star-trekplanet-of-the-apes-3_cover

REVIEW: Star Trek/Planet of the Apes #3

(IDW Publishing / Boom! Studios, 2015)

Written by Scott and David Tipton
Art by Rachael Stott
Colors by Charlie Krichoff
Lettered by Tom B. Long

I was never a Trekkie. I never had that fanboy appreciation for the series or films that ensnares half of the geek culture. (because let’s face it, you’re either a Trek fan or a Star Wars fan.) I came to Star Trek by a much longer route, through the films, Wrath of Kahn is still my favorite, and eventually through my children. Continue reading

HIT1955

REVIEW: Hit 1955

(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

Screen shot 2014-12-02 at 11.40.33 AM

REVIEW: Escape from New York #1

(Boom! Studios, 2014)

Writer – Christopher Sebela
Artist – Diego Barreto
Colorist – Marissa Louise
Letterer – Ed Dukeshire

I’ve a love of post-apocalyptic fiction and prose that began long before I first read about zombie’s taking over the world.  That love was born and bred of films I loved growing up, films that took the bright and shiny future and filled it with the most loathsome buggers around, and then made those guys the heroes.  Mad MaxThe Running Man (yes, that one too), and especially Escape From New York captured the imaginations of a generation of kids who grew up with Ronald Reagan and George Bush, and thought that whatever was coming was most assuredly not going to be better.  There were sequels to some of those films, some good, some…not so good, but now, under the leadership of Boom! Studios, we’re getting another sequel, this time to a classic.

Continue reading

REVIEW: ‘Sirens’ #1

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Written, Illustrated, and Created by George Perez
Colors by Leonardo Paciarotti

Let’s not bury the lead.  George M*$@er&*.^%’in Perez!  Need I say more?  The man who helped define the look of a generation of comic books has released his first original book.  BOOM! Studios and George Perez release Sirens this week, but don’t expect to get it on the first read.  Perez’s brain works on several Continue reading

WildsEnd-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Wild’s End’ #1 (of 6)

(BOOM! Studios)

Created by Dan Abnett & I.N.J. Culbard
Written by Dan Abnett
Illustrated & Lettered by I.N.J. Culbard

I usually try to begin a review with a snappy anecdote, some little tidbit about my personal history with comics or entertainment that will bring the reader more easily over to my point of view.  (Because the long and short of it is if you’re reading this you’re wondering about the book and my review was one that popped up on your search engine.)  With Wild’s End #1, out from BOOM! Studios this week Continue reading

TheWoods-No4--COVER

REVIEW: ‘The Woods’ #4

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Created & Written by James Tynion IV
Artwork by Michael Dialynas
Color Artwork by Josan Gonzalez
Lettering by Ed Dukeshire

As a huge fan of James Tynion IV’s previous work, particularly his Batman related work and especially his collaborative efforts with Batman scribe extraordinaire, Scott Snyder, I was quite excited when I learned of the release of his more horror themed series, The Woods. Now here we are four issues into the Continue reading

EvilEmpire-No3--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Evil Empire’ #3

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Created and Written by Max Bemis
Illustrated by Ransom Getty and Andrea Mutti
Colored by Chris Blythe
Lettered by Ed Dukeshire

The altered reality is a constant source of inspiration for writers.  What better way to craft a convincing story than to build it on a foundation of truth?  And some of my favorite comic stories over the years, from Marvel’s What If…? series to DC’s Elseworlds line, covered characters with changed traits because of altered history. Continue reading

BigTrouble-No2--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Big Trouble In Little China’ #2

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Story by John Carpenter and Eric Powell
Written by Eric Powell
Art by Brian Churilla
Colors by Michael Garland
Letters by Ed Dukeshire

Pass me my parachute pants!  Get me a bottle of Pepsi Clear!  Eric Powell (The Goon) hauls us back to the 80’s by the headphone cord of a Sony Walkman, and drops us smack in the middle of another Jack Burton adventure. Continue reading

Nightbreed-No2--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Clive Barker’s Nightbreed’ #2

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Story by Clive Barker
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Piotr Kowalski
Colors by Juan Manuel Tumburus
Letters by Ed Dukeshire

Remember sleepovers in the 80’s when you would stay up all night long watching films your parents wouldn’t let you at your own house, hoping that in reality none of the images would be too scary for you to handle by yourself, in your darkened bedroom, the next night?  I have one friend whose birthday landed on Friday the 13th every couple of years, and he would treat us to those very types of movies.  My introduction to horror classics like Continue reading

EmpyMan-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘The Empty Man’ #1

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Vanesa R. Del Rey
Colors by Michael Garland
Letters by Ed Dukeshire

By page nine I was saying to myself…”What the f@#k is going on here?”  And that’s what we’ve come to expect, no to depend upon, when reading a Cullen Bunn comic book.

