Showing posts with label Dark Horse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dark Horse. Show all posts
Feb 18, 2012
Mixed Plate Comics- Week of 2.15.2012
8:46 PM
Hey ya'll!! So between the daily grind owning me the last few months and going on the deep end in heroclix-- I have eventually found my way back into the piles and piles of backlogged, neglected comics. This is actually my first week of reading through all the weekly pulls since...dayuum way back in December (helps that it was a light week)...oh the shame.
Alright enough about me and on to those panels of goodness. This week I read: B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Long Death #1 / Daredevil #9 / Green Lantern Corps #6 / Nightwing #6 / Birds of Prey #6 / Wonder Woman #6 / Winter Soldier #2 / Batman #6 / Catwoman #6 / Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi- Force Storm #1 and the most killer of these sequential art experiences were ...
5 Wonder Woman #6 Brian Azzarello, Tony Akins & Dan Green
I am not as well scripted in Greek mythology as much as some of my other friends though being a diehard WW reader for the last 6 years. With that all said the last 6 months of Azz/Chaing's Amazonian ride is easily the most immersive and entertaining take on WW period. No comparison yo.
How fucking sick and ballsy is it to see (okay doesn't actually show her doin it but that makes our imaginations run with it even more!) Diana rip up some centaurs with her bare-ass, bloody hands.
The visual representations of Poseidon as a tentacled, nasty-ass, frog giant and Hades as a candle-face burning kid were ill-mastered by the crazy craftsmanship of Tony Akins--who steps in for Chaing as a super-sub.
Loved this ish and lets hope to see that naggy, preggers chick get killed off already in the next arc ; P
4 Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi- Force Storm #1 John Ostrander, Jan Duursema & Dan Parsons
But of course all of the Jedi comes from some mysterious, flying Pyramids from space! As straight redick as some of Ostrander and team's concepts were in ish 1-- I was still invigorated and felt appeased at what was a solid start to the untold story of the beginnings of the Jedi/Sith.
Cool shit experiencing all of the familiar races and worlds of Star Wars being repped even from over a millenia ago- but again some of the deets were way overgeneralized-- like the gathering of those that were born with the force versus those that were not.
Appreciated the SW ode to history, religion and mythology that were borrowed from and infused into this seriously daunting, audacious script but you all know this prequel of all prequels had to be told!!
Duursema and Parsons page by page storyboards were on point and the imaginative, especially the ancient costuming and use of blades before there were lightsabers kicked Mandalorian ass.
The force hounds owned it while those weird, prawn-looking force lightening-wielding bosses were meh. Look forward to ish 2 and the continued fleshing out and explanation of the beginnings of this rich, Galactic-sized story.
3 Winter Soldier #2 Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice & Bettie Breitweiser
How do you follow-up ish one of the soviet snipers (yes, Winter Soldier and Black Widow) that we can't get enough of?!
Well, throwing in a rat-a-tat-wielding Gorilla that sports a jet-pack to battle the duo and throw in the G of all G's in the Marvel U--muthaeffing Victor Von Doom!!!
Let's just say that you don't know who Ed Brubaker is but loved the Black Widow (Cornell) or Spiderwoman (Bendis) books that were out over a year ago-- if that's the case-- you just have to add this gangsta title to the pull-list.
Brubaker & Guice tag-team us into what is another killer spy vs. spy, noir-esque storyline that reads faster than you expect and makes you get kinda pissed that its another 30 days till we get some more of Marvel's own Mr. and Mrs. Smith (which Brubaker promised this book would feel like).
2 Batman #6 Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion
Batman vs. the Court of Owls comes to its maniacal crescendo with Bats reliving his ancestors cursed path of being manipulated, hunted and killed off.
Watching on as Talon and the Court succeed in the mental breakdown of Bruce is enthralling and a rare glimpse of the Batman in a vulnerable, nearly broken.
Would have been great to see his mental safety mechanism- Zurrenrah, kick in but we all learn that Bats actually planned every chain of event to pull the carpet from Talon and the Court.
A real close one here for the Dark Knight, so imagine how he will be able to face multiple Talons...
1 Catwoman #6 Judd Winick, Guillem March & Tomeu Morey
This book and creative team is still my go to in the New 52 six months later. Selina Kyle rips apart a meta in true Tyson-like fashion along with the rest of some dirty-rotten GCPD. Cats wins her score until some other badass steps in. March and Morey are easily my top art/colorist team of all the monthlies and just bananas how somehow Gil's art is improving and taking on an almost Van Sciver (who is the greatest artist in comics IMO) likeness.
Bats and Cats have a real, crazy moment as Selina continues to unravel into her shattered, dark self. Thank you all for your continued readership and see you at Image Expo!!
This post was written by:
big O
Alright enough about me and on to those panels of goodness. This week I read: B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Long Death #1 / Daredevil #9 / Green Lantern Corps #6 / Nightwing #6 / Birds of Prey #6 / Wonder Woman #6 / Winter Soldier #2 / Batman #6 / Catwoman #6 / Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi- Force Storm #1 and the most killer of these sequential art experiences were ...
5 Wonder Woman #6 Brian Azzarello, Tony Akins & Dan Green
How fucking sick and ballsy is it to see (okay doesn't actually show her doin it but that makes our imaginations run with it even more!) Diana rip up some centaurs with her bare-ass, bloody hands.
The visual representations of Poseidon as a tentacled, nasty-ass, frog giant and Hades as a candle-face burning kid were ill-mastered by the crazy craftsmanship of Tony Akins--who steps in for Chaing as a super-sub.
Loved this ish and lets hope to see that naggy, preggers chick get killed off already in the next arc ; P
4 Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi- Force Storm #1 John Ostrander, Jan Duursema & Dan Parsons
Cool shit experiencing all of the familiar races and worlds of Star Wars being repped even from over a millenia ago- but again some of the deets were way overgeneralized-- like the gathering of those that were born with the force versus those that were not.
Appreciated the SW ode to history, religion and mythology that were borrowed from and infused into this seriously daunting, audacious script but you all know this prequel of all prequels had to be told!!
Duursema and Parsons page by page storyboards were on point and the imaginative, especially the ancient costuming and use of blades before there were lightsabers kicked Mandalorian ass.
The force hounds owned it while those weird, prawn-looking force lightening-wielding bosses were meh. Look forward to ish 2 and the continued fleshing out and explanation of the beginnings of this rich, Galactic-sized story.
3 Winter Soldier #2 Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice & Bettie Breitweiser
Well, throwing in a rat-a-tat-wielding Gorilla that sports a jet-pack to battle the duo and throw in the G of all G's in the Marvel U--muthaeffing Victor Von Doom!!!
Let's just say that you don't know who Ed Brubaker is but loved the Black Widow (Cornell) or Spiderwoman (Bendis) books that were out over a year ago-- if that's the case-- you just have to add this gangsta title to the pull-list.
Brubaker & Guice tag-team us into what is another killer spy vs. spy, noir-esque storyline that reads faster than you expect and makes you get kinda pissed that its another 30 days till we get some more of Marvel's own Mr. and Mrs. Smith (which Brubaker promised this book would feel like).
2 Batman #6 Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion
Watching on as Talon and the Court succeed in the mental breakdown of Bruce is enthralling and a rare glimpse of the Batman in a vulnerable, nearly broken.
Would have been great to see his mental safety mechanism- Zurrenrah, kick in but we all learn that Bats actually planned every chain of event to pull the carpet from Talon and the Court.
A real close one here for the Dark Knight, so imagine how he will be able to face multiple Talons...
1 Catwoman #6 Judd Winick, Guillem March & Tomeu Morey
Bats and Cats have a real, crazy moment as Selina continues to unravel into her shattered, dark self. Thank you all for your continued readership and see you at Image Expo!!
