Quick Reviews #37
An Explosion In Demand!
This week, we are in more demand than ever! Not just because of more (free) subscribers and post likes but publishers asking us to hype up their Kickstarter campaigns! Don’t worry we still got our usuals. Plus some stuff that Edelweiss took too long to approve of.
Time to celebrate my jury duty being canceled!
Time Bomb Comics
First come first serve! Meet Dick Turban!
I mean…
Dick Turpin and the Vengeful Shade: Hmm…entertaining. Plot’s nothing too special, but it’s a good intro to the title character. Plus the foreshadowing takes it up a notch. Better yet the dialogue is something I don’t see too often. Where characterizations shine even on the sides. 8.5/10
Dick Turpin and the Crimson Plague: Okay got a short before the main story. It’s a pretty good transition from Vengeful Shade’s style to a new one. Plus it stays consistent with both stories sharing an outline. Main one’s got a bit more flash and not as much character. But at least it starts and ends with gallows humor and tact. 8.3/10
Seems worth giving the Kickstarter for the Restless Dead a look for these alone. Hopefully with that more lively dialogue.
RNM Press
Another bit of Kickstarter hype. Wait… Robots, Ninjas & Monkeys!
Bixby Grant, Private Eye in… Wolf! She Cried: Pretty good, pretty weird noir. Great use of grids to make the questioning process go smoothly. Plenty of red herrings and little things in the background that make the case more engaging. Plus the characters are memorable, got more going for them beyond archetypes and quirks. 8.8/10
Bixby Grant, Private Eye: Fangs & Brimstone #1-4 - Now here’s a point where the title character gets more…character. More development with bigger dynamics, stakes that mount up because of it, and the reasons for them are grounded. Election campaigns am I right? Get notified, back the Kickstarter, because so far this is a 9/10.
Zombietown #1-4 - And the backups…tense, atmospheric, with big heavy moments of suspense and action. Makes the whole setting more lived in while supported by a great character story. 9/10
Boom! Studios
So much easier this way.
Lumberjanes Book Three: Basically where I left off on my own time, that’s good. And it’s full of stuff that’s mostly fun but has a heartfelt, emotional core. Plenty of excitement, intrigue, and laughs. 9/10
Uncanny Valley Volume Two: Strangely nostalgic yet engrossing. Like eras of animation being brought together in epic fashion. All while feeling like a meta experience between childhood, family dynamics, coming-of-age, and the inherent relationship between the real and reality. All in momentous fashion that audiences can never look away from. 9/10
War: Better live up to the hype, Garth Ennis isn’t my first pick with his dialogue’s pace. …Alright this works out perfectly. All the know-how and commentary; yet it’s all got weight, momentum, and consequences. Why? Because this series captures the feeling of being a know-it-all and all of the related anxieties. Even some added layers that go over people’s heads. 10/10
Books of Slaughter: Gotta say, this is more interesting than some comic universe history books. Maybe it’s because it’s tied to a character arc, maybe it’s how lived in this universe is. Maybe it’s the different styles of writing used. In any way, it’s good stuff to have without being too necessary. 8/10
Bronze Faces: I can almost feel a Nigerian wave coming in. Another time! This has a sense of rhythm, contrast, subtle character layers, and cultural framing that enriches everything. Even if it goes a little too fast in some dynamics. 8.5/10
The Expanse: Dragon Tooth - Feels like this needs the material of the show to appreciate. Too many moving pieces and talking heads than actually doing anything. 6.5/10
Bad Idea
Here’s one I payed with my own money.
Survive #5: Pretty intense standoff after surviving a sunken submarine. A lot of presentation about still needing to fight your way upwards to survive. And it’s twice as claustrophobic compared to threats from above. 8.5/10
Massive/Devil’s Due
Still a backer.
The Disavowed #4: More good moments than too slow ones. Clears up some questions, and when things get going they’ve got the staked weight and momentum going. 8.5/10
Mad Cave Studios
Way more than the usual this week.
Exploit #1: This was…oddly relatable. Mostly cuz of the lead; 30-something who felt like life only just started, dreading the idea of losing the way to support it, especially in the age where every choice could blow up in your face. Plus, the commentary but contrasting characterizations. And the way the presentation shows the different angles made this all feel absurdly grounded. And there’s way more suspense coming in. 9/10
51 #1: In contrast to that is an escape into absurdity. Dumb, weird, all-too-human in all the ironic ways. But hey, when that all makes great characterizations and pace, that’s all for the best. 8.8/10
Dick Tracy: St. Patrick’s Day Special - Wasn’t expecting anything like this. That first story was well structured, but that second one made me feel things. Wanting a place to belong, the weight of feeling alone on celebrations, trying not to fall back into old habits, and the tragedy of when things don’t work out. 8.8/10
Beat Every 1-Up: This is just okay. Alright stylizations and references, but… basic characterizations, dialogue, character dynamics, power sets, transitions and presentation with barely any impact, and lots of weightless talks especially exposition. 6/10
I Didn’t Ask For This: Similar structure but has way more going for it. Better presentation, emotive scenes, shifting dynamics, and grounded dialogue. Seriously everybody feels like people, not reading a script or trying too hard for relevancy. Kinda the point really. With escalation feeling so thrilling. 9/10
The New Space Age #3: Funny how the incomprehensible parts of space get the more abstract and trippy art. But that’s secondary to the character dynamics, especially with hindsight and implication. Every one affects characters down the line, especially where dreams and passions are at odds. 9/10
Ferocious #4: Not as action based as other issues, but the effects are unmistakable. The sense of momentum and pace really sell the show of imprinting. 9/10
Liquidator #4: Just because the theatre set isn’t as obvious doesn’t mean it’s not there. It’s like everybody not making eye contact is just the walls of the stage. And eye contact even with the reader sets the weight and tone of the stakes. Not just the characters, but the subtle ways they talk to the reader. 8.7/10
Temporal #5: Probably the most unusual but compelling ending. Probably because the high concept stuff has a center. Where every piece of emotive artwork and and family dynamic is like an abstract meta-structure. 8.5/10
Flash Gordon Classic Collection Vol. 6: Guess the old strips had more to offer than just…oh wait, this is basically replacing familiar stuff with palette swaps for Ming, Aura, Mongo, even Dale and Zarkov for bits. And a couple of other things that haven’t aged as well. Least the characterizations are on point. Plus the scale in some sets are good. But they’re the exceptions with this pace. 6.5/10
Digital Lizards of Doom Vol. 5: This did not feel like a comic book most of the time. It plays more like an illustrated novel. I guess this was going for a look of how characters interact on a video game screen. But there are a lot of exposition dumps, a lot of just telling, less showing, and what is being shown can get hard to understand what’s happening. 5.5/10
Miraculous Chibi Vol. 5: Some fun, charming, and emotionally paced shorts. Gotta love when they stay consistent, especially like with transitions from one plot structure to another. 8.5/10