Bunn (The Sixth Gun) brings his own spin on a horror/contagion comic with The Empty Man, a new series from Boom! Studios. Continue reading

ClockworkAngels-No2--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Clockwork Angels’ #2

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Written by Kevin J. Anderson
From a story and lyrics by Neil Peart
Illustrated by Nick Robles
Lettering by Ed Dukeshire

A month has already passed, like the tick-tocking of the proverbial (and literal) clock; it’s time to return to Albion, the world dreamt up by Neil Peart of Rush fame.  In the first issue we met Owen Hardy, the farm boy who decided to take his future in his hands and leave everything he knew and go to the city. Continue reading

HerobearAndTheKid-SavingTime-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Herobear and the Kid: Saving Time’ #1 (of 5)

(BOOM! Studios / KaBOOM!, 2014)

Written & Illustrated by Mike Kunkel

My wife often mentions that I am immature.  It may certainly be true.  I like Saturday morning cartoons, at least the ones from my youth that are reruns.  When watching said cartoons I like to eat sugary cereal, preferably something with marshmallows or chocolate flavoring that will change the remaining milk in the bowl. Continue reading

EvilEmpire-No2--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Evil Empire’ #2

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Created and Written by Max Bemis
Illustrated by Ransom Getty
Inks by Ryan Winn
Colored by Chris Blythe
Lettered by Ed Dukeshire

I read a lot of comic books.  Most of them are not books that I’ve been reading for years, whose history has been imprinted on me from a very young age.  Most of the books I read on a monthly basis are new books from smaller studios like Boom! Continue reading

Curse-No4--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Curse’ #4

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Written by Michael Moreci and Tim Daniel
Art by Riley Rossmo and Colin Lorimer
Additional Colors by Tamra Bonvillain
Letters by Jim Campbell

As I woke up Tuesday morning and stumbled out to my truck, dragging my feet through new-fallen snow I happened to look up and see the red orb of the moon hanging low in the early morning sky.  It is one of those things that help to conjure an image for certain.  How appropriate that the week of the blood moon eclipse also sees the release of Curse #4 from Boom! Studios, the last in a four issue short from Michael Moreci (Hoaxhunters) and Tim Daniel (Enormous). Continue reading

Translucid-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Translucid’ #1 (of 6)

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Written by Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert
Art by Daniel Bayliss
Covers by Jeff Stokely and Ming Doyle

Which reality is the one that we believe?  Is it the one where super villains plot great and intuitive schemes against those nemeses that have plagued them for their entire lives?  Or is it the one where a boy draws on lined paper in his bedroom, imagining the things he wishes he could do and creating those very villains from everyday things? Continue reading

Lumberjanes-No1--COVER

REVIEW: ‘Lumberjanes’ #1

(BOOM! Box / BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Written by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis
Illustrated by Brooke Allen
Colors by Maarta Laiho
Letters by Aubry Aiese

Boom! Studios lurks in the shadows waiting to strike.  They are not a company that is unused to publishing big, popular books.  They have licensed properties like Garfield, Adventure Time, and Hellraiser, but also have many original books, including Curse, Dead Letters, and Polarity.  It’s these kinds of books that can project Boom! into another class altogether.  At the same time, they are a company that is keeping their collective ear to the rail when it comes to new properties, small books that might not otherwise get a viewing. Continue reading

REVIEW: ‘Dead Letters’ #1

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Created & Written by Christopher Sebela
Art by Chris Visions
Colors by Ruth Redmond
Letters by Steve Wands

The concept of purgatory, that waiting room between Heaven and Hell, has been both and inspiration and a driving force to the arts for centuries. From Dante’s Inferno, where Purgatory was a mountain representing the climb to a better life, to McFarlane’s Spawn, where it was the third party in the Heaven/Hell battle, purgatory is and will always be a place where good ideas can fester. Continue reading