Well this marks IDW's first foray into TV/Movies and oh boy... does it look cheesy. It's a comedy... which I don't recall anything in the description of the comic being a comedy. Well comedy in the sense that everything on SyFy is trying to be like a Joss Wheadon show and never really successful at it. I'm down for checking out one episode, but really there's very little appeal here.
This movie look fun. Not good, but fun. Here's the gist of the movie if you really need to know:
Former AKB48 member Tomomi Itano plays an assistant director at a TV station investigating the mysterious suicide of a troubled young man. Before he died, the victim claimed that something was watching him...
It looks like it'll make it's way State side since "The Stare" is the American title and when it does... expect it to make an appearance on Us Versus Movies.
First off... even with Matthew McConaughey this movie looks great. McC is no fucking voice actor though and ruins the only joke that could have been good. The rest of this animation... looks fucking amazing. I'm all in for this one and I hope that this style of animation does well in the box office so that we can see more of this great style.
We've got some hot button topics today, starting off with that Marvel guy giving that douchey guy money for his stupid ass Presidential campaign. Remember, you buy Marvel it's like saying you agree with Trump. People are dead no longer at Marvel. Wynonna Earp's trailer drops... a dud on our laps and plenty more actual comic news this week. Books covered on this episode:
Previously on the CBMFP...
Monster continues to prove he knows nothing about the NFL by bringing up Super Bowl 50 a week early. Wine gives her pick for the win and Monster is silent. A snowstorm is coming to Monster's hood and he opts to delay his final root canal dentist appointment because he can't be bothered getting caught in it. The situation in Flint, Michigan, regarding the poisonous water is discussed and boy is it infuriating. Wine recounts her trip to San Diego in which she watched...
Read MoreAndré Habet: I find it interesting that people don’t find humanoid animals terrifying despite the fact that these things often seem imposing even at their most miniature size. What stories featuring humanoid or magical animals did you have in mind when coming up with the concept for Mirror? What made you want to create a comic that prominently featured humanoid animals?
Emma Ríos: Beyond the obvious reference to H.G Wells’ Island of Doctor Moureau —a book I always liked a lot— this story came up straight from Ode to Kirihito , my favorite book from Osamu Tezuka. The conflict is about a disease that is turning people into animals, and Doctor Kirihito Osanai —the main character— ends up falling ill while treating some cases. As a consequence, he slowly ends up losing his appearance and some of his habits as a human, but keeping himself inside. The more he transforms physically the more he loses the respect of his former kind, the humans, to be mistreated and humiliated like an animal.
The book is a wonder and got me thinking quite a lot when I read it. You can find it translated, it’s published by Vertical (http://www.vertical-inc.com/books/odetokirihito.html).
For Mirror the subject changes by turning into the opposite but also keeping very similar questions about identity and acceptance. We actually tend to humanize our animals in general, we talk to them, we give them names… But if your pet could become a real person how would you feel about her or him?
André Habet: One of my favorite aspects about the Mirror premiere is the compressed time in the first few pages that provide not only the basics of Ivan and Sena’s friendship, but also folds in hints at Ivan’s magical abilities, the series’ potential antagonists, as well as serving as a tutorial into the comic’s increasingly intricate page layouts. How did you arrive at the decision to quickly get through this part of the story, and are you going to potentially explore this stage of Ivan and Sena’s relationship in future issues?
Emma Ríos: We were actually trying to put the reader under that question from above as fast as possible, to start playing from there. Our characters are the only catalysts for exposition in this book, and our intention would be to have the reader almost becoming another one trying to figure out a lot questions alongside with them, and slowly understanding the plot and the world one issue at a time.
And yep, Ivan and Sena are both main characters and their story will go further. They’re actually near their forties in our real time. We’ll find out about their past and long term future.
André Habet: You do amazing work on Pretty Deadly [with writer Kelly Sue DeConnick], especially some of the page designs on issue 7. Although you’re not the artist on Mirror, it seems like experimenting with page design was also of interest to you and [Mirror artist] Hwei Lim. Having primarily collaborated on comics as an artist, how did you use that experience to write a script that would provide Lim the information necessary to compose some of the pages, like that awesome one where Zun captures the spider?
Emma Ríos: Heh, that’s all Hwei. I never show her my thumbnails or guides for working on the layouts, even if I need them badly to figure out where I’m at and if I would be able to solve the problems I’m setting out myself. Certainly, the way I face my own pages is going to be reflected on the script somehow, but Hwei’s just a genius with composition and page design, as well as for defining different moods and making the narrative flow. Everything you see is her doing it alone.
André Habet: When creating a magical world, what does your background work look like? Do you have entire hierarchies and roles like the Guardians fleshed out? Do you have firm rules for how magic works? How much of this place is fleshed out for you and Lim to work on?
Emma Ríos: I’m working very hard on world building and my notes look like a table top role-playing game. We start in the isolated colony in the Irzah Asteroid, but the world expands beyond to a full System of Planets called The Synchronia, the place Kazbek and Elena come from.
The magic is rather open in general, but a bit connected with science in Mirror. You won´t find a fire ball but maybe a person who would transform part of the air composition into helium and make it flammable, also alchemy, genetic manipulation and so on. There’ll be weirder things too, almost dream-like, like the Guardians or our mythological creatures the Minotaur and the Sphinx, whose origins I’m not going to spoil just yet.
We’ll be sharing some of that stuff in the backmatter of each book. Maps, glossaries, and all kinds of explanations…
André Habet: What do you feel helps to distinguish this book from other magical fantasy comics?
Emma Ríos: Well, the readers will decide this, but maybe that is a story whose target would be getting closer to uncertainty than to choosing a particular side easily. And that it doesn´t only focus on describing magical lands alone, and neither on the never-ending battle between good and evil.
