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Today's reviews!

Reviews for 19-12-21 
​Reviews for 18-12-21 Reviews for 17-12-21 Reviews for 16-12-21
​Reviews for 15-12-21 Reviews for 14-12-21 Reviews for 13-12-21
​Reviews for 12-12-21 Reviews for 11-12-21 Reviews for 10-12-21
​Reviews for 09-12-21 Reviews for 08-12-21 Reviews for 07-12-21
​Reviews for 06-12-21 Reviews for 05-12-21 Reviews for 04-12-21
​Reviews for 03-12-11 Reviews for 02-12-21 Reviews for 01-12-21

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The Modern Frankenstein #3

6/26/2021

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The Modern Frankenstein #3
Heavy Metal Presents/Magma Comix
Written by Paul Cornell
Illustrated by Emma Vieceli
Coloured by Pippa Bowland
Lettered by Simon Bowland

    When one of James and Elizabeth's experiments spirals out of control, will they be able to contain the damage? And will it drive them apart, or closer together?

    The opening here is so bloody fantastic!  I automatically hated Adrian, I mean reading his opinions and who wouldn’t, wait what sane educated person wouldn’t.  So seeing what we do makes this interesting and intriguing moral questioning.  Attraction and sex can change a person and the fact that these two can’t seem to keep their hands off one another for long is something that makes me wonder.  I’m fully engaged here because what Paul does is make the reader think about what we’re seeing, the circumstances of why and how they are going about it and the overall should they be doing this and what kind of ramifications for the actions await them?  This really is as entertaining as all get out and it’s very intellectual or cerebral in nature and it works on those levels and so much more.  

     I am gobsmacked by the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well.  The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances that they encounter.  And oh there are some spectacular encounters here and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, and like an iceberg it’s so much larger underneath.  The pacing is superb and as it takes  us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we see just how complicated everything her truly is.  

I am really enjoying seeing the way that this is structured and how the layers continue to grow, evolve and emerge anew all depending on the avenues that open up or are taken.  The layers contain some of the more interesting bits and the interruption before sex time, these and more add such depth and complexity to the story.  How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is exceptionally well achieved.

    The interiors here are bloody brilliant.  The linework is clean, crisp, sharp and with the varying weights and techniques being utilised to bring out this level & quality of detail work is staggering in how gorgeous it comes across.  The utilisation of backgrounds is nicely done and then to see them work within the composition of the panels to show depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope of the story.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show an extremely talented eye for storytelling.  The colour work is equally as brilliant.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is beautifully rendered.  I do like that we see the aftermath of a killing spree without the gore but with equally impressive visuals.  The creativity and imagination is stupendous and how it can look so delicate yet so strong at the same time takes some massive amount of skill and talent.
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    There are some truly fabulous moments that happen throughout this book and then leave us with something of a cliffhanger ending.  This really is something special and that it’s as much cerebral as it is a monstrous display of power and amorality on display making it feel like that modern Frankenstein monster.  The monster was never really evil it’s always been the doctor who thinks he can play god that is the scarier creature.  This books shows that and then some and it really is brilliantly written along with some stellar artwork bringing it to life.

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Shadowman #3

6/26/2021

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Shadowman #3
Valiant Entertainment 2021
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Jon DAvis-Hunt
Coloured by Jordie Bellaire
Lettered by Clayton Cowles

    What is your darkest secret worth? Shadowman must face demons from his past and demons of the present as he encounters the sinister Undertaker. Will Jack be dragged into a Hell of his making?

    I am really enjoying this book.  Jack isn’t used to being hunted by things he can’t counterattack and that’s becoming more and more obvious as the issue moves forward.  More so since he has no idea who or what is hunting him.  I will also say that I very much like the way that this is being told.  The then and now aspect of what we see is handled extremely well and it provides the necessary background information for how and where we see him currently.  This doesn’t feel bogged down or forced.  Cullen manages to create a great experience with the way that he is telling this story as it takes us through the pages engaging the reader and getting them to feel what Jack is feeling.  I really enjoy the fact that this is different from anything we’ve seen of his adventures to date and that feeling of unease and danger really should go hand-in-hand with Shadowman!

    I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is perfectly presented.  The character development is utterly amazing thanks to how we see the dialogue, the character interaction and the way we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we are drawn deeper and deeper in the world Shadowman inhabits.