This post was written by:
big O
Feb 1, 2012
Mass Effect: Invasion #3 Stumbles but #4 Wraps it Up Nicely
1:07 PM
While Mass Effect: Invasion #1 and #2 were solid entries to the Mass Effect universe, so I dived in to the next two ready to immerse myself yet again.
With the third installment, Invasion started to flounder. Both #1 and #2 had a good amount of development to keep pushing the series further while still climbing towards a climax. The third ends up on a plateau, offering only panels of more action on Omega. This would usually be exciting, but only one significantly important moment occurs in what otherwise is filler, seemingly written just to hurry up and get to the last installment.
Mass Effect: Invasion #4 brings it back on track however. We get to see perspectives from both Cerberus and Aria as they try to outwit each other to gain control over Omega. The ranks within Cerberus itself also gets put to the test, as those within Cerberus wonder what the true intention was by trying to take control of Omega. The ending, which I'll leave up to readers to find out, is satisfying.
We're left with things to ponder as we wait for Mass Effect 3's release. Though I didn't think it was possible, #4 leaves us with an impression that the Illusive Man is more of an enigma than we all thought.
Mass Effect: Invasion #3 and #4 is available from Dark Horse.
With the third installment, Invasion started to flounder. Both #1 and #2 had a good amount of development to keep pushing the series further while still climbing towards a climax. The third ends up on a plateau, offering only panels of more action on Omega. This would usually be exciting, but only one significantly important moment occurs in what otherwise is filler, seemingly written just to hurry up and get to the last installment.
Mass Effect: Invasion #4 brings it back on track however. We get to see perspectives from both Cerberus and Aria as they try to outwit each other to gain control over Omega. The ranks within Cerberus itself also gets put to the test, as those within Cerberus wonder what the true intention was by trying to take control of Omega. The ending, which I'll leave up to readers to find out, is satisfying.
We're left with things to ponder as we wait for Mass Effect 3's release. Though I didn't think it was possible, #4 leaves us with an impression that the Illusive Man is more of an enigma than we all thought.
Mass Effect: Invasion #3 and #4 is available from Dark Horse.
Nov 18, 2011
Mixed Plate Comics- Week of 11.16.2011
2:51 PM
Damn that Heroclix, really is no joke. Along with hitting up various gaming spots around the Bay, picking up bricks and hunting down dope pieces to round out my arsenal...well I have been caught up. So how about those books that I have been neglecting? Nightwing #3 / Star Wars: Invasion- Revelations #5 / Severed #4 / Captain America #4 / Batman #3 / Catwoman #3 / Conan: Road of Kings #10 / Justice League #3 / Mass Effect: Invasion #2 / Green Lantern Corps #3 / Wonder Woman #3 / Birds of Prey #3. As for the phenom five of the reads...
5 Star Wars: Invasion- Revelations #5 Tom Taylor & Colin Wilson
Of the many SW brand of books from Dark Horse I have been mainly jocking the titles, one-shots and issues that center around the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. The cover treatment alone of this ish got me hyped with some props to the 501st Legion.
The arc takes place 25 years after the Battle of Yavin, so we get to enjoy many of the same tech that we loved from the original Star Wars trilogy. AT-ATs, Star Destroyers, Tie-Fighter and of course the classic Stormtrooper battalion-- seriously I am so over the tribal-paint Clonetrooper look so popular these days with the kids.
As you can expect the Stormtroopers show up and amount to mere cannon-fodder but its great to see them do their benevolent duty. This climactic issue of Revelations captures the grand essence of SW with intense ground battles, one-on-one Jedi standoffs and the epic space warfare we all love.
Yes, hella corny that the Jedi descendant of Luke looks just like him minus the Catwomn outfit, along with having a robot as his bestie but you gotta appreciate the Sith Lord- Dray who not only has a black-ass name (Dre) but the ninja is copping a mean cherry-curl mullet.
Sith + Soul Glo = WIN.
I am effing serious yo. You gotta be a bad ass muthaeffer to pull that shit off!! Decent art, nice use of source material and I will indeed go back to read the rest of this fantastic series.
Imperial fools!
4 Wonder Woman #3 Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang
Wonder Woman fans rejoice! We all finally have a story and well-articulated depiction of Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, the Amazons, Olympians and how they all intersect and fit in our world. Zeus is a manwhore. Hippolyta is a blonde-bombshell, Wonder Woman is a no-nonsense warrior. YES!! This is the kinda storytelling this urban nerd can get behind. FYI- Immortals sucked ass. If you wanna get the skinny on some modernized Greek mythos done right, check in here with Azz and Chiang-- they got you covered yo. Diana
made from clay was always a lame origin. Sorry Marston.
Strife shows the power of words and deceit over physical attack as Diana struggles with the truth that she is a love-child and not a mythical, aberration of a creation.
Chiang steps it up yet again in one of the more complete 20 pages of sequential artistry that he has blessed-- from how well he mixes up the paneling to the high quality emotion that is felt from Diana.
Definitely a Top 7 title of the New 52 and with three books in I really can't see the momentum being lost. How Diana sheds her name and proclaims a self-exile from Paradise Island is truly emotional, riveting and like that we have Wonder Woman. Great backdrop into making WW a somewhat, lost-soul with a big chip on her shoulder.
3 Batman #3 Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
Batman goes to the streets searching for answers into how the owl assassin was let into Wayne Towers. He gets some leads from local thugs that makes him think about looking closer into the supposed urban legend of the Court of Owls. Bruce's muse, Alfred, drops some knowledge on a Wayne ancestor that had a maniacal fear of owls. Great opening on all of that 1920's madness in the first 2 pages. Props Snyder!
Despite getting tired of all the over-exaggerated big chins and lack of atmospheric backdrops in Capullo's art steez I do admire his growth in camera angles and differing POV techniques to bring us deeper into the story.
Bats eventually finds that the Court of Owls do exist dating back as far as the 1800s in Gotham. And just as owls take over other birds nests in nature, they have settled in abandoned spaces in buildings and in floors not listed in buildings that have kept them under the radar.
Some real creepy shit to have numerous "nests" within the homes/offices throughout the "his"city. We all know how powerful of a hold Bruce Wayne/Batman have on Gotham-- now we find that their is a group of powerful Gothamites backed by an Owlman-- that could very well surpass his influence. Snyder's dynamic wordsmith more than makes up for some of my lacking interest in Capullo's visuals.
2 Justice League #3 Geoff Johns & Jim Lee
The making of the Justice League continues with Wonder Woman entering the conflict against them scary ass, Lee-enhanced Parademons. Silly shit to see her come in and have a first tasting of ice-cream prior to kicking some demon-ass with the rest of the crew though.
The news coverage angling the invasion of demons as Judgement Day is intriguing but its kinda lame when they say that the heroes are the cause of it, whatevas.
We see more of how Supes, Flash, GL and Bats interact and vibe off one another as they slaughter the monstrous minions of Darkseid. Hilarious when Hal calls dibs on WW when she splashpages her fine Amazonian ass at the center of multiple unfriendlies. Bats takes the lead and impresses his tactical warfare on the supercrew in hopes to regroup and go beyond their individualistic one-on-one approach of fighting the baddies.
Through the fighting we get linked in to the creation of Cyborg by Dr. Morrow (cool yo!) and Vic's father. Nice weaving via Johns/Lee of giving us the first look of Cyborg and Darkseid in the same page. And like the previous books we get the final page intro of the next JL member- Aquaman. That's one tough mutha with his chained up trident. Impressive bling Arthur!
1 Catwoman #3 Judd Winick & Guillem March
Winick, March and Morey make every issue of Catwoman the fastest, most entertaining and satisfying spectacle in DC's New 52, not titled Animal-Man, Batwoman or Swamp Thing. The killer thug Bone and his thugs get theirs and then some. Selina goes beyond unhinged and is redeemed by her only believer/friend/ lover- the Batman.
Sexually driven, smartly written and we are seeing a massively talented artistic duo of March and Morey that rocks my world every damn month to the core.