André Habet: The first issue gives the impression that Mirror will explore some contemporary issues (terrorism, genetic modification, and species prejudice). Did those themes naturally come out from the story you wanted to tell, or had you been trying to find a story that would allow you to touch on these issues?
Emma Ríos: Well, some of those are rather romantic topics that are not so infrequent in fantasy stories. But I think that when you’re imagining a new environment it’s not that bad to explore subjects connected to your own real world, to try to make it more grounded and have the readers easily connect with at least part of the conflicts depicted. Also, somehow, while writing I ask myself questions. I try to figure out how I truly feel about them by getting out of my comfort zone, and by empathizing with different points of view.
André Habet: Lastly, Mirror seems to go against the standard idea of comics as being easily perusable. Between the layouts and the layered character relationships, it feels like one of the toughest, and most rewarding comics I’ve recently read. How do you work towards creating a comic that’s this visually complex while also ensuring it’s understandable to readers?
Emma Ríos: I’m trying to write a story I’d like to read, and a story I think Hwei would like to read.
Whatever craziness I come up with is going to be filtered and transformed by her and vice versa, allowing us both to take more risks in our decisions maybe, knowing the other won´t hold back if the solutions feel uncertain.
Stylistically, what we do alone may seem very different but we’re actually really close when it comes to priorities like emotions, narrative and character development. And Hwei couldn´t be more brilliant by the way she offers her hand to whoever wants to read the book, and by the way she walks with the readers to show them the world we are building and making its people understood. She’s definitely a safe haven for whatever nonsense I come up with.
André Habet: Anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
Emma Ríos: Only that, well, this book is actually very important to us and an opportunity Hwei and I have been waiting for, for quite a while. We are putting a lot of ourselves into Mirror and really hope our enthusiasm can be transmitted through the pages, and reach them.
Editor's Note: You can read our advanced review for Mirror #1 here, and check out the book on 2/3/16.
The demonic forces of Trigon infiltrate the minds and bodies of the Justice League, turning the veteran super heroes against their youthful counterparts in the all-new DC Universe Original Movie, Justice League vs. Teen Titans. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the film will be available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on April 12, 2016 on Blu-Ray™ Deluxe Edition, Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD. Order due date is March 8, 2016. Justice League vs. Teen Titans will be available on Blu-rayTM Deluxe Edition for $29.96 SRP, Blu-rayTM Combo Pack for $24.98 SRP, and DVD for $19.98 SRP. The Blu-rayTM Combo Pack includes a digital version of the movie on Digital HD with UltraViolet. The Blu-ray™ Deluxe Edition will include all components of the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack, along with an exclusive Robin figurine in a numbered, limited edition gift set. Fans can also own Justice League vs. Teen Titans in Digital HD on March 29, 2016 via purchase from digital retailers.
Justice League vs. Teen Titans welcomes the Teen Titans to the ever-expanding canon of classic DC Comics characters within the DC Universe Original Movies. When Damian’s over-aggressive tendencies almost destroy a Justice League mission, he is sent to learn teamwork by training alongside the Teen Titans. However, adjusting Damian’s attitude turns out to be the least of the Teen Titans’ troubles as Raven’s satanic, world-conquering father Trigon begins an escape from his inter-dimensional prison. To complete his return, Trigon must have Raven’s assistance – and to accomplish his goal, he spreads his demonic forces across the globe, infiltrating the minds and bodies of the Justice League to do his bidding. To save the universe and prevent a literal hell on Earth, the Teen Titans must rescue – or defeat – the Justice League, and intern Trigon for all eternity.
The voice cast for Justice League vs. Teen Titans includes several actors reprising their recent Justice League roles – Jason O’Mara (Complications, Terra Nova) as Batman, Jerry O’Connell (Crossing Jordan, Stand By Me) as Superman, Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Rent) as Wonder Woman, Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds) as Cyborg and Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs, Ugly Betty) as Flash. Sean Maher (Firefly/Serenity, Batman: Bad Blood) also returns as Nightwing, as does Stuart Allan (Batman vs. Robin) as Robin/Damian. Making their Teen Titans voiceover debuts are Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story, Wicked City) as Raven, Jake T. Austin (Wizards of Waverly Place, The Fosters) as Blue Beetle, Brandon Soo Hoo (Tropic Thunder, From Dusk Til Dawn: The Series) as Beast Boy and Kari Wahlgren (Phineas and Ferb, Legion of Superheroes) as Starfire. Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, Daredevil) takes the villainous center stage as Trigon.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, Justice League vs. Teen Titans is directed by Sam Liu from a screenplay by Bryan Q. Miller and Alan Burnett based on a story by Miller. James Tucker is Supervising Producer. Burnett is also co-Producer. Sam Register is Executive Producer.
“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is thrilled to bring the Teen Titans into the fold of amazing characters within the DC Universe Original Movies,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WBHE Vice President, TV Family, Animation Marketing. “This all-new film provides the Teen Titans with the perfect stage – alongside and against the Justice League – for a thrilling adventure that fans will truly enjoy.”
Justice League vs. Teen Titans – Enhanced Content
DVD
Blu-ray™ Combo Pack
'I Roved Out in Search of Truth and Love' is a new webcomic by an artist named Rupert Everton. It's like 'Rat Queens', only if 'Rat Queens' was actually good and featured projectile female ejaculations. Which, maybe it does. I haven't read 'Rat Queens' in a while. Hello, my name is Justin Wood and I actually requested to review this.