    I appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and emerge as new avenues open up to us.  The layers are where the bulk of the characterisation lies as well as seeing Josef’s connection to the Loa and its these bits that add extra depth and complexity to the story.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are beautifully achieved.

    The interiors here are really rather quite dramatic.  The linework is sensational and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality in the detail work leaves me gobsmacked.  That half page where we meet the new player in the game is a complete and utter wow moment as the imagery is strong and powerful and downright creepy and it’s perfectly rendered.  I think there are too many panels without backgrounds because when we do see them they are phenomenal!  Not only do they enhance the moments and flesh out the scenes but they bring us this great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a stupendous eye for storytelling.  The colour work is brilliantly rendered.  I love Samedi’s outfit and how we see it so brightly rendered and next to Shadowman’s darker visage the contrast is quite striking.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is perfectly rendered.  The creativity and imagination that we see throughout including the colours add so much intrigue and interest to what we see.
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    One of the more exciting aspects is that we are seeing more and more about Loa and the different ones that walk the Earth.  We know Jack has his Loa and we’re beginning to see more folks who have their own and should they live it would appear a new network is opening up to Jack.   The writing here is exquisitely rendered and with this level of interior artwork bringing it to life this may be the best Valiant title to come out lately.

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Phantom on the Scan #3

6/26/2021

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Phantom on the Scan #3
Aftershock Comics 2021
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Mark Torres
Lettered by Dave Sharpe

    With the body count rising around them, a group of doomed psychics confronts a telekinetic murderer who is venting his rage against anyone in his path. Their mental gifts are both the key to their survival and the path to their own destruction, as they move ever closer to uncover-ng the awful secrets the Trellux Institute is protecting.

    I finally figured out what this reminded me of and that’s James D. Hudnall’s Espers.  Though I must say Cullen’s is much darker and more violent it still has shades of that series, just shades mind you and with Mark’s interiors it really made me wistful .  i will say that I love the fact that I hadn’t seen the opening coming.  Last issue Victor was approaching the house and here we see exactly what he had in mind though he didn’t harm any of the group that was assembled, something about kindred spirits which is my phrase and paraphrasing than anything that was actually said.  I do like this because it gives us a chance to see another of them in action with their psychic ability as they try to learn more about the quickly fading doc.

    I am an absolutely huge fan of the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of event unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented perfectly.  The character development that we see is bloody perfect as well thanks to the dialogue the character interaction and how they act ad react to the situations and circumstances they encounter.  It should also be noted that with the use of their abilities helps in fleshing them out even further.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we are caught up in this thrilling race against time as the group struggles to learn more about what’s happened to them.

    I am really impressed with the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and emerge as the situations dictate.  The layers contain bits of backstory and intense characterisation some of which strengthens the main arc while other swirl around it supplementing it.  This brings us some great depth and complexity to the story.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved exceedingly well.

    I love the interiors here.  There is something about Matt’s style that really fits this story so beautifully and I can’t see anyone else nailing this the way he does.  The backgrounds here are utilised judiciously and it’s all about how everything works within the composition of the panels which shows the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the book.  This makes the panels feel fuller and utilised to their max and it’s pretty damn impressive to me.  The utilisation of the page layout and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a truly gifted eye for storytelling.  The colour work is equally as brilliantly rendered.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work are magnificent to see.  There is a real mastery of colour happening within these pages and that it feels like watercolour at times and near realistic, computer generated?, at others demonstrates that understanding of how to use colour to its maximum effect.
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    This is a great modern supernatural horror story.  The group is currently living on borrowed time unless they can find the people who made them this way.  Along the way it’ll be interesting to see who lives and who dies and if they do indeed learn the truth will it be something they can live with knowing?  This will engage your mind with its exceptional writing and characterisation that’s wrapped up in these absolutely mind blowing interiors.

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Mister Miracle in The Source of Freedom #2

6/25/2021

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Mister Miracle in The Source of Freedom #2
DC Comics 2021
Written by Brandon Easton
Illustrated by Fico Ossio
Coloured by Rico Renzi
Lettered by Rob Leigh

    After the shocking events of issue #1, Shilo is suddenly on the run from a powerful new enemy who believes the Mister Miracle mantle belongs to them. With his career in shambles, his apartment destroyed, and no real understanding of what’s happening, Shilo must fight his way out of an unwinnable situation and track down secrets held by his mentor and friend, the first Mister Miracle, Thaddeus Brown!

