Quick Reviews #52
Staying in The Loop Now...Hopefully!
Whew…What a week of work. Past two was all about adult responsibilities, this week was a delayed reaction plus not wanting to get out of bed. Thankfully caffeine plus some decent releases get me going.
Mad Cave
Grit - Love when they keep it simple. Real pulp action: interesting and intimately competent characters, their characterizations that shine in clashes, and a satirical post-modern edge of fantasy stories. Problem is, it feels more like a story just started as it was getting good. 8.3/10
Dog Tag #3 - The anti-war stories continue. No glory, no trophies, just mementos of dumb luck. Between the gunfire and breaks, anticipation fills each page turn. 9/10
Terrorbytes #8 - Welcome back Mark Russell. Looks like this isn’t a framing story. Or at least no separating from the framing story. Just very intense social commentary in the form of world building and cosmic indifference. 9/10
Flash Gordon Quarterly #8 - Well I enjoyed two out of three stories in this anthology. The first one really shows Aura’s character in crisp action. Which is complemented by the other story I like, enough to heighten her relationships with other characters. But the middle story was just okay; could’ve been done with or without Flash. 8.5/10
The World Enders - Gotta admit, moral grey settings like this played for laughs are kinda fun. I can even imagine voice actors giving the cast of lunatics more character. Feels like the best of a James Gunn movie. Just needs a soundtrack to complement the character development and emotional depth. 8.5/10
Flash Gordon: The Girl From Infinity Vol. 2 - When did volume 1 start?…This is okay, but only just that. It feels very vanilla with its designs, expressions, and presentations. So are the characterizations and dialogue, save for a couple of unforced quirks. At least the pace doesn’t feel off. 6.5/10
Image
I only wish Don’t Hide PR gave me greater access to Image releases. At best I get to see something from Syzygy Publishing.
Dread the Hall H: 2026 - Loving the comic convention and structure satire. Ridiculous commentary, comics coming to life on the pages, and jokes that heighten with character. Definitely something to take home from SDCC this year. 8.8/10