REVIEW: ‘Edison Rex’ #15

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(Monkeybrain Comics, 2014)

Story by Chris Roberson & Dennis Culver
Written by Dennis Culver
Artwork by Dennis Culver
Color Artwork by Stephen Downer

In many ways human culture is obsessed with the very nature of time as it relates to our lives.  We see ourselves through a lense of our past, though it is a biased and individually skewed one depending on what our outlook on life tends to be.  We look ahead fueled by our dreams and tempered with our worries and faults, and we try to find an idealized future within these confines.  We abstractly think of the paths and choices that may lead to such a life, trying to find direction.

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REVIEW: ‘iHero’ #1

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(Obscure Reference Comics, 2013)

Written by Luke J Halsall
Artwork by Graeme Kennedy
Lettering & Publshing by Gary Chudleigh

‘iHero’ has a premise I’m surprised I haven’t seen elsewhere.  The idea is simple: an amazing tool has been invented and released to the public - the iHero.  This device gives the user access to a large range of superpowers such as flight, teleportation, and super-speed, all of which we see right off the bat. Continue reading →

REVIEW: ‘Bigfoot: Sword of the Earthman’ #5

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(Brewhouse Comics, 2014)

Written by Josh S. Henaman
Line Artwork by Andy Taylor
Color Artwork by Tamra Bonvillain

‘Bigfoot: Sword of the Earthman’ has been an immensely epic and unique sword & sci-fi mash-up since the get-go.  The entire run up to this point has followed that lead and run with it, far enough to where the lines between the normally divisive ‘fantasy’ and ‘sci-fi’ genres are so blurred they’ve become their own separate world. Continue reading →

REVIEW: ‘Harbinger’ #20

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(Valiant Entertainment, 2014)

Written by Joshua Dysart
Artwork by Clayton Henry
Color Artwork by Brian Reber

Welcome to “Resistance”.  Leave your secrets at the door.

Over the course of its current run, ‘Harbinger’ has had a very strong ‘Us vs. Them’ vibe.  What began as a simple tale of the possible-hero/maybe-saviour escaping the hard confines of Toyo Harada’a teachings at his Harbinger Foundation has, over time, become so much more.  The vibe remains but it has focused Continue reading →

Bag and Bored’s ‘Best of 2013’: CORY THRALL

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BEST OF 2013
with Cory Thrall

When I started this crazy thing called Bag & Bored I was looking for something to kill some time and have some fun with.  Nothing big, no readership - just silly meanderings on whatever comics I had read that week.  Consider my surprise that here we are over a year later and with quite a cast of reviewers and writers on our team.  One of the major pay-offs with this site has been Continue reading →

REVIEW: “Ash and the Army of Darkness” #2

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(Dynamite Entertainment, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

Written by Steve Niles
Artwork by Dennis Calero
Letters by Marshall Dillon

I’m normally not one to get into movie/television/video game based comics.  They almost always feel like they have no real connection to the source material other than by name and characters alone.  There have been the exceptions to this rule and Continue reading →

REVIEW: “Legends Of Red Sonja” #1

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(Dynamite Entertainment, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

“Legends of Red Sonja”
Written by: Gail Simone
Artwork by: Jack Jadson

“Eyes of the Howling God”
Written by: Nancy A. Collins
Artwork by: Noah Salonga

“La Sonja Rossa”
Written by: Devin Kallie Grayson
Artwork by: Carla Speed McNeil

I never knew I was a fan of Red Sonja.  Come to find out that I am, and a big one.  I saw her in comics throughout my life, never really landing on any sort of opinion.  I’m usually not a fan of this genre, whether it be Continue reading →

REVIEW: “Afterlife With Archie” #1

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(Archie Comics, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY: Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa
ARTWORK BY: Francesco Francavilla
COLOR ARTWORK BY: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERING BY: Jack Morelli

Archie and zombies.  Zombies and Archie.  Riverdale in the midst of an approaching zombie apocalypse.  Who would have thought - even with the Zombie craze that has become a growing epidemic of it’s own - that we’d see these words together outside of some weird Fan Fiction? Continue reading →

REVIEW: “The Mocking Dead” #2

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(Dynamite Entertainment, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY: Fred Van Lente
ARTWORK BY: Max Dunbar
COLOR ARTWORK BY: Aikau Olivia
LETTERING BY: Simon Bowland

Humor in comics are making a big splash, whether it be an indie or major publisher, and I think it’s a great thing.  The comic world as a whole suffers when creators and publishers take their entire line of books too seriously, and for a long time this was the case. Continue reading →

REVIEW: “Quantum and Woody” #3

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(Valiant Entertainment, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY: James Asmus
ARTWORK BY: Tom Fowler
COLOR ARTWORK BY: Jordie Bellaire

I’ve seen this title being referred to as a “buddy cop” type pf story, only with costumes and super powers, and this is fairly accurate.  You have all of the right fixtures - the strong, more experienced hero matched with the loose cannon crazy guy - all tipped in a thick coating of humor, science fiction, and mystery. Continue reading →

REVIEW: “It Came!” #1

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(Titan Comics, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

Created, Written & Illustrated by:  Dan Boultwood, Esq.
Edited by:  Mark McKenzie-Ray, Steve White
Designed by:  Russell Seal

The advertising I saw for this comic listed “Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000” as the perfect audience for “It Came!”, and I couldn’t agree more. Continue reading →

REVIEW: “X-Files: Season 10” #2

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(IDW Publishing, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

STORY BY:  Joe Harris w/ Chris Carter
WRITTEN BY:  Joe Harris
ARTWORK BY:  Michael Walsh
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Jordie Bellaire
LETTERING BY:  Shawn Lee

Comics based on films, television, and video games have really filled the market in the past decade or so, from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, many “Army of Darkness” spin-offs, and even a “Mass Effect” list of titles.  There are more, but I think you get the point. Continue reading →

REVIEW: “Liberator” #2

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(Black Mask, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

CREATED & WRITTEN BY:  Matt Miner
ARTWORK BY:  Javier Sanchez Aranda
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Joaquin Pereyra
LETTERED & EDITED BY:  Vito Delsante

In Brad Gischia’s review of “Liberator” #1 (linked below) the scope and importance of this title was established and explained in perfect detail, from the real life activism of creator and writer Matt Miner, to the realities of the situations displayed in the comic backed by amazingly intelligent articles at the end of the issue.  This is a comic that tells a whole new story, and a much needed one.  An incredibly important and largely overlooked ‘issue’ - the systematic torture and mistreatment of animals of all kinds.  Continue reading →

REVIEW: “Numbercruncher” #1

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(Titan Comics, 2013)

Review by Cory Thrall

WRITTEN BY:  Si Spurrier
ARTWORK BY:  PJ Holden
COLOR ARTWORK BY:  Jordie Bellaire
LETTERING BY:  Simon Bowland

Being released today, July 17th, Titan Comics new title “Numbercruncher” is not at all what you might think from the cover, but isn’t that supposed to always be the case?  What looks to be a mobster of some kind is actually a false face for the genius and inventive story that lies behind it.  This is no ‘normal’ comic, and that’s a very good thing.  Originally published in “Judge Dredd: Megazine” #306-308, this is a comic that shifts from black and white to fully colored artwork, making for a curious and satisfying read. Continue reading →