    Well I have no idea what Earth this is on but I do know it isn’t Earth 1 or whatever the current main Earth is.  We know this because on that Earth Shilo was trained by Scott and was given the mantle with his blessing and what we learn here is that this Shilo doesn’t even know who he or Barda are.  My guess would be Earth 23 but that’s just a shot in the dark.  That right off the bat this is what I’m thinking about means that I am invested and engaged in this book to a very high degree.  Which by the way is absolutely stunning in my humble opinion.  

    I am very much enjoying the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well.  The character development is amazing thanks to the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances that they encounter.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story along with the twists & turns keep the reader riveted to the story.

    I greatly appreciate the way that we see this being structured as well as how the layers within the story continue to emerge, evolve and strengthen.  It is within the layers where a lot of the strong characterisation takes place as well as how we see the reaction to his identity being partially revealed on telly and through public opinion.  These bits add extra depth and complexity to the story in such a great manner.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved exceedingly well.

    I am absolutely loving the interior artwork here.  The linework is exquisitely laid down and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level and quality in the detail work is astonishingly well rendered.  We do see some amazing use of backgrounds and when they aren’t it’s really all about the composition within the panels as they all work together to bring us the depth perception, a sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a magnificent eye for storytelling. The colour work is bloody brilliant!  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show a master colourists eye.  The way the colours pop and how they are laid down, the gradation in particular is amazing to see on these pages, are expertly rendered.
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    Shilo has always been a good solid character but we never did get to see a lot of him so that this focuses on him and what he can do is absolutely delightful.  With his Mother Box and the appearance of N’Vir Free the story is only just getting started and it’ll be rather interesting to learn where she comes from and why she is going after anyone wearing the Miracle mantle who isn’t related to Scott Free.  Something is rotten in the state of Denmark and I cannot wait to find out what that is.  With some stupendous writing and outstanding interiors this will engage you in ways that are unexpected and yet oh so fun to explore.

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Bloom #2

6/25/2021

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Bloom #2
Hero Tomorrow Publishing 2021
Created, Written, Layouts, Colours & Lettering by Ted Sikora
Illustrated by Butch Mapa

    Chapter 2
     The journey to mind-bending madness continues between Ramsey, the comic book artist, and Regina, his dancing body-painted muse.

    First it was Apama, then it was Tap Dance Killer and now it’s Bloom, Ted keeps expanding his universe and each title is so vastly different but each one is so bloody successful in bringing the characters to life.  This is another hit for me and a huge reason why I support indie publishing houses as this is where some of today’s best storytelling is taking place.  I can easily see how Ramsey could have fallen for Regina while she’s all painted up with these symbols on her body so that he forgets himself and the fact he has a girlfriend and succumbs to his passions.  Any creator who can bring his muse to life is going to fall under that spell and the fact that these symbols he painted on Regina actually possess power that he’s unaware of them actually possessing well that’s just him in his haste to bring his idea to life.  It is almost like playing god in a way and that alone is something can be a dangerous game to play.

    I love the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceedingly well.  The character development is phenomenal and this is thanks to the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react the situations and circumstances that they encounter.  I love how Ramsey finds himself exceedingly scared of Regina the more she succumbs to the symbols painted on her body and acts more like a woman possessed than his actual muse.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we’re captivated by the turn of events that we see.

    I appreciate how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and emerge as the situations dictate.  The layers contain some great bits including characterisation and the subtle and overt aspects of the story that add this wonderful depth and complexity to the story.  How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is exceptionally achieved.

    The interiors here are utterly brilliant.  I like the tasteful nudity that we see though it was the time of Woodstock and free love and seeing them full monte wouldn't have hurt.  The linework is strong, clean and crisp and how the varying weights and techniques are being utilised to create this level in the quality of detail work is astonishingly well rendered.  The backgrounds that we see take on a life of their own becoming a character in their own right while enhancing the moments as well as working within the composition of the panels to create the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a magnificent eye for storytelling.  The colour work is bloody brilliant as well.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show a strong eye for how colour works and how to get the maximum effect out of them.  