The Bay Area's own Winick has solidified himself as the masterful scribe in some of my fave books of the last few years- JL: Generation Lost, Power Girl and now Catwoman.
The three Batbooks you gotta be reading right now along with this is Detective Comics and Batwoman. Next ish we see what happens to Gothams finest at the crazed claws of Selina. Get it, get it!!
Thank you all for your continued readership and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Peace!
This post was written by:
big O
5 Star Wars: Invasion- Revelations #5 Tom Taylor & Colin Wilson
The arc takes place 25 years after the Battle of Yavin, so we get to enjoy many of the same tech that we loved from the original Star Wars trilogy. AT-ATs, Star Destroyers, Tie-Fighter and of course the classic Stormtrooper battalion-- seriously I am so over the tribal-paint Clonetrooper look so popular these days with the kids.
As you can expect the Stormtroopers show up and amount to mere cannon-fodder but its great to see them do their benevolent duty. This climactic issue of Revelations captures the grand essence of SW with intense ground battles, one-on-one Jedi standoffs and the epic space warfare we all love.
Yes, hella corny that the Jedi descendant of Luke looks just like him minus the Catwomn outfit, along with having a robot as his bestie but you gotta appreciate the Sith Lord- Dray who not only has a black-ass name (Dre) but the ninja is copping a mean cherry-curl mullet.
Sith + Soul Glo = WIN.
I am effing serious yo. You gotta be a bad ass muthaeffer to pull that shit off!! Decent art, nice use of source material and I will indeed go back to read the rest of this fantastic series.
Imperial fools!
4 Wonder Woman #3 Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang
Wonder Woman fans rejoice! We all finally have a story and well-articulated depiction of Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, the Amazons, Olympians and how they all intersect and fit in our world. Zeus is a manwhore. Hippolyta is a blonde-bombshell, Wonder Woman is a no-nonsense warrior. YES!! This is the kinda storytelling this urban nerd can get behind. FYI- Immortals sucked ass. If you wanna get the skinny on some modernized Greek mythos done right, check in here with Azz and Chiang-- they got you covered yo. Diana
Strife shows the power of words and deceit over physical attack as Diana struggles with the truth that she is a love-child and not a mythical, aberration of a creation.
Chiang steps it up yet again in one of the more complete 20 pages of sequential artistry that he has blessed-- from how well he mixes up the paneling to the high quality emotion that is felt from Diana.
Definitely a Top 7 title of the New 52 and with three books in I really can't see the momentum being lost. How Diana sheds her name and proclaims a self-exile from Paradise Island is truly emotional, riveting and like that we have Wonder Woman. Great backdrop into making WW a somewhat, lost-soul with a big chip on her shoulder.
3 Batman #3 Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
Despite getting tired of all the over-exaggerated big chins and lack of atmospheric backdrops in Capullo's art steez I do admire his growth in camera angles and differing POV techniques to bring us deeper into the story.
Bats eventually finds that the Court of Owls do exist dating back as far as the 1800s in Gotham. And just as owls take over other birds nests in nature, they have settled in abandoned spaces in buildings and in floors not listed in buildings that have kept them under the radar.
Some real creepy shit to have numerous "nests" within the homes/offices throughout the "his"city. We all know how powerful of a hold Bruce Wayne/Batman have on Gotham-- now we find that their is a group of powerful Gothamites backed by an Owlman-- that could very well surpass his influence. Snyder's dynamic wordsmith more than makes up for some of my lacking interest in Capullo's visuals.
2 Justice League #3 Geoff Johns & Jim Lee
The making of the Justice League continues with Wonder Woman entering the conflict against them scary ass, Lee-enhanced Parademons. Silly shit to see her come in and have a first tasting of ice-cream prior to kicking some demon-ass with the rest of the crew though.The news coverage angling the invasion of demons as Judgement Day is intriguing but its kinda lame when they say that the heroes are the cause of it, whatevas.
We see more of how Supes, Flash, GL and Bats interact and vibe off one another as they slaughter the monstrous minions of Darkseid. Hilarious when Hal calls dibs on WW when she splashpages her fine Amazonian ass at the center of multiple unfriendlies. Bats takes the lead and impresses his tactical warfare on the supercrew in hopes to regroup and go beyond their individualistic one-on-one approach of fighting the baddies.
Through the fighting we get linked in to the creation of Cyborg by Dr. Morrow (cool yo!) and Vic's father. Nice weaving via Johns/Lee of giving us the first look of Cyborg and Darkseid in the same page. And like the previous books we get the final page intro of the next JL member- Aquaman. That's one tough mutha with his chained up trident. Impressive bling Arthur!
1 Catwoman #3 Judd Winick & Guillem March
Sexually driven, smartly written and we are seeing a massively talented artistic duo of March and Morey that rocks my world every damn month to the core.
The Bay Area's own Winick has solidified himself as the masterful scribe in some of my fave books of the last few years- JL: Generation Lost, Power Girl and now Catwoman.
The three Batbooks you gotta be reading right now along with this is Detective Comics and Batwoman. Next ish we see what happens to Gothams finest at the crazed claws of Selina. Get it, get it!!
Thank you all for your continued readership and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Peace!
This post was written by:
big O
Nov 8, 2011
The Battle at Omega Continues in Mass Effect: Invasion #2
9:08 PM
Mass Effect: Invasion #1, written by BioWare lead writer Mac Walters and scripted by John Jackson Miller, was released last month. The art was fitting to the Mass Effect universe, drawn by Omar Francia and complemented with beautiful cover art options by Paul Renaud and Massimo Carnevale. This series is meant to lead up to Mass Effect 3, and it definitely piqued my interest.
Now, Mass Effect: Invasion #2's release is on the horizon and I was lucky enough to read it in advance!
***The following review assumes you've read #1 and provides an introduction to the beginning of #2, so fair warning now that it may contain spoilers!***
As Mass Effect: Invasion #1 ended, Aria teamed up with Cerberus to jump in to ships and fight right outside Omega to take the invaders down. We then witnessed Colonel Ashe - who was originally placed under arrest by Aria's after he tried to give orders to her people - break out of custody and murder his captors. The biggest eyebrow raising moment of issue #1 arrived on the last page, when Colonel Ashe contacts Cerberus asking for the Illusive Man, stating that he is "ready to start the real battle for Omega."
Invasion #2 kicks off right in the action as Aria and General Petrovsky of Cerberus are flying directly outside of Omega trying to stop the invaders. As the battle becomes more intense, Pertrovsky claims that the only way to truly stop the invaders is by going directly to the source, meaning that they would have to go through the Omega 4 Relay.
Though this issue does not elaborate on Cerberus' exact motivation, watching the puzzle pieces of the power play starting fall in to place in issue #2 is impressive. There's a beauty in their guilefulness, and the art in the comic matches that malefic beauty. Credit for the art should also include the brilliant coloring by Michael Atiyeh, whose work with Aria's biotics are especially striking.
I repeat what I concluded about the first issue, only ten fold: it’s a must for all Mass Effect fans. I'm ready to claw at someone to get the next issue.
Mass Effect: Invasion #2 releases on Wednesday, November 16th. Preview the first 6 pages right here.
This post was written by:
Crystal
Now, Mass Effect: Invasion #2's release is on the horizon and I was lucky enough to read it in advance!
***The following review assumes you've read #1 and provides an introduction to the beginning of #2, so fair warning now that it may contain spoilers!***
As Mass Effect: Invasion #1 ended, Aria teamed up with Cerberus to jump in to ships and fight right outside Omega to take the invaders down. We then witnessed Colonel Ashe - who was originally placed under arrest by Aria's after he tried to give orders to her people - break out of custody and murder his captors. The biggest eyebrow raising moment of issue #1 arrived on the last page, when Colonel Ashe contacts Cerberus asking for the Illusive Man, stating that he is "ready to start the real battle for Omega."
