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Review: Heliosphere

(webcomic 2014, print 2016)

Created by Ben Jelter

Comic creator Ben Jelter comes from my wheelhouse.  He grew up in the late eighties and nineties, and watched a lot of animation.  Just look at his most current work, Heliosphere, and you’ll see what I mean.  He’s got credits as well, with previous projects Moscow 38 and The Tumor. Continue reading

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Review: Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #1

(Valiant 2015)

Writer:Robert Venditti

Art: Raul Allen with Patricia Martin

Art Assistant: David Astruga

Colors: Borja Pindado

        From the pages of Book of Death, Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #1 sees Valiant’s immortal master of war cast into a realm far older, and deadlier than anything he’s ever encountered before in this brand new series from New York Times best selling writer Robert Venditti (Book of Death, X-O Manowar) and breakout artist Raul Allen (Bloodshot Reborn)! Continue reading

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Review: Giant Days Vol. 1

(Boom! Box 2015)

Created and Written by John Allison

Illustrated buy Lissa Treiman

Colors by Whitney Cogar

Letters by Jim Campbell

One can’t be involved in the world of comic book fandom, trudging through weather to get your new books and chat with the regulars, without getting that one person who slaps you on the back and thrusts a book into your face saying, “you gotta read this.”  Continue reading

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REVIEW: Plagued #2

(BHP Comics, 2015)

Written by Gary Chudleigh
Art and Colors by Tanya Roberts
Lettering by Colin Bell

Just when you thought it was safe to trust your government, when the line of baloney the military industrial complex was feeding you was the only baloney on the market, Plagued #2 has returned to dissolve those beliefs. Continue reading

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REVIEW: The Fly: Outbreak #1

(IDW Publishing, 2015)

Written by Brandon Seifert
Art by menton3
Lettered by Tom B. Long

The Fly is a seminal film. David Cronenberg directed a George Langelaan adapted short story (screenplay was by Charles Edward Pogue) and made it into a film that makes your skin crawl 30 years after it was first released. (1986)  This book comes out fortuitously. I just watched this movie last week so the images and creepy-crawly feelings are still pretty fresh in my mind. Continue reading

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REVIEW: The Humans, Vol. 1

(Image Comics, 2015)

Written by Keenan Marshall Keller
Art by Tom Neely
Colors by Kristina Collantes

Wow. What can I say about “The Humans”? It was spectacular. The adjective that kept coming to my mind when thinking about this series is “brazen.”  It felt like it was breaking rules. That is probably because of all the not so good comics I have read in my lifetime. A really good one stands out like it’s breaking the rule that comics can’t be this good. The writing and art both seemed really fresh to me, and the story had me locked in. Continue reading

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Column: The State of the Marvel Universe

By: Shawn Warner

Greetings and salutations True Believers and welcome to another installment of State of the Marvel Universe. For those of you joining us for the first time, I will be acting as your very own Secret Wars correspondent reporting all the latest additions and changes to Marvel’s ever expanding roster of post incursion titles to be included in the status quo obliterating crossover event beginning in May and the resulting fallout of these changes. Sound like a pretty tall order? Well believe me it is. Continue reading

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REVIEW: Orphan Black #2

(IDW Publishing, 2015)

Written by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett with Jody Houser
Art by Szymon Kudranski
Colors by Mat Lopes
Letters by Neil Uyetake

I am a tabula rasa when it comes to Orphan Black. I am, in fact, writing this forward before I’ve read either of the comics, numbers one or two, so that I can try to get a before and after impression. Continue reading

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REVIEW: Howard the Duck #1

(Marvel Comics, 2015)

Written by Chip Zdarsky
Art by Joe Quinones

Admittedly Howard the Duck #1 was not a book I was even sure I was going to pick up; right up to the very second I was at the counter purchasing my usual absurd amount of NCBD offerings this week I could hear that still small voice in the back of my head urging me to give this feathery foul tempered fowl a fair chance. Continue reading

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REVIEW: Postal #2

(Image Comics/Top Cow, 2015)

Written by Bryan Hill and Matt Hawkins
Art by Isaac Goodhart
Colors by Betsy Gonia
Letters by Troy Peteri

How do you ferret out the truth when the teller is a proven liar? Where do you turn to solve a murder in a town filled with convicted criminals? Who can you possibly believe? Continue reading

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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