    This story is fascinating, exciting and pretty terrifying all at the same time.  While Regina succumbs more and more to the character Ramsey has created he grows increasingly scared of her.  The dynamic of the book keeps changing and the more we see the more we want to see because it really is something dangerously thrilling.  With exceptional writing and characterisation wrapped up in these gorgeous interiors Bloom may just be one of the best new books of the year.

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The Blue Flame #2

6/25/2021

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The Blue Flame #2
Vault Comics 2021
Written by Christopher Cantwell
Illustrated by Adam Gorham
Coloured by Kurt Michael Russell
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

    The Blue Flame digs deeper into the Tribunal Consensus as he weighs the decision of defending all of humanity before them... but wait, shooting victim Sam Brausam is in a coma in Milwaukee, and his estranged sister doesn’t know if he’ll wake up.

    Well this issue takes us some place I hadn’t really expected to go, well actually several places I hadn’t expected to go.  I love that too because it means I have to pay attention to what’s happening or else I might miss more clues to different aspects to the story.  The opening is great and seeing Dee go about her day with the pregnancy test, going to work and everyone is so wrapped up in what happened to The Night Brigade.  I was wondering what was so important that we saw Dee and Mateo in the first issue and opening up this one and I wasn’t expecting it to hit this close to home as it were.  I also was thinking that Sam was with the Tribunal Consensus at a different point in time not at the same time which of course gives a whole new meaning to what it is he’s experiencing.

    I love the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader leans information is presented exceptionally well.  The character development is amazing and this is thanks to the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter.  The pacing is superb and how it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we are drawn further and further in and are in some shock and awe at what we learn.

    I am really impressed with the way that this is being structured and how we see the layers within the story continuing to grow, evolve, strengthen as well as emerge anew depending on what is happening at any given moment.  Christopher is doing a magnificent job with the subtlety and the overt aspects of the storytelling and how we see what he’s doing adding this depth and complexity to the story is sensational.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is beautifully achieved.

    The interiors here brilliantly rendered.  I love the style we see and the traditional comic book of it all.  The linework is strong, clean and crisp and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail work that we see is utterly magnificent.  The utilisation of backgrounds throughout not only enhance the moments but how they show the creativity and imagination along with working within the composition of the panels bringing out the depth perception sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is bloody brilliant to see.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling.  The colour work is equally as brilliant.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a beautiful eye for how colour can be utilised for maximum affect.
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    There is this inherent charm to this book and while overtly we see the consensus as both scary and benevolent the truth may be something else entirely.  That I feel as if there are two main arcs running simultaneously adds the enjoyment of the book.  It feels like there are so many different things happening within this book and yet nothing feels like it is being rushed, glossed over or thrown in for the sake of it being there.  There is a subtle complexity to the book and it ignites the readers own creativity and imagination perfectly.  This is so intelligently written and beautifully illustrated so that it takes us places that evokes emotions and feelings you never expect to see and have.

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Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Summer Fun #1

6/25/2021

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Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Summer Fun #1
Archie Comics 2021
Written by Frank Doyle, Dan Parent & Hal Smith
Pencilled by Dan Parent & Dan Decarlo
Inked by Mike Esposito, Rudy Lapick & Don D’Agostino
Coloured by Barry Grossman
Lettered by Bill Yoshida & Marty Epp

    It’s time for some FUN IN THE SUN with BFFs Betty & Veronica! From beach parties to tropical island getaways, summer days are always a lot brighter with Betty & Veronica!

    I love that this is full of stories that haven’t been seen in a number of years as well more modern ones.  It truly is a wonderful reminder that Archie and the gang have been around for eighty years now and no matter what era we see the stories from it seems that their characterisation remains nearly identical.  Yes we’ve seen their evolution but at their core they are the same kids they’ve always been and that is incredibly heartwarming to me.  I am equally as impressed by the fact that there are four stories and each one is a complete tale.  I admire anyone who can write a short story like this and have it contain everything it needs.  

    I love the way that these are being told.  Each vignette is going to possess the same attributes so I love them all, the first being actual favourite, and I’m going to lump them all together here.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well.  The character development that we see is amazing and that’s thanks to how we see the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances that they encounter.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages you just think I know it’s complete but I want more of this story or that one.  

