(Caliber Comics 2015)
Writer: Travis McIntire
Artist: Grant Perkins
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Bayani is fun and cool. It’s a kid friendly series from Travis McIntire and Grant Perkins that is both steeped in Filipino folklore, and at the same time modern and youthful. Continue reading
(Source Point Press 2015)
Writer – Travis McIntire
Artist – Stephen Sharar
Colorist – Sean Seal
Letterer – Joshua Werner
There is a lot to say about Up the River #1. First off, it’s a Kickstarted indie title. It is most definitely a labor of love by those involved. Continue reading
(Black Mask Studios 2015)
Written by Matt Pizzolo
Illustrated by Anna Muckcracker Wieszczyk
Additional Illustrations by Ben Templesmith, Tim Seeley, and Amancay Nahuelpan
I try to keep my reviews tasteful. I try to refrain from curse words as adjectives because they don’t usually expand upon an idea any more than a regular adjective might. I may have to make an exception here. Godkiller Volume 1, what an amazing f@#kin’ book. (and I don’t use my keyboard characters lightly.) Continue reading
(Michigan Comics Collective 2015)
Written by Greg Wright
Art by Sean Seal, Jason Jimenez, Stephen Sharar, Joe Freyre
Colors and Letters by Sara Sowles
Edited by Travis McIntire
I grew up on holiday specials. Not one calendar year would pass without me marking the upcoming holidays by running through the television checklist. Continue reading
(Source Point Press 2015)
Written by Travis McIntire
Pencils and Inks by Stephen Sharar
Colors by Sean Seal
Letters by Joshua Werner
Up The River from Source Point Press is not your average indie comic. Like everything in the industry, “independent comics” have changed over the last fifty years. Continue reading
An Interview with Packs of the Low Country creators John Dudley and Don Cardenas
By: Brad Gischia
I’ve been going to cons for about five years now, and as I’ve grown with the con experience, I’ve found that meeting the creators, the artists and writers, has become what takes up most of my time there. Continue reading
(Boom! Box, 2015)
Written and Illustrated by Madeleine Flores
Colored by Trillian Gunn
This book is dripping with cuteness. It’s really something to see. I loved the tone and the execution of the book. This was my first exposure to Help Us! Great Warrior. Continue reading
(Uproar Comics, 2015)
Written by Danny McLaughlin
Art by Adam Pescott
Lettering by Dannii Coyle
The Ballad of Half Hanged MacNaughten is, at it’s core, a love story. A “Romeo and Juliet” esque story as the creators mention in the postscript. Continue reading
(RedLine Comics, 2015)
Written by Brain Visaggio
Art by Kevin Roberts
Letters by Zakk Saam
Edits by Heather Antos
For those of you who have been following the adventures of an intrepid band of humans, fighting for their right to live on a free world, welcome back. Continue reading
(Borderline Press, 2013)
By Dennis Wojda
One cannot help but see reviews. It’s the nature of the entertainment beast, of which I am a willing cog, that for every film trailer, book excerpt, or comic book PDF there will be a person tap-tapping away on his laptop, opining on a shadow in the corner or a too-closely-filled word balloon. At the same time, there is nothing better than being surprised and having your preconceived notions wonderfully smashed before your eyes.
(ComixTribe, 2015)
Story by Sam Read
Art by Alex Cormack
Letters by Tyler James
Edited by Steven Forbes
Comic books are a big business. Apart from many businesses though, it is also an art form, which brings it’s own set of complications. How do you judge art? It’s in the eye of the beholder of course, but there is a way to tap into the collective consciousness that makes something culturally popular and therefore financially successful, and at this point in time the term “comic book” seems to bring out wallets like never before.
Written and Drawn by Matt Bellisle
2014
Over the last couple of years I’ve become increasingly interested in the indie comic market. I go into comic shops whenever I’m traveling and look for their “indie title” or “local author” section. Sometimes there are none, but increasingly, you find that each and every little town has a dedicated cadre of comic enthusiasts, willing to put the effort into creating a book.
I found TetherMen at a shop in Wisconsin, and immediately picked it up and slapped it (lovingly of course) on top of the pile I was in the midst of purchasing. Matt Bellisle, the author and artist, has delivered a unique book in a clever package.