Invasion #2 kicks off right in the action as Aria and General Petrovsky of Cerberus are flying directly outside of Omega trying to stop the invaders. As the battle becomes more intense, Pertrovsky claims that the only way to truly stop the invaders is by going directly to the source, meaning that they would have to go through the Omega 4 Relay.
Though this issue does not elaborate on Cerberus' exact motivation, watching the puzzle pieces of the power play starting fall in to place in issue #2 is impressive. There's a beauty in their guilefulness, and the art in the comic matches that malefic beauty. Credit for the art should also include the brilliant coloring by Michael Atiyeh, whose work with Aria's biotics are especially striking.
I repeat what I concluded about the first issue, only ten fold: it’s a must for all Mass Effect fans. I'm ready to claw at someone to get the next issue.
Mass Effect: Invasion #2 releases on Wednesday, November 16th. Preview the first 6 pages right here.
This post was written by:
Crystal
Nov 4, 2011
Mixed Plate Comics- Week of 11.2.2011
11:01 PM
The New 52 is now stomping into month 3 with the #3s that are buzzing a clear vision of DC's superhero-horror theme they got from the mature, gothic infusion of Wildstorm and Vertigo lines. The pages I furiously flipped & clicked during Halloween hangover were: Heart #1 / Stormwatch #3 / Fear Agent #32 / Justice League International #3 / Animal Man #3 / Detective Comics #3 / The Goon #36 / Red Lanterns #3/ The Last of the Greats #2 / Swamp Thing #3 / Action Comics #3 / The Infinite Vacation #4. As for those C&D must reads...
5 Swamp Thing #3 Scott Snyder & Yanick Pacquette / Victor Ibanez
We are introduced to more deets on the rot(evil) vs. the green(good) in Swamp Thing lore via his old flame, Abigail Arcane. The brief was highly needed (for first-time around ST readers) and whipped up in a quickstyle way as we see the eventual harbinger of our planet equate to a bubble-boy named William...who is coincidentally, Abigail's little brother. Great Scott, excellent setup homie.
Abigail pushes Alec to pull out his green thumb abilities that stops her from capping him one-- a setup to see that Holland still has the ability to help take down her very dangerous half-brother that is awakened to his powers and kills everyone in his hospital. Be warned-- real dark shit folks.
Paquette does such fascinating things in this book-- be it the eerie, straight creeper feel of the swamp and its ecosystem--especially love the animals. Peep those frogs & dragonflies doin work while ST is gettin his!! Nasty!
Love how Swamp Thing and Animal Man are the standout faves of the New 52 that many heads didn't really care for so much pre-52 and though each of their worlds are big enough to stand on their own--thanks to the mighty work of both creative duos-- you can see how their titles will tie-in sometime later. Imagine the faceoff between lil' Will and Maxine. Raw baby!
4 Fear Agent #32 Rick Remender & Mike Hawthorne / Tony Moore
The talents tied to this book (Remender- my tops scribe @Marvel, Hawthorne- dope, indie artist that just destroys Conan & finally Moore who co-created Walking Dead) was enough for me to get on this ish that I jumped on being the homies at iFanboy picked it as book of the week and yes, oh yes I was glad to soak it up. The cover is so simple yet imaginative and truly embraces the experience you get while reading the final ish of the Out of Step arc.
Despite the warning on the first page of not picking it up unless covering the first 4 chapters and never reading an ish of Fear Agent prior, I did. Yeah, badboy hwat!? Though coming in blind and not so invested...I was emotionally impacted by the gripping narratives of Heathrow, his wife and fam going through different steps of life. And then seeing that it is a flashback with Heath and his cyborg wife in battle on a ship in space. Sick yo!
Is it real or fabricated memories? Yeah thats where the backstory coulda helped but I felt a lot of time-flipping, space-hopping SF that makes reads like Cassanova so enjoyable.
And why is that the AI helping Heath resembles his cyborg / Char (his wife)? More questions pop up as I am further engrossed, watching how the AI takes over the cyborg and helps the older Heath to survival, they share a kiss and they get to see what they always wished for...another reality where they are sharing in Thanksgiving, family, normalcy, with an announcement of another child. Heath watches on the memory in tears as he flies into the sun. Time to go download the rest of these tasty reads right now!
3 Red Lanterns #3 Peter Milligan & Ed Benes
Sometimes, patience pays off. I knew that there was some serious setup needed to explain the mythos of Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns to newbs but lets get real, shit was mad slow in the first two reads. Yes, Benes kills the visuals but this ish really brings the pain. The plotlines open up with Atrocitus needing more than mere mindless followers in his crew-- so he selects Bleez as his right hand wo-man. I always saw her
as such but now shes got some sense to balance her savagery.
What happens when Bleez returns home to her planet of Havania where she snobbed all the men that wanted some of that ass that led to getting her wings ripped from her back.
Bloody retribution.
The pacing is improved 100x over the past reads as we all can just get down and dirty in seeing how Bleez may or may not attempt taking over the raging Red Lanterns. Benes elevates his game with Milligan by diversifying the paneling and not cutting corners on his well known meticulous detailing.
So hilarious in the end how Atrocitus vents his concerns to the only two peeps he can trust, his cat Dexstarr...and the corpse of Krona.
2 Animal Man #3 Jeff Lemire &Travis Charest
I am not right all the time, but dayuum I was on the money with Buddy's daughter, Maxine surpassing in her father's powers. Super fun to be taking in this retcon of Animal Man on how he was always intended to be the mere protector of his daughter--who is the actual Avatar for the Red--while he is a mere agent.
Funny that Buddy was kinda butt-hurt about it too. Two of the hunters three jump into the Bleed, stalking Maxine as one is left behind to exterminate the rest of Buddy's fam. Lemire makes you laugh and then gets you freaked the hell out with the nasty-ass intestines-tentacled freaky, monsters that grab you from unsuspecting panels.
I hate you Travel! Sick to see this cat arrive in a style that puts his work on the upper echelon amongst other top artists in the biz. Bet that Maxine is gonna utterly destroy these hunters in ways that we have yet to see Animal Man hone into his powers. What will that look like?
The thought of seeing William (from Swamp Thing) in his bubble-bag across from Maxine with her stunners and backpack on-- staring one another down for the ultimate faceoff just gets me.
Love this book.
1 Detective Comics #3 Tony Daniel & Ryan Wynn
I finally figured that Daniel has been sandbaggin on his plotting skills cos there is no explanation for his double-duty work in getting this damn good. I know I sound like some scratched vinyl but it must be said again and again cause holy fuck this title is ILL!!!! Seriously, this has become the go to Bat-title that I refer non-readers to (that are Batman fans, well along with Batwoman and Catwoman). So, Gordon isn't all cut up but he looks to get the Dollmaker treatment soon.
Bats goes on the hunt to find his homie Gordon after kicking Jack in the Box's floppy ass. (YES he is a straight rip from Ragdoll, but maybe this is who he is in the new 52). Bruce goes back to the cave to figure out who in the hell he is dealing with-- yes, it just so happens to be another child of some Gothamite psycho- Wesley Mathis.
Olivia uses the Bat-signal to bring out Bats and get him some help to find Gordon--yes, its a TRAP! And now we see Batman surrounded by a horde of Joker marionettes. Umm...yeah that isn't freaky deaky one bit huh?! YES! No more surprises that Detective is a top-notch, sure-shot read against every other book that hits. I would probably put this as my top#4 of all the New 52.
This post was written by:
big O
5 Swamp Thing #3 Scott Snyder & Yanick Pacquette / Victor Ibanez
We are introduced to more deets on the rot(evil) vs. the green(good) in Swamp Thing lore via his old flame, Abigail Arcane. The brief was highly needed (for first-time around ST readers) and whipped up in a quickstyle way as we see the eventual harbinger of our planet equate to a bubble-boy named William...who is coincidentally, Abigail's little brother. Great Scott, excellent setup homie.