    How this is being structured and how the layers within the story emerge is extremely nice to see.  The layers within each story contain some of the best bits of characterisation and other story points that work with the main arc and swirl around it bringing extra depth and complexity to the story.  This is what makes it such an excellent all-ages title so that everyone sees something a bit different.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as move the story forward is beautifully achieved.

    The interiors here are phenomenal.  I love how seeing the fashions change over the eras and then how they circle back upon themselves so that you can see how everything old is new again.  The linework is sensational and how we see them utilised to create the detail work is utterly marvellous.  How backgrounds are utilised to enhance the moments and showcase where they are, the Lodge island for instance or the roller coaster and the park all of these work within the composition of the panels to bring us depth perception, a sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such brilliant eyes for storytelling.  The colour work is spectacular and how we see the various hues and tones within the colour being utilised is just gorgeous.
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    This really is the epitome of an all-ages title.  This is what you leave in the house or pass around the family and then talk about over a device free meal.  Everyone is going to have a different experience reading this and that’s what makes the Archie line of books as bloody brilliant as they are.  Plus no matter what mood you are in there is no way that this doesn’t make your day that much better, regardless if it’s raining out, hot as heck or just feeling a little down in the dumps this will most assuredly brighten up your day.

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M*F*K*Z #1

6/25/2021

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M*F*K*Z #1
Happy Tank/Behemoth 2021
By Guillaume “Run” Renard
Translated by Dan Christensen

    The NETFLIX distributed hit movie by Studio 4 C (Batman: Gotham Knight, The Animatrix) comes to comics with an over-sized #1 event! Jump into the unique world created by legendary artist Run following Angelino and his flaming-skull pal Vinz, who live in a gang and cockroach infested dystopian metropolis called DMC, a city that hides secrets even weirder than its inhabitants.

    As I was reading this the first thing that popped into my head is that this reminds me of the days when Mtv used to have killer programming like Daria and Beavis & Butthead.  It makes me laugh like I did back then at it’s silliness and crazy antics that just smacked of real situations taken to an extreme.  This was off the wall, offbeat and completely out of the range sanity to the point that I loved every single moment of this book.  Right now I don’t understand why this wrestling is so important but then I don’t have to it’ll all come down the pike eventually and in the meantime I’m just going to enjoy it, plus I laughed hysterically at how their junk is seen in their pants.

    I am loving the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well.  The character development is phenomenal and this is thanks to the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter.  The conversations between Vinz and Angelino are beyond incredible and that two best friends can converse like this is what we dream about having.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the page revealing the story, this world and these characters we find ourselves en-rapt in this story.

    How we see this being structured and how the layers within the story emerge, grow and strengthen is extremely nice to see.  The extra characterisation and bits of information that we see whether subtle or overt do wonders in bringing some depth and complexity to the story.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved exceptionally well.

    I really like the interiors here as well.  The linework is phenomenal and how we see the mixture of styles throughout is bloody genius.  There is some great use of backgrounds throughout the book as well as they enhance the moments and bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  The creativity and imagination that is on display here is utterly marvellous.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling.  The colour work that we see is extremely well rendered.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is really great to see.

    There are so many fantastic moments throughout this book that just make you laugh and shake your head in disbelief but brings you joy nonetheless.  There some brilliant storytelling going on here and it all stems from a single event that poor Angelino doesn’t realise was significant in any way.  I will say if I could do what he does then please let it happen to me as well heh.  I think these two, Vinz is caught up in this cause they are best friends and roommates, make for not much an odd couple but one of the buddy pairings I’ve ever seen.  
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     This is so bloody brilliant and interesting thanks to this exceptional writing and characterisation and its wrapped up in these fantastic interiors to remind you that comics can be thrilling, action packed and be pure fun to read. 

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Claire and the Dragons #1

6/25/2021

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Claire and the Dragons #1
Scout Comics/Scoot! 2021
By Wander Antunes
Translation by Marjory Abuleac

    Scoot Imprint:
The villagers talk about the crazy old hermit, Lontar, who lives in the caves. They say he stands guard against dragons that will never come, creatures that exist only in his mind. Young Claire is the only one who believes him and has befriended the old outcast. She doesn't realize that he has been training her to fight, and telling her the ancient stories for a very special reason. Lontar wants Claire to take his place and save the ungrateful people who mock them both. Soon their laughter will be replaced with cries for help, and one brave girl, armed with only her fighting staff, will be the villagers' last hope. Enjoy the first issue of this NON-STOP! title followed by the entire story collected soon after in one volume.

