By Shawn Warner
Greetings True Believers and welcome to the second installment of State of the Marvel Universe where we discuss all things Marvel; from the printed page to the big and little screens we focus our attention on all the amazing, incredible, uncanny and superior creations coming from the minds of the masters at The House of Ideas. Continue reading
(Boom! Studios, 2014)
Writer – Christopher Sebela
Artist – Diego Barreto
Colorist – Marissa Louise
Letterer – Ed Dukeshire
I’ve a love of post-apocalyptic fiction and prose that began long before I first read about zombie’s taking over the world. That love was born and bred of films I loved growing up, films that took the bright and shiny future and filled it with the most loathsome buggers around, and then made those guys the heroes. Mad Max, The Running Man (yes, that one too), and especially Escape From New York captured the imaginations of a generation of kids who grew up with Ronald Reagan and George Bush, and thought that whatever was coming was most assuredly not going to be better. There were sequels to some of those films, some good, some…not so good, but now, under the leadership of Boom! Studios, we’re getting another sequel, this time to a classic.
(Marvel Comics, 2014)
Writer – Tom Taylor
Artist – Yildiray Cinar
Colors – Guru eFX
The inversion effects of the events taking place in Axis continue to wreak havoc upon the Marvel Universe turning heroes into villains and vice versa. Perhaps no other hero’s personality has been quite so adversely altered as Tony Stark; the once bright shining knight in high tech armor has pulled up stakes on his east coast digs and relocated to San Francisco, but that is the least of the changes that have turned Stark from hero to heel.
Tony has unleashed his perfection inducing Extremis 3.0 App on the populace of his new hometown, however, unfortunately for him Daredevil has made the exodus to the west ahead of him and DD does not like what Stark has planned for his city. With the even more arrogant and far more devious aspects of Tony’s personality coming to the forefront, profit has become his motivation over any of the altruistic ideals he had previously held in such high regard. Continue reading
(Black Mask Studios, 2014)
Toe Tag Riot #1
Written by Matt Miner
Pencils and Inks by Sean Von Gorman
Colors by John Rauch
Lettered by Sean Von Gorman
Matt Miner, king of the Kickstarter komics, extra “k” for dramatic effect, is back, and with a hunger that can only be satiated by human flesh and punk rock. Toe Tag Riot #1, the much-anticipated first issue of Miner’s latest series, is on shelves Wednesday, and it is everything that you’d expect from Mr. Miner.
Along with longtime collaborator Sean Von Gorman, Miner drops his newest offering to the comic gods in the form of a zombie punk band, ready to chew up the competition and gnaw through the mores established by rock and roll icons.
Toe Tag Riot is not only the name of the comic but also that of the featured players in the story. They are a band formed of various long-timers, those who stood out from other bands and couldn’t handle the b.s. that goes with working with musicians. Continue reading
(BOOM! Studios, 2014)
Written by Caleb Monroe
Illustrated by Mariano Navarro
Color Artwork by Gabriel Cassata
Lettering by Ed Dukeshire
Summary: Adam D’Aquino is a young master of illusion who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Sort of a modern day Robin Hood, so to speak. To many he is known simply as “The Kid” and to a few his true identity is known. Continue reading
(Image Comics, 2014)
Story by Ryan Burton
Art by John Bivens
Colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letters by Crank!
The stories I like the most are the ones that connect with me in some way. I’m a sucker for “what if…” storylines, for callbacks, homage, and all the stuff that can be deemed as cheap and tawdry stunts are things that Continue reading
Free Comic Book Day 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland:
“The Universal Language of Comic Books” by Shawn Warner
There’s a certain holiday-like quality surrounding FCBD for any true comic book fan; it is preceded by a restless night’s sleep filled with dreams of all the incredible quarter and dollar box treasures you are sure to find, at least that’s how it is for me. Continue reading
(Sourcepoint Press, 2014)
Written by Trico Lutkins
Art by Joshua Werner
I love social media, from a comic book and reviewer standpoint, because of the ability it gives me to get into contact with people actually working in the industry. To know that the writer of a book read my review and enjoyed it, or that I caught the subtlety in a piece of art that the artist hoped the reader would get, it makes it all worth it.
