Mini Reviews 28/04/2019

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

THANOS #1

Writer: Tini Howard

Art: Ariel Olivetti & Antonio Fabela

Marvel $4.99

Jo S: Picking a Thanos comic in the aftermath of seeing Avengers: Endgame this week was possibly not the best choice: Comics Thanos and MCU Thanos being motivated strikingly differently. The latter is compelled to ‘save’ the universe, motivated by a love of peace, and sees wiping out 50% of all living things as an act of love for those remaining. Comics Thanos is instead an outright killing machine, infected with insatiable bloodlust, wiping out 100% of those living on each unfortunate planet he descends on, motivated only to impress the manifestation of Death, with whom he has an obsessive infatuation. Tini Howard here presents the story not just of the start of Thanos’ reign of terror, but also of Gamora’s hold on him, the relationship which is destined to make him, and also then to be the end of him: this issue is bookended with Gamora, adult and child, but the majority establishes a monstrous, ruthless, years-long massacre, Thanos at one point saying “When I walk away from a fight it is only because it bores me”. Howard's Thanos is petulant, stubborn, dismissive of authority and religion - it's hard at first to see why he inspires any loyalty in his crew of generals but it's to be hoped that there will be more on this. Olivetti’s art works well where he is able to stretch out on a full splash page, giving Thanos appropriate density and gravitas; I like that he is armed with a huge golden sickle, echoing the iconic scythe of an embodiment of death. I'll admit the Lady Death herself appeared a little underwhelming so far but I'm terribly biased by Mike Deodato’s vision of gothic, leather-clad curves. Olivetti creates magical effects using panels floating in a star speckled black background for the scenes in space, and plays with the concept of Thanos’ shadow, metaphorically and actually, falling over a world he has doomed with his presence. A promising start - this Thanos is very hard to empathise with but exploring the influences on him should help with that. 7/10

Mini Reviews 21/10/2018

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the bad, and those that lie somewhere in between.

SHURI #1

Writer: Nnedi Okorafor

Art: Leonardo Romero, Jordie Bellaire

Marvel $3.99

Jo S: It takes something of a chip off my heart to rate this a 6. I wanted to love it - Shuri is kind of a personal hero for me: she’s a fearless wisecracking science genius whose ‘superpowers’ are intelligence and resilience, along with a spicy blend of rebelliousness and ethical integrity - but unfortunately this didn’t completely land for me as a first issue. I don’t think Okorafor’s writing is at fault - given the basis she was working from (T’Challa has ventured off into space but has been gone longer than expected, Wakanda cannot continue indefinitely without a regent), she builds a credible reason for Shuri’s position as reluctant ruler of her nation and gives her believable motivation as well as teasing a mystery to solve. For me, Romero’s art was the disappointment. It has a certain vintage Marvel charm to it but, in my head, I see a Shuri whose cat-like grace and strength is, if not a match for her brother’s, at least a believable temporary replacement, a worthy wearer of the tech she has designed. Romero’s style is too old-school for my taste in this context - Shuri IS ultra-futuristic technology, Okorafor’s field is afrofuturism; I can’t shake a feeling of anachronism in this representation of their work. 6/10

Mini Reviews 01/07/2018

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the bad, and those that lie somewhere in between.

KILL OR BE KILLED #20

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Art: Sean Phillips & Elizabeth Breitweiser

Image $3.99

James R: Recently on social media, I've seen a few people complaining that comics reviews are essentially recaps rather than evaluations. I think here at the PCG we try hard to avoid this, giving broad narrative themes rather than minutiae. The final issue of Kill Or Be Killed provides an even bigger challenge though - the very nature of this coda relies on two wonderful feints and misdirections from Ed Brubaker. As a result, I don't want to risk ruining the experience for potential readers, and so all I'll say is that Kill Or Be Killed finished in the same way it began - by subverting expectations and serving up a story that was a fresh twist on the well-trod vigilante theme. The team of Brubaker, Phillips and Brietweiser know and complement each other so well, it's hard to imagine them creating a sub-par comic book now (and I'm already looking forward to the next collaboration, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, in October). Kill Or Be Killed has been a treat, and it's one of those books that, if you've missed in its initial run, I highly recommend picking up in trade. A brilliant final issue totally in keeping with the rest of the series, Kill Or Be Killed #20 was a deadly good read. 9/10

Pipedream Indie Round-Up - July 2017

Here's the latest edition of our ongoing team-up with Pipedream Comics.