    I don’t know how long till the trade comes out but I have to say it’s a bit of a tease to get the first issue and have to wait.  Then again this is precisely what its intended to do, get the reader interested, invested and engaged so they want, nay need to read the rest of the story.  So bravo on a job well done.

    I am in love with the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well.  The character development is exceptional thanks to the dialogue, character interactions and the way they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter.  I have to add that seeing how are visually adds a ton of characterisation as well which goes hand-in-hand with the writing.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists & turns along the way as well as introduce us to this world and these characters is beautifully done.

    I’m impressed with how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story emerge, grow and evolve over a short period of time.  The layers contain the intense characterisation as well as the subtlety within the story and these add so much depth and complexity to what we see.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is superbly achieved.

    The interiors here are absolutely charming.  The linework is fantastic and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to bring about the detail work is astonishingly well rendered.  That we see backgrounds as prolifically as we do makes me a happy camper and they enhance the moments as well as work within the composition of the panels to show the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  We see some nice creativity and imagination here and I cannot wait to see how the dragons are going to be rendered.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling.  There are pages that pop and stand out thanks to how they are utilised and it’s so nice to see.  The colour work is gorgeous.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is incredibly well rendered.
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    I know this is the young adult line from Scout but honestly this is for anyone of any age or gender.  It has depths to how its told so that people of different ages and reading levels will see different aspects of the story come to life before their eyes.  It is a stunning display of storytelling and I doth my cap because this really is being brilliantly told.

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Infinite Frontier #1

6/25/2021

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Picture
Infinite Frontier #1
DC Comics 2021
Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Xermanico
Coloured by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Lettered by Tom Napolitano

    When our heroes saved the Muliverse from Perpetua in Dark Nights: Death Metal, everything was put back where it belonged...and we do mean everything. All the damage from all the Crises was undone, and heroes long thought gone returned from whatever exile they had been in. Most of them, at least. Alan Scott, the Green Lantern from the Justice Society of America, has noticed some of his allies are still missing in action, and he’s determined to find them. There are others, though, who would rather remain hidden than explain themselves, like Roy Harper, a.k.a. Arsenal, a man who should be dead but now is not. Plus, what does all this mean for the DCU’s place in the Multiverse? On opposite sides of a dimensional divide, both Barry Allen and President Superman ponder this question. Not to mention the Darkseid of it all! Or a team of Multiversal heroes called Justice Incarnate!

    There are a few points that are made right off the bat that really struck a chord with me, chief among them is that Alan Scott and his kids are back and he’s already running off to join a inter-multiverse team so he can once again avoid spending time with them.  Also on a side note whatever happened to Molly, ya know his wife?

    I like the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information is solidly presented.  The character development we see through the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter keeps the characters familiar yet fresh at the same time.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the vignettes and setting up where the story is going.

    How we see this structured and how the layers within the story emerge and grow is rather well executed.  The bits of characterisation, the different cliffhanger style moments they all work to add depth and complexity to the story and raise the intrigue and interest factors exponentially.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is extremely well achieved.

    I am a huge fan of the interior artwork here.  The linework is incredible and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to bring out this level & quality in the detail work is bloody gorgeous.  That we see this prolific use of backgrounds makes me incredibly happy and not only do they set the stage & enhance the moments they work within the composition of the panels to bring us depth perception, a sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a brilliant eye for storytelling.  The colour work is brilliantly rendered as well.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work really is laid down expertly.  The techniques we see is fantastic and overall just the way they enhance the linework shows us how colour can and should work.

    There are a lot of introductions here that don’t always segue into the next very well but with this large a cast to introduce I guess that’s to be expected.  Trying to cram this into six issues means we’ll see this now and then but I hope the reception to this is strong because the idea is solid and I’d personally love to see an ongoing monthly or even better a series of limited series featuring cases as arcs.  This way we can see the layers run through from the first to the current to the future.  I do have to wonder where Rip Hunter and Waverider and the others are as they’re supposed to protect the time stream.  
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    Joshua is an amazing writer and this is off to a great start and it sinks its teeth into you so that you want to see what’s going to happen next.  This is a grand idea and it’s being seen magnificently and with this level of artwork you are definitely in for a treat.

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