Comics! The New Deadwardians #1

The New Deadwardians #1

Written by Dan Abnett
Art and Covers by I. N. J. Culbard

The Solicitation
Another vampire/zombie comic? Really, Vertigo? Trust us. This is different.In post-Victorian England, nearly everyone of the upper classes has voluntarily become a vampire to escape the lower classes who are all zombies. Into this simmering cauldron is thrust Chief Inspector George Suttle, a lonely detective who's got the slowest beat in London: investigating murders in a world where everyone is already dead!But when the body of a young aristocrat washes up on the banks of the Thames, Suttle's quest for the truth will take him from the darkest sewers to the gleaming halls of power, and reveal the rotten heart at the center of this strange world.THE NEW DEADWARDIANS is brought to vivid life by fan-favorite writer Dan Abnett (RESURRECTION MAN, LEGION LOST) with art by newcomer I. N. J. Culbard (At The Mountains of Madness).

No preview available

The Story
Now this was a little bit entertaining.

Essentially, this is a monster movie mash up set in England. We follow the main character, George Suttle, as his house has a zombie attacking and eating a maid. We then get to meet his English mother, and some of the servants and police that he works with.

Part of the premise of this book is that George, along with others humans not infected with the zombie disease, are all vampires. They became vampires so that they could live and not become like one of the zombie, yet they are all a part of the undead. They do file their teeth and have check ups that monitor if they have had any ravenous feelings to eat humans.

George is a murder investigator, but its hard to investigate murders when pretty much everyone is dead. That is, until a body comes up that is a dead vampire that has no marks of the usual vampire death - beheading, incineration, or impalement of the heart. So how did he die? Well, that the story of the next issue.

All in all, this is a pretty decent story. It has me intrigued, it is playing with vampire and zombie motifs, and its a good ole fashion murder mystery. Color me intrigued and delighted.

The Art
This artist knows how to work and frame pictures and characters just right. Between that and the style of the art, I am enjoying it.

Take a one page telling of how it is simply George walking into the homicide office full of empty desks. No words are spoken at all, but we get a ton of story details and understand a bit more about the character on that lone walk around the office. I enjoyed it very much.

The Cover
If you can't tell a bit of which movie monster characters are involved in this story and where it is set just by looking at this cover, then you deserve to read something else. I think this conveyed everything it needed to about the story from just that one cover. It drew my eye over to it when I was at the comic shop and I picked it up right away.

Grades
Words: 8/10
Pictures:  8/10
Recommend: Hell yea.
Buy Next Issue: Its only an 8 issue series, so unless it begins to falter next month or just takes some crazy, wacky turn, I may just stick with this throughout the entire run.

Comics! Green Lantern: New Guardians #7

Green Lantern: New Guardians #7

Tony Bedard: writer
Tyler Kirkham: penciller
Batt: inker

The Solicitation
World breaker and sun killer: Invictus has come to remake us all into his vision of perfection – he just needs to burn everything in his path first. In the New Guardians' most desperate hour, Red Lantern Bleez returns, but is even her rage a match for the wrath of a living god? All this and the origin of Invictus – and how it all ties back to Larfleeze!

Preview

The Story
Invictus: Origin Story Mode!

Seriously, that fills up many pages of the issue. What it boils down to is that Larfleeze wanted Invictus' wings. And he got them, along with killing every other person that was around Invictus. That solar system? The guy BUILT that. It's a life sized model of the Vega system, with each world reproduced to "the last topographical detail and populated with  beings genetically modified to match the Vegans I once knew and loved." Silly Vegans...

Anyhow, after some talking on everyone's part, Invictus shows us that he still sees the world in black and white and not the prism of emotion that the lanterns do (har har har). Then Bleez comes back to crash the party and the fighting ensues again. Among the moments in the fight is that Akrillo almost says that Blue Lantern is his friend and gets in the middle of the fight between the Blue Lantern and Invicuts. Then Bleez gets put into a choke hold that is reminiscent of EVERY CHOKE THAT BLEEZ HAS EVER BEEN IN WITH ATROCITUS OVER IN RED LANTERNS. Seriously, does Bleez have some sort of fetish for this type of thing?

Kyle tries winning over Invictus with words again, and Invictus says that he will let all the Lanterns leave there alive, if Kyle agrees to kill Lafleeze.

Lafleeze, by the way, was revealed to have coerced the Lanterns together to kill Invictus, but Invictus was not the one who set then rings after Kyle.

So basically it went fight, talk, fight, talk, misunderstandings, and ultimatum. Blah Blah Blah.

Its decent. Filler. The story has moved some but I'm just not particularly moved by it. Don't get me wrong, when I read that Invictus built the solar system, I was impressed. But then he returned to his cartoony-ness of being a two bit villain. And what was up with Bleez just outright attacking him? If she served no master other than her own now, and Lafleeze ordered her to go after Invicuts, and she goes there to see everyone talking, what is her motivation to attack him? The fact that he stole a Red Lantern's ring? Well, at least her ability to get into situations that are over her head continue to happen consistently across the books.

The Art
OMG, we got a little bit of Indigo Lantern but in the beginning of the issue! Don't worry, there is still plenty of random boob from Star Sapphire to keep fanboys happy.

There are some inconsistencies with character perspectives throughout the issue, such as why one character is no in between other characters and the path of the fight that takes place, but this is nothing out of the ordinary in order to frame people in the picture how you want.

Speaking of framing, let's count Star Sapphire body positions that are just awkward. How about when she is attacking Invictus in the second round, and you get to see her left side, but still somehow see half of her right boob? And how about a couple of pages later when just her boob make an appearance in the panel, cutting off the top part of her head? Seriously, between that and a couple of other panels, it is like the characters know that we are watching and are posing for the camera instead of the artist moving the camera around to where it would make sense for it to be.

The Cover
More bright and shiny happening just like the cover for last issue. At least the ability for the artist to keep the consistency of the cover look is spot on.

I will give the artist this though, there are a lot of DC add ons to the cover that you just don't see in the image I post here. Add in a UPC symbol, credits, "Invictus Unleashed" lettering, the title of the book, The DC logo and price tag, The New 52 tag line, and the banner across the top for the We Can be Heroes campaign and there doesn't leave much left. For example, anything above Invictus is just cut off. The only Lanterns I see are the Star Sapphire, Green Lantern, and the Indigo Lantern. Everyone else is covered up in some fashion.

Grades
Words: 5/10
Pictures: 5/10
Recommend: Blah. Nah, unless that character on the front cover intrigues you.
Buy Next Issue: Yes, but this book just feels inconsistent. It will have a good couple of issues, then drop off, then back to good, then drop off.

Previous Issues

Comics! Winter Soldier #1

Winter Soldier #1

Ed Brubaker: writer
Butch Guice: artist
Bettie Breitweiser: color artist

The Solicitation
• Winter Soldier and Black Widow are the super-spies of the Marvel U!
• Ex-Russian Sleeper Agents awaken, but under who’s control?
• Is that Dr. Doom? Uh oh.

