Quick Reviews #31
With A Twist
Starting this off is a little surprise provided by David Pepose. Not Space Ghost or Speed Racer, but…
Marvel
Okay technically this one’s been out for a while but I’m a Pepose fan! And he gave me access to his best work from 2025!
Cable: Love & Chrome - Some great momentum and anticipation in the action I always love. But Cable’s monologues and action movie cliches are a pet peeve for me. Especially subplots that went too fast. 8/10
Mad Cave
Naraka Warrior Vol. 2: A heartbreaking arc reaches its climax. Intense, emotional weight is thrown into every big swing. And rereads make the impact twice as noteworthy. 8.5/10
Ninja Kaiju: A charming, tightly paced, sharp purposed romp that makes you feel like a kid with a sketchbook. 9/10
Red Vector: Feels like a tightly paced sci-fi movie like The Last Starfighter. Including a couple of cliches that get glossed over; because each page and panel has an intimate competency. It just requires the whole album to appreciate. 8.5/10
The Sword in the Stone: Arthur’s Magical Kingdom - A nice little epilogue to a classical Disney movie. Parallel character arcs, the feeling of a musical number in character dynamics. Just a good fun time. 8.5/10
Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever - Questo pittore bisogno di un nuovo aspetto. Maybe I’m still thinking of a video where Van Gogh wasn’t defined by his depression. Can’t deny the surreal appeal of the art though. Rather than bring out only Van Gogh’s other paintings, the artist uses some liberties to evoke some ideas of what the painter would feel. Like being haunted by thoughts in different forms. Problem is, the pace from this and the font used aren’t for me. 7.5/10
Speed Racer: Tales From The Road: A Wrench In Plans - An engrossing emotional look into character motivations and reflections. It shows a real sense of depth and layers that enrich a bigger world beyond the title character. 9/10
Ferocious #2: A fantastic journey into a growing character dynamic. Not just a lead’s growth as a warrior, but the growing momentum as the other lead unwinds. 9.5/10
Temporal #3: The initial excitement is fittingly turning down. Less chaotic fun, more anticipation of how the domino effect is reflected in a character dynamic. 8.8/10
Gunpowder Prophets #3: Whereas the excitement here is part of the pace. Characters with precise functions with roles that never blur in escalating fashion. That’s controlled detonation. 9/10
Flow #4: A development as breathtaking as the atmospheric intensity heightens. Contrasts, twists, and red herrings show what’s beyond the magic readers were engrossed in. 9/10
Orla #5: And so it ends, with the emotional core and narrative arc intact. I’ll say this in comparison to the Cable story above. The romantic plot beats feel like they have way more weight to them. You can feel the emotional turmoil from the panel transitions of opening up and the anxieties between time-skips. And the resolutions are just narratively perfect, a bittersweet acceptance of imperfections. 10/10
Gatchaman #15: Decent paced action and clashes of ideology, all while emotional arcs are bubbling to the surface. As well as another player which might or might not complicate things. We’ll have to see. 8.5/10
The Winx Club Vol. 5: If all the fans’ and creators’ drama over the Winx Saga is still happening, maybe it’s time to change direction. Like a reminder on why the Winx franchise is so influential. The feeling of being in a world full of magic including the people who apply themselves to it. All with a spirit of springtime youth as everyone has to look at where the next stage of their lives will go. 8.5/10
Phineas & Ferb: Classic Comics Collection #5: Like a lot of comic strip collections, there are things you’re gonna like and things you won’t like as much. Guess I’m a sucker for the show’s musical numbers. But not for all these segmented pieces with no rhythm to them. 7/10
Bad Idea
Ordained #1: I’m one of the people lucky enough to pre-order this first printing before it sold out. Bought it off of Third Eye for delivery. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype of selling out its second printing…Good pace and momentum, simple yet unorthodox premise, character who has more going for him. A lot of implications too. Interesting. And the action choreographed in panel layouts, masterful. Gotta be honest though, it feels like a pretty typical mob hit survival. Need to see more. 8.5/10
Survive #2: Here’s one I’m glad I pre-ordered. Not enough demand on Veve for people to resell it. What does that imply?…An unappreciated cinematic experience of warmth lost and claustrophobia. That’s what! 9/10
(Would You March In The) Torchlight Parade: Real dreadful feeling of social anxiety horror. The black-and-white art definitely helps with that, especially the eerie feeling. 9/10
Survive #3: Still as claustrophobic, now with more political intrigue. Plus the ever looming threat of things going dark gets real close. Especially when its dependent on a shaky dynamic. 9/10