I know an artist that once told me he'd love to draw pornography, but only wanted to illustrate other people's scripts because he still felt awkward giving people a clear window into the things that turned him on. The same goes for reviewing pornography, which I imagine is part of the reason why it rarely gets a lot of critical play. There are other reasons too, like why you wouldn't expect a film critic to publish a scholarly critique of 'Massage My Big Ass', but in the case of comics I get the impression that much of it comes down to finding the topic of pornographic material still too personal of an experience. There are simply too many interesting examples of the genre being produced right now, especially online, to shrug it off as being unworthy of the same critical attention as vanilla comics. You have stunning, distinctive artists like InCase with 'Alfie', or creators who have become a part of the larger conversations that we often claim to be so interested in promoting in comics, like Jess Fink's 'Chester 5000 XYV' or Erica Moan's 'Oh Joy, Sex Toy'. Pornographic comics are featuring brave and frank perspectives with previously unheard of intimacy; sex positive and engaging every spectrum of experience.
Oh, damn. Sorry, forgot I was reviewing a comic.
'I Roved Out'.
Yeah, it's basically just porn. Really, really good porn.
I mean, yes, it does feature a range of body types, sexual identities, and races, but Everton never communicates any other agenda than getting you wet or hard. The story deals with the adventures of Cinderella Von Umberwolf, an elf ranger who also happens to be an extremely lazy nymphomaniac. I don't use the word nymphomaniac loosely, I mean the protagonist of the comic is a perpetually fuck-drunk slacker who seems to only stop having sex as some sort of abstract formality. While sexually insatiable bimbos are the lifeblood of the generic male fantasies that dominate people's perception of pornography, what sets Cinder and her equally wanton friends apart is actual personality. Cinder doesn't exist to satisfy the male fantasy, she exists to satisfy herself, a goofy depraved good-for-nothing on a constant quest to do as little as possible and scratch-the-itch. Think Jamie Hewlett's 'Tank Girl', only with the sexually graphic training wheels removed. If anything, that could be Everton's claim to a progressive angle to the comic, with a cast of likeable defined characters enjoying unapologetic gratuitous rutting without ever needing to justify a jot of it. Slut, sans the shame.
Don't let me forget to mention how this thing looks, because gat-DAMN. Everton is one of those artists people like me like to classify as 'obnoxiously talented'. Featuring a style that blends in and out of richly detailed and abstract representation, his art is vibrant and immediately identifiable, rich and saturated colors glowing off the page. His characters are illustrated with fantastic charisma, never straying too far from realism or too close to all out cartoon parody, lending a lot of charm to the characters, in and out of coitus. The anatomy is beautiful, unique to each individual character and with a stunning tactile fleshiness, with eye-brow raising attention to detail to the implausible wealth of fluids he seems to take particular enjoyment in illustrating.
“Implausible wealth of fluids”. You know, having to write lines like that are probably why ordinary critics don't review this stuff. Fortunately, dear reader, you have me instead. Moo-hoo-ha-ha.
The webcomic has launched with 19 pages, funded via Everton's Patreon, giving readers a full length issue worth of pages to peruse rather than dragging out the introductions over multiple weeks of single updates. If my praise seems somewhat exaggerated for these 19, you can credit this reaction to the extensive expanded work featuring Cinder and pals that existed before the launch, with multiple issues worth of short comics already online before consolidating the ideas down to the mostly linear narrative of 'I Roved Out'. Seeing these characters I'd already grown fond of given what may end up being a surprisingly epic adventure is, to say the least, exciting as a fan of Everton and ambitious erotica.
So, if you've made it this far, what say you fair reader? Is it awkward and icky reading someone gush unconservatively about a really good piece of nasty smut they found? Maybe it is, but I'm unconvinced that that should prevent us from sharing. Media, all media, is mutual experiences that we are all able to participate in, albeit in our own way. Whether it's laughing, crying, cringing, or coming, a good comic is a good comic and is only limited by the individual quality of craft. Everton has crafted something great and I just wanted to take a moment to share it with you, even if you decide to enjoy it in complete privacy. Or with someone else. Or a bunch of people. Whatever floats that boat.
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Biblical mythology has always fascinated me. I am a big fan of mythology in general, but I feel the Greek and Norse mythos are a tad overexposed in popular culture these days. I would bet the name Hercules/Heracles is much more widely known than Samson, who some historians consider his Hebrew Bible counterpart. Child of the Sun dares to unify these legends by offering as compelling a mythological crossover event as I can imagine. At the end of issue one they are still friends, but I don't care. Heracles vs. Samson: Who ya got?!
Samson gets home team advantage in Child of the Sun as it is set in Ancient Israel around 1300 B.C. This account of Sampson, the Strong Man, sticks pretty close to the source material with one exception: Heracles, Greek demi-god and Son of Zeus is also there. Half of the first issue is a prologue featuring the plight of the blasphemous Israelites as well as Samson's divine birth. We are then treated to a classic Heracles introduction featuring victories in contests of strength, skill and charisma. Juxtaposed against this shirtless, hulking paradigm of masculinity is a lean, cloaked and sober Samson. The two become fast friends and set off to Timnath for a biblical booty-call.
The first half of the issue is pretty cryptic and assumes the reader is familiar with the story of Samson. I, for one, was not and had to do some research to fully appreciate the almost caption-less prologue. Subtlety is among my most cherished qualities, yet I still felt the prologue could have used a few more verbal hints. What I did understand immediately is that Apophis is the bad guy. Good guys typically don't sacrifice children, that much is clear. The second half of the issue features more dialogue and the narration of Heracles. Through Heracles, the author acknowledges the similarities between the two strong men and offers insight into Samson's desires. Without the narration, these similarities would be imperceptible as the hedonistic brute, Heracles, is presented as the antithesis of the innocent Samson. This contrast, though heavy-handed, serves the narrative well.