(Source Point Press, 2014)
Written and Illustrated by Joshua Werner
This is a bit of a departure for me as I usually stay in the realm of the comic book when I’m reviewing something. Joshua Werner is a comic writer and illustrator on top of a novelist, so I’m not straying too far from the self-made boundaries of my tiny comfort zone. Continue reading
(Boom! Studios, 2014)
Written by Bryce Carlson
Illustrated by Vanessa R. Del Rey
Colors by Archie Van Buren
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
I’ve gotten past the idea that the awesome cover art that peeks over the dividers on comic store shelves matches the art inside. My younger self was burned more than once on the deal. With Hit 1955 I was pleasantly surprised. The awesome cover art only opened into pages and pages of similarly awesome interior art. Continue reading
(Chaos! Comics, 2015)
Evil Ernie: X-Mas Special
Written by Steven Seeley
Art by Juanan Ramierez
The Chosen in: Slicing Sammy The Snowman
Written by Michael Moreci
Art by Rod Rodolfo
Let The Blood Flow
Written by Steve Seeley
Art by Carlos Reno
Colors by Rhovel Yumel
Letters by Marchall Dillon
The Chaos Holiday Special 2014 takes three classic Christmas stories/songs, and gives them a chaotic twist (pun intended). The first of the three stories is Evil “Ernie: X-Mas Special.” This story is modeled after the children’s story “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moor. And just like it’s inspiration, “Evil Ernie: X-Mas Special” takes place the night before Christmas – and that is where the similarities end. Rather than following a family asleep, waiting for Santa Clause, this story takes place at the North Pole as Santa mentally prepares himself for his big day. And since this is a Chaos story, the Santa we all know and love isn’t at all what we are used to. You see, Santa isn’t fat but built. Mrs. Clause isn’t old, but a sexy red head who can “…think of a few thing to help you [Santa] sleep.” As the title informs, Evil Ernie shows up and the fight that follows isn’t what you would think of at all. And the elves that come to help – well never-mind, I can’t give all the fun away. But take my word for it, its great! Continue reading
(Northwest Press, 2014)
Writer – Dave Ebersole
Cover, Interior Art, Colors, Letters – Delia Gable
Color Flats by Josh Lester
There’s a stifling office, a lazily spinning ceiling fan, the camera angle is near said fan, its blades cutting through the shot. A man sits at his desk, fedora tilted back on his head, a cigarette hanging from his bottom lip as he touches the buzzer on his desk, “Let her in…”
If you’ve read any detective fiction, seen a film in the last eighty years, this scene is familiar to the point of cliché. Everyone knows what “should” be in a detective story if it is to fit in the genre. And, for the first ten pages of Dash: The Case of the Mysterious Zita Makara, you think it’s another detective story, one with all of the earmarks you’d expect from someone who obviously loves the genre. There’s the setting. Continue reading
(Black Mask Studios, 2014)
Black Mask Roundup: Of Clowns and Hunters
Critical Hit #3
Written by Matt Miner
Pencils and Inks by Jonathan Brandon Sawyer
Colors by Doug Garbark
Pirouette #2
Created and Written by Mark L. Miller
Pencils and Inks by Carlos Granda
Colors by El Comic En Linea Foundation
I blame the holidays. They sneak up on you and hit you where it hurts the most, in your “to read” pile. And the comics don’t stop; they keep coming week after week. So, with apologies to the creators of these two fine books, I’m combining reviews here, hoping that I can catch up and still spread the good word about great indie books.
It’s one of the things that make it hard not to read books when I see they have that Black Mask Studios logo attached. This company has a commitment to great storytelling and some of the finest and most original art out there. These are just good comics. Continue reading
(Brewhouse Comics, 2014)
Written by Josh S. Henaman
Line Artwork by Andy Taylor
Color Artwork by Tamra Bonvillain
‘Bigfoot: Sword of the Earthman’ has been an immensely epic and unique sword & sci-fi mash-up since the get-go. The entire run up to this point has followed that lead and run with it, far enough to where the lines between the normally divisive ‘fantasy’ and ‘sci-fi’ genres are so blurred they’ve become their own separate world. Continue reading
WRITER: Chris Roberson
ART: Dennis Culver
COLOR ART: Stephen Downer
The newest issue in the opus that is “Edison Rex”, issue #6, is to be released tomorrow, March 13th, from Monkeybrain Comics. I had a chance to read this issue prior to release, and was very happy to have done so. This is an exciting, somewhat tongue-in-cheek comic that has all a title needs in spades. Continue reading
(IDW Publishing, 2013) – Reviewed by Ravingnerd
A while back I was asked what I was most looking forward too about the 2013 comic industry. While I couldn’t pin just one down, I knew for sure that the relaunch of the entire G.I. Joe franchise was up there. The team of Fred Van Lente and Steve Kurth delivered a nice start to one of America’s most iconic franchises. The art is definitely the best aspect of this book, vivid, vibrant, and alive, it captures piece by piece the drama and immense action this book delivers. I don’t think I can express just how fabulous the art is. While the art was fantastic, the story was much less dynamic. While it served as a fantastic introduction to the characters involved, the plot was set up poorly. The Joe’s were sent into a mission that was poorly explained. Thus the reveal that Cobra was in control of the town they visited ended up not being a big deal. There was plenty of humor involved with the issue, which was refreshing and nice, but the overall set up was poorly set up. That being said, it is still one of the best war comics to come out of comics in the past few years. The characters are dynamic, and the direction is clear. The comic simply stumbled upon execution of its first major hurtle.
Overall a solid read, and of surprising quality. While many have laughed, the relaunch of G.I. Joe seems to be just what the franchise needs. If you have ever been interested in the title or are just looking for a good read, then this is your comic.
WRITING: 6 /10 – Nice direction, but stumbled with the execution.
ARTWORK: 8.5 /10 – Surprisingly solid and well done.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 7/10 – Surprisingly successful and quite fun.
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BAG & BORED 