Abigail pushes Alec to pull out his green thumb abilities that stops her from capping him one-- a setup to see that Holland still has the ability to help take down her very dangerous half-brother that is awakened to his powers and kills everyone in his hospital. Be warned-- real dark shit folks.
Paquette does such fascinating things in this book-- be it the eerie, straight creeper feel of the swamp and its ecosystem--especially love the animals. Peep those frogs & dragonflies doin work while ST is gettin his!! Nasty!
Love how Swamp Thing and Animal Man are the standout faves of the New 52 that many heads didn't really care for so much pre-52 and though each of their worlds are big enough to stand on their own--thanks to the mighty work of both creative duos-- you can see how their titles will tie-in sometime later. Imagine the faceoff between lil' Will and Maxine. Raw baby!
4 Fear Agent #32 Rick Remender & Mike Hawthorne / Tony Moore
The talents tied to this book (Remender- my tops scribe @Marvel, Hawthorne- dope, indie artist that just destroys Conan & finally Moore who co-created Walking Dead) was enough for me to get on this ish that I jumped on being the homies at iFanboy picked it as book of the week and yes, oh yes I was glad to soak it up. The cover is so simple yet imaginative and truly embraces the experience you get while reading the final ish of the Out of Step arc.
Is it real or fabricated memories? Yeah thats where the backstory coulda helped but I felt a lot of time-flipping, space-hopping SF that makes reads like Cassanova so enjoyable.
And why is that the AI helping Heath resembles his cyborg / Char (his wife)? More questions pop up as I am further engrossed, watching how the AI takes over the cyborg and helps the older Heath to survival, they share a kiss and they get to see what they always wished for...another reality where they are sharing in Thanksgiving, family, normalcy, with an announcement of another child. Heath watches on the memory in tears as he flies into the sun. Time to go download the rest of these tasty reads right now!
3 Red Lanterns #3 Peter Milligan & Ed Benes
Sometimes, patience pays off. I knew that there was some serious setup needed to explain the mythos of Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns to newbs but lets get real, shit was mad slow in the first two reads. Yes, Benes kills the visuals but this ish really brings the pain. The plotlines open up with Atrocitus needing more than mere mindless followers in his crew-- so he selects Bleez as his right hand wo-man. I always saw her
What happens when Bleez returns home to her planet of Havania where she snobbed all the men that wanted some of that ass that led to getting her wings ripped from her back.
Bloody retribution.
The pacing is improved 100x over the past reads as we all can just get down and dirty in seeing how Bleez may or may not attempt taking over the raging Red Lanterns. Benes elevates his game with Milligan by diversifying the paneling and not cutting corners on his well known meticulous detailing.
So hilarious in the end how Atrocitus vents his concerns to the only two peeps he can trust, his cat Dexstarr...and the corpse of Krona.
2 Animal Man #3 Jeff Lemire &Travis Charest
I am not right all the time, but dayuum I was on the money with Buddy's daughter, Maxine surpassing in her father's powers. Super fun to be taking in this retcon of Animal Man on how he was always intended to be the mere protector of his daughter--who is the actual Avatar for the Red--while he is a mere agent.
Funny that Buddy was kinda butt-hurt about it too. Two of the hunters three jump into the Bleed, stalking Maxine as one is left behind to exterminate the rest of Buddy's fam. Lemire makes you laugh and then gets you freaked the hell out with the nasty-ass intestines-tentacled freaky, monsters that grab you from unsuspecting panels.
I hate you Travel! Sick to see this cat arrive in a style that puts his work on the upper echelon amongst other top artists in the biz. Bet that Maxine is gonna utterly destroy these hunters in ways that we have yet to see Animal Man hone into his powers. What will that look like?
The thought of seeing William (from Swamp Thing) in his bubble-bag across from Maxine with her stunners and backpack on-- staring one another down for the ultimate faceoff just gets me.
Love this book.
1 Detective Comics #3 Tony Daniel & Ryan Wynn
I finally figured that Daniel has been sandbaggin on his plotting skills cos there is no explanation for his double-duty work in getting this damn good. I know I sound like some scratched vinyl but it must be said again and again cause holy fuck this title is ILL!!!! Seriously, this has become the go to Bat-title that I refer non-readers to (that are Batman fans, well along with Batwoman and Catwoman). So, Gordon isn't all cut up but he looks to get the Dollmaker treatment soon.
Bats goes on the hunt to find his homie Gordon after kicking Jack in the Box's floppy ass. (YES he is a straight rip from Ragdoll, but maybe this is who he is in the new 52). Bruce goes back to the cave to figure out who in the hell he is dealing with-- yes, it just so happens to be another child of some Gothamite psycho- Wesley Mathis.
Olivia uses the Bat-signal to bring out Bats and get him some help to find Gordon--yes, its a TRAP! And now we see Batman surrounded by a horde of Joker marionettes. Umm...yeah that isn't freaky deaky one bit huh?! YES! No more surprises that Detective is a top-notch, sure-shot read against every other book that hits. I would probably put this as my top#4 of all the New 52.
This post was written by:
big O
Oct 22, 2011
Mixed Plate Comics- Week of 10.19.11
8:19 AM
Dark Horse continues to drop quality titles that find their fine spines into my piles to the point they have taken the #2 spot over Marvel on publisher pulls for the month. Here are this weeks reads playa- Mass Effect: Invasion #1 / Nightwing #2 / Dark Horse Presents #5 / Conan: Road of Kings #5 / Wonder Woman #2 / Birds of Prey #2 / Batman #2 / Green Lantern Corps #2 / Justice League #2 / Catwoman #2 / Star Wars: Knight Errant- Deluge #3. As for what were the sureshot grinds...
5 Nightwing #2 Kyle Higgins & Eddy Barrows
Good to see that some vital elements to Dick Grayson hasn't changed post-New52-- like his taste for redheads. After squabing some with the masked mystery-killer that is on the hunt for Grayson-- Dick gets a surprise visit from a childhood friend Raya Vestri (had to let you know that isn't Babs) who is in need of his help. As they fly over to Atlantic City, Raya informs Dick that Mr. Haly (of Haly's Circus) asked her to bring
Grayson to see him in person that same night to carry out a dying man's last wish.
After receiving the deed for Haly's Circus and learning that Mr. Haly knew all along that he was Nightwing-- Dick realizes he was being tailed by the killer who goes by the name of Saiko (slang for cool or awesome in Japanese).
Saiko leads Nightwing back to Mr. Haly-- who was tortured into revealing Dick's heroic alter ego and they brawl again. They go evenly matched until Dick brings the roof down on Saiko the Psycho.
Before Mr. Haly passes, he apologizes to NW into bringing him into all of this...and with that we are left with questions as to why Saiko wanted Dick Grayson dead and how that now connects with the secret of Haly's Circus. We all know that Saiko will return yes?? Higgins and Barrows got me more into their story and made me take another look at #1 again to see why I wasn't so into it. The answer to that-- along with some of the other #1s I wasn't feeling as much as the second issues is getting past the reintro to the character-- which for many, hasn't changed dramatically. But for those #1s that had major shakeups- like Action, Detective, Justice League and Wonderwoman, well they just rocked.
4 Wonder Woman #2 Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang
Azz & Chiang bring us to Paradise Island where we get introduced to a very different looking Queen Hippolyta that doesn't need to bear the same look as Diana being that she was never part of the JSA in the New 52. Really dig the simplistic, medieval stylings of the Amazons to contrast the decadent Olympians.
Seeing how the two daughters-- Strife / Diana interact with their mothers-- Hera / Hippolyta also serves for fabulously layered characterizations. Thanks for that Azz!