Preview

The Story
What what what? Is this a Marvel comic? Indeed it is, true believer. I decided to pick up a couple of #1s from Marvel to get a taste for how things have been since my last Marvel comic that I picked up. To give you an idea of how long it has been since I last danced the marvel dance, I picked up Morrison's X-Men run, got some old Garth Ennis Punisher hardcovers, and got about halfway through Brubaker's run on Daredevil. The last X-men comic I picked up was Warren Ellis' first issue on Astonishing X-men, and I think I caught the beginning of Bendis' run on Avengers with the House of M crossover. So yea, its been a little bit.

I have been keeping up with some random interviews with Marvel creators over the years, and have heard all the big controversial story lines. A couple of years ago I did get a month's subscription to Marvel's Digital Comics and caught up on a lot of books at that time. Beyond that, I am essentially coming into this comic as a new reader. So just like the DC #1s, there are going to be some certain expectations that I will need in order to keep the comic coming each month.

With that in mind, let's go for the comic and the review of it. Now mind you, I am aware of who the Winter Soldier is. Let's look at the comic as if I am coming in with a fresh set of eyes.

And I'm lost.

I got the blurb at the beginning telling about Bucky's history. So I'm sorta caught up to speed on it, although I am wondering why the world thinks him dead now. Apparently that was something in a previous series that doesn't get explained here. Bucky is teamed up with The Black Widow. They are infiltrating a casino for a sleeper agent who is already awake.

We then get one page to get caught up with the history, or at least what the public thinks is the history, of Bucky. Bucky and Widow are also lovers apparently. They then wake up the next day to be briefed on some mission by an intel contact. But I thought that the world thought them to be dead? So how does this intel thing work?

They then infiltrate another building and run into some people who say that they think Bucky is dead. Then a talking ape shoots at them. Then we switch to Latveria and some cyborg woman with an assassin who shoots at Dr. Doom.

Kinda clunky. It left me with a lot of questions that just aren't answered in the comic. Basic ones like more of Bucky's back story. Who is the intel contact guy? Why is Black Widow around? What exactly is Black Widow's history with Bucky, besides that they are both Russian trained? Talking Ape (I know, probably will be answered in a future issue...)? Did they kill that guy and the soldiers that they attacked this issue? If not, wouldn't the world then know that he is alive again? A big shiny metal arm that he has is really good for covert operations. Actually, why does he have it? I know from my history of Bucky, but as a new reader with this #1 issue, I don't know.

I expected more from Brubaker. I sense the noir kind of feel that this comic is trying to go for, but I think Brubaker does it better in Fatale.

The Art
Murk-y. Seriously. Half the time I couldn't tell who was who. The colors are all from a dark palette that gives everything a blurry kind of feel. i don't think any of the characters are drawn consistently throughout the issue. I seriously think that each time a character gets a focus, all their facial features are different. Hell, look at the one page that the cyborg lady is in at the end. She has three panels all to herself and each panel looks like it is a different person in each panel.

The Cover
I wish that Bermejo drew the interior of the comic. I love when Lee Bermerjo, the artist for the cover, draws. Take a good look at that cover, because it is about the only time that you see the Winter Soldier in full costume at all. Everything else in the comic is full of shadows and dark inks and cuts off a lot.

Grades
Words: 4/10
Pictures: 2/10
Recommend: Not really. Kinda sad, I like Brubaker. Maybe if I have been reading Captain America since Bucky returned then maybe this might make sense. As it is, alone and by itself - fail.
Buy Next Issue: Not for me.

Comics! Teen Titans #7

Teen Titans #7

Story by Scott Lobdell
Pencils by Brett Booth
inks by Norm Rapmund

The Solicitation
Are the Teen Titans ready to stage an assault on N.O.W.H.E.R.E.? No way! But as Red Robin explains to the rest of his team, they'll have to rally to save the Superboy from certain death. And through all of this, only Solstice learns a secret Red Robin has been hiding that could tear the team apart just as they have finally come together!

Preview

The Story
Oh, no. I missed something from last issue. No wait, I didn't, I think this was the last issue of Superboy that this book is picking up from. Why did it start to cross over once I dropped Superboy? Why?

Anyhow, has you can guess, this looks like it picks up from the previous issue of Superboy. Superboy is being tortured by the one eyed guy and is about to die apparently. Enter in Kid Flash, Skitter, and Bunker to the rescue. Note to writer: If you are going to have a character describe what has happened that is easily shown in the art - you are wasting valuable words and page space. Stop that.

We do get an explanation about the weirdness outside of Red Robin's house from a few issues back. You know, how they were in the middle of the arctic and then in a village, and then in Red Robin's penthouse, and then not. Turns out it is Danny the Street, a character that apparently can transport people and make streets. He tells the Red Robin about Superboy being in trouble by showing the S-symbol upside down. Once again, Impulse has to describe what the art is showing us and then they realize what is going on.

Back to Red Robin's place, and Wonder Girl (don't call her that) is looking about as buff as a body builder twice her age. Ouch. They all decide, eventually, to rescue Superboy, and we are caught back up with the beginning of the comic.

Kid Flash has some sort of split personality thing happen to him for a minute, which I am sure will be brought up later. We miss out on a fight between Ravager and Wonder Girl that will appear in Superboy #8. I wonder why it was decided again to have this issue of Teen Titans tell you what is going to happen in Superboy. Superboy is published first, you would think that they would have events there, then continue the story in Superboy, then back and forth in a more linear way. Any who, Templar reveals that he is made up entirely of ravenous parasites that make his whole body seem like Medusa's hair. Yea. She takes all of two pages to defeat him. Yea, him who was planted as the big bad over in Superboy, or at least as the mastermind behind it all, was defeated in a few panels. OK.

Solstice confronts Red Robin and ask why they came back. He tells her that he needed to get some info to help build a case against NOWHERE. She seems taken aback by this info. It seems that Red Robin is not understanding that those teenagers are people, not data. They get tortured and kidnapped. And if this was supposed to be some big emotional moment between everyone, it fell amazingly flat for me. What did she expect of him? To go after NOWHERE all alone when he doesn't have powers? That seems to be the case, and the fact that she is this emotional about it just makes me not like her character or understand why she is like this.

Then they all attempt to leave, realize that they shouldn't leave Solstice behind, and then get captured by Harvest, who is apparently some bigger villain than any of the other evil villains before in any other issue. Seriously, there is a villain of the issue theme going on here with this comic that is just crazy. Although this villain seems to have similar powers to another villain that was in last issue. Wait minute, upon reflection all the villains seem to have a similar power set. Coincidence? Maybe not.

