These are single issue anthologies I read recently:
The Mystic Hands of Doctor Strange
These comic contains four stories. The first one is written by Kieron Gillen and Frazer Irving, it is called "The Cure" and it is pretty good. Doctor Strange has a difficult dilemma and his solution is interesting. The story is 22 pages long and works well as an issue. The second story, "Melancholia" is written by Peter Milligan and Frank Brunner. The story is a nice short story about helping oneself forgive past sins. The third story, "So this is how it feels..." by Ted McKeever was strange. I didn't get it. The fourth story was not a comic, but prose with a couple of illustrations. The prose was done by Mike Carey and it was a great story. The few illustrations were made by Marcos Martin and he did a great job.
Overall, a good comic. It contains four stories and 48 pages for the price of one story. I even like the black and white, I think it works well with Dr. Strange.
Breaking into Marvel Comics Parts I and II.
The idea of these comics was to showcase the talent that C.B. Cebulski found around the world. Each issue contains six stories and then in the back of the issue we get a few comments by Cebulski about what he looks for in artists and we also get very short interviews with some of the artists. These extras were good but not great, however since we got 12 stories I was happy with the price of the comic books.
Most of the stories were average, but there was one I liked a lot. That one was written by Bendis with art by Christian Nauck. It is called "Modern Love" and it is about a romance that Iron Fist had with Spider-Woman. It was funny and well done. Very good short story. I was surprised to find out that of all the stories in the first issue, I had read issues of the heroes (or villains) in them, Spider-Man, Bullseye, X-Men, Iron Fist, Runaways and Iron Man. I would like to say that I really liked the art by Damion Hendricks on the Spider-Man story. His art suits Spider-Man perfectly. The second issue had no memorable story for me, but at the time I enjoyed reading it.
The issues were worth reading but they didn't achieve greatness.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Exit Wounds
Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan.
Exit Wounds is the story of a young man who is just told by a young woman that his father might have died in a recent terrorist attack. The man and the woman try to find out whether the man died or not and in the process they start having feelings for each other.
The book is very good. I found it very interesting to see how the characters react to tragedy in the book. It was surprising to see how easy everyone talks about terrorist attacks, since it is part of everyday life in Israel, people don't seem scared or angry when they talk about the violence.
The comic focuses on these two characters and I feel like we get to know them very well. I thought Modan did a great job with the artwork and with the writing in this comic.
Exit Wounds is the story of a young man who is just told by a young woman that his father might have died in a recent terrorist attack. The man and the woman try to find out whether the man died or not and in the process they start having feelings for each other.
The book is very good. I found it very interesting to see how the characters react to tragedy in the book. It was surprising to see how easy everyone talks about terrorist attacks, since it is part of everyday life in Israel, people don't seem scared or angry when they talk about the violence.
The comic focuses on these two characters and I feel like we get to know them very well. I thought Modan did a great job with the artwork and with the writing in this comic.
Asterios Polyp
Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli.
This book is considered by many to be the best of 2009. Mazzucchelli does a fantastic job with all aspects of the artwork, making the story follow perfectly from panel to panel, making use of color to tell us different things and he also uses the lettering to give each character their own voice. The comic is full of wonderful parts where words aren't needed, showing why this comic had to be done as a comic and not prose. I particularly love a chapter near the beginning about how we perceive things in our own unique way and how we influence the perceptions of those around us. This is done brilliantly by drawing different characters in very different styles, having Asterios drawn in a clean geometric form (arms being cylinders), while having Hana (his wife)drawn with lots of red lines. The comic also has a great chapter, where it gives us another take of the Orpheus myth. It works great during the story and it is beautifully illustrated.
This book gets a lot of attention for its fantastic visual storytelling, but the writing is also very good. I thought the story was very strong (and memorable) and I enjoyed the dialogue. It had funny moments and it had interesting discussions about different things in life.
Asterios Polyp, the character, changes gradually during the course of the book and we get to see his path. I really enjoyed the journey of reading this book. I highly recommend this comic.