The art and teases of color in Child of the Sun are crisp and beautiful. However, the issue feels like it is unfinished. Five out of nineteen pages are colored and the rest are aching for it. The stunning Messenger splash left me nostalgic while reading some of the emptier pages. The character designs are very attractive. I did think Apophis and Heracles looked very similar. If that was intentional, the artist definitely hit their mark. The layout is dynamic and interesting. The parchment text boxes are a nice touch as well. Overall this is a very visually pleasing book.
I feel Samson deserves an epic adaptation and Child of the Sun is poised to deliver just that. At the same time I really hope Heracles is not used purely to enhance Samson. Including Heracles in the story solely to demonstrate that Samson is the stronger or more righteous of the two would put this book too far into fanfiction territory for my liking. Some folks may enjoy them, but historical or religious superfights are a pet peeve of mine. To be fair, this is merely conjecture on my part. So far, Child of the Sun has been a novel and capable chronicling of a biblical badass. Let's hope it stays that way.
Score: 3/5
Child of the Sun #1 Writer: Michael Van Cleve Artist: Mervyn McCoy Color: Jonathan Hunt Letters: Leigh Walls Price: $2.99 Release Date: September 2015 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital Facebook Amazon
Ah man... I wish they had released this sooner, I could have saved some money. #Accurate!
We're finally back with what Podbean called one of it's top ten movie podcasts of 2015. We picked a gem from 2015 to talk about and get our ring rust worked out before starting an exciting year of movie podcasting, known as... US VERSUS MOVIES! Sit back and enjoy Kevin and Dustin talk about a movie you probably already watched.
The wasteland - for something so bleak and inhospitable, it is certainly well tread these days. I suppose it's no wonder considering how mundane modern life can be. The drive to work would be considerably more interesting with a bandit attack or two. At the same time, being savaged by a mutated monster doesn't seem particularly enjoyable. Luckily, I do not live in the world of The Birdlander.
The Birdlander is a tale of survival, revenge and a whole lotta hype. We are introduced to the lone wolf, dreadlocked, motorcycle ridin' protagonist, Sumi, who is making her way across the Drylands to East Astrubellum. She breaks bread with a cautious and alarmingly well-armed encampment of former slaves led by their matriarch Mia. The hosts are shocked to find out Sumi is traveling with a “dragon”, which, in the Birdlander mythos, appears to be any lizard ranging in size from gecko to gargantuan. The latter serves as a mount to the enigmatic Birdlander, whose tale is regaled to Sumi and some eager urchins over stew. A desert folk hero could not ask for a better hype-man than Mia, who spins a yarn of blazing beam cannons, Dragonman dukes and savage slaver slaying. Issue one wraps up with Sumi repaying Mia for the story and revealing her true intentions.
This is the first installment of a five-part series and sets up the story nicely. Mia's reverence for the Birdlander, coupled with the larger than life tale of his heroism baits the reader for the twist and helps firmly set the hook for the rest of the series. The post apocalyptic setting offers a classic mix of familiar modern tech, mysterious future tech and monstrosities like the Dragonman. Considering men and dragons exist as discreet species, this certainly puts a less romantic spin on a “Mother of Dragons”. I will give the writer the benefit of the doubt and assume the origin of Dragonmen along with the other colorful denizens of this dystopia will be explained in future installments.
Gritty is the word called to mind by The Birdlander's art. The pages are presented in broad stroked shades of gray with speckles strewn across the panels. These abstract elements establish an entropic environment for the more detailed characters and made me feel like I should have been wearing goggles while reading. I thought the figures were a bit inconsistent, but the fact that I found the stew serving panels as intriguing as the action panels is a testament to the artist's ability.
There is a lot to like about The Birdlander (especially if you felt Mad Max didn't have enough giant lizards). The art and tone are aligned, the narrative flows smoothly and the conclusion is compelling. However, I do not feel The Birdlander does enough to differentiate itself from a crowded field of post apocalyptic literature. It is a familiar tale of revenge elevated by the unique art style. Then again this is the first issue. Who knows what awaits Sumi in the desert or beyond? I, for one, am excited to find out.
Score: 3/5
The Birdlander #1 Writer & Lettering: Aaron Walther Artist: Ed Bickford Price: Free Release Date: 1/18/16 Format: 5 Part Digital Mini-Series Website
If you enjoyed my reviews for the first episodes of the anime winter season, then I’m back for the second episodes. I couldn’t quite make it through everything for a second and third episode roundup, but hopefully before the fourth episodes I’ll get there. You’ll also notice that this list is much shorter… like much shorter. I trimmed the fat quickly and I don’t regret it. If there’s something you’re watching that I’m not, let me know how it’s going and maybe I’ll check it out again.
ERASED – 5/5
FUCK! This show is so fucking good! This is one of the few I already watched the third episode of, but the second episode didn’t disappoint. We see the main character, who’s 29, in his younger body trying to figure out school. He’s trying to remember his friends, where he sits and figure out why he’s gone back in time so far. We also see him connect with his mother and remember moments that he had clearly forgotten when he was older. Their relationship is very different from what we saw in the future. The only thing better about this episode is the next one. So fucking good and I can’t stay away. I had thought about waiting until it was over to binge it, but I can’t. I’m dying to see more and unravel the mystery.
SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU – 4/5
Not quite as good as the first episode because it was missing some key components, mainly the characters that were so good. It was still a really good episode though as we see the Rakugo master becoming an apprentice and the events in his life that lead him there. It’s interesting for sure and it really makes me wonder how the story arrived at the point we saw it at. I’m definitely sticking with this one and looking forward to the third episode.