Maybe I just overlooked it before, but the dialogue and this story has gotten a little cheesey. I understand that they are teenagers and may react crazy-like to certain situations, but this just seems a bit too much.

The Art
It was decent this round. Besides Wonder Girl looking more and more like a body builder with each issue, where before it just seemed like she was toned, I don't have much to talk about. It does seem like the art has gotten to be more like a one page spread on every other page that highlights one character. And the art does good at bringing in some background details that the characters feel the need to describe, even though we are reading this in a medium that should allow for the art to show something and the words can show something else.

The Cover
Tone down the Green light and the lines everywhere. The combination of both drowned out the background art and I could hardly tell what was going on.

Grades
Words: 3/10 - big hunk of cheese.
Pictures: 7/10 - consistent from issue to issue. I haven't seen too much of a drop in quality, which is nice to have.
Recommend: Confusing, jarring, and not meant for much of anything. I will give it this, though. If you are a new reader, Lobdell does make sure to try and demonstrate the powers and the bits of character for the few characters that he will focus on in an issue. While nice, it does leave a lot of characters with not much being told about them.
Buy Next Issue: I will, but I am beginning to see the trend that Lobdell does with his writing on his books, and it is starting to get stale seeing too much of it at once.

Previous Issues

Comics! Thief of Thieves #2

Thief of Thieves #2

Story: Robert Kirkman
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Shawn Martinbrough

The Solicitation
Conrad Paulson has turned his back to his life as Redmond, international master criminal, in order to regain some semblance of the life he left behind. Will it be enough to reconcile with his wife? Save his son from the life? Or will it end up getting them all killed?

Preview

The Story
Let's talk about a slow burning comic. A slow burning comic takes some time to develop, will let panels pass by without words so that the art can tell some story, and knows that you will be around for a couple of issues to let it develop. The key is that the premise of the comic or the characters draw you in enough to allow for the slow burn to happen.

This comic is the perfect example of a slow burn gone bad.

The art will come later, but just looking at the story makes me wonder why it is going at such a slow pace. We start off with Redmond talking with his assistant who is obviously upset that he quit. She leaves in a huff. Redmond then goes to a restaurant and meets his ex wife in what smells like an Ocean's 11 scene. They argue about similar things that they did in Ocean's 11, and then we get a flashback to where and how the thief and his ex first met. They banter back and forth a few more panels, she tells him to talk to their son about all the lost time, and then he goes to a storage unit and looks at a picture of his son. End of issue.

I took five more minutes to read the comic again to see if I was missing anything.  I didn't. It was still a bad comic. I could care less about the main character and his problems, and I don't see the story going anywhere that I haven't seen in other media or stories. If there was at least a line or two of dialogue that stood out, then I would be happier.

The Art
Repeating panels. Several times. Fuzzy backgrounds. All over.

I remember when this artist was drawing for Detective Comics years back and I didn't notice this type of style. Funny, I almost want to pull out those old comics to see if the panels were reused at all, because that guy look eerily similar to Bruce Wayne from what I remember. I haven't gone back yet to see, just from my memory it looks that way.

The Cover
Thieves stealing money and brandishing guns. Nothing too exciting. And I still say that logo looks familiar with something else that I have seen. Bah.

Grades
Words: 3/10
Pictures: 3/10
Recommend: Nah. Kirkman doesn't have the Midas Touch with everything he touches.
Buy Next Issue: I'm out. Two issues of the same decompressed story and wasted art and I'm not interested in it.

Previous Issues
Thief of Thieves #1

Comics! Dominique Laveau Voodoo Child #1

Dominique Laveau Voodoo Child #1

Selwyn Seyfu Hinds: writer
Denys Cowan: penciller
John Floyd: inker

The Solicitation
DOMINIQUE LAVEAU: VOODOO CHILD is the story of a half-breed, outcast and heir to the Voodoo Queenship of New Orleans, if she can live long enough to claim her birthright. New Orleans is the most haunted city in America: a town of centuries-old ghosts and newly drowned spirits; where vampires, voodoo spirits and loups-garous make their home. Ruling over this all are the powerful Voodoo Queens, whose influence stretches into politics, business and crime as they maintain a delicate balance between the mortal and supernatural worlds.But in the aftermath of Katrina, all that has changed, for someone or something has murdered the Voodoo Queen and most of her court. The number one suspect is Dominique Laveau, a grad student at Tulane who is about to discover that her entire life has been a lie. Now Dominique must forge alliances with those out to kill her while seeking to uncover the truth behind the royal murders, as she is ultimately forced to deal with a destiny she could never have imagined. Voodoo Child is a new monthly series written by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, former editor-in-chief of The Source magazine, award-winning author, journalist and TV producer, with art by Milestone Media co-founder Denys Cowan (THE QUESTION) and covers by Rafael Grampá.

No preview available

The Story
I saw that they were going to release this, and outside of the title, I've been avoiding all previews/news/what have you regarding this book. I wanted to go into it fresh. And I regret that.

I had to find interviews and more background stuff and only after that did I get how the story is supposed to go. So by that standard, the comic on its own has fallen short of explaining to the reader what is going on. All the text boxes are supposed to be a song. If you read the comic, now you know. And that's fine, but when the song is nothing but riddles and half the time I can't understand what is going on in the page, then making a riddle out of it doesn't help me too much to understand either.

Dominique is running from..well everything it seems. And she can say 'fuck' a lot. She is running from the weirdest stuff, to avoiding a cop/gang shoot out, to falling into some past montage in front of a grave.

Then we have priests, and wolves, and voodoo, and what have you craziness. Crazy hunter guys. Guys who look like a cross between a pirate, a western gunslinger, and covered in dark cloaks.

I'm just lost among it all. Nothing here really grabbed me. As far as I can tell, the story revolves around a girl running away from everything. And everyone around her dies in some fashion. Then insert random Voodoo-ness.

The Art
Considering how lost I felt with the story, i didn't know how to take the art. Did it match the story? Not really. I kinda liked this style. It has a sketchy kind of style that shows some roughness. Its OK by me.

What isn't ok, and I mean not at all, is having the artist but their signature on the panels that take up the whole page. Seriously, it seemed like every character pin up type of page had the artist stamp on it. Your name is on the cover, I don't need to see it multiple times in the story with that ridiculous stamp type of thing on the page. It takes me out of the story. I understand you are proud of your work , but you have to know that that is not welcome in the middle of a comic. Especially when I am trying to get into the comic.

The Cover
Including the pricing information, there are 5 type of font on this one cover. That throws any reader off. Hell,  I could only see Voodoo Child at the top of the cover, it took me a little bit to see that there is a name above it. It honestly looked like it was part of the background.

Seeing how there is no credit for a cover artist, I'm inclined to think that the art for the cover was also done by the interior artist, but I can't really tell that because it looks like two different styles. The cover is much cleaner to the interior arts sketchy look.