This book is considered by many to be the best of 2009. Mazzucchelli does a fantastic job with all aspects of the artwork, making the story follow perfectly from panel to panel, making use of color to tell us different things and he also uses the lettering to give each character their own voice. The comic is full of wonderful parts where words aren't needed, showing why this comic had to be done as a comic and not prose. I particularly love a chapter near the beginning about how we perceive things in our own unique way and how we influence the perceptions of those around us. This is done brilliantly by drawing different characters in very different styles, having Asterios drawn in a clean geometric form (arms being cylinders), while having Hana (his wife)drawn with lots of red lines. The comic also has a great chapter, where it gives us another take of the Orpheus myth. It works great during the story and it is beautifully illustrated.
This book gets a lot of attention for its fantastic visual storytelling, but the writing is also very good. I thought the story was very strong (and memorable) and I enjoyed the dialogue. It had funny moments and it had interesting discussions about different things in life.
Asterios Polyp, the character, changes gradually during the course of the book and we get to see his path. I really enjoyed the journey of reading this book. I highly recommend this comic.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters (Vol. 1)
Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters (Vol.1) by Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato Jr. collects issues 110-115 of Thunderbolts.
The Thunderbolts are a group of super-villains that are trying to redeem themselves by being superheroes. They work for the government and with the Civil War going on in the Marvel Universe, the government has chosen a new leader, Norman Osborn, for the group and new teammates, Bullseye, Venom and Moonstone, all of which are evil. However the government really needs talented people to arrest the superheroes that don't to register.
I've heard great things about this comic and the author Warren Ellis, an author that wrote the series of Nextwave which I recently read, and liked a lot. The book is pretty good, but it is not great. It has some fun moments and it is interesting to see a crazy person in charge of something so dangerous, however, besides Norman Osborn, I care little about the rest of the characters.
The art is pretty good, there is a really cool sequence where American Eagle fights Swordsman and that fight sequence is amazing. The artist plays with the panels and really enhances the scene by making it feel dynamic without sacrificing great detail in the scene. I like how Deodato plays with the panels, creating different transitions. I know that sometimes it is the writer who instructs such decisions with panels, but I've seen Deodato do this with other writers, so I am inclined to think that it was his idea.
The comic is good, showing us different Marvel characters and creating interesting situations. The art is great. However I am not convinced that this comic is a must read, it is a good comic that is forgettable. Good but not great. Almost reaches 4 stars, but it doesn't make it.
The Thunderbolts are a group of super-villains that are trying to redeem themselves by being superheroes. They work for the government and with the Civil War going on in the Marvel Universe, the government has chosen a new leader, Norman Osborn, for the group and new teammates, Bullseye, Venom and Moonstone, all of which are evil. However the government really needs talented people to arrest the superheroes that don't to register.
I've heard great things about this comic and the author Warren Ellis, an author that wrote the series of Nextwave which I recently read, and liked a lot. The book is pretty good, but it is not great. It has some fun moments and it is interesting to see a crazy person in charge of something so dangerous, however, besides Norman Osborn, I care little about the rest of the characters.
The art is pretty good, there is a really cool sequence where American Eagle fights Swordsman and that fight sequence is amazing. The artist plays with the panels and really enhances the scene by making it feel dynamic without sacrificing great detail in the scene. I like how Deodato plays with the panels, creating different transitions. I know that sometimes it is the writer who instructs such decisions with panels, but I've seen Deodato do this with other writers, so I am inclined to think that it was his idea.
The comic is good, showing us different Marvel characters and creating interesting situations. The art is great. However I am not convinced that this comic is a must read, it is a good comic that is forgettable. Good but not great. Almost reaches 4 stars, but it doesn't make it.
Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E
Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen collects issues 1 through 12 of Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.
Nextwave is a group of C-list superheroes that worked for H.A.T.E (Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort), but broke off when they found out that H.A.T.E was sponsored by the Beyond Corporation, a front for a terrorist organization called S.I.L.E.N.C.E. Nextwave then looks for the weapons of mass destruction developed by the Beyond Corporation and tries to destroy them, in the way they accidentally destroy cities and run into all sorts of trouble. The group gets to fight a giant dragon, a corrupt Transformers-like cop, mindless lava beasts, a dinosaur, snakes on a plane, hamburger-shooting-Elvis-clones, among many other crazy over the top villains.
One thing I like about the comic, is that its story arcs are two issues long. While there is an overall story arc for the 12 issues, each adventure takes two issues. It is nice to read a comic that doesn't stretch (decompress) its stories. The comic also plays a lot with its medium, there is a sequence where we get six double-splashes in a row, not only displaying the great artwork by Immonen showcasing hundreds of funny villains, but also making fun of the overuse of double splashes in some comics. I like how it makes fun of titles, by sometimes having the tile of the comic multiple times throughout the issues. The issue with the 6 double-splashes has the tile at least 8 times (one for every double-splash, one at the beginning and one at the end), while other issues also have it 3 or 4 times.