We learn of Hera's deep jealousy of Zeus' many bastard children as Hippolyta warns her daughter of helping to protect Zola. Hermes recounts the origin of Wonderwoman, perfect for not being created by the seed of a male. As some of us already know, we learn that is not entirely true.
Strife attacks Paradise Island by making the Amazons attack one another and WW lassos up some truth from her only to find that Zola isn't the bastard she came looking for.
Nope, the bastard is...Diana!! Eww, ahh, ohh...lame that some of us had to hear that spoiler from the NY Post last week..but hey at least Wonder Woman is making the news over things with more substance than hotpants.
3 Batman #2 Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
Love this grand scale of story being served up by Snyder and Capullo where they are not merely tinkering small changes in Batman but to the whole of Gotham itself. We have always known of the Wayne family's ties and influence to the city and how they were instrumental in its societal & physical landscape. Now, lets throw in the potential of some other secret society-- lets call it the Court of Owls-- and imagine how far their reach goes through Gotham.
Nice dramatic touch to have Batman believe it as a myth too. I so love that the concept of Owlman is being fleshed out as a major antagonist to the Dark Knight and the redesign is ill! Does resemble the Immortals from 300 some but that is genius to pull from anyhow. Capullo's style is growing on me more and his depiction of Nightwing was on point.
Yeah, I am feeling like that cat Lincoln is associated with the Owls in some way cause yo...when does anybody ever tower over Bruce like that? The backward sequencing from end to start to end again was a treat and the fight scene with the Owl vs. Bruce & Gotham City architecture killed me. I can't remember all of the Batbooks being so damn delish. Mike Marts is the man.
2 Catwoman #2 Judd Winick &Guillem March
Winick, March and Morey are blessing their creative juices all over the place leaving Catwoman fans like you and me pumping our fists in the air. So Bats does know Selina is Cats while she is unaware and doesn't seem to care of his alter-ego. Enjoying the sensual dynamic and refreshing to see Bats get some action
rather than it just be as Wayne.
Hilarious scene when Bruce is macking on Selina when she is incognito at some mob gala and Alfred pops up from out of nowhere to inform him that he traced the call she was making.
Though Catwoman seemed to have the ruskies in line-- all with a wig, pink bedazzled cell, whip and a firecracker-- the outro filled with Bone and his henchmen will go beyond her fill with Bats in for the save.
Poor Lola.
This is the book you wanna read that truly personifies the street-realness grit and scum of Gotham thug life.
I really don't get why this title isn't getting more positive reviews and accolades. Whatevs, I can be the lone torchbearer if necessary. Keep things moving ya'll! Only one other creative combo and title could top Catwoman for the weekly reads and that is...
1 Justice League #2 Geoff Johns & Jim Lee
Last ish we got a glimpse of GL and Bats vs Supes-- more of the same with a helping of "the man whos never been touched"-- the Flash. Sickness how Lee illustrates the speed battle between Flash and Supes. Some real shit to see how truly overpowered the three are individually when matched up against Superman.
Batman eventually gets through to Kal-El through logic and reasoning (yeah those weren't in his utility belt huh?) as the four go underground to escape some military vehicles sent in to contain the metas. We are then brought over to STAR Labs where Victor and his pops argue about his future when simultaneously the mother box goes BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Out comes a horde of Parademons chanting out For Darkseid!!! And we see how Cyborg comes to be in this Johns & Lee production. Justice League is a grandiose, epic, page-flipping behemoth of a read that gives us first looks of iconic heroes meeting, dealing with eachother, the general public and a force that is bigger and more powerful than any of them can handle individually. Up next Wonderwoman.
This post was written by:
big O
5 Nightwing #2 Kyle Higgins & Eddy Barrows
Good to see that some vital elements to Dick Grayson hasn't changed post-New52-- like his taste for redheads. After squabing some with the masked mystery-killer that is on the hunt for Grayson-- Dick gets a surprise visit from a childhood friend Raya Vestri (had to let you know that isn't Babs) who is in need of his help. As they fly over to Atlantic City, Raya informs Dick that Mr. Haly (of Haly's Circus) asked her to bring
After receiving the deed for Haly's Circus and learning that Mr. Haly knew all along that he was Nightwing-- Dick realizes he was being tailed by the killer who goes by the name of Saiko (slang for cool or awesome in Japanese).
Saiko leads Nightwing back to Mr. Haly-- who was tortured into revealing Dick's heroic alter ego and they brawl again. They go evenly matched until Dick brings the roof down on Saiko the Psycho.
Before Mr. Haly passes, he apologizes to NW into bringing him into all of this...and with that we are left with questions as to why Saiko wanted Dick Grayson dead and how that now connects with the secret of Haly's Circus. We all know that Saiko will return yes?? Higgins and Barrows got me more into their story and made me take another look at #1 again to see why I wasn't so into it. The answer to that-- along with some of the other #1s I wasn't feeling as much as the second issues is getting past the reintro to the character-- which for many, hasn't changed dramatically. But for those #1s that had major shakeups- like Action, Detective, Justice League and Wonderwoman, well they just rocked.
4 Wonder Woman #2 Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang
Azz & Chiang bring us to Paradise Island where we get introduced to a very different looking Queen Hippolyta that doesn't need to bear the same look as Diana being that she was never part of the JSA in the New 52. Really dig the simplistic, medieval stylings of the Amazons to contrast the decadent Olympians.
Seeing how the two daughters-- Strife / Diana interact with their mothers-- Hera / Hippolyta also serves for fabulously layered characterizations. Thanks for that Azz! We learn of Hera's deep jealousy of Zeus' many bastard children as Hippolyta warns her daughter of helping to protect Zola. Hermes recounts the origin of Wonderwoman, perfect for not being created by the seed of a male. As some of us already know, we learn that is not entirely true.
Strife attacks Paradise Island by making the Amazons attack one another and WW lassos up some truth from her only to find that Zola isn't the bastard she came looking for.
Nope, the bastard is...Diana!! Eww, ahh, ohh...lame that some of us had to hear that spoiler from the NY Post last week..but hey at least Wonder Woman is making the news over things with more substance than hotpants.
3 Batman #2 Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
Nice dramatic touch to have Batman believe it as a myth too. I so love that the concept of Owlman is being fleshed out as a major antagonist to the Dark Knight and the redesign is ill! Does resemble the Immortals from 300 some but that is genius to pull from anyhow. Capullo's style is growing on me more and his depiction of Nightwing was on point.
Yeah, I am feeling like that cat Lincoln is associated with the Owls in some way cause yo...when does anybody ever tower over Bruce like that? The backward sequencing from end to start to end again was a treat and the fight scene with the Owl vs. Bruce & Gotham City architecture killed me. I can't remember all of the Batbooks being so damn delish. Mike Marts is the man.
2 Catwoman #2 Judd Winick &Guillem March
Winick, March and Morey are blessing their creative juices all over the place leaving Catwoman fans like you and me pumping our fists in the air. So Bats does know Selina is Cats while she is unaware and doesn't seem to care of his alter-ego. Enjoying the sensual dynamic and refreshing to see Bats get some action
Hilarious scene when Bruce is macking on Selina when she is incognito at some mob gala and Alfred pops up from out of nowhere to inform him that he traced the call she was making.
Though Catwoman seemed to have the ruskies in line-- all with a wig, pink bedazzled cell, whip and a firecracker-- the outro filled with Bone and his henchmen will go beyond her fill with Bats in for the save.
Poor Lola.
This is the book you wanna read that truly personifies the street-realness grit and scum of Gotham thug life.
I really don't get why this title isn't getting more positive reviews and accolades. Whatevs, I can be the lone torchbearer if necessary. Keep things moving ya'll! Only one other creative combo and title could top Catwoman for the weekly reads and that is...
1 Justice League #2 Geoff Johns & Jim Lee
Last ish we got a glimpse of GL and Bats vs Supes-- more of the same with a helping of "the man whos never been touched"-- the Flash. Sickness how Lee illustrates the speed battle between Flash and Supes. Some real shit to see how truly overpowered the three are individually when matched up against Superman.