Grades
Words: 2/10 - There has to be something there, I just can't follow along.
Pictures: 4/10 - Seriously, leave your stamp off the interiors.
Recommend: I don't know if I could. If anyone wants to read my copy to see if you like it, go ahead, it just might appeal to you. But if you find yourself put off about halfway through the book, just leave it.
Buy Next Issue: I'm not. I'm glad I gave it a try, but this will probably be the only issue I ever see.

Comics! Fatale #3

Fatale #3

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

The Solicitation
What will Detective Walt Booker sacrifice, to what gods? And is he looking for redemption or revenge? In part three of BRUBAKER and PHILLIPS' new horror/noir masterpiece, the threads of the first arc twist together... into a noose around the neck of a corrupt cop in late '50s San Francisco.

Preview

The Story
So Josephine seems to be able to control men, and they begin to do some nasty things, and think some nasty thoughts. Nice touch.

It is hard to get too much into the story, because some of it you can't talk about without spoiling things. There are a couple of things that do through me off, like why Nicolas was able to have a leg put on and he can start walking right away so soon after his accident.

Seems that everyone wants a piece of the book that Nicolas has in his possession. Makes me wonder if the book publisher isn't someone that we have to be concerned about as a threat later on.

This issue was ultimately one that drew me in and makes me want to keep up with the series. Maybe Brubaker has a touch the way that Josephine does, but its working on me.

The Art
Sean Phillips, awesome as always. Dark when it needs to be, lighted up when it needs to be that way, too. I'm telling you, there is so much that he does within the panels that it just works.

The Cover
Nice cover, but I can't figure out who the person is supposed to be. Which character is it?

Grades
Words: 9/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: This would be the issue that either makes you or breaks you if you were wanting to give it a three issue trial.
Buy Next Issue: It makes me. I'm hooked.

Previous Issues
Fatale #2
Fatale #1

Comics! Batman #7

Batman #7

Writer: Scott Snyder
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion

The Solicitation
Batman may have survived the Court of Owls' first strike (barely), but even as he recuperates, the Court is preparing to launch its most deadly and sweeping attack yet. Plus: The secrets revealed in this issue will change Batman's world forever! You won't want to miss the issue everyone will be talking about!

Preview

The Story
We open with the scene from Year One about Bruce getting the idea to become a bat. The bat then flies out the window and gets struck down by an owl. Nice.

I have seen way too many writers trying to invoke their image on what happened that first time with Bruce meeting the bat that inspired him. They always feel forced in some way and that scene in particular has had all the details about it squeezed out from the many other writers who have said something about that Bat-moment in history. Even giving that this is a rebooted universe and some of the stories count and others don't, I still don't feel good reading that part of the story.

After that though - the introduction to Harper, who I am sure will become a bigger character later on, is interesting.

The story just builds from there. You get Bruce returning to the cave and showing that he is still afraid of the Talon, even when he is in the cave and dead. Thankfully, the investigator part of him takes over and he sets out to know who the Talon is.

Enter Nightwing: and major Nightwing revelation. This one was sorta spoiled to me, I forget how exactly, but I like the idea of infusing this element into the story. Basically, Bruce got to Nightwing before Nightwing was to become a Talon. There is an owl engraved into the bottom of one of Nightwing's teeth to prove it, which Bruce punches out of his jaw. This is coming at the same time that Talon is revealed to be Nightwing's great-grandfather.

We then get a feature of dozens of Talons being revived and released onto the streets of Gotham in what looks like to be the beginning strike of the Court of Owls big play.

All in all, nicely set up. I am looking forward to a good Bat-crossover in the new 52, and i think this is the right story to go with.

The Art
Consistent as always. I like this art, it fits the story perfectly. Capullo has the ability to chow a crazed Bruce and then a crazed, yet determined to find the truth Bruce. While I still didn't like the opening chapter of the book, you have to be taken aback in awe of that wonderful owl snatching the bat shot. Just greatly done.

The Cover
I like the white silhouettes of the owl talons as they come to Bruce, or at least they are white on the copy of the book that I got and not the brown color that is shown in the picture here. The blood on Batman also helps show exactly what is happening in this book - we have a Batman that hasn't been through some easy times as of late and it shows. I would say that the talons took up too much space on the cover, but when you take out that banner that DC put on the top of their books and that stamp in the bottom right corner of the book that declares it to be a digital copy (which my shop only orders those version of the books and not the regular edition that cost a dollar less), then you get a much better version of the cover.

Grades
Words: 8/10 - who is this new character? I wish some more info was given for her. Quite frankly, I don't care about her and the one scene she was in really felt weird in retrospect.
Pictures: 9/10 - Good, solid, consistent work.
Recommend: This is the primer for the upcoming Bat-crossover that can get you caught up with the nitty gritty details of the event. If this was a line wide event ala Avengers Vs. X-Men or Green Lantern Blackest Night, this would be issue #0 for that series.
Buy Next Issue: Without a doubt.

Previous Issues

Comics! Near Death #6

Near Death #6

Story: Jay Faerber
Art: Simone Guglielmini

The Solicitation
This issue's a great jumping-on point as Markham embarks on his first case in his new town - protecting the outgoing Los Angeles District Attorney, whose many enemies are coming after him now that he no longer has police protection.

Preview

The Story
We get the great blurb at the beginning of the issue that lays down everything that a first time reader like myself would need to know: "Markham was a professional killer who had a near death experience during a botched mission. Determined to avoid ever returning to the Hell he glimpsed, Markham dedicated himself to balancing the scales. He's going to save a life for every life he's taken. And he's taken a lot of lives..."

This comic could go a couple of different ways with that premise. They could make the main character learn to become a doctor, but that wouldn't be interesting. They could make him a vigilante, but that wouldn't make it too different from other comics. Bodyguard for hire? Check and mate, sorta.

So he gets fired by some Hollywood actress who obviously needed someone guarding her to begin with. Then the former LA District Attorney hires him where our main guy Markham saves him on a daily basis (does this count towards his total if he is saving the same person over and over again?)

Eventually the story will do a twist that I won't spoil here to save the ending of the comic. It is a nice "Welcome to LA" kind of story for our would be redemption seeking protagonist.

The story didn't really do it for me. Too simplistic, maybe? I just didn't feel any type of connection with any of the characters, nor am I tied up into the story. I also felt the same way when I read one of Faerber's other works, Dynamo 5. Just felt like something was missing, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

Its funny, this comic is billed as being made up mostly of stand alone issues. So is the blurb on the cover that this is the start of an all new story arc kind of a lame tactic to get new readers?

The Art
The art is decent. What it could use is more dark tones with the inking. The style reminds me of belonging to some artist who drew for Gotham Central, a DC book about the police department in Gotham City that had a realistic tone and dark mood to it.

The Cover
I liked the two toned look of it. Now carry that color work over to the interiors and then I think this book has a look for it.