The art is really good. I like that Immonen has a loose style but is still able to show a lot of detail. The scenes are very clean and they have a very nice cartoon look. A great artist was needed to make all the goofy villains work. I really like the designs for the villains.
Overall, this is a very funny comic that makes a lot of jokes about the medium and tells good stories. A great comic.
Nextwave is a group of C-list superheroes that worked for H.A.T.E (Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort), but broke off when they found out that H.A.T.E was sponsored by the Beyond Corporation, a front for a terrorist organization called S.I.L.E.N.C.E. Nextwave then looks for the weapons of mass destruction developed by the Beyond Corporation and tries to destroy them, in the way they accidentally destroy cities and run into all sorts of trouble. The group gets to fight a giant dragon, a corrupt Transformers-like cop, mindless lava beasts, a dinosaur, snakes on a plane, hamburger-shooting-Elvis-clones, among many other crazy over the top villains.
One thing I like about the comic, is that its story arcs are two issues long. While there is an overall story arc for the 12 issues, each adventure takes two issues. It is nice to read a comic that doesn't stretch (decompress) its stories. The comic also plays a lot with its medium, there is a sequence where we get six double-splashes in a row, not only displaying the great artwork by Immonen showcasing hundreds of funny villains, but also making fun of the overuse of double splashes in some comics. I like how it makes fun of titles, by sometimes having the tile of the comic multiple times throughout the issues. The issue with the 6 double-splashes has the tile at least 8 times (one for every double-splash, one at the beginning and one at the end), while other issues also have it 3 or 4 times.
The art is really good. I like that Immonen has a loose style but is still able to show a lot of detail. The scenes are very clean and they have a very nice cartoon look. A great artist was needed to make all the goofy villains work. I really like the designs for the villains.
Overall, this is a very funny comic that makes a lot of jokes about the medium and tells good stories. A great comic.
More Single Issues
Casanova #1 and #2 by Matt Fraction and Gabriel Bá.
I had heard great things about this comic, so I had to try it out. The comic is all over the place and hard to understand at times. It took me a while to get into the style. I like the art and I like how the characters break the fourth wall to give us some jokes, however I didn't get interested in the characters.
While I can see why some people would love this series, it is not my cup of tea. I won't read the next issues, I just didn't get excited about what was going on.
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #60 by Paul Tobin and Christian Nauck.
I have been loving the Marvel Adventures Spider-man, however, this issue is not very good. While it was cool seeing Spidey with a badge and I am still wondering how Chat lost her memory, I just wasn't into this issue as much as before. Spidey was very funny and it was very Peter Parker-y for Spider-Man to mess up this new found opportunity, however I am not a big fan of my hero messing up an opportunity so quickly.
The next issue is the last of the series, deciding to renumber after it, going back to #1. I noticed that #1 will be $3.99 instead of $2.99, so maybe that's the reason for the renumbering, that's unfortunate, but maybe this will inspire them to make an extra good last issue and then an extra good first issue.
I had heard great things about this comic, so I had to try it out. The comic is all over the place and hard to understand at times. It took me a while to get into the style. I like the art and I like how the characters break the fourth wall to give us some jokes, however I didn't get interested in the characters.
While I can see why some people would love this series, it is not my cup of tea. I won't read the next issues, I just didn't get excited about what was going on.
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #60 by Paul Tobin and Christian Nauck.
I have been loving the Marvel Adventures Spider-man, however, this issue is not very good. While it was cool seeing Spidey with a badge and I am still wondering how Chat lost her memory, I just wasn't into this issue as much as before. Spidey was very funny and it was very Peter Parker-y for Spider-Man to mess up this new found opportunity, however I am not a big fan of my hero messing up an opportunity so quickly.
The next issue is the last of the series, deciding to renumber after it, going back to #1. I noticed that #1 will be $3.99 instead of $2.99, so maybe that's the reason for the renumbering, that's unfortunate, but maybe this will inspire them to make an extra good last issue and then an extra good first issue.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Recent Single Issues
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #32 by Brad Meltzer and Georges Jeanty.