Out comes a horde of Parademons chanting out For Darkseid!!! And we see how Cyborg comes to be in this Johns & Lee production. Justice League is a grandiose, epic, page-flipping behemoth of a read that gives us first looks of iconic heroes meeting, dealing with eachother, the general public and a force that is bigger and more powerful than any of them can handle individually. Up next Wonderwoman.
This post was written by:
big O
Oct 17, 2011
A New Threat is Unleashed on Omega in Mass Effect: Invasion #1
9:20 PM
BioWare and Dark Horse have teamed up in the past for some awesome Mass Effect comics (see here and here) that gave us an in-depth look at the ME universe and its characters. Now, as we wait for Mass Effect 3 to release in March 2012, Dark Horse and BioWare brings us another four-part comic series, Mass Effect: Invasion.
Any fan of the sci-fi action RPG is already very familiar with the merciless Aria T'Loak, the self-proclaimed queen of the seedy space station Omega. Set about a year after the events in Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect: Invasion reveals that despite a strained relationship with the pro-human organization Cerberus, profit prevails and Aria continues to allow Cerberus to use Omega as a supply hub. This becomes a costly mistake when suddenly dangerous creatures escape out of one of Cerberus’ transport ships and wreak havoc on the station.
This is an action packed intro that reveals some new enemies that are definitely not going to be easy to take down. The pacing and excitement is constant, and it deepens our understanding on how tough-as-nails Aria handles business on Omega. The art is solid, especially the cover art by Massimo Carnevale (poster quality!). As a huge Mass Effect fan girl, I definitely think it’s a must for all Mass Effect fans. It’s a really good way to satisfy your ME cravings until the third game comes out and will deepen your experience with the story once the game does finally release.
The issue leaves off on a great cliffhanger too. I’m trying not to spoil anything, but the Illusive Man truly is an enigma and I cannot wait to pick up the following two issues. Check a sneak peak of the first 7 pages here.
Mass Effect: Invasion #1 comes out on Wednesday, October 19th. Definitely go get it!
Side note: This is definitely not an ideal comic for anyone new to the universe. There’s a lot going right off the bat that readers would likely not know unless they have at least played Mass Effect 2. I highly recommend either playing the game or perhaps reading Mass Effect: Evolution before diving in to Invasion.
This post was written by:
Crystal
Any fan of the sci-fi action RPG is already very familiar with the merciless Aria T'Loak, the self-proclaimed queen of the seedy space station Omega. Set about a year after the events in Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect: Invasion reveals that despite a strained relationship with the pro-human organization Cerberus, profit prevails and Aria continues to allow Cerberus to use Omega as a supply hub. This becomes a costly mistake when suddenly dangerous creatures escape out of one of Cerberus’ transport ships and wreak havoc on the station.
This is an action packed intro that reveals some new enemies that are definitely not going to be easy to take down. The pacing and excitement is constant, and it deepens our understanding on how tough-as-nails Aria handles business on Omega. The art is solid, especially the cover art by Massimo Carnevale (poster quality!). As a huge Mass Effect fan girl, I definitely think it’s a must for all Mass Effect fans. It’s a really good way to satisfy your ME cravings until the third game comes out and will deepen your experience with the story once the game does finally release.The issue leaves off on a great cliffhanger too. I’m trying not to spoil anything, but the Illusive Man truly is an enigma and I cannot wait to pick up the following two issues. Check a sneak peak of the first 7 pages here.
Mass Effect: Invasion #1 comes out on Wednesday, October 19th. Definitely go get it!
Side note: This is definitely not an ideal comic for anyone new to the universe. There’s a lot going right off the bat that readers would likely not know unless they have at least played Mass Effect 2. I highly recommend either playing the game or perhaps reading Mass Effect: Evolution before diving in to Invasion.
This post was written by:
Crystal
Oct 14, 2011
NYCC 2011- Star Wars and Batman
12:30 PM
First stop is Dark Horse Comics-- home to everything Star Wars related and beyond. Being a mad SW head, I was amped to hear yesterday that Dark Horse was creatively going where they have never gone before. Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi takes place 25,000 years BBY, where (Before the Battle of Yavin or Ep.IV A New Hope) the world of the 1st Jedi virgance is explored and shared in the rich mythos of SW.
The series concept was created by SW: Legacy collaborators John Ostrander and Jan Duursema as they introduce readers to a time before lightsabers, force blasts and Sith lightning. From the first image art we can see the mysterious, pyramid shaped vessels that appear to have a symbol resembling that of the Galactic Empire hovering over a very Sith-looking figure. Hmm..very intrigued I am. A great jumping on point for longtime readers and those new to the Dark Horse line of Jedi books. Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #0 is slated to release on February 1, 2012 with Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm #1 to follow on Febraury 15.It began with the mysterious pyramid ships—the Tho Yor—scattered to the eight corners of the galaxy, and ended with the establishment of an Order that would change the universe forever. On the planet Tython, in the center of the galaxy, an order of warrior monks strives to maintain peace and to balance the mysterious power known as the Force. But a stranger is coming—one who will destroy both peace and balance, and open the galaxy to exploration and conquest. This is where it all begins!
The other book announcement that got me going is another Darth Vader-centric read delivered by my tops SW scribe (also kicking booty as a co-writer on Batwoman) W. Haden Blackman titled, Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison.
The upcoming 5-issue series is slated to be released next May 2012 and will be written by Haden Blackman, with artwork by Agustin Alessio. Ghost Prison takes place a year after Revenge of the Sith and will showcase Darth Vader’s impact on the galaxy in ways fans have never seen. Darth Vader will serve the Emperor to the best of his abilities, after all – Darth Vader makes no mistakes.Dark Horse hints at readers to be treated in seeing as to what lengths a young, ruthless Vader will go to in keeping his master, The Emperor safe from an assassination plot. IN and IN.
Ghost Prison also marks the return of Star Wars character Moff Trachta who will be vital to how the series unfolds.
Today, DC Comics held the first post New 52 panel with DC All-Access (previously DC Nation) Batman. The majority of Bat-centric creators-- Mike Marts, Bobbie Chase, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Tony Daniel, David Finch , Kyle Higgins, Peter Tomasi , Chris Burnham and Lee Bermejo were on hand to hear directly from readers, retailers and press how things are going in this new DCU. Snyder opened with infectious energy commenting on how incredible it is to see the crowd that showed up for all things Batman. Capullo commented on how Snyder is the best writer he has ever worked with...crazy props being that list puts him above the likes of Robert Kirkman, David Hine, Steve Niles, Fabian Nicieza and Todd McFarlane(Neil Gaiman). Yes, I would include all of them not on his level of strytelling but questionable on Kirkman though I am a HUGE Snyder fan. So dope to hear how complimentary both creators are on the best selling DC title of the year and super-charged for the upcoming Court of Owls storyline that Snyder & Capullo express will be their “Long Halloween.”
Tony Daniel stepped up to some high fives from the dynamic duo and took the mic with his cheers from the crowd-- gotta say I think that Detective two issues in is better than the Batman title. Daniel went on about how fun and exciting it is to bring new creations in from the beginning of his run at the levels of Joker. Dollmaker, Mathilda (the sexy nurse) and yet to be introduced Jack in the Box look to give us readers enough suspense and enjoyment in seeing how Bats matches up with them.
Tomasi welcomed the crowd in NYC fashion and got into how Batman & Robin is truly a book centering on the father & son dynamic of Damian and Bruce with similarities to Alfred & Bruce examined. We have already seen this in ish #2 and the promise from Tomasi is that this will be the core of the first subplots along with new villian Nobody that will soon provide big emotional moments in the months to come.
Bunch of more NYCC updates and coverage to come of course focusing on the kind of shit we like--wish we could cover more but damn that's how it goes sometimes. Peace!