Grades
Words: 6/10 - felt like it was going through the motions.
Pictures: 7/10 - I liked it, it just needs some ink work or the coloring work from the cover to go to the interiors.
Recommend: Not as a first issue for a new reader. While the blurb on the first interior page gives me everything I want to know about the main character, I just don't feel connected to him nor do I feel any sense of caring about where the story goes from here.
Buy Next Issue: I'll pass, but I do think that the creators on this book could do better with other types of stories to tell.

Comics! Red Hood and the Outlaws #7

Red Hood and the Outlaws #7

Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Kenneth Rocafort

The Solicitation
Red Hood is convinced that the super assassin Essence set him up in his battle against the Untitled...and Arsenal and Starfire are prepared to help him get some payback! Plus: The trio learn that the super-villain known as Crux might be a kindred spirit after all! And the murderous Suzie Shu waits in the wings for her revenge!

Preview

The Story
Ah, yes, the story. Hum. Remember that Essence character from issue #1? That girl that appeared to only be able to talk to Jason, the Red Hood, and no one else could see her? Turns out she's the daughter of the person who trained Jason in all the way spooky stuff and they banged a while back.

But wait, there's more!

Crux, our master villain with a hatred for all things alien but wants to surround himself with alien tech, is transported into Arkum Asylum by Jason disguised as a doctor with what I assume is some psychic paper borrowed from Doctor Who. (Its blank paper people, but get used to it, there is more than just blankness there!)

Roy shows that he is into planes and technology and learns to fly Crux's ship (which they got due to Crux being in Arkum now). Starfire is bored and also disgruntled about how earth people treat aliens. Then Jason gets a visit from Essence.

Essence still can't be seen by people, which soon corrects itself so that way all our heroes can fight her. Jason pulls an all-blade from Essence, which can only be pulled in the face of true evil, thus showing Essence's true colors. I think. They seem to be made up in all black.

Apparently our big villains are around because they all drank from this dark water years ago. Seriously.

Essence then gives away her weakness by declaring that no weapon made of man can harm her. What convenience, we have a ship full of alien tech. Throw, well, anything at her. And they do, so she disappears. For now.

Jason then remembers that he has the flight attendant's number from issues ago, and gives it a ring for some reason. When the lady answers, he hangs up. Why? I assume it is to humanize him and make him feel like he has some sort of connection to the human world and human emotions.

Cliffhanger time! Miss Su, who Jason messed up a couple of issue back, is awake and angry. She wants the Red Hood! Now!

So-so story for me, overall. Just seem to float along and hit a couple of minor points, have the heroes fight something, and then on to the next. Just like their ship. Floating along.

The Art
Um, yea. This just got bad again. I know I tend to go all split personality it seems when it comes to the art, loving it one month and rejecting ti the next. The criticism matches the art though. When this artist slows down and isn't flashy, this book works. When the page is half white with little bits of action going on and panels at random angles, then this artist fails.

Take the first page. Just fine. Everything on the page is used. No weird angles, no tilted panels. Just right. Turn the page, and we get weird angles again. For what seems like no reason. And is sporadic as can be.

Let's walk through where the artist wants the eyes to go through this two page spread. In the bottom of the left side, and I believe you can see this in the preview, we see the top of Red Hood's hand. This, judging by the costume change of the character, is going to be the last thing you look at. Start with the ambulance panel, then go right. right, right, then center of the page, then the lower left corner. I would say to look at the layering of the panels to help guide you with the order to look at them, but that doesn't help either.

The two pages that we get the flashback to Essence's origin is how the rest of the book needs to look. It used up the entire page and had all the panels transition from one to the other that was easy and logical to read. Then we jump back into chaotic panels until the very last page.

Also, when transition from a panel showing the plane hovering over the city, don't show the next one where they are heading towards the city. If anything, they should be leaving. Also, when you just showed that Red Hood's mask is broken, don't show it magically fixed in the next panel without him mentioning it or the art showing that he changed. It didn't seem like any time changed between the two pages.

Generally not happy with the artwork on this one.

The Cover
The text that says "At Last! The Return of Essence!" is misleading. In fact, I had forgotten about her.

All the characters seem flat on this cover, like there is no depth showing you any sense of the third dimensional perspective that you should get telling you which characters are attacking from what depth of their angles. For example, if Red Hood is up in front, make him slightly bigger to show that he is closer to the viewer than Red Arrow. In this case, it almost looks like Red Arrow, Red Hood, and Starfire are all the same distance from us, thus the confusion.

Grades
Words: 5/10
Pictures: 2/10
Recommend: Skippable. just know that Essence and Red Hood banged and that Essence's mother was who trained Red Hood.
Buy Next Issue: It's supposed to be the Red Hood crosses over into Night of the Owls territory issue. I'm game.

Previous Issues

Jett Thoughts: Michael Bay and Turtle Power

Jett Thoughts: Michael Bay and Turtle Power

Read this article First.

This one Second

This one Third

Sigh. Having been a fan of the relaunch of the newest Turtles comic book, I find this news disappointing.

I take the fact that the Turtles have been around for years, and they have always been updating the movies, TV shows, the comics, and more. So bringing in a new take on the Turtles is just fine with me, the series and concept have been shown to roll with those changes and keep going.

The fact is that they have stuck to the core concepts in each iteration:

They are Teenage.
They are Mutants.
They are Ninja.
And they are Turtles.

The whole concept is in the title, and you have the freedom to do whatever you want with that as long as you stick with that concept. So if they are aliens, like how Michael Bay wants to take them, then that is stretching the property pretty far in my opinion. I can kinda sorta see them being mutant alien things, thus sticking with the idea that they are mutants, but why go there? who would really go for mutants from another planet that happen to be turtles?

Having just read Tales From Development Hell by David Hughes, I understand a little bit more about how a script travels through Hollywood. Producers and Actors all pouring in what ideas they want for the script, directors and executives and higher ups all doing the same. The idea that they are aliens reeks of an idea that someone who doesn't understand the core concept of the characters and what to do with them.

The fact that Kevin Eastman is saying it is all good doesn't really surprise me as much. This is a guy who has seen his creations being taken to extremes I bet he didn't want them to go to, and he still loves them for it. I don't think he is doing it to see dollar signs, I just think he is doing it because he loves seeing how people react and he, just like any creator, loves seeing an idea that they had come to life and entertain and inspire people.

So, like any Bay movie, I look forward to it being pretty on the screen, but I can't for the life of me hope that it has a good story to it. But at least I will have other Turtle stories to pay attention that will mean more, like the current Turtle comic book.

Comics! Wonder Woman #7

Wonder Woman #7

Brian Azzarello: writer
Cliff Chiang: artist & cover

The Solicitation
Remember the myth of Orpheus? Wonder Woman certainly does. And we hope she's learned its lessons well, because someone she dearly loves is in Hell's clutches – and she's the only one who can mount a rescue mission! But Hades has no mercy, even for his own family – in fact, especially for his own family – and he doesn't intend to let her walk out of his domain without paying a terrible price!