After a year long of mediocre stories, Buffy got back on track last month with issue #31 and this issue is also great. I liked this issue even more, mainly because I am emotionally invested on the characters. Issue #31 made me laugh a lot and it was great, but this issue was so good, I flew past it and then read it again to see if I missed anything. Angel is my favorite characters in the Buffy Verse, so having him back was awesome.
A very good issue, I am looking forward to getting more Buffy comics.
Chew #9 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.
This series is just great. Each issue is fun, works as a solo issue and works as a part for a bigger story. I love that Layman and Guillory do that. I also like how they play with form. Every issue has a prologue, but issue 8 had more than one (it had three if I remember correctly), and not this issue has more than one cliffhanger, in fact it has three. The issue is packed with jokes. I can't say enough about how much I like Guillory's art, without his art I don't think I would love this book. The art makes the jokes funnier. It is nice to see a comic not go for ultra realistic, but use the comic form to enhance the stories with good visual storytelling.
Chew is a fantastic ongoing series. I highly recommend it.
Obamouse by Joe Dunn and Ben Dunn.
When I read the solicits for Obamouse, solicits which talked about Hen Beck, Sarah Penguin, Joe Bison, John McCrane, Steven Colbear, etc. I decided I had to buy the comic. The comic is an independent, it is in black and white and has simple lettering, however the art is pretty good. The issue contains three stories. One is Obamouse as a spy trying to stop Owl Caida and the Fat Cat. He succeeds somehow, I think this was poorly written. The second story is where all the funny animal versions of famous political figures come into play. It has Obamouse watching the jokes about him on TV, then has him talk to John McCrane about the economy among other things. It wasn't great, but it has some funny moments and it was closer to what I imagined the comic would be. This was the longest story. The third story has Obamouse in another planet. Asrah Naplin (note that it is an anagram of Sarah Palin) explains to him how the culture in the planet was destroyed by the partisands. It was interesting reading how polarization can hurt the country, but overall there wasn't much weight behind the words. A simple story that led nowhere.
The issue wasn't good, but the penciling was well done and it had some funny moments.
Nemesis: The Impostors #1 by Ivan Brandon and Cliff Richards.
I think the issue was great. I think it is a great first issue because it generated a lot of questions and it makes me want to read more to find out what is going on. The narrative structure is weird as at times it is unclear whether what is on the panel is what is happening now or someone telling a story. Also, it seems that the issue begins midway through the story and later one we find out how we got to where the issue starts. It is confusing, however, it intrigued me.
The art in this comic was very good. I am surprised because I wasn't in love with Cliff Richards when he drew in the Buffy comic, but here I think he does a great job. Maybe he just does better with darker tones in the colors, but I liked his artwork.
A great first issue, we'll have to wait to see how good the miniseries is.
Amazing Spider-Man #621 by Dan Slott and Michael Lark.
I liked this issue. The issue was a good one shot, with a fun adventure. It is always good to see Black Cat and I am interested on seeing when Aunt May will go back to being nice. The art was great. Michael Lark, one of my favorite artists for noir stories, worked before on Daredevil, a great run with Ed Brubaker. His style translated well for Spider-Man, although it is good that is only for one issue, as his style is not optimistic enough for a long run with Spidey. I here he will be back for a four issue story by Joe Kelly around issue #634. It should be cool, I love his art.
After a year long of mediocre stories, Buffy got back on track last month with issue #31 and this issue is also great. I liked this issue even more, mainly because I am emotionally invested on the characters. Issue #31 made me laugh a lot and it was great, but this issue was so good, I flew past it and then read it again to see if I missed anything. Angel is my favorite characters in the Buffy Verse, so having him back was awesome.
A very good issue, I am looking forward to getting more Buffy comics.
Chew #9 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.
This series is just great. Each issue is fun, works as a solo issue and works as a part for a bigger story. I love that Layman and Guillory do that. I also like how they play with form. Every issue has a prologue, but issue 8 had more than one (it had three if I remember correctly), and not this issue has more than one cliffhanger, in fact it has three. The issue is packed with jokes. I can't say enough about how much I like Guillory's art, without his art I don't think I would love this book. The art makes the jokes funnier. It is nice to see a comic not go for ultra realistic, but use the comic form to enhance the stories with good visual storytelling.
Chew is a fantastic ongoing series. I highly recommend it.