(Marvel Comics, 2014)
Written by Ales Kot
Artwork by Michael Walsh
Color Artwork by Matthew Wilson
Lettering by Clayton Clowes
To say Marvel is on a roll would be the understatement of the century; they are not only on a roll, but on a roll that spans film, television and comic books. No other Marvel title ties all of those worlds together better than Continue reading
(Top Cow/Image Comics, 2014)
Writer – Matt Hawkins
Artist – Jung-Geun Yoon
Letterer – Troy Peteri
Editor – Betsy Gonia
I grew up reading the Asimov’s Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, both the small, reader’s digest size magazines that fit so well into your back pocket or hid perfectly in that small front zippered pocket of your backpack. At the time Continue reading
(Marvel Comics, 2014)
Review by Shawn Warner
Written by: Mick Anglo, Mike Conroy, (“The Original Writer”)
Artwork by Mick Anglo, Don Lawrence, Gary Leach
Color Artwork by Steve Oliff
Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos
Art Restoration by Michael Kelleher & Kellustration w/ Garry Leach
‘Marvelman Classic’ Art Restoration by Digikore
I have been waiting for the conclusion of this story since the last issue appeared on the racks a long time ago in a comic book shop not so far away. However collapsed publishers and consequential legal entanglements Continue reading
BEST OF 2013
with Raymond Jacques
Greetings, Friends & Fellow Readers. I’m Raymond Jacques (and you’re not). It has been an amazing opportunity contributing to BagAndBored.net for the last 8 months or so & this is my contribution to Bag and Bored’s “Best of 2013”. Continue reading
BEST OF 2013
with Shawn Warner
So here we are about to close out another year and as sure as public drunkenness, unwanted gifts and over eating are all part of the festivities indulged in to celebrate the end of twelve months of Continue reading
BEST OF 2013
with Galen Garner
Best Comic Overall
The best comic that I have read this past year was Hawkeye by Matt Fraction. It could be that I love Hawkeye or it could be that I love Matt Fraction. Continue reading
Good evening Gothamites from high atop the hills of The Palisades just east of stately Wayne Manor to the decrepit depths of Crime Alley we bid you welcome to this week’s installment of The Weekly Bat Signal, where we chew the fat about The Bat and get down to the nitty-gritty about Gotham City. Continue reading
(Monekybrain Comics, 2013)
Reviewed by Jared Butler
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artwork: Drew Zucker
Lettering: Frank J. Barbiere
I think most people by now have seen and/or read their fair share of westerns and are familiar with the usual cast of characters to be found in them. “Skybreaker” is no exception – you’ve got the Anti-Hero: in search of revenge and has nothing left to lose. The villain: a highly intelligent and manipulative gang leader, armed with the Word of God and a pack of half-witted henchmen. Throw in a few side characters (who will undoubtedly have an impact on the main plot at some point) and you can call it ‘soup’. Continue reading
(Valiant Entertainment, 2013)
Reviewed by Cory Thrall
WRITER: Joshua Dysart
ARTISTS: Matthew Clark, Alvaro Martinez, Dimi Macheras
INKS: Stefano Gaudiano
COLOR ART: Ian Hannin
Pete Stanchek has had quite the life thus far. One of three people ever to be born as an activated Psiot, and the most powerful one of his generation, this has caused him all kinds of trouble. His powers can be a gift just as much as they can be a burden. His story throughout this series has been a darkly sad and highly emotional (for both the characters and the reader) ride, and one that has found him and his companions in one problem and disaster after another. 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
Releasing on March 6th, Monkeybrain Comics has a new title by the name of “Artful Daggers”, and it’s an excitingly dark and fun one. Continue reading
(DC Comics, 2003) – Reviewed by Jose Sagastume
Although not originally mentioned in the comics the notion that Superman fights for “truth, justice, and the American way” has been around for quite some time and has become as iconic as his logo. In Red Son Mark Millar gives us a universe where Superman never landed on a small town in Kansas but instead lands on a collective farm in the Ukraine. He is raised to firmly believe in communism and ends up as the champion of the common worker, fighting a never ending battle for Stalin, Socialism, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact.
The three issue miniseries starts off in the middle of the twentieth century when Superman’s existence is revealed to the world by the Soviet Union. The existence of a superhuman throws the United States into instant panic and immediately tips the scale of the Cold War in favor of the USSR subsequently taking the focus of the war from Nuclear Weapons to superhumans. The United States hires Lex Luthor, a brilliant scientist from S.T.A.R. Labs, to bring an end to Superman. It should go as no surprise that Luthor fails in his first few attempts at destroying Superman and it becomes his lifelong obsession.
Without going into spoiler territory the story is beautifully told throughout the three issues and will have you hooked from beginning to end. The fascinating aspect of the plot is that neither Superman nor Luthor is inherently good or evil. In fact both characters seem to cross the line multiple times throughout the series. Another great thing about Red Son is the way Millar manages to incorporate characters like Brianiac, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Bizarro into the confines of this new universe. The origins are similar yet different enough that they work well within the story. As far as the art goes there’s not much for me to say besides the fact that it’s gorgeous. Dave Johnson and Kilian Plunkett did an amazing job throughout the series. I was especially fond of the cover art for each of the issues.
Whether you consider yourself a Superman fan or not you owe it to yourself to check out this miniseries. It’s a great story and an interesting take on the Superman mythos and these days the TPB should run about ten dollars.
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BAG & BORED 