Preview

The Story
Um, OK. Obviously I need to catch up on my mythology. I'm pretty sure that if I did then a lot of the actions of these characters would make sense.

We devote the first couple of pages to introducing Eros, who has some ability to grant wishes and is the nephew of Hermes. Eros is able to help the team travel to meet The Smith.  The Smith forges the weapons of the gods and he is the one who created Wonder Woman's lasso.

The Smith has some help with all the weapon making. Turns out that they are real live humans, or half humans if you think about it. Azzarello once again makes a change that I am sure will anger fans of classic Wonder Woman stories, but makes sense in this story.

Turns out that the Amazons being only women on the island isn't some miracle. Every now and then they travel out, have sex with a bunch of men, kill them, and then near their children. All the woman get to grow up on paradise island, and all the men get to work for The Smith.

Diana thinks that they are all being help against their will by The Smith. So Wonder Woman ties up the Smith , and then declares to her brothers that they are all free. They look at her and ask why, much like how I did. They didn't look too enslaved to me. And that's what the men tell her, that they chose to be there because the Smith gave them reason and purpose when they would have had none.

No, seriously, why did the story jump to that point? To point out that Wonder Woman thinks everyone needs saving? Or to point out that she acts like a god thinking that she knows what is best for all? There was something lacking in the story to give me a clear indication of what the point of it was. I am glad that this story seemed like a one off issue in a way, but it feels like there was something there that could have been developed more.

The Art
I am liking Cliff Chiang on art again. It feels more complete now in some way. I enjoyed the fire/dog/monster thing.

I didn't enjoy the opening sequence, though. It seemed like there was going to be this big thing to reveal this mystery character of Eros, but neither the words nor the art made it feel much like a reveal type of moment. When the switch made from meeting with the Smith to Diana walking down a corridor to tie him up, there was such a jarring moment because it felt like I missed a page somewhere. There was no indication really in the art or in words that showed me that there was a change. Ugh.

The Cover
Wonder Woman: Blacksmith. Now this was a cover that worked pretty well. I don't know why the light source isn't affecting the arm that much, but i like how it lights up Dianna. This cover makes her look strong. Although with the explosion behind her, I would almost want to see the hammer brought down on the sword instead of swung back.

Grades
Words: 7/10
Pictures: 7/10
Recommend: Nice little one off issue of sorts, but you need some background in mythology to follow along and enjoy this more. If you don't have any background in it, then you need to read some wikipedia articles or something.
Buy Next Issue: Yea. And I'm saying that with a bout 70% confidence level in the book. That's down from the 100% confidence level I had when the book first started.

Previous Issues

Comics! Saga #1

Saga #1

Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples

The Solicitation
Y: THE LAST MAN writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN returns to comics with red-hot artist FIONA STAPLES for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. The adventure begins in a spectacular DOUBLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE, with forty-four pages of story with no ads for the regular price of just $2.99!

Preview

The Story
Wow, does this book do a lot to introduce the world, characters, and premise for the series.

I am greatly impressed with how much is in this comic. We got a lot to deal with, set up, and get going through.

I remember reading some of the interviews that Vaughan did for this comic and he made it his goal for people to understand that this book is for mature readers.

That being said, the first sequence features a birth, a horned creature gnawing on the umbilical cord, and breast feeding. If that keeps you interested, congrats, you've got a comic to enjoy. If the is a turn off, then this comic won't be for you. Trust me.

This is part Romeo and Juliet love story, part mysticism, all alien, and part Y: The Last Man of people running away and being tracked down by others. Its almost like Warren Ellis and Vaughan got together to create this comic, it is that unexpected combination of everything that you wouldn't expect from him, and I'm enjoying it.

All I can really say to review it properly is for everyone to read the preview. If that intrigues you, then go try the book. Its a bargain for the $2.99 that you will put down. If you find yourself breezing through the story and enjoying it, then knowing Vaughan's track record, this will be a book for you. If it just falls flat, stay away.

The Art
I like this style. Staples knows how to draw. I recently read a Northlanders book where she did some of the art and I was mighty impressed with it. Little did I realize that she would be here and things are looking stellar again.

All the characters are drawn in some good detail while the backgrounds look faded and far away. It reminds me of old cartoons from the 50s and 60s that had the one part you knew would move and be animated, and the background just sorta stayed there.

We do get some good, expressive faces. Which is nice. They don't seem stiff and unmoving. Certain characters' personalities can be seen from the way they are drawn. It speaks good to the artist's ability to tell a story in and of itself. With all the weirdness going on at first glance, that is a good thing to have.

The Cover
Simple, direct, grabs you. it tells you exactly if this is the type of book for you.

Grades
Words: 9/10
Pictures: 9/10
Recommend: I most certainly enjoyed it, and I think that there is an audience out there for this book. You just have to judge if you are a part of it or not.
Buy Next Issue: Sold for me, just as long as my shop doesn't run out of a copy.

Comics! Fatale #2

Fatale #2

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

The Solicitation
The second issue of the hottest new series of 2012 is here! In modern times, Nicholas Lash searches for answers about the mysterious woman who ruined his life, while in the mid-1950s, reporter Dominic Raines is drawn down that same murderous path... The award-winning team of Brubaker and Phillips keeps the heat on high in this epic horror noir.

Preview

The Story
In the beginning, Josephine, our nasty vixen of the book, is rummaging through an apartment. We see a bunch of old photos of an unageing Josephine.

Walter Booker gets a strange message from a member of the clergy that gets possessed by something cultish.

We get a glimpse of Hank's affair with Josephine, who is using her womanly ways to convince Hank to do something about a certain lover that she has, which is stereotypical noir.

Meanwhile Booker meets up with more of the cult people, and his connections with bribery is exposed.

It isn't long before Hank's wife discovers the affair through some lipstick, and then she gets a visitor with some sharp teeth.

I'm liking the mystery that is building with the issue. We are definitely diving headfirst into this world, even though this issue seems to set things mostly in the past. Even if I missed the first issue, the age-less Josephine is enough to intrigued me into wanting to read more.

The Art
Phillips. Good. Better here. Love it.

The Cover
I like the white bordering that this series is sticking with. hank on the cover looks the perfect part of saving the damsel in distress, but Josephine shows that she is a stronger character with that gun in her hand. I got the second printing which put the cover into black and white territory, and it looks pretty good with that contrast.

Grades
Words: 9/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Yep, still giving it a three issue go, but it looks like I might be hooked right now.
Buy Next Issue: Sold. Let's see if any mystery gets revealed soon.