DAGASHI KASHI – 2/5
I love the art. I love the character designs. I hate the story. It’s just a candy ad. Some of it is cultural and so it’s lost on me, but comedy is universal and these jokes suck... a lot. The purple hair chick should be 200 lbs considering all she eats is candy, but she’s not. She really only eats candy and the plot didn’t move forward at all in this episode. I don’t know if I’ll bother with the third.
GRIMGAR OF FANTASY AND ASH – 4/5
Grimgar is surprisingly good. We see our group kill their first goblin and it’s rough on them. They get injured and see that this goblin wants to live as much as they do. Killing it, isn’t a simple and careless task. There’s a lot of emotions put on this episode on all ends of the spectrum. Also the art looks like something off of the promo art for Final Fantasy Tactics which should be enough reason for anyone to check it out.
GIVE BLESSING TO THIS WONDERFUL WORLD – 2/5
Talk about a disappointment. The beginning of the episode was okay, but then it added the eventual third character which is a shame. This series really could have broken the mold and just kept it a duo, but nope… had to go typical. The third character is so bad and over the top that they’re not funny. Their motivation sucks and they’re there just to pad the character count. I’m giving it another episode, but I was really disappointed by how boring and generic this episode was.
MYRIAD COLORS PHANTOM WORLD – 3/5
This second episode was okay. They add another character because… anime. The new character eats the yokai to seal them and there’s more boob stuff. I did enjoy the scene in which the main character attempted not to be typical during the mandatory “fall on top of each other scene”, but that his little fairy friend got in the way and made it worse. Otherwise it was just okay and I will give it another episode.
PLEASE TELL ME! GALKO-CHAN – 2/5
Remember when I said that this was worth 8 minutes of viewing… I was wrong. Second episode sucked. The jokes are for teenagers that know nothing about human biology or at least the biology of the opposite sex and the jokes just wear thin. It should be a nice trip down, “I remember being a dumb teenager” lane, but instead it’s a little too dumb. I might watch one more episode, but the effort to view it is starting to outweigh the entertainment.
GIRLS BEYOND THE WASTELAND – 3/5
This series gets a point just for not wasting my fucking time by having them spend half the season collecting their characters together like Boring Girlfriend did. That doesn’t mean I like it, just that it didn’t waste fucking time doing that and I appreciated it. Ever since the swerve at the end of the first episode I have been bored by this “let’s explore the otaku genre” story. Once or twice is special, every damn season… not so much. It’s like a comic book about making comic books that reboots every six issues. I’m tired of it.
DIMENSION W – 3/5
I checked this one out again because Robert aka Mr. Skippo said he liked it. It was actually okay. I’m still not in love with the world and I find the mystery to be extremely transparent. Here’s a hint… there are no such thing as illegal coils. The characters are okay and I’m really not sure why they’re making the girl robot/not-robot be cutsey with the main dude, oh wait… anime. I liked his backstory and I think that would have made a better series to follow. And I have to mention that I find the dancing during the opening to be beyond ridick and doesn’t match the tone of the show. I will probably give this another shot.
BUBUKI BURANKI – 3/5
I want to rate this higher, but the story is just too fucking confusing. I like it and we get a bit more info, but some of it still doesn’t make sense. Why did the mom go to the island to stop other Buranki from falling? Why the fuck are they up there in the first place? Where the fuck are his sister and father? The entire landscape of the world is still super confusing and the dickhead character is beyond unlikable. I feel no sympathy for him because he basically kicks puppies and we’re supposed to feel bad because his dad’s got a drinking problem, pshh! My dad’s got a drinking problem I don’t go around beating up animals and being an utter dickhead. I might ride this one out to the end, but I’m beginning to think that there’s too much the world needs to explain in order for it to work and it’s not showing it, but rather telling it and even that is a rarity.
ACTIVE RAID – 2/5
More of the same. A villain is introduced and big surprise, the new girl sent to spy ends up doing the same amount of damage as the rest of the team. This series would be great if it wasn’t trying to make fun of politics at the same time. It’s too corny, too often, for me to give a damn. And as good as the art is on the suits, the rest of the animation is pretty generic. It’s good, but nothing we haven’t seen before. That and one of the gags for the episode involved the boss and her sister and they were the exact same animation. I get that that was the joke, but it wasn’t funny. Kind of lazy and stupid if you ask me. It was a maybe before and now it’s a no.
Well there you go, second episodes done! I should have the third episodes done sooner than later and be just in time for the fourth episodes or just barely late for them. Let me know your thoughts and if any of these shows have caught your attention.
Bluefin, the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan, Hong Kong and more, is proud to introduce the world’s most posableBruce Lee action figure! Renowned Japanese collectibles label, Tamashii Nations, integrates its advanced S.H. Figuarts articulation technology to reproduce all of Bruce Lee's powerful martial arts moves! For this latest release, Tamashii Nations also utilized cutting edge digital facial coloring technology to achieve a stunning level of realism and collectors will be impressed by the incredible level of overall quality.
The Bruce Lee figure debuts in February with an MSRP of $49.99 from authorized Bluefin retailers nationwide and also from a variety of leading online outlets. Pre-orders continue to be available.
The S.H. Figuarts Bruce Lee figure stands 5 inches tall and includes several trademark martial arts weapons including a nunchaku (nunchuck) and two bo staffs (short and long. Other accessories include interchangeable hands (x9) and interchangeable face parts (x2).
Bruce Lee was a pioneering Chinese American action film star, martial arts instructor, philosopher, and filmmaker. He starred in several highly influential martial arts movies such as Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon and is widely regarded as one of the most iconic martial artists of all time.
