Join us on the Frontlines with our weekly review roundup. This is where we have assembled to give our thoughts on various issues that are released each week. This week we have Jay, Kat, & Louis giving reviews for books from Abstract Studios, Aftershock, Aspen, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, and Source Point Press! Check out the reviews below and let us know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter. Welcome to the FRONTLINE REVIEWS, hope you enjoy the experience!
STRANGERS IN PARADISE XXV #7
Written By: Terry Moore
Art By: Terry Moore
Colors By: Steve Hamaker
Letters By: Terry Moore
Cover By: Terry Moore
Price: $3.99
Terry Moore continues to do a good job at splitting Katchoo and Francine’s story apart, pulling at fans’ heartstrings even more as they see the distance grow between the couple. The shining moment of the issue is its opener. Katchoo finds herself over a cliff, AGAIN. She is hurtling towards her death, and all she can think of is cats. There is personality bursting from the seems here, reminding fans why Katchoo is such a great comic book character. The visuals are magnificent as Katchoo is ready to take her last breaths and plummets into the water. The issue starts building a good mystery, not only between Stephanie and Katchoo, but also with Katchoo’s daughter as she sees a mysterious figure outside her door. Strangers in Paradise XXV may not have as many romantic beats as the original series, but still is a grappling character story. ~ Kat @ComicUno
"Suffer! Simmer! Strike!"
Written / Co-Created By: Patrick Kindlon
Art / Co-Created By: Marco Ferrari
Colors By: Patrizia Comino
Letters By: Jim Campbell
Cover A By: Marco Ferrari with Patrizia Comino
Cover B By: Robert Hack
Price" $3.99
Written By: Ron Marz
Art By: Siya Oum
Colors By: Peter Steigerwald & Jesse Heagy
Letters By: Zen
Cover By: Siya Oum & Peter Steigerwald
Price: $3.99
Aspen and Killian join forces to take down Giddeon while Finn is used to create new soldiers. Ron Marz has brought me back to Fathom and the Aspen Universe! This book is as glorious now as it was 20 years ago, and MArz does a great job capturing the spirit of the book. Oum does an equally great job channeling that spirit through the art giving the feel of Turners style while keeping it fresh and original. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
BEDTIME GAMES #4 (of 4)
Written By: Nick Keller
Art By: Conor Nolan
Colors By: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letters By: John J. Hill
Cover By: Conor Nolan
Price: $3.99
Avery, Owen and Jamie face off against Mr. Bedtime and his Nightmares in one final battle. This is a nice solid series with a creepy feel to it. The art really delivers the right atmosphere bringing together the bedtime storybook feel with a creepy twist to it. While this was a nice conclusion I think if it were given another issue the ending could have been more fleshed out. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Tony S. Daniel, Mark Buckingham, & Andrew Pepoy
Colors By: Tomeu Morey
Letters By: Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Tony S. Daniel and Tomeu Morