Review: Royal City #5

July 19, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

Royal City #5 marks the end of the first story arc. Although, that is perhaps a loose definition. Because, though the stakes are higher this time around, I didn't find this issue to be distinctly more revelatory or terminating than any previous issue. I don't mean that as a bad thing either. I tore through this issue, enjoying every moment of my reading. And when I realized I was at the end, I only wanted more. But, it looks like we'll have to wait for October for the next arc, where Lemire sends us back to 1993 and the final days of Tommy Pike. However, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's on the issue at hand. Namely, issue #5 of Royal City.

Review: Royal City #4

June 21, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

I've been championing this book since pretty much the get go, and as far as I'm concerned, it's been doing a pretty good job of consistently living up to that hype. However, with the next issue marking the end of Royal City's introductory story arc, it seems that Lemire has slowed down his momentum a touch for this fourth installment. Mind you, it's by no means a bad issue. The priority is just different. Rather than following in the footsteps of the last couple issues by introducing new plot threads, we see those that already exist start to get pulled together. Although, Lemire still leaves us with the lingering question of who exactly is the young woman that Patrick keeps running into? And perhaps more importantly, how does she fit into what all's going on with Tommy and Royal City?

Review: Royal City #3

May 17, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

I swear, with every new issue of Royal City, I read it, love it, and want more. Lemire does such a good job of setting and maintaining a tone that it hardly takes any effort to slip back into the same emotional space each month. Furthermore, he has a specific way of revealing information so that it informs about the characters and world while also generating further intrigue and follow-up questions. As far as I can tell, the "model" (if you want to call it that) tends to be something of a reversed order of events. We meet a character who's feeling a certain way or in a certain state of mind. Then, we slowly move backwards to find out the actual event that got them there. And after that, we uncover what led to that event. For example, Tara and her husband Steve have been at odds since the first issue, and with this one we finally learn what the cause of that was (I refuse to spoil it). And now, the question becomes "what else was going on before it that affected and led up to it?" It's really great stuff, and I can only presume it will all eventually lead back to finding out exactly what happened to Tommy Pike.

Review: Underwinter #2

May 1, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

Hrm, this is not the second issue I expected. At first, I thought it was, and I got excited. But as I read on, the promise of a deeper exploration of the demonic forces teased previously quickly gave way to decompressed check-ins with each of the quartet's members. Okay, I thought to myself, it's just reorienting us, and then it's going really dig in. A few pages later, it was suddenly over. I was surprised, and I couldn't help but wish there had been a bit more. In that regard, you could say that this issue was something of a letdown. Although, it is still enjoyable.

Review: Royal City #2

April 19, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

There's something about Jeff Lemire and Royal City that makes it so damn engaging to read. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it's there, probably having to do with the sum of the parts over any individual aspect. It's the same type of dynamic that can happen when a comic incollected format versus issue to issue. Sometimes, the collection just adds another dimension. Consequently, that's exactly what I expect to happen with the eventual Royal City hardcovers and TPBs. Although, even if that does turn out to be the case, it won't dissuade from picking up and reading the individuals issues.

Review: Underwinter #1

March 22, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

I'm not much of a musically inclined person. I mean, I like music, singing for fun, and all that, but any proper musical education and proficiency both began and ended with learning recorder, xylophone, and ocarina in grade school. And yes, those were all mandatory lessons that I have since forgotten. Underwinter is a music-centric horror comic. Although, from the inverted pentagram overlaying the guy on the cover, I figured it would also contain some demon shenanigans, knowing about which tends to be one of my fortes. So, here I am reviewing it.