Roy Nash is a hitman fresh from the pen, commissioned by the mob’s top brass to take out a crew who messed with the wrong people.
Set during the prohibRoy Nash is a hitman fresh from the pen, commissioned by the mob’s top brass to take out a crew who messed with the wrong people.
Set during the prohibition era, Triggerman offers everything a fan of the crime-infused, fedora wearing personalities of the 1920’s could want – yet it doesn’t convey that distinct Chicago place setting. Rather, Triggerman is an ode to the common violence and easy-sway of police corruption of the time where mob was rule and blood spattered the pavement like rain drops.
My rating: 5/5 stars. The linear plot is centered around the systematic execution of the outlawed crew with a former love interest of Nash’s thrown in for a bit of character development. The art is moody and evocative, and complements the story to perfection; I enjoyed every panel of this graphic novel. ...more
In the second volume of Britannia, Antonius Axia, the former legionnaire turned the world’s first Detective is tasked with investigating an alleged suIn the second volume of Britannia, Antonius Axia, the former legionnaire turned the world’s first Detective is tasked with investigating an alleged supernatural source responsible for turning the Gods against the Roman people. Whilst the plot outline lends itself towards the fantasy-horror of the first volume, We Who Are About To Die is more a traditional Private Detective story with a smattering of the supernatural thrown in for good measure.
I love the world building and blending of factoids with this kind of fiction; Britannia reads real with elements of Roman history seeping into the fictional tapestry of the broader Valiant comics universe. I particularly liked the inclusion of the female Gladiator, Achillia into this story as it not only provided some nice depth to the second volume but made for a unique pairing with Axia.
My rating: 3.5/5. Not as good as the first volume but still very enjoyable. The art is great and the characters are very well written. Whilst We Who Are About To Die is new reader friendly, I recommending reading the first volume prior to delving in. As a bonus, each issue comes with a 4 page essay based on a Roman topic, those alone are great reads. ...more
I've always wanted to know more about the quiet and deadly looking Sith from Episode 1 and this new cannon graphic novel provides some nice backgroundI've always wanted to know more about the quiet and deadly looking Sith from Episode 1 and this new cannon graphic novel provides some nice background into the character without reverting to the all-too-easy troupe of being an 'origin story'.
In Star Wars: Darth Maul, the familiar Sith master-apprentice tension common in the Darth Vader / Palpatine dynamic is again factored into Maul's story, with Palpatine a dangerous and intense presence which casts a shadow over Maul's every action.
As far as the story goes, there's not a lot of depth. Maul wants to kill a Jedi despite Palpatine urging him to bide his time. Eventually he finds a Padawan being held for auction by a shady underworld type and quickly assembles a band of bounty hunters to accompany him to the venue where the auction is being staged.
There's not much more to it - which is a shame. The art is great though and there are a couple of nice moments between Maul and the Padawan. One thing that really sticks out as a negative is the fact that Maul is two dimensional; there's not a lot of character development and I got tired of reading of how angry he was all the time.
My rating: 3/5 stars, I'm happy I read it but its a book you can skip and not feel like you're missing out on anything. ...more
Before getting into my thoughts on this book, I want to highlight that FEAR, BLOOD AND SHADOWS is a 'soft' reboot of the series; meaning some conceptsBefore getting into my thoughts on this book, I want to highlight that FEAR, BLOOD AND SHADOWS is a 'soft' reboot of the series; meaning some concepts remain whilst others are reincarnated albeit slightly anew.
From my perspective, reading this book retrospectively, the biggest thing to come from FEAR, BLOOD AND SHADOWS is Punk Mambo, the character which spawned the excellent one-shot Punk Mambo #0 also written by Peter Milligan.
The art is moody and evocative and certainly adds the requisite element of horror, however the direction and end product of this story arc missed the mark for me. Jack Boniface, the current iteration of Shadowman bares almost no resemblance to the protagonist of the previous 12 issues. Additionally, this book just didn't feel new reader friendly making me wonder what the point of it was (Shadowman is currently nowhere to be seen post the next story arc).
For a character, and premise that had so much scope, this really was let down. On a positive note; art-wise this is what you'd expect from a dark graphic novel such as this and by far outshines the story.
*reread in July 2017 along with Shadowman 13X - unfortunately the story just didn't get any better with the passing of time. 2 / 5 stars.
