Tales From Wonderland: The Red Queen one-shot (Zenescope - Gregory / Bonk / Blond / Crank)

Once upon a time a woman was imprisoned in the fortress of the Queen of Hearts. But now that the Queen has been gone, Wonderland will see a new Queen arise to take vengeance on all of those who have wronged her. Also features a back up story that reveals more of the mysterious origin of the man known as Charles Dodgson and what drove him to attain immortality at any cost.

Raven Gregory is back! And in his return, he brings the story of the rise of the Red Queen… from prisoner to magical warrior and dominant ruler.  And the way that the talented Rich Bonk (The Piper, Return to Wonderland) draws her, Xena has nothing on this girl!

continue reading "Tales from Wonderland: The Red Queen"

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #42 ( Dark Horse - Miller / Chan / Atiyeh )

“When an argument between ex-Padawan Zayne Carrick and the mysterious Jarael leaves her questioning her place in his life, the appearance of the Jedi Malak threatens to make up her mind for good. Yet Malak’s not the only one with an interest in Jarael. Just how far the Mandalorian Rohlan is willing to go to stay by her side has never been revealed — until now!

Major developments for Zayne and Jarael! Previously untold events in the story of Malak and Revan! For in-the-know Star Wars fans, this issue is a must have!

* A special one-shot story featuring Malak and Revan from the Knights of the Old Republic video games sets our main cast on a deadly new course!”

There comes a time in every comic’s life where the reader just keeps telling himself “It’s going to get better, right?”  After months of telling myself this, I’m beginning to lose all hope that the magic that brought me into this book will ever return.
continue reading "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #42 - A Resounding Meh!"

New Avengers #54 ( Marvel - Bendis / Tan )

“A Sorcerer Supreme is chosen! Be witness to a very important chapter in Avengers history and the lore of Marvel magic! Plus, the Avengers finally have a big showdown with the Hood and not everyone walks away from it unharmed”

Well if there’s a Marvel book weathering the Dark Reign storm it’s New Avengers, a book which you’d expect to be most intruded upon.  Bendis does a good job keeping this book on track despite some contrived Dark Reign infringements.

I could have used a bunch more issues of who will be the next sorcerer supreme, I find that interesting, even if I have no idea why Doctor Strange decided to resign, somewhere apparently toward the end of Secret Invasion after I’d already stopped listening (oh and after Thor #602 apparently, out now).  Whatever I’m buying the morose Doctor, and I like the fact that just because he’s done with being Sorcerer Supreme he still hasn’t lost all his skills. All the fun, none of the pressure.
continue reading "New Avengers #54 Bendis’ Weakest Still Better’n Most"

Proof #21 (Image - Grecian / Rossmo / Casey / Dash / Tindall)

On the eve of Julia’s wedding to another man, Proof has to choose between stopping the wedding and stopping Springheel Jack’s murderous rampage across London.

I know I haven’t reviewed the last couple issues, but I hope Proof’s absence from ThePullbox hasn’t implied that I’m still not down with it.  This is one of the first books I read every month.

In this arc “Julia”, which is a flashback to 1838 England, Alex Grecian continues to show why is the writer that all of the publishers will want in the future (not saying Alex would leave Image… just saying he beats the crap out of a lot of the “big names” from the big two).  This is a fantastic mix of drama and action… interpersonal relationships between Gulliver and Gilgamesh, their attitudes towards humans, Gulliver’s love for Julia, the hunting down and unveiling of Spring-Heeled Jack… This has it all and it’s interwoven beautifully.  Think of the best Sci-fi TV show you know… yea, it’s like that!

continue reading "Proof #21"

Marvel Zombies 4 #3 (Marvel - Van Lente / Walker)

You’ve heard of Dark Reign, right? Well here comes the Dark Rain—a toxic cloud that zombifies everything in its path! The Midnight Sons can’t enter the deadly mist, so they call in a reserve member who can—the macabre Man-Thing! Can the muck-encrusted shambler of the swamps apprehend the undead before the Marvel Universe is totally infected? And will The Hood stop at anything in his mad goal to profit from the growing horror to his own gain?

I’m not going to say I’m 100% enjoying this book, but it’s got something that makes me keep picking it up, although I’m not sure I could tell you what it is.  It tends to stray a bit from the conventional Marvel Zombies formula…but since Marvel Zombies was straying from a formula I don’t think I can complain about that.

