Author: matthewephotography@yahoo.com
Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com The Decepticon ranks are full of legendary characters. Megatron. Starscream. Soundwave. Shockwave. And now…a ballpoint pen. Ballpoint is a small Decepticon with more self-confidence and self-belief than most of his colleagues, and he greatly overestimates his own abilities. And yes, he can transform into a pen. When kicked out by the Decepticons, he sets out to prove himself by defeating the entire Autobot army. Alone. This is an all-ages graphic novel aimed primarily at children, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. It’s full of clever and hilarious visual gags (and Bumblebee’s toying…
Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com There’s a really funny and original conceit at the heart of the alien comic Kingkiller. Genetically modified humans on a remote planet must protect their people from the ever-present threat of the Xenomorphs and fight their own ferocious creatures. It’s also pretty interesting, but sometimes it feels a little too decompressed, spending too much page space on the action while there’s still a lot of background that hasn’t been covered. There are also some strange art choices, with some panels containing really weird and inappropriate facial expressions. It definitely scores points with me for not…
Image credit: Mad Cave Studios Comics like “Denim Devil” and “Under the Tree When No One is Watching” are full of answers. As I entered middle age, I became really bad at reading horror comics, so I didn’t read them for a long time. But the story of mostly charming and incompetent passers-by and animal serial killers definitely gave me a taste for blood. I recently dove headlong into the perverse It KilledEveryone But Me, and as soon as I finished it I wanted more gore. I found this in Zanjin’s Apprentice. Like It KilledEveryone But Me is published by…
Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com As a child of the 80’s who grew up with ads for toys essentially disguised as cartoons, the Energon Universe has to be the most exciting thing happening in comics right now. But titles like “Transformers” have become less interesting over the past year, and “G.I. Joe” has lost its grip on me. I tried to continue reading Void Rivals, but the glacial pacing and uninteresting background (plus the need for Robert Kirkman’s trademark brutal abuse of characters) put me off. Now that 80s cartoons have joined MASK’s lineup, have things gotten more exciting? Well,…
Image credit: IDW Having to deal with a giant rat skeleton and with some familiar faces returning from the world of the dead (and trapped), our heroes have a job that suits them perfectly. Just another day in the life of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, right? This issue, which concludes the Ujigami arc, is incredibly chaotic at first. But by the climax, an interesting new element is added to the TMNT’s status quo, making for an incredibly sweet and fulfilling ending. There are moments where Freddie Williams II’s art loses some clarity due to the aforementioned confusion, but overall…
Image credit: Brian Kelly When this comic began, the eponymous band had long since disbanded. Frontman Francis instead becomes a drug-addicted Elvis imitator in a shitty bar, living a sordid and depressing lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll. When something terrible happens to Francis, his old bandmates gather to find out what happened, digging up some truly shocking old wounds along the way. Brian Kelly’s work has a real underground comics feel to it, and that applies not only to its aesthetic, but also to its writing and subject matter. The comic’s setting and retro-futuristic look suggest a spooky and…
Image credit: Fandom Limb Media Private detective Jean Westron is asked to help investigate the girl’s disappearance. Haunted by a similar incident as a teenager, Westron is in a race against time to avoid the tragedy that occurred when he was 15 years old. Following last year’s opening chapter, things take a very dark and disturbing turn in this second issue of Westron. To be fair, the first issue wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but things get pretty grim, especially as it accelerates towards the climax, with more and more harsh and graphic reveals leading up to the cliffhanger. A…
Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com While Free Comic Book Day’s offerings are often accessible and appealing to newcomers, this Mega Man Showdown special feels a little too mired in continuity (even two different continuities) to attract new fans. That said, both stories here are all about action, each feeling like sequences from a Saturday morning cartoon, cheesy dialogue, etc. The story begins with Protoman fighting a bus that stole important data from Dr. Light. This takes place as a continuation of the main Mega Man series and is a lot of fun with some really fun artwork. The second story…
Image credit: Mad Cave Studios When issue #15 of the current Flash Gordon series (published by Mad Cave Studios) ended, I had no idea where they could take this story next. After all, when it came to Flash Gordon, there were 15 issues covering all the major bases. An interesting current situation after the evil Ming the Merciless’ home planet was destroyed allowed for some great character twists, and the addition of parallel universe elements added further spice to the proceedings. Issue #15 felt like all the threads had been closed and a proper conclusion had been reached, so issue…
Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com We know it’s Supergirl and Ghost-Spider (aka Spider-Gwen) on the cover of Spider-Man/Superman #1. This comic already has a confusing naming convention (an entirely different, DC-driven Superman/Spider-Man #1 was already released a while ago), but it’s made even more confusing for casual readers by the rich variety of covers available for each title. However, my rule is that if I see a Peach Momoko cover, I get a Peach Momoko cover. This crossover comic begins with Spider-Man and Superman struggling to contain a monstrous threat and overcome the seemingly insurmountable threat posed by Lex Luthor…