy away from violent subject matter and he certainly brings the brutality with his new series Men of Wrath from Marvels Icon imprint. Just two issues into the narrative and already this series rivals Aaron’s Image title Southern Bastards for family dysfunction and downright nastiness. Continue reading →

Wytches-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Wytches’ #2

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(Image Comics, 2014)

Story by Scott Snyder
Art by Jock
Coloring by Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by Clem Robins

Scott Snyder has a rabid fan base.  If anyone has read American Vampire you can see his love of horror fiction.  His run on Batman broke records and changed the way people look at the whole DCU.  As if ole’ Bats wasn’t a flagship property already, Snyder cemented that position for years to come. Continue reading →

OutcastsOfJupiter-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Outcasts of Jupiter’ #1

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(Coker CoOp Books, 2014)

Written by Shobo Coker
Art by Shofela Coker

The abundance of crowd-funded comic books on the market today makes it nearly impossible to keep up.  It’s a constant complaint for me, not just with the indie market but with the standard market as well.  There are a lot of comic book to read, and you can’t always be on the front lines to see this stuff at its’ beginning. Continue reading →

Avengers-X_Men-AXIS--No4--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Avengers & X-Men: AXIS’ #4

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(Marvel Comics, 2014)

Written by Rick Remender
Pencils by Leinil Francis Yu
Inks by Gerry Alanguilan
Color Artwork by Edgar Delgado

Last issue saw the bad guys come to the rescue as Magneto rounded up some of the biggest baddies in the Marvel Universe and convinced them to trade their black hats for white ones, if only on a temporary basis. Rick Remender has made character development and interaction the cornerstone of this story. Continue reading →

Tooth-and-Claw-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Tooth and Claw’ #1

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(Image Comics, 2014)

Writer – Kurt Busiek
Artist and Cover Colors – Benjamin Dewey
Colors – Jordie Bellaire
Lettering and Design – John Roshell and Jimmy Betancourt

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again, I love going in to a new issue #1 with one idea and coming out on the other end with a completely new understanding of what is going on in a book.  Being surprised is really one of the greatest things in a medium where you think you’ve seen it all. Continue reading →

WKRP-COMIC--COVER

REVIEW: ‘COMICS #5: WKRP in Cincinnati’

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(Levity Biographies, 2014)

Writer – Chad Lambert
Illustrators – Particio Carbajal and Apriyadi Kusbiantoro
Colorist – Rodney Fyke
Letterer – Jaymes Reed

Nostalgia is a player at the table of geek culture.  How many times do we watch a movie and groan a little at how much we liked it and how bad it really is?  I’ve refused to read books that I previously loved just on the off chance that it might be much worse than I remember and therefore ruin it for me now.  You can never downplay the nostalgia factor when checking something new out. Continue reading →

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REVIEW: ‘Penny Dora and the Wishing Box’ #1

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(Image Comics, 2014)

Writer – Michael Stock
Artist – Sina Grace
Colorist – Tamra Bonvillian
Letterer – Hope Larson

Wishing for things is bred into us from a very young age.  We’re told by our parents to wish on stars, birthday candles, when the clock hits 11:11, and if you’re like I was when I was little, I always wished for the same thing.  The Millennium Falcon.  The Hasbro one, with the chess table and spinning quad gun on the roof Continue reading →

BOO-Vol2-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘BOO!’ (Vol.2) #1

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(Monkeybrain Comics, 2014)

Written by RJ White, Dylan Todd, Leonard Pierce, Jan Morris, Delilah Dawson, Chris Sims, Ken Lowery, Manning Krull, Sean Pappe, Scott Faulkner, and Benito Cereno
Art by Kelly Tindall, Matt Digges, Pete Toms, Gloria Reynolds, Adam Watson, Matt Smigel, Joel Carroll, Matthew Allen Smith, Andy Hirsch, Shawn McGuan, Manning Krull, Sean Pappe, Erica Henderson, Scott Faulkner, and Jordan Witt

Halloween was just upon us, and along with scary movies, trick or treating, and the occasional summer camp hack n’ slash, we turn our thoughts to holiday-themed television shows and more importantly, comics. Continue reading →

The Last Temptation cover

REVIEW: ‘Alice Cooper: The Last Temptation’ 20th Anniv. Edition

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(Dynamite Entertainment, 2014)

Writer: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Michael Zulli

Summary: Welcome to the world of the Theatre of the Real, where nightmares come to roost and the choice is yours to stay or go – but either way, life will never be the same. That is what happens to Steven, a boy who is afraid and confused by the hard truth of growing up. Continue reading →