Van Lente is comfortable telling a story, and the story seems to flow naturally enough, but the plot doesn’t really seem to move forward much. The virus has mutated and moves through the air as a cloud, this cloud does all the eating, not virus infected super thugs, so there aren’t interesting battles.  And This world’s Big guns seem unconcerned.

continue reading "Marvel Zombies 4 #3 - Arrrrrhhhhhhh!"

Destroyer #3 ( Marvel - Kirkman / Walker )

Well, I was thinking what’s not to like, obscure, aging, over the hill super-hero operative guy with a family life goes on one last great spree.  Written by Robert Kirkman with awesome Mignola-like artwork from Cory Walker and very Jason Pearson-like covers from Jason Pearson.

I’ll say this about it, it is a solid, interesting concept, with solid interesting characters, with solid interesting personalities.  And you have to like little gems like this one.

Here’s the problem, and Invincible is going the same way, I don’t know if Mr. Kirkman woke up on recent mornings feeling particularly grumpy or if his dog has run away, or the trash truck makes too much noise in the alley in the early mornings, but both these books have gotten a bit graphic lately, trickling over into unnecessarily gruesome.

continue reading "Destroyer #3, A Tragedy on More Levels Than One"

Irredeemable #4 (Boom! - Waid / Krause)

What if the world’s greatest hero decided to become the world’s greatest villain? The Plutonian’s deadly rampage continues. His former comrades-turned-victims are beaten, tired, and searching for hope. A “twilight of the superheroes”-style story that examines super-villains from the writer of KINGDOM COME and EMPIRE!

After an issue with details exploring the Plutonian’s inner-sexual psyche, this series is back on track with the “unstoppable evil force” theme.

Mark Waid is as the top of his game laying out how the world leaders would react to this renegade, all-powerful god-man.  Would they unite for final battle for their freedom? or roll-over and plead for mercy?

Great book! Great Issue!

spoilers below!

continue reading "Irredeemable #4 - back on track!"

Dark Avengers #6 (Marvel - Bendis / Deodato / Beredo)

DARK REIGN Big, bold choices! That’s what Norman Osborn’s H.A.M.M.E.R. and Avengers have been all about! And with every bold choice comes more and more risk! And with risk comes pressure! And with pressure…come the voices. How long can Norman Osborn hold it together? And what is he willing to do to make it look like everything is just fine!

If you were hoping to follow Osborn during the course of Dark Reign and you only wanted to pick up one book, this is really the book you should be reading.

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Killapalooza #2 (DC/WIldstorm - Beechen / Hairsine)

You’ve never seen anything like a rock band that moonlights as a super-powered assassination squad! Superstar noisemakers The Clap thought they were the only ones, but apparently there’s at least one more – and they’ve both marked the honoree of a benefit concert as their next target! If The Clap can survive a death trap laid by their mystery rivals, they’ll face their greatest challenge yet – a dinner for the concert’s sponsor! The world’s biggest music stars and their egos in the same room? Expect mayhem and murder with your shrimp cocktail!

So, I jumped on board with Killapalooza on accounta Trevor Hairsine’s art.  And you can’t deny your a little curious about a rock band/covert superpowered assination squad?  My partner asked what I was thinking when I ordered it.  I said ya never know.  Who would have guessed a devil child destined to destroy the world turned good working for a secret paranormal protection agency would fly? or a, well you get the idea.

Sometimes the weirder the better (sometimes not by the way also).

continue reading "Killapalooza #2 Now Officially DOA"

Green Lantern #42 ( DC - Johns / Tan / Barrows / Glapion / Jose )

We all love this book as well we should, but in a string of great issues in an awesome storyline, this issue sticks out!

The best part is how Hal finally gets his blue ring to work!  And then those nasty little Oans… you need to get this issue and honor it properly just for those things.   Unexpected gems (not sapphires) are the engine that makes this series work.

It had some flaws, the plot was a bit muddled and disjointed. The art by Jonathan Glapion was pretty weak, the coloring was inconsitent, moving from painterly (covering the ink lines) to high quality stay in the lines good ol’ fashion comic book coloring.  I understand the need for a colorist to push themselves, the limits of the medium and to explore the form, or if it has some sort of meaning to the story (whoa, I’ve found myself in a higher reality), but if you can’t maintain it for the whole book,  don’t do it.  Maybe a finished product meant for publication is not the place to experiment.

continue reading "Green Lantern #42 - Redux Nasty Little Oans"