Obamouse by Joe Dunn and Ben Dunn.
When I read the solicits for Obamouse, solicits which talked about Hen Beck, Sarah Penguin, Joe Bison, John McCrane, Steven Colbear, etc. I decided I had to buy the comic. The comic is an independent, it is in black and white and has simple lettering, however the art is pretty good. The issue contains three stories. One is Obamouse as a spy trying to stop Owl Caida and the Fat Cat. He succeeds somehow, I think this was poorly written. The second story is where all the funny animal versions of famous political figures come into play. It has Obamouse watching the jokes about him on TV, then has him talk to John McCrane about the economy among other things. It wasn't great, but it has some funny moments and it was closer to what I imagined the comic would be. This was the longest story. The third story has Obamouse in another planet. Asrah Naplin (note that it is an anagram of Sarah Palin) explains to him how the culture in the planet was destroyed by the partisands. It was interesting reading how polarization can hurt the country, but overall there wasn't much weight behind the words. A simple story that led nowhere.
The issue wasn't good, but the penciling was well done and it had some funny moments.
Nemesis: The Impostors #1 by Ivan Brandon and Cliff Richards.
I think the issue was great. I think it is a great first issue because it generated a lot of questions and it makes me want to read more to find out what is going on. The narrative structure is weird as at times it is unclear whether what is on the panel is what is happening now or someone telling a story. Also, it seems that the issue begins midway through the story and later one we find out how we got to where the issue starts. It is confusing, however, it intrigued me.
The art in this comic was very good. I am surprised because I wasn't in love with Cliff Richards when he drew in the Buffy comic, but here I think he does a great job. Maybe he just does better with darker tones in the colors, but I liked his artwork.
A great first issue, we'll have to wait to see how good the miniseries is.
Amazing Spider-Man #621 by Dan Slott and Michael Lark.
I liked this issue. The issue was a good one shot, with a fun adventure. It is always good to see Black Cat and I am interested on seeing when Aunt May will go back to being nice. The art was great. Michael Lark, one of my favorite artists for noir stories, worked before on Daredevil, a great run with Ed Brubaker. His style translated well for Spider-Man, although it is good that is only for one issue, as his style is not optimistic enough for a long run with Spidey. I here he will be back for a four issue story by Joe Kelly around issue #634. It should be cool, I love his art.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Various Single Issues
Marvels: Eye of the Camera #6 by Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern and Jay Anacleto.
This is the final issue in a six part miniseries. I read the first five issues about 6 months ago and I kept waiting for this issue to come out. The issue was quite good, giving us the back story on Maggie (from the mutant issue on the original Marvels) and giving a nice ending to the series. I think this series was worth it. It is not as good as the original, but it is a nice comic analyzing superheroes. I enjoyed it a lot. The artwork was great and while the issue itself is not fantastic, overall, the miniseries was very good.
Irredeemable #11 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.
Now that the Plutonian is vulnerable, the comic is getting better and better. We found out about the past between Bette Noir and Plutonian and we found out some of the bad things Plutonian did as a child. The story is great and the art is very good (although, I think Krause is not that good on close ups as he is on the rest). A great series that I recommend people to check out.
Daredevil #226 by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli.
The last issue of the Frank Miller run that I hadn't read (his last issue was 233). Although I have not read Daredevil: Man of Fear, I'd say that is outside the run. This issue is a pretty good one-shot. It sets up the attraction that Foggy has for Matt's girlfriend, it has the Gladiator (a character who shouldn't be interesting but Miller and Brubaker have made interesting) and it has great art by Mazzucchelli.
It was worth reading. A nice one shot before the masterpiece that is Daredevil: Born Again.
Amazing Spider-Man #620 by Dan Slott, Marcos Martin and Javier Pulido.
The third issue in the three part story on Mysterio. I think the issue was pretty good. It was nice to see Mysterio be a competent villain and I liked the jokes. The art was great, I was surprised the art was consistent even though there were two artists. I think Marcos Martin is great when it comes to drawing Spider-Man.
Haunt #5 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley and Todd McFarlane.
The issue is good. An important character dies, changing the scene quite a bit and we find out a bit more about the past of the ghost. It is a bit surprising to me that there is almost no back story to the main character, but a lot of back story to the ghost character. Hopefully we'll find out more to get to be interested in the characters more.