STEVE JACKSON'S THE TROLLTOOTH WARS

Writer: PJ Montgomery

Art: Gavin Mitchell

Kickstarter £15.00

Alex T: One of the most eagerly anticipated indie books of recent years, PJ Montgomery and Gavin Mitchell's adaption of Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars is finally here after a two year wait! The world of Titan is in the midst of a war between two powerful sorcerers - Zharradan Marr and Balthus Dire - which leads to an epic showdown in the Trolltooth Pass. In the middle of this, hero Shadda Darkmane is on a mission into the heart of Firetop Mountain to encounter its legendary warlock Zagor. If you grew up in the 1980s reading Fighting Fantasy then this will be an amazing trip down memory lane. Montgomery has created a faithful retelling of the book - flaws and all - and makes the most of classic scenes like the caravan raid at the beginning or the scenes in Firetop Mountain. Although it has a huge battle at its centre, The Trolltooth Wars manages to focus on character and not spectacle, so doesn't get bogged down in overdoing the huge sweeping battle scenes, instead focusing on the actions of the characters, which makes it much more readable. There's a cleanliness and simplicity to the characters and it's not too serious either, as Montgomery manages to bring humour into the book thanks to sidekick Cherval. Mitchell's art work throughout is incredible. His labour of love to finish this book over the past two years has reaped ample rewards with every page looking truly exceptional. The action leaps off the page when needed and the design and realization of the key characters is top notch. They are packed with Mitchell's trademark personality, especially Dire who has a real snarling presence to him, with angular and pointy demonic features that make his a fantastic villain for the piece. And the big reveal of Zagor is almost goosebump-inducing, especially for long time fans! Packed full of action and excitement, character and humour (plus a generous amount of gore and violence!), The Trolltooth Wars works so well as an adaptation because it avoids getting bogged down by some of the more overwrought elements that the fantasy genre can be guilty of, and as a result is a truly epic fantasy in every sense! 9/10

Pipedream Indie Round-Up - May 2017

Better late than never, here's the next edition of our ongoing team-up with Pipedream Comics.

KNOCK OFF WARS

Writer: Luke Toywalker

Art: Lucasz Kowalczuk

Underworld Muscle $2.00

Alex T: Inspired by Luke Toywalker's Underworld Muscle blog about mashup action figures, Knock Off Wars sees a group of intrepid heroes set off on a mission to find the mysterious Monster Castle, home to all the secrets of the world of Vulkanair. The quest is lead by Primor of the Turley clan (a violent green reptile, with a red eye mask who looks strangely familiar) and he is joined along the way by heroes named Trolldolf and Killasaur who he meets in a series of blood-soaked battles and are keen to share in his adventure. At its core, Knock Off Wars is a pretty straightforward quest tale, more in the vein of Conan than He-Man (especially when you factor in the limb chopping violence!) and as such the dialogue is pretty shouty and the characters are paper thin. But that's kind of the point! It's not meant to be a subtle character piece looking at the human condition, it's a showcase for the weird imaginations of Kowalczuk and Toywalker! And what an imagination these two have! They have created this unique world that their equally weird characters can populate and along the way produced a crazy, fun, violent and utterly original comic! Sure, the characters are all reminiscent of those Saturday morning heroes like the Masters Of The Universe and Thundercats, but importantly they aren't direct copies or homages, instead they capture the spirit of those characters without copying them directly. This manages to not only make it feel fresh and unique, but also keeps those pesky lawyers from the door too! Kowalczuk's art is perfect for this book, his kinetic visuals and eye popping colours creating this perfect hybrid of underground comix anarchy mixed with neon '80s excess. The pages are all designed as splashes, and are divided up with lightning bolts and treelines for the edges of panels, rather than with a rigid border, which helps maintain the chaotic, sugar-soaked energy you need for a book like this. Each chapter is also introduced by a reminder of its Saturday morning cartoon roots with an intro page featuring a mysterious 'viewer' watching the adventures on TV surrounded by various '80s and '90s ephemera (from classic games consoles to movie posters, VHS tapes and all manner of other nostalgic Easter eggs). We've been a big fan of Lucasz's work ever since we discovered Vreckless Vrestlers and Slime, but this may just be his best work yet! 8/10