Latest Reviews

Let's just plunge into the reviews, shall we?

Astro City 21
Thus concludes, maybe, the story of Quarrel and what a wonderful story arc it's been! This look into her background, as well as her dealing with aging and losing a step or two in the present has been nothing short of amazing, but what really elevated this above the usual awesomeness of this topnotch comic is the character development. A middle-aged woman, she still shows emotional growth, learning some important lessons, and the most important one came from her former criminal father. One of my favorite comics keeps hitting it out of the ballpark.

The Big Con Job 1
First of a 4-part miniseries by Jimmy Palmiotti and Matt Brady. Aging characters seems to be the next big thing! This first issue is mostly setup, introducing us to the aging actors who once played superheroes and science fiction heroes on TV and are now relegated to the diminishing adulation and pay they can find on the convention circuit. Dominke Stanton's art is light and playful and perfectly suited for what's shaping up to be a kooky caper story. Add this to the titles of comics that are fun.

Captain Marvel 13
Carol has her hands full as she's searching for Tic and Chewie while her ship is failing. Needless to say, if you need help, you can't do better than having Carol Danvers on your side!

Descender 1
Image continues its record of bringing readers stellar science fiction stories in the comic book format. Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen bring to life a realm of nine planets, lots of high tech, and a mysterious attack by a giant robot (as in planet-sized!) that changed everything. At its heart, the story seems to be about a little boy, or rather, an AI in the form of a little boy and his robot dog. I couldn't help being reminded of the AI boy of "Extant," the science fiction TV show from last summer that will return this summer, though the story here is much different. The first issue is just a peek at what will come, but it's safe to say that Lemire and Nguyen have created a fascinating, complex realm and I'm happy to go along for the ride.

Ms. Marvel 13
Kamala in love? Maybe! When her parents' friends visit, along with their son, who's close to Kamala in age, sparks unexpectedly fly. But then an Inhuman attacks people while Kamala and Kamran (with Kamala's brother chaperoning!) are out buying DVDs, and Kamala risks her secret identity to stop the woman. Guest artist Takeshi Miyazawa perfectly captures the fun feeling of this book. I'm looking forward to seeing how this storyline plays out.

Shutter 10
This weird book keeps getting weirder, but with a short back story and a couple of pages for a lettercol, there seems to be less and less actual main story from issue to issue. This is especially true this time as Kate and Kalliyan enter a dream realm, with many pages filled with what seems like hallucinations which look cool but don't advance the story much. Still, I'm sticking around because I want to know what this is all about. It's not a story, however, that I care enough about to buy the collected editions the way I do with others.