I am starting to have second doubts about continuing with these series. It is not that it is bad, but I think that it is the weakest of the series I get monthly. I will give it a few more issues.
Not a recommended series, but not bad.
This is the final issue in a six part miniseries. I read the first five issues about 6 months ago and I kept waiting for this issue to come out. The issue was quite good, giving us the back story on Maggie (from the mutant issue on the original Marvels) and giving a nice ending to the series. I think this series was worth it. It is not as good as the original, but it is a nice comic analyzing superheroes. I enjoyed it a lot. The artwork was great and while the issue itself is not fantastic, overall, the miniseries was very good.
Irredeemable #11 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.
Now that the Plutonian is vulnerable, the comic is getting better and better. We found out about the past between Bette Noir and Plutonian and we found out some of the bad things Plutonian did as a child. The story is great and the art is very good (although, I think Krause is not that good on close ups as he is on the rest). A great series that I recommend people to check out.
Daredevil #226 by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli.
The last issue of the Frank Miller run that I hadn't read (his last issue was 233). Although I have not read Daredevil: Man of Fear, I'd say that is outside the run. This issue is a pretty good one-shot. It sets up the attraction that Foggy has for Matt's girlfriend, it has the Gladiator (a character who shouldn't be interesting but Miller and Brubaker have made interesting) and it has great art by Mazzucchelli.
It was worth reading. A nice one shot before the masterpiece that is Daredevil: Born Again.
Amazing Spider-Man #620 by Dan Slott, Marcos Martin and Javier Pulido.
The third issue in the three part story on Mysterio. I think the issue was pretty good. It was nice to see Mysterio be a competent villain and I liked the jokes. The art was great, I was surprised the art was consistent even though there were two artists. I think Marcos Martin is great when it comes to drawing Spider-Man.
Haunt #5 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley and Todd McFarlane.
The issue is good. An important character dies, changing the scene quite a bit and we find out a bit more about the past of the ghost. It is a bit surprising to me that there is almost no back story to the main character, but a lot of back story to the ghost character. Hopefully we'll find out more to get to be interested in the characters more.
I am starting to have second doubts about continuing with these series. It is not that it is bad, but I think that it is the weakest of the series I get monthly. I will give it a few more issues.
Not a recommended series, but not bad.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Walking Dead: What We Become (Vol. 10)
Walking Dead: What We Become (Vol. 10) consists of issues 55 through 60 of Walking Dead.
As I mentioned before in review for Volume 11:
"Walking Dead is a really good ongoing series about the consequences of a zombie outbreak. Instead of focusing on a zombie outbreak and seeing how the protagonists survive, in this comic we get to see what happens over a long period of time. The greatest aspect of Walking Dead is that anything can happen to the characters, the status quo changes all the time."
Now, let's talk about this volume in particular. We get to see a character we hadn't seen since Volume 1. The bad news is that now this character is depressed as his son became a zombie. In this volume we learn more about the consequences of using guns to kill zombies, by seeing a huge group of zombies become attracted to our heroes and we get to see more tension between the humans, in this case seeing Rick and Abraham square it off.
The comic continues to be good and while it moves slowly, it reads quickly and it is always a pleasure for me to read.
Great series.
As I mentioned before in review for Volume 11:
"Walking Dead is a really good ongoing series about the consequences of a zombie outbreak. Instead of focusing on a zombie outbreak and seeing how the protagonists survive, in this comic we get to see what happens over a long period of time. The greatest aspect of Walking Dead is that anything can happen to the characters, the status quo changes all the time."
Now, let's talk about this volume in particular. We get to see a character we hadn't seen since Volume 1. The bad news is that now this character is depressed as his son became a zombie. In this volume we learn more about the consequences of using guns to kill zombies, by seeing a huge group of zombies become attracted to our heroes and we get to see more tension between the humans, in this case seeing Rick and Abraham square it off.
The comic continues to be good and while it moves slowly, it reads quickly and it is always a pleasure for me to read.
Great series.
Love and Rockets: Death of Speedy (Vol. 7)
Love and Rockets: Death of Speedy (Vol. 7) by Jaime Hernandez.
Love and Rockets is a famous independent comic created by "Los Bros" Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez. Jaime's stories revolve around Maggie, a teenager in a California town, while Gilbert's stories revolve around Luba, a woman in Mexico.