Bluefin is the official North American distributor for Tamashii Nations, an umbrella label that encompasses Japan’s top collectible brands and features products from popular giant robot shows like Mazinger Z andGundam, anime series like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon, and live action series like Kamen Rider. The mission of Tamashii Nations is to bring “tamashii,” the Japanese word for soul or spirit, into everything they create. For a complete listing of Tamashii Nations products available from Bluefin, please visit: www.bluefincorp.com/catalog/tamashii-nations.html.
Since Constantine went off air I’ve been desperately waiting for Lucifer to premiere. Not because I’m some diehard of the original comic (though I have started reading the new series), but rather because the trailer for the series sold me on it. We meet Lucifer and we’re introduced to his “power” in the cold opening. It’s a scene just to establish that he’s “bad” and has an effect on people. It’s not the best cold opening, but it’s a safe opening. After he makes it to his nightclub LUX, we learn through exposition and a visit from an angel that Lucifer has left Hell in favor of owning a club off of the Hollywood strip. A famous singer that he helped guide stops by the club to ask if she in fact sold her soul to the devil to which he tells her no. He seems to really care about her as he asks her to just get her life in order and nothing more.
Then she’s gunned down… along with Lucifer.
He actually gets back up and questions the shooter who was hit by a bus. From there he decides that he’s going to basically solve the case. He meets a detective that no one on the force wants to work with and his charms don’t work on her. Their paths cross again as Lucifer seeks answers for the woman’s death and we successfully see his powers in action.
The first episode does a fine job of introducing Chloe our soon to be co-main character. For Lucifer its easy, read the bible or just the quotes that it leads off with. The point of Lucifer’s story is to present another side of the story that’s written in the bible so we don’t need backstory on him. We do need it on Chloe and we learn everything. She was an actress at one point and took her top off on camera. Then she became a cop and stood against other cops which is why she’s a pariah in the department. Her ex-husband is one of the villains from Arrow season 2 and he’s there just to look like a dick.
Lucifer, played by Tom Ellis, is the best part of the show. His voice is what does it. He has this distinguished voice. It doesn’t quite sound British, but it kind of does. I don’t know, it’s just fantastic and he really makes the entire show worth watching. I laughed hard when he said “Trixie is a hooker’s name” to a small child. A) Because it is and B) his delivery was great. Chloe, played by Lauren German was okay. She was a bit too polar for me at times. She was extreme either in her dislike or like of Lucifer and it got in the way of the believability of their budding relationship.
Interestingly enough I watched the leak pilot from a while back and noticed a startling difference… they re-cast the ex-husband. I wish they had stuck with the original guy, but Kevin Alejandro (Arrow’s Sebastian Blood) is the perfect guy to hate. Rachel Harris who plays Dr. Linda, is actually not annoying in her role as well. Which is good because according to IMDB, she’s in the next twelve episodes.
For a pilot it’s quite good. There’s some hokiness to the story in the fact that an officer would never bring along a civilian to question or arrest a suspect, but that’s TV for you. Happens every week on several different shows and we keep watching. Otherwise, if I score this just against the typical pilot, it scores high.
My only concern for the show is that it’s going to be procedural as fuck and that will kill it, just like Constantine. For this show to be successful you can’t honestly have Lucifer be a crime fighting consulting detective every week. There must be something else for him to do, but I have a feeling that it will be exactly that. Hopefully Fox’s audience will like that and support it because I really want to see more from Ellis.
Score: 4/5
Lucifer 1.1 “Pilot” Writer: Tom Kapinos Director: Len Wiseman Airs: Mondays on Fox
The latest issue of Island is worth grabbing for Gael Bertrand's story alone, but has a couple of other features that will appeal, depending on your tastes. Gael Bertrand has been doing episodes of "A land called Tarot" in the pages of Island, and the latest is the best yet. "Tarot" is a wordless adventure, so the entire reading experience leans on the visual storytelling ability of the artist. Bertrand does not disappoint in this regard. He is wildly imaginative, and is able to harness one-of-a-kind story premises for moments of laughter, suspense, and awe.
The lack of words is a tremendous boon to the story, both because it allows Bertrand's colorful and kinetic art to breathe, and because the lack of words leaves the reader a lot of room to imagine the circumstances of this story for themselves. I think that some stories would flounder in their own vagueness without the aid of words, but Bertrand's world is just so open and imaginative that reading the story and imagining in collaboration with Bertrand's art is encouraged rather than punished.
Sarah Horrocks is a favorite critic of mine. When discussing comics, Horrocks has a way of carving a path straight to her point, and then dredging up heaps and heaps of evidence in favor of her interpretation until you come away feeling like, whether you agreed with her or not, your opinion of the work is in some way deeply influenced by what she had to say.
Here in Island, she has a brief two page comic essay (that is, an essay which is itself in comic form) about the depiction of corpses in the work of Kyoko Okazaki. Actually publishing criticicsm within an anthology, even if it were in plain text alone, is more than welcome, especially if that criticism is of Horrocks' caliber. But doing so in a comic format is in keeping with Island's unique place on the shelves as being one of the few titles willing to actually try new goddamn things. My enjoyment is slightly limited by the fact that I'm not familiar with Kyoko Okazaki's work. Still, I think the length is appropriate, the information is there, and I completley fucking adore the juxtaposition of Horrocks' own interpretation of Okazaki's art over the art itself in the midst of discussing the work.
The first big chunk of this issue, before Bertrand's work, is "Badge of Pride" by the Japanese artist ONTA. Put simply, it's a comic about furries. It has a lot more to it however: it's about queerness, friendship, being proud of who you are, and finding a way to fit in when all of those things require a lot of work given the society around you. As a straight white dude who will always be slightly confused by the mere concept of furries, I don't know if I'm the most qualified to write about this. I will say, though, that I thought it was a cute little story, and I thought ONTA did a good job depicting a main character that was easy to empathize with, independent of his particular orientation or species.