Previous Issues
Fatale #1

Comics! Thief of Thieves #1

Thief of Thieves #1

Story: Robert Kirkman
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Shawn Martinbrough

The Solicitation
Conrad Paulson lives a secret double life as master thief Redmond. There is nothing he can't steal, nothing he can't have... except for the life he left behind. Now, with a grown son he hardly knows, and an ex-wife he never stopped loving, Conrad must try to piece together what's left of his life, before the FBI finally catch up to him... but it appears they are the least of his worries.


Preview

The Story
Wow, talk about how much more info the solicitation gives you than the actual comic itself. Seriously, I never would have guessed that the comic was about from the story. Hell, the name Conrad Paulson doesn't even appear in this issue. Wife and kids? Just seems like a single, older bachelor who refuses to have sex with his apprentice type person.

Here is what we got in this issue: open the comic with a heist that comes across as somewhat predictable, flash to the past when our two main characters first met, then go back to the present where Redmond tells everyone that he is going to quit being a thief.

The story itself is OK. We get to know at least the thief side of Redmond. Other than a little knowledge that he passes on to Celia (the apprentice) that someone could easily pick up from Youtube, and everyone saying that he is a master planner of some big heist, I don't really connect with the character too much. There isn't the twist here that makes me excited for the character that I haven't seen before in another median.

I get that Kirkman isn't the main writer for things here and he is created as the Story guy and the Creator (interesting...) and I kinda wonder why he passed on the main writing duties to someone else. Interesting to see where this goes.

The Art
Splashy. Somewhat repetitive. By repetitive I mean that some of the same panels look like they were copied over from the previous one with the magic of Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. I don't mind this being done once or twice in a comic, but when it is used more than that then I begin to wonder about laziness of the artist. It is surprising because I can tell a lot from the facial expressions that each character gives and I like that. It showing me that this artist can tell a story. I can flip through the pages and the story moves on its own with the art.

That last page though. It looks like the arm is just floating there. It is supposed to be this big dramatic moment, and I find it a little funny that the arm is positioned like that.

The Cover
That logo reminds me of something. Like a cross between the hand used in the promotion for Nine Inch Nails Year Zero album and a sorta style pull from a cover to 100 Bullets. Really familiar.

The cover paired with the solicitation works well together. On its own merits, its weird. I can get where it was going, but the figures in the painting throw me off. If his arm is supposed to show the divide between his two lifestyles, why include the masked gun man on the left with his family side?

Grades
Words: 7/10 - dull almost.
Pictures: 7/10 - Just ok. There is some good stuff there, but I need to see a little more.
Recommend: I'm so so on this one. I need some more issues to get where this is going. This has about as much of a good introduction to the characters as some of the DC relaunch books. I almost feel that this is like Batman, there is a bunch of stories that they are carrying over from the previous universe that you should read first. Considering that this doesn't have a previous universe, it is kinda odd.
Buy Next Issue: I bought the first two issue together, so yes. I hope I don't regret it.

Previous Issues: Batman

Batman

Previous Issues

Batman #9


Scott Snyder: writer
Greg Capullo: penciller
Jonathan Glapion: inker


Words: 9/10
Pictures: 9/10
Recommend: Better use of the Night of the Owls, and I expect nothing less from the main Bat-book.
Buy Next Issue: Of course.This comic is worth the extra buck, but I hope my shop gets the other books soon, for cover's sake.

Batman #8

Scott Snyder: writer
Greg Capullo: penciller
Jonathan Glapion: inker


Back up:
Writers: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Art: Rafael Albuquerque


Words: 9/10 - Solid beginning to this event.
Pictures: 8/10 - between the two artists, this is where is should be. Still awesome though.
Recommend: Highly, especially if this is the first time you have heard about the Night of the Owls event. Everything is laid out in this comic to get you caught up to date and to get going with the crossovers.
Buy Next Issue: Most definitely!

Batman #7
Writer: Scott Snyder
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion

Words: 8/10 - who is this new character? I wish some more info was given for her. Quite frankly, I don't care about her and the one scene she was in really felt weird in retrospect.
Pictures: 9/10 - Good, solid, consistent work.
Recommend: This is the primer for the upcoming Bat-crossover that can get you caught up with the nitty gritty details of the event. If this was a line wide event ala Avengers Vs. X-Men or Green Lantern Blackest Night, this would be issue #0 for that series.
Buy Next Issue: Without a doubt.

Batman #6

Scott Snyder: writer
Greg Capullo: penciller
Jonathan Glapion: inker


Words: 10/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: If you are familiar with Batman comics and want to give this a go, the only thing that you would be missing out on is wondering why Batman is hallucinating half the time. If you take that part out, even a new reader could connect with this issue.
Buy Next Issue: HAHAHAHAH! Now that's a funny one.



Batman #5 

Scott Snyder: writer
Greg Capullo: pencils
Jonathan Glapion: inks


Words: 9/10
Pictures: 9/10
Recommend: Not if you are picking it up for the first time. Get this if you have been keeping up.
Buy Next Issue: Hooked. Or skewered. Skewered is the better word here.



Batman #4 

Scott Snyder: writer
Greg Capullo: pencils
Jonathan Glapion: inks


Words: 10/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Hell to the yea. There is enough here that new readers can pick up on if this is the first issue they give a try to, but it is best to enjoy from issue #1.
Buy Next Issue: The money is in my pocket waiting to be spent.



Batman #3

Writer: Scott Snyder
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion


Words: 10/10
Pictures: 9/10
Recommend: Get it now. Much better than Detective, and only a hair above Batman and Robin.
Buy Next Issue: I should take this part out of the review when the first three are so positive. AS if you couldn't tell already.



Batman #2 & #1

Scott Snyder: writer
Greg Capullo: penciller & cover
Jonathan Glapion: inks


Words: 10/10 for both issues.
Picture: 9/10 for both.
Recommend: You can be a newbie to Batman and understand what is going on with all the complexities that Batman has. Get 'em.
Buy Next Issue: I did, and I will be there for 3. This is one Bat-title that will be around for a good, long while.

Comics! Batman & Robin #7

Batman & Robin #7

Peter J. Tomasi: writer
Patrick Gleason: penciller
Mick Gray: inker

The Solicitation
Batman finally discovers NoBody's lair and must confront Robin and NoBody in an explosive, brutal battle that will shake them all to their very core!

Preview

The Story
Batman vs. Nobody. What else did you expect?

This was a nice issue to have the artist flex their muscle in drawing a nearly issue long fight scene. In looking at the story, there are some great steps taken here to show a little inside each character's minds.

When Batman first arrives on the scene and asks Nobody if he expects to live, it was just an awesome moment. It had me going the whole issue wondering if Bruce would actually kill. What makes this situation different than others is the fact that Damian was going to be killed. And the comic had me going until the end.