Readers of NOS4A2 will be familiar with Christmasland and other concepts written into Joe Hill's terrifying graphic novel, The Wraith which features CReaders of NOS4A2 will be familiar with Christmasland and other concepts written into Joe Hill's terrifying graphic novel, The Wraith which features Charlie Manx, a character ripped from the punchlines of nightmares who takes lost children to a mythical place where happiness is always and death is a suggestion not a promise.
The story follows a band of escaped criminals to their eventual destination where death and misery await. Manx is well written but its the children that steal the show for me - drawn to scare and written to haunt; a great addition to the horror genre.
The first and seventh single issues in the collection are nice bookends that provide context and character to the story. While these may put some readers off given the more literary tone of them, I thought they worked quite well.
It's been some time since I read NOS4A2 (3 years in fact) but that didn't detract in anyway from enjoying this book. Read it as a standalone or as a companion piece to the novel, either/or work well.
Magnus, Robot Fighter, is a character that has been around in comics for a very long time, though one that hasn't been prevalent in the medium since VMagnus, Robot Fighter, is a character that has been around in comics for a very long time, though one that hasn't been prevalent in the medium since Valiant's run in the 1990's. Dynamite, the company that now leases the property has produced an entertaining first up arc that reintroduces the 'robot fighter' yet I'm cautious about investing in further installments.
FLESH AND STEEL takes the reader into a world where robots control the Government. Crime is almost non existent and the policing of the humanist populace acts as a social media outlet of entertainment for the artificial intelligence-dominated place-setting (see #3 in particular). I didn't mind this 'reality' style showcase with the scene reminiscent of STAR WARS Ep.3 and THE FIFTH ELEMENT (the Magnus chance through North AM skyline).
My main gripe with FLESH AND STEEL is the lack of a definitive end to the arc. Author Fred Van Lente has written some of the best 'funny books' during his Archer & Armstrong run and tries to emulate that tongue-in-cheek tone in this sci-fi futuristic pulp like tale - and he's successful, for the most part (I'm still undecided about H8R, Magnus's accomplice from his prison break). I couldn't help but think the story stopped short. The reader is left with Magnus at a pivotal point in his plight to discover the truth of his present (future) day predicament at the end of #4 (of #4). If only the last issue ran a few more panels, I think that closure I'm after would've been attained.
The art feels very comic booky (I know, IT IS A COMIC BOOK) but I like art to take the story further than prose, adding a little something more to the story - it's a visual medium after all. While serviceable to good at times, it's non comparable to the other futuristic comic series I'm reading in RAI vol.1 from Valiant (which I highly recommend reading).
Overall - FLESH AND STEEL is a good introduction that really has an epic feel to it - good for long running series but difficult to review in small story arc instalments.
SCARLET was one of the first books I picked up from Comixology (digital comics) and what an impulse buy it was! I confess Semi-spoiler review below -
SCARLET was one of the first books I picked up from Comixology (digital comics) and what an impulse buy it was! I confess I'd not heard of Brian Michael Bendis prior to reading SCARLET VOL.1 but will make an effort to read more of his stuff.
The below is a blow-by-blow review of each issue that comprises volume 1.
Issue#1: Love the introspective narrative. The opening chapter establishes Scarlet as a dark yet light and vibrant young woman, one who knows love and falls for the clichés of romanticism. Cut to the corruption of cops; the addiction that costs her future also spawns her quest for vengeance. Interested to see where Scarlet takes her rage.
Issue #2: In the the second chapter/issue, Bendis takes time to evolve his scared protagonist from mourning young woman into a cold calm and calculating femme fatale. There is a distinct cause and effect to Scarlet's actions which also compounds her rationale. Great plotting, character development, and a well executed story from what could've been a common revenge fueled romp.
Issue #3: The story of Scarlet, the young red haired punk woman, victim of violence, circumstance and police corruption continues her quest to fight back. In the third issue/chapter she literally takes aim at the cops, specifically the Chief of Police. Cut off the snakes head and the rest slither and die. Great pacing, writing. Brian Michael Bendis has really established a strong sense of character.
Issue #4: A change of pace from killing and dodging bullets sees the nice touch of 'scarlet law' introduced via a public front at a flash mob. good bridging chapter. I also like the added realism of Scarlet's mother showing up.
Final Issue: Despite being a pretty decent graphic novel I think the last chapter lost momentum in order to generate grounding for the next installment. Ok but lacking a conclusion.
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