Author: matthewephotography@yahoo.com
Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com In this second issue of Brett Bean’s incredibly successful fantasy series, the titular Doruk stands on high ground to avoid assassination by legions of both the Light and Dark realms. Armed with a cursed shield and a ghostly, annoyingly talkative dead chicken head, Doruk soon finds himself in more trouble with a team of Children of Time and their master. Will he be able to survive another day? Now that the hype has died down a bit, it feels like the weight of expectations has lessened, which makes it all the better. Bean’s quick-witted dialogue…
Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com Hikaru Sulu’s first mission as captain of the USS Excelsior is chronicled here in a story where he and his crew team up with Kirk and Enterprise. Sulu must take the lead in a mission to destroy an old weapons stockpile, but an incident occurs that causes the two spaceships to go their separate ways and deal with the situation separately. This comic has a really old-school, Trek-like feel to it (I bought it at Southampton Comics). It goes beyond the Starfleet uniforms of the 80s and early 90s. The dialogue perfectly captures each character’s…
Image credit: Bret Bean/Image Comics I took some time to review the first issue of Brett Bean’s new fantasy series, “D’Orc.” That’s because the hype surrounding this comic is absolutely feverish and shows little sign of slowing down, with seemingly endless print and cover variations. It was difficult to approach this work without simply thinking about how overrated it is or what is so exciting about it. That was exactly my reaction when I first read it! So what is it about and is it worth reading? Doruk is a story about the title character, a half-dwarf, half-orc orphan who…
Image credit: TKDU The eponymous anthropomorphic donkey with hooves has become lazy and finds it difficult to motivate himself to do anything. But in the face of a rebellion against humanity (yes, humans exist even in the anthropomorphic animal world!), fate calls and Taekwondon-Kee sets out on a path to rediscover his purpose. What’s surprising about Taekwon Donkey, which is full of puns and visual gags, is how grim its animal rebellion lore is over the course of the issue. As for the bloodshed and horror of the uprising led by the crustacean Krav Maga, it’s unrelenting (although it must…
Image credit: Zach Zeman & RJ Silvers In a place where disguised vigilantism is regulated and legal, something strange seems to be infiltrating our world. In the midst of supernatural mayhem, government agent Terrence Vigil begins recruiting others to his team. When investigating the disappearance of a troubled young woman in the first case, the situation turns out to be far more paranormal than it first appears… Starting with quite a few pages of exposition, Ghostwood #1 takes a while to really tackle its central mystery. When it comes to fruition, it’s incredibly appealing and extremely well-made, but when you…
Image credit: While Burning I read “Tavish”. “The Survivor” is the first story in the comic anthology “When We Burn #1,” and I’m completely sold on its vision of a medieval world infested with terrifying monsters. Some of them are humans, but most are ferocious, bloodthirsty creatures of various forms. The title character, Tavish, survives by wandering the world in solitude. The story delves into his history and how he became the sole survivor, and also asks the question, “What happens when you find a reason to live instead of just surviving?” Given the brevity of the story, and the…
Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com There was me, thinking I had the first part of a new crossover. Admittedly, DC X Sonic the Hedgehog: Metal Legion #1 is the first issue of this series, but it continues to reference previous Sonic crossovers in which the video game cast encountered the DC Universe for the first time. You’re not really missing anything important. This issue features scene after scene in which the Sonic character teams up with a DC hero (or villain!). But the foundations are being laid here for a much bigger threat, with the crossover really taking off. However,…
Image credit: IDW Comics In this seventh issue, new artist Hernan Gonzalez brings an entirely new, more realistic aesthetic to Star Trek: The Last Starship. All hope seems lost for Sato, Kirk, and their remaining crew as Starfleet loses hundreds of worlds to the Emerald Chain, but an intercepted message may hold the key to the survival of the universe. There’s nothing wrong with exploring dark themes in the normally optimistic Star Trek universe, but The Last Starship seems hell-bent on making everything as dark and gloomy as possible. To be honest, it’s a little tiring. Even the colorful, retro…
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…