Bruce was ready to leave Nobody behind after beating him (don't be surprised that Batman won, this is a freaking Batman book). Then Damian goes and kills Nobody. That moment was just awesome. It is exactly what I would expect out of Damian. My big qualm with it all was the final line of the book. That just seemed out of character and out of context for Damian. Something along the lines of "I did it to protect our family, father" or something similar would have worked better. The "forgive me father for I have sinned" line is just full of cliche and this moment deserved something better. Again, it was strong build up that just got a little wobbly at the end. With all the other great dialogue that Tomasi has wrote so far, I don't know why he went into the world of the cliched for some inspiration.

Here is what have worked great: have Damian giving the look back at Batman with a tear or something in his eye, a bottom lip quivering, something to show emotion and almost immediate guilt. Deliver the line "He threatened our family, father. I just...reacted."

It makes me wonder if Bruce is going to do anything to try and cover up this murder. That's going to bring an interesting dynamic to the story of Batfather and Batson.

The Art
The battle really flowed well here. It just didn't seem like a series of random punches and kicks, there was a choreography about it. It got knocked out of the park again in this issue just like previous ones. I have no problems with this art and I appreciated it very much.

The Cover
That left arm looks a little awkward coming from Nobody. other than that, the colors and the tone work well. You wouldn't think that this was a pretty intense conclusion to the first story from this cover. While the colors all work well together, it just seems like something else could have been used besides a generic Batman has half his mask torn off because he's fighting that intense type of cover.

Grades
Words: 8/10 - a bit on the cliche side for some dialogue an otherwise great story.
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Indeed I do. This is the type of story that has earned a Batman slug fest issue, and it delivers.
Buy Next Issue: Yes. The last time a Robin killed, at least in the old DC universe, He wasn't a Robin for much longer due to a slight case of death. While I imagine Damian won't have the same ending, I am interested in seeing how everyone else reacts next.

Previous Issues

Comics! The Ray #4

The Ray #4

Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray: writers
Jamal Igle: pencils
Rich Perrota: inks

The Solicitation
The final conflict between The Ray and the evil maestro who has been behind all his woes comes to a conclusion. Lucien will need to take his powers to an all-new level to defeat the evil Director and his reality warping abilities.

No preview available.

The Story
Well that was abrupt and weird.

Chanti gets the shot off and puts it right in the chest of our director villain dude. He's dying, the Ray offs the Transformer wanna-be things off in a fashion similar to a Resident Evil movie. Then the paramedics are all over the director guy while at the same time trying to get the Ray to back off. The Ray starts to cough blood and he's dying as well. Then we get the Ray deciding to try and do a light show to hypnotize the villain into altering reality to something different.

The rest is just a wrap of of the story and happy endings for all. Seriously. the Ray gets a second chance at meeting Chanti's parents for a first time and it goes really smooth. Chanti has a job with the director (promotions or something, couldn't tell, just the fact that the director was a client) and the Ray gets a call on something superhero related.

Then we take a turn for the  "I can't believe they went here" routine. When the Ray saves people from a hostage situation, in walks some black guy all Sam Jackson Nick Fury style and asking if the Ray wants to be a part of a special security team for Homeland Security. Seriously. The Avengers just got ripped off at the end of this comic. What is worse is that the Nick Fury character pointed out that the job pays more than being a lifeguard, and the Ray asks how he knows that. This just happened after he just about lit up an entire movie theater while in his civilian clothes.

So color me confused by the ending. I'm not sure why this comic went there, it was doing just fine on its own and didn't need to bring in this trick at the end.

The Art
Consistent throughout the whole series. Every character felt and looked real and not some bulked up superhero character. I enjoyed it and would continue to follow this artist in any other title that he works on.

The Cover
I swear that sometimes these little blurbs on the cover can just make the comic feel silly. "His greatest Enemy finally revealed?" Really? That just makes you laugh when you pair it with the Tron inspired outfit the villain has. Kinda weird that it looks like they are fighting inside a volcano. I wish that the Ray was used more as a light source for this cover to make him stand out a little. You do see some effort in trying to make it appear that way with the rocks here, but the bright colors of the lava drown that out.

Grades
Words: 7/10 - the worst for the series mostly because of the turn at the end. Such a shame, it was very enjoyable up to that point.
Pictures: 10/10 - nice. Will follow this artist to any other work they can get.
Recommend: Eh. For morbid curiosity to see how it ends, but it is something that is very skippable and slightly disappointing considering how the rest of the series went. Definitely not something for a first time ready to have, the rest of the series was much better than this issue.
Buy Next Issue: Can't. This is the final issue.

Previous Issues
The Ray #3
The Ray #2
The Ray #1

Previous Issues: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Previous Issues

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Art: Dan Duncan



Words: 8/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: The first page is reason enough for a first timer to get into the comic. It is essentially a recap page done well with characters meeting for the first time.
Buy Next Issue: Once you see the cliffhanger, you will know why I want to get it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Art: Dan Duncan


Words: 9/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Hell to the yes. Its the Turtles.
Buy Next Issue: Sold!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Art: Dan Duncan


Words: 10/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Highly. If you know some Turtle lore then you will enjoy this, but if you are brand new and never heard of the Turtles before then you will be lost. There is enough introduction to understand what is going on, and the characters all have a defining voice that shines in this issue. You will grow to love it.
Buy Next Issue: Waiting eagerly.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Art: Dan Duncan


Words: 10/10
Pictures: 9/10 - almost perfect, the last sequence just could have been done better.
Recommend: Besides the page or two devoted to Casey and then when Casey and April meet up, a new reader could easily catch up where everything is at in this issue. Good starting point if you missed the first storyline.
Buy Next Issue: Sold!





Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Art: Dan Duncan (New York City) & Mateus Santolouco (Feudal Japan)


Words: 10/10
Pictures: 10/10 for both artists. Distinct enough to be different, but alike enough not to jar the reader and mess with the flow of art.
Recommend: Highly do. Nice placement of a one shot story that works well by itself in the series.
Buy Next Issue: Gimme more, more, more!



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Layouts: Kevin Eastman
Art: Dan Duncan


Words: 10/10 - thanks for no Cowabungas. There was a moment that it could have worked, but it wouldn't have felt genuine after the setup in previous issues.
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Get it, got it, good.
Buy Next Issue: This would make a good jumping off issue since the one of the main stories is resolved. However, it has me hooked for more. That includes the micro issues (or at least when my shop has them in stock).



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Layouts: Kevin Eastman
Art: Dan Duncan


Words: 10/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Hell Yea!
Buy Next Issue: Sold!



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Layouts: Kevin Eastman
Art: Dan Duncan


Words: 10/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Get it now! Worth the $3.99 price point and more!
Buy Next Issue: Sold!



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1


Story: Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script: Tom Waltz
Layouts: Kevin Eastman
Art: Dan Duncan



Words: 9/10
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: If you want some grown up turtle stories, this is for you.
Buy Next Issue: I bought it with the first one!