Score: 4/5
Island #6 Writers: Various Artists: Various Publisher: Image Comics Price: $7.99 Format:Mini-Series; Print/Digital Website
Once again, Proud Stands the Spire. It feels, as it always does, like it’s been forever since the last issue, even though it’s only been a month. This story is too good, and it gives me just enough every month to demand more and be ungrateful about the amount I get. It’s storytelling at its most compelling, and it gets better and better every month.
Shå has gone undercover with the Spire’s delegation to the Pax to protect her ladyship/lady love, and to discover who’s been murdering figures from the fringes of the Lady Juletta’s past. While there, she has to protect the delegation from murderous religious zealots, patch things up with Pug, the Spire’s Greatest Messenger, and try with varying degrees of success not to start a war.
Spurrier and Stokely, once again, have taken a storyline that I thought I had a hold on, and flipped it on me. This book surprises me at every turn, lets me think I’m a little bit smarter than it is, and then shocks me with a reveal. It’s the best kind of pacing in a story, where I can start to feel smug about how much further ahead of the story I am than the authors intend for me to be, they drop a bomb on me, and it takes me a couple more pages to pick my jaw up off the floor. This issue in particular has some insane plot twists, but it also has one of the more heartfelt character moments in the book so far. Just as they were giving me a huge smile, they punched me in the face with the story—I love it.
Stokely’s art in this issue is as impressive as it has always been. Rather than a mind-boggling two-page spread or some masterful layout, this issue is very back-to-basics. He knows that Spurrier is dropping a lot of twists and turns as far as the plot, so keeping the panel layouts simple and easy helps move the story along without tripping you up. That’s not to say he never gets to shine—the guy drops a full splash towards the end that’s impressive and horrifying and magisterial all at once. And with André May bringing his A+ game on the colors, this book shines. The heartfelt character beat has a gorgeous little trinket to be its manifestation, and the full splash shines with the kind of magical energy that really makes it horrifying. Steve Wands is also bringing his full powers to bear, and his obvious dedication to this book shows in every balloon, from the rough, hand drawn balloons themselves to the gray scaling of stuttering speech to the slight differentiation of the people and the messengers, he is a consummate pro, and he pulls of a lot of flourishes without stopping the reading experience.
People will sometimes try to say that comics are for kids, and that they’re only in the business of selling hypersexuality to the prepubescent. You should disown those people, but first, give them a copy of The Spire and say, “This is what comics are for. They are for wide-ranging stories with complex plots and rich characters, that neither panders to, nor lords itself above the readers. It’s the biggest budget project you’ve ever seen, delivered to you in 22-page increments once a month.” It’s a magical medium, and reading books like The Spire should show you that movies like Avatar ain’t got shit on the comics medium. It pains me that this book will be over in two months, but it brings me joy that it exists and I can foist it upon people for the rest of my natural life.
Score: 5/5
The Spire #6 Writer: Simon Spurrier Artist: Jeff Stokely Colorist: André May Letterer: Steve Wands Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 1/27/16 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital
Well if you thought the cliffhanger to the first issue was fucked, then wait until you read the second issue. I will give the creative team a lot of props for not pulling any punches on this book. Worst case scenarios for everyone! In the first issue of the four issue mini-series, we saw our crew barely fucking making it to their new home only to find a big fucking hole in the roof and basically everything that was supposed to be set up and waiting for them… destroyed. Their robot butler is on the fritz and they’ve now got just hours of oxygen left before they die.
But wait… there’s more.
The explosion that fucked everything in the first issue? Well it was bomb. That’s right, someone is a murderer/saboteur/traitor or just didn’t want the mission to go down at all. Our mouthy and confident character Dr. Park informs the new Captain about it and he shines some doubt on her saying that she had the most to gain from it. I’m 50/50 on that being true. Everyone records a video to send back home in case they die and the Captain’s video is… well enlightening. We learn a bit about everyone and some of their motivations for being on the trip. There is one part that I completely missed from the first issue, one of the characters has a shit load of enhancements or something because she doesn’t need a helmet and barely has any human emotions.
The art is solid. Huang Danlan has a wonderful style and really brings the dangers of this planet to life. He also brings a lot of emotion or lack thereof, to the characters. So much of their personalities pour right off the page. This gives us just as much information about them as their videos back home. Danlan's style is personally a style I like to see on my comics, clean and detailed, but with a ton of personality.
This was my first time with the coloring. The first issue, when I read it, wasn’t finished yet and was an early look. I wish I had waited for the coloring. It too makes the dangers real and sells us on the idea of this happening on Venus. The lighting is tremendous and the color palette that’s used gives the book a unique look. It doesn’t just look like the clean and white future that’s currently popular in comics and movies (thanks THX).
Huge shout out to Colin Bell on the lettering. He’s definitely one of my favorite letterers and he does a fantastic job with this issue. Letterers rarely stand out even to me, but Bell’s work is always so good. It always adds to the drama or the scene in general. In particular, in a flashback we see a man die by shrapnel hitting him in the face. The sound effect was disgustingly appropriate. There were several other great onomatopoeias as well.
This book is beyond fast paced. The issue is over before it really gets going and I like that. It keeps the danger real and the story moving along. I actually really like this book and if it can somehow top its cliffhanger from this issue… well, it might just move into the top spot on my mini-series list. It’s only four issues and so far two of them have been pretty damn great so give it a read. Let it surprise you.