This post was written by:
big O
Oct 11, 2011
indie rawkus: Orchid #1
5:39 PM
The lines between artistic expressions in hip-hop have always been fused by the elements of MCing, graffiti, DJing and BBoying with one not really happening without the other. The same fusion of creative mediums across pop culture has been incubating for the past 5-6 years (at least that I know of) and lives across comics, music, videogames, film and TV. If you don't know, now you know. You need some more convincing- peep Neil Young's Greendale, Gerard Way's Umbrella Academy or just go have a convo with Grant Morrison.
Enter Orchid. A creation via musical activist, Tom Morello (Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine) that drips of his unique journey and political battle against, you got it--the Man.
Story opens with the downfall of our civilization thanks to the wretched Corporations and their (as in the 1%) greed that led to the destruction of our supposed vast resources and gave birth to monstrous, genetic impossibilities on a Jurassic level.
This change of the planet only further imbalances the social strata with those few survivors creating settlements amongst the most uninhabitable of environments called The Wild and the 1% living large in their palaces and fortresses.
Slavery is back again and with that civil unrest amongst the poor or "Bridge People" who have since become religious zealots and believe in this mask that supposedly grants powers to the believers.
Anzio, a young leader of some slaves attempts an uprise with the fabled mask and in less than 5 pages into book gets axed. With that I felt like damn this isn't going to be one of those feel-good reads huh?! Oh yes, the protagonist of this story Orchid-- is a slaved prostitute (oh Ms. Blogplease DONT LET YOUR daughter read this book!!) Around 8 pages from the end of the ish we are finally introduced to Orchid-- who is emblazoned with some ink that you prolly won't be finding avail at your local tattoo parlor.
Scott Hepburn (Star Wars: Vector &Clone Wars) does it up on the pages with heavy linework and highly expressive facials that keeps you on edge within this savage, post-apocalyptic new world. If you need more coercing into getting in the mood of this read-- Morello is releasing a musical track for every new issue (12 in all) intended as background sounds as you take in Orchid.
I will definitely be picking up the GIANT Shepard incentive tomorrow and you should jump on board too for this monstrously entertaining yet very socially-conscious comic. See you tomorrow at the shops!! Out.
This post was written by:
big O
 |
| OBEY the Shepard Fairey variant cover |
Story opens with the downfall of our civilization thanks to the wretched Corporations and their (as in the 1%) greed that led to the destruction of our supposed vast resources and gave birth to monstrous, genetic impossibilities on a Jurassic level.
This change of the planet only further imbalances the social strata with those few survivors creating settlements amongst the most uninhabitable of environments called The Wild and the 1% living large in their palaces and fortresses.
Slavery is back again and with that civil unrest amongst the poor or "Bridge People" who have since become religious zealots and believe in this mask that supposedly grants powers to the believers.
Anzio, a young leader of some slaves attempts an uprise with the fabled mask and in less than 5 pages into book gets axed. With that I felt like damn this isn't going to be one of those feel-good reads huh?! Oh yes, the protagonist of this story Orchid-- is a slaved prostitute (oh Ms. Blog
Scott Hepburn (Star Wars: Vector &Clone Wars) does it up on the pages with heavy linework and highly expressive facials that keeps you on edge within this savage, post-apocalyptic new world. If you need more coercing into getting in the mood of this read-- Morello is releasing a musical track for every new issue (12 in all) intended as background sounds as you take in Orchid.
From the mind of musician Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman) with art by Scott Hepburn (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), Orchid is the tale of a teenage prostitute who learns that she is more than the role society has imposed upon her.
When the seas rose, genetic codes were smashed. Human settlements are ringed by a dense wilderness from which ferocious new animal species prey on the helpless. The high ground belongs to the rich and powerful that overlook swampland shantytowns from their fortress-like cities. Iron-fisted rule ensures order and allows the wealthy to harvest the poor as slaves. Welcome to the world of Orchid.
* Featuring a variant cover by the best known and influential street artist Shepard Fairey!
I will definitely be picking up the GIANT Shepard incentive tomorrow and you should jump on board too for this monstrously entertaining yet very socially-conscious comic. See you tomorrow at the shops!! Out.
This post was written by:
big O
Apr 12, 2010
indie rawkus- Devil & Joe the Barbarian
1:04 PM
Let's all agree on something, everything not DC or Marvel is considered indie right?! Okay I have not covered a fair share of the other publishing houses that make up nearly 25-30% of comics, but definitely take up half of the conversations I have at the shops-- so, I shall proceed- and continue to rock the (indie)mic.
Devil is a special kinda book for many reasons- first off it is the very first original Japanese manga released first in the States. Yeah, so all those times crazy otaku wishing they were in Akihabara for the newest manga, games and toys finally have something to brag about cos of Dark Horse and Madhouse (Dagger of Kamui, Perfect Blue, Ninja Scroll- yes, 3 of the most bomb-ass anime evar) genius collab.
Torajiro Kishi scribes and provides art on this hypnotic, twisted, sci-fi/noir-kine take on the ever-so-trendy vampire genre.
The pace is fast & tho the panelling is of western-links you definitely get the raunchy-goodness that we all love about this imported art form. The only pure "devil" Mariko, is hauntingly gorgeous and evokes the classic, femme-fatale that so exemplifies anime. Devil #3(of 4) hits stands later this month and the earlier issues are still pretty easy to find.
Both co-creators of Joe the Barbarian hold mainstream appeal and maintain a hold on underground comics audience. Few can flip the script so effortlessly from such bi-polar works as Hellblazer to Teen Titans (Murphy) and Seaguy to Batman & Robin (Morrison).
No doubt, Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy seize childhood nostalgia and our attention in this wondrous Vertigo line fantasy.
With this beautiful, flat-out bananas splash page you get it all...
In a number of ways, Joe the Barbarian clings to you like that of Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth-- allowing your imagination to run wild with the protagonist-- but making you think to yourself is this real or just some troubled kid's fantasy. Joe the Barbarian #4(of 8) also comes out the last week of April but you may have a hard time finding earlier issues.
This post was written by:
big O
Devil is a special kinda book for many reasons- first off it is the very first original Japanese manga released first in the States. Yeah, so all those times crazy otaku wishing they were in Akihabara for the newest manga, games and toys finally have something to brag about cos of Dark Horse and Madhouse (Dagger of Kamui, Perfect Blue, Ninja Scroll- yes, 3 of the most bomb-ass anime evar) genius collab.
Torajiro Kishi scribes and provides art on this hypnotic, twisted, sci-fi/noir-kine take on the ever-so-trendy vampire genre.
The pace is fast & tho the panelling is of western-links you definitely get the raunchy-goodness that we all love about this imported art form. The only pure "devil" Mariko, is hauntingly gorgeous and evokes the classic, femme-fatale that so exemplifies anime. Devil #3(of 4) hits stands later this month and the earlier issues are still pretty easy to find.
Both co-creators of Joe the Barbarian hold mainstream appeal and maintain a hold on underground comics audience. Few can flip the script so effortlessly from such bi-polar works as Hellblazer to Teen Titans (Murphy) and Seaguy to Batman & Robin (Morrison).
No doubt, Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy seize childhood nostalgia and our attention in this wondrous Vertigo line fantasy.
With this beautiful, flat-out bananas splash page you get it all...
In a number of ways, Joe the Barbarian clings to you like that of Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth-- allowing your imagination to run wild with the protagonist-- but making you think to yourself is this real or just some troubled kid's fantasy. Joe the Barbarian #4(of 8) also comes out the last week of April but you may have a hard time finding earlier issues.
This post was written by:
big O
Nov 13, 2009
Irie Mon!
2:18 PM
I just came across this cool nugget that shares insight into one of the best sci-fi action movies ever made. Big stars, gigantic egos and one bad ass alien! All told by the director and actors themselves. The 3-part video features the original alien design
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