Category Archives: Comics
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – March 14, 2015
Rejoice, everybody! This was a darn great week for comics! It’s the sort of week that strains my wallet and makes me wish I didn’t have such expensive hobbies. But then I remember that at least I’m not a parasailer. I bet that stuff is really expensive.
Nope, I spend my money on stuff like Ms. Marvel, the Comic Book of the Week! And it feels so good to say that! I love this comic so much.
Swoon
But the rest of the week is pretty darn good too! We’ve got new Amazing Spider-Man, new Ant-Man and new Star Wars, and there were some great comics I read this week that I didn’t even get around to reviewing, like Captain Marvel, Silver Surfer and Thor! This was apparently my week!
I was planning to review Silver Surfer, but I have very specific expectations when it comes to Silver Surfer and Galactus, and Dan Slott went in the entirely opposite direction. It just wouldn’t have been fair for me to review that comic.
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #16, Ant-Man #3, Batman Eternal #49, Howard the Duck #1, Ms. Marvel #13, Ninjak #1 and Star Wars #3.
Review: Saga #26
With re-introductions out of the way last issue, Saga settles in to tell the next chapter, and I like the sound of that. There’s a lot going on in the story these days, with at least three completely separate groups of main characters, each with their own separate storyline. I’m sure there will be an issue or two that focuses on just one at a time, but Saga #26 tackles them all, adding more depth and intrigue to each one in the process.
Saga #26
As such, this new issue moves the story along at a nice, enjoyable pace. We visit all the characters, meet some new ones, and little bits of intrigue are woven throughout.
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
That makes Saga #26 another solid installment of the series. Saga isn’t so much slowing down as it is going in a bunch of different directions at once, and fortunately for us, each one is rather interesting. There’s Dengo the Crazy Janitor and his hostages, including series narrator Hazel. There’s Marko and his unlikely crew racing to their rescue. And then there’s Lying Cat and his various peeps on a really tangential side mission. I look forward to the day when all these stories come crashing together again, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy the journey.
Though I will point out that, for once, Saga has a cliffhanger that I don’t particularly like. Not in an ‘Oh my God, my heart is broken’ kind of way, more of an ‘Oh really? You’re going in that direction? Alright’ kind of way. But even then, I have full faith in writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples. There’s at least one pleasant surprise this issue, so it’s got that going for it.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Wonder Woman is Going to Wear Pants After All!
Starting in June, Wonder Woman is getting a very conservative costume redesign. Not only will she get pants and sleeves, but she’s getting a pretty high collar as well. I am completely in favor of this change! The new costume is designed by current Wonder Woman artist David Finch.
Pants and arm stabby thingies
It’s just a shame that I stopped reading Finch’s Wonder Woman…
I definitely like the new costume. And in today’s world, with the push for treating female supeheroes equally, there was no excuse to keep Wonder Woman in that one-piece bathing suit. It just didn’t work anymore. This new outfit is pretty cool. Maybe I’ll pick up an issue or two. It’s not as modern as what Spider-Woman got, but it’s still a nifty new outfit for Wonder Woman.
Oh, and apparently Superman is getting a haircut and Batman is becoming a robot. So there’s a lot going on at DC, it would seem!
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Gamer Girl & Vixen: Meet Taylor Esposito, Professional Letterer
Big news this week, comic book fans!
It is with great pleasure that we welcome letterer Taylor Esposito to the creative team of Gamer Girl & Vixen! Formerly of both Marvel and DC Comics, Taylor is the lettersmith behind recent comics like Red Hood and the Outlaws, Constantine, New Suicide Squad, Vibe, Katana, Watson and Holmes, Bodies, and more.
Taylor has worn many hats in the comic book industry over the past several years, mostly in the graphic design side of things. He was a staff letterer at DC Comics for the past two years before leaving their employ in December. Since then, Taylor has decided to go freelance with his own graphics studio, Ghost Glyph Studios.
And one of the first projects Taylor signed up for was Gamer Girl & Vixen! Taylor discovered us through the Twittersphere and quickly offered us his talents to help make our comic a reality. He’s been hard at work for us behind the scenes for several weeks now, and he finally gave us the go-ahead to announce his involvement publicly.
As a special treat with the announcement, we present the completed first page of Gamer Girl & Vixen #1, with Taylor’s lettering! On this page, Vixen is narrating her opening heist!
Artist Gemma Moody is hard at work this month on finishing up issue #1 for us, and we’re going to share more completed pages in the weeks ahead. So stay tuned. We’re drawing ever closer to getting our comic off the ground, and now with the creative team complete, it’s only a matter of time!
If you’d like to follow along more closely with the production of Gamer Girl & Vixen, you can follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. Both are updated frequently.
We’re also turning our Tumblr page into the Gamer Girl & Vixen HQ! There you’ll be able to see all preview pages we show off, as well as get some more background info on the project and the team.
I’ve also got another announcement for Gamer Girl & Vixen soon, so keep your eyes peeled to this blog. I’m going to need your help with something!
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‘We Are Robin’ to Star Duke Thomas and Friends
One of the most interesting new comics coming out of DC this Spring will be We Are Robin, a series that was shrouded in mystery when it was first announced. What’s with all the kids on the cover? What about Tim Drake, Dick Grayson or Jason Todd? Who is Robin?
Well the shroud is off and the questions have been answered in USA Today! We Are Robin is going to star Duke Thomas and a whole movement of Gotham teenagers rallying behind the mantle of the Boy Wonder!
Where can I get that jacket?
As much as this kind of goes against everything I love about Robin…I’m actually kind of excited by this news! It sounds like a really awesome comic and a neat twist on the whole concept of Robin.
Personally, of course, I much prefer the idea that Robin is a single individual: the squire to the Dark Knight, the apprentice of the World’s Greatest Detective. But I’m definitely down to check out Lee Bermejo’s We Are Robin when it launches in a few months. Maybe it’s because I’m still annoyed that Harper Row didn’t get to become the new Robin, and we’re still stuck with Damian Wayne. Maybe I’m just more open to new and fascinating comic book ideas. Whatever the case, I’m totally on board.
Bermejo mentions in the article that he’s partially inspired by movements like what happened in Ferguson, Missouri last year.
“There’s that element of this particular moment we’re passing right now, and with a book like this you have a chance to comment about certain things and bring them into the Bat-universe in real interesting ways. With ideas and big concepts, teenagers can get really passionate about that stuff and it can be their whole life. That was something interesting to me, that this thing could be bigger than just one guy jumping around in a domino mask.”
Bermejo says he wants to take the very idea of Robin and play around with it. And that maybe there are a lot of kids in the streets of Gotham who could be helping Batman out there.
Specifically, the series will star Duke Thomas, a kid that Bruce Wayne first met in Zero Year, and who recently reappeared during Batman’s fight with the Joker. And when all DC comics jumped 5 years into the future last fall, it was Duke Thomas who was serving as Robin, in costume.
Nonchalantly out of context
So maybe We Are Robin is just the next part of Duke Thomas’ journey. We shall see. But no matter what this title brings, I am definitely excited. There are big things ahead for the Boy Wonder(s)!
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