Death of Speedy collects the three comics relating to Speedy's death and a few other issues involving Maggie, Hopey and other characters.
There are many things I really like about this comic. One thing I love is the dialogue. It sounds very real to me. I grew up in Mexico and I loved seeing the characters use Mexican phrases here and there. I love how real the characters act and how it shows that people can make mistakes. The scene right after Speedy's death is a progression of panels that are unforgettable. Visually stunning and powerful.
I love the art. It is clean and very expressive. It makes use of the medium to tell us things with the art that we wouldn't have noted with just reading and quick glimpses of the drawings.
Reading this book made want to read "Locas" which compiles all the Maggie stories from Jaime (there are two big volumes now). I am planning on reading that soon. I am looking forward to it.
This is fantastic comic, I highly recommend it.
Love and Rockets is a famous independent comic created by "Los Bros" Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez. Jaime's stories revolve around Maggie, a teenager in a California town, while Gilbert's stories revolve around Luba, a woman in Mexico.
Death of Speedy collects the three comics relating to Speedy's death and a few other issues involving Maggie, Hopey and other characters.
There are many things I really like about this comic. One thing I love is the dialogue. It sounds very real to me. I grew up in Mexico and I loved seeing the characters use Mexican phrases here and there. I love how real the characters act and how it shows that people can make mistakes. The scene right after Speedy's death is a progression of panels that are unforgettable. Visually stunning and powerful.
I love the art. It is clean and very expressive. It makes use of the medium to tell us things with the art that we wouldn't have noted with just reading and quick glimpses of the drawings.
Reading this book made want to read "Locas" which compiles all the Maggie stories from Jaime (there are two big volumes now). I am planning on reading that soon. I am looking forward to it.
This is fantastic comic, I highly recommend it.
Villains United
Villains United by Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham.
Villains United was a miniseries leading up to the big DC event "Infinite Crisis". The book is also a precursor to Secret Six, as the main characters here are the main characters in the ongoing series "Secret Six".
There are many things I like about this book. It has a great cast of characters, it has humor and it has great art. However, I don't like that the story seems to be just build up for another story and not a stand alone book.
The story is that Luthor wants to create a society of villains. Six C-list villains refuse to be on the society and they form an alliance. From then on, the fun begins with adventures involving these six characters. Since they are villains, anything can happen.
I like this book, but I think DC fans that know about Infinite Crisis would like it more.
Villains United was a miniseries leading up to the big DC event "Infinite Crisis". The book is also a precursor to Secret Six, as the main characters here are the main characters in the ongoing series "Secret Six".
There are many things I like about this book. It has a great cast of characters, it has humor and it has great art. However, I don't like that the story seems to be just build up for another story and not a stand alone book.
The story is that Luthor wants to create a society of villains. Six C-list villains refuse to be on the society and they form an alliance. From then on, the fun begins with adventures involving these six characters. Since they are villains, anything can happen.
I like this book, but I think DC fans that know about Infinite Crisis would like it more.
X-Men: Magneto Testament
X-Men: Magneto Testament by Greg Pak and Carmine Di Giandomenico consists of issues 1 through 5 of X-Men: Magneto Testament.
This miniseries tells the story of a young Magneto and his holocaust experience as a teenager. The comic doesn't really show any superpowers, hence the X-Men in the title can be deceiving. The story could very well be about any Jewish teenager growing up in World War II Germany.
The book is very sad, showing uncountable injustice and how a young men overcomes adversity. The art is great, transporting us to another time and making the surroundings seem real. The artist is great at showing facial expressions. He is also great at drawing very rich backgrounds.
This is a fantastic comic. I hope the X-Men in the title attracts more readers than it dissuades (unfortunately, I think having X-Men in the title would make many people not take this book seriously).
I highly recommend this comic.
This miniseries tells the story of a young Magneto and his holocaust experience as a teenager. The comic doesn't really show any superpowers, hence the X-Men in the title can be deceiving. The story could very well be about any Jewish teenager growing up in World War II Germany.
The book is very sad, showing uncountable injustice and how a young men overcomes adversity. The art is great, transporting us to another time and making the surroundings seem real. The artist is great at showing facial expressions. He is also great at drawing very rich backgrounds.
This is a fantastic comic. I hope the X-Men in the title attracts more readers than it dissuades (unfortunately, I think having X-Men in the title would make many people not take this book seriously).
I highly recommend this comic.
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