Score: 5/5
Venus #2 (of 4) Writer: Rick Loverd Artist: Huang Danlan Colorist: Marcio Menyz Letterer: Colin Bell Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 1/27/16 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital
The third issue of Negative Space is as good as the first, which is particularly special given that it's a huge script-flip. [Full disclosure: I publish some things I write at Loser City, where the writer of this comic, Ryan K. Lindsay, has a column.]
In the time since the second issue of Negative Space came out, it was a shoe-in for my selection of best stuff to happen in comics in 2015. The first issue might be the strongest #1 I have ever read, and the premise of the comic is just so easy to elevator pitch while simultaneously being locked into some really deep, very human shit. Owen Gieni's art constantly sets the perfect tone, with designs and a style that makes this comic stand out. That hasn't stopped, and Gieni has at least one mind-blowing page in this issue.
The first issue deftly set everything up, and the second issue set the climactic events of the series in motion. The third issue really takes us deep inside of Guy, the main character, and pulls back the curtain on what has made Guy the person that he is. Balancing this kind of exploration of a single man's life--his motivations, his desires, his depression--with a story much, much bigger than any one person is the mark of a great story. Negative Space hinges on the success of this balance more than most other stories, and delivers more as well.
We sort of got a glimpse of it in the second issue when the Evorah descended upon the artifacts of the dead Vikings, but here we get a much more salient peek at how inanimate objects figure into this world. The fact that what will probably amount to the MAJOR plot point of this entire story revolves around a goddamn bottle opener is excellent: it takes seriously how much of ourselves we imprint onto the everyday objects around us. Recently I started cleaning out a lot of my stuff, and I was constantly surprised by the things I felt strong attachments to. None of them amounted to the kind of life-changing significance you will find in this comic, but it really was the silliest little objects.
Yes, I had the drawer full of letters and notes from exes and crushes, all buried under heaps of old photos and various scrawlings from previous people that I have been. Those are the mementos I went in expected to get rid of, and so it was relatively easy to do so. But I swear if there weren't t-shirts that I will NEVER fit in again that I couldn't let go of. In my mind, those t-shirts, and various other stupid things like them, were tied to integral moments in my life: moments that defined me, my dispositions, and my outlook on future events.
Of course, those moments are gone, and those things are, in and of themselves, sort of shit. But what better place for Guy to find himself and what is most important to him than in a piece of himself that was seared in anguish onto a kitchen utensil? Even the things which inspire memories that hurt us connect us to the past in meaningful ways. At the right time, that can mean everything. Acknowledging an importantly human emotional truth while the hero is in the throes of a monster attack as he tries to take down a massive evil corporation? That's fantastic.
Score: 5/5
Negative Space #3 Writer: Ryan K. Lindsay Artist: Owen Gieni Publisher: Dark Horse Price: $3.99 Format: Print/Digital Website
As is occasionally his want when untethered from the editorial oversight of Marvel, Jonathan Hickman begins East of West #24 by a piece of violence so grisly and disgusting that I was immediately turned off to the issue. I am not normally bothered or particularly grossed out by violence in comics, but it's a torture sequence that felt like it crossed a line into poor taste which has been problematic before in an otherwise controlled intelligent book. And then, to my immense relief, the rest of the issue was a truly excellent tour of the series current cast along with the perfect amount of forward motion. It didn't quite redeem what still feels like an unfortunately nasty opening, but the series remains one of the best on the stands. The violent opening in question follows the crazed Prophet Ezra Orion as he creates the parchment (of a type very much not available from Staples) necessary to convey seven religious invitations. Watched over by his demonic monster companion (formerly a tumorous growth... this series has indeed been distasteful in past), Ezra argues like a petulant comic writer (an self-aware joke by Hickman) about the wording of his invites. The prophet is a madman, as ugly and twisted inside as he is outside, but the scary implication is given that he may understand what is going on more than any other character in East of West. The scene ends with Ezra sending the out his invitations by the demonic equivalents of Hogwarts owls.
The rest of the issue details the responses to the messages from each of the recipients, or at least, scenes of them receiving them. After the violent twists of the last few volumes, its little surprise that Antonia Levay and John Freeman receive their fleshy invites, respectively, with concern and hesitation, not know which way this new force will pull them. Chamberlain receive his in the presence of his talking eyeball (not a euphemism but always a delight) while Xiaolin shoots hers down with an arrow. However, as interesting as each of these scenes is, as mostly wordless one page moments, they are little more than trifles on the way to the main course.
This main serving comes in the form of the reintroduction of three recently-absent groups of characters who each receive their invites with distrust. First up is the three horseman who are interrupted while performing a grizzly ritual of their own in a location from the series' first issue. It's an as-ever scary look at the devious little monochrome tykes with some fun implications of future horror. Next we are given the return of Death and his witchy friends (band name, called it!) who are preparing to separate temporarily. I always enjoy seeing Death's softer side, and his sadness at the thought of losing the witches goes beyond strategy: they're his friends. The final sequence has, well, I won't spoil it here, but it's another group longtime readers will be happy to see again.
Issue 24 is a clear setup for the next arc, as more than a few hints are dropped that some of the biggest unfulfilled showdowns may finally be in the offing, but it's also an effective reminder that Hickman hasn't forgotten or abandoned any part of his byzantine story. Dragotta's work is as ever on-point, and while it may not contain any single stunning moment, seeing him switch between eight different unique settings in a single issue is a sheer joy. In other words it's a rock-solid but never astounding issue that sets the book up for a third year of quality tensions and possibly a few too many eviscerations.
Score: 4/5
East of West #24 Writer: Jonathan Hickman Artist: Nick Dragotta Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 1/27/15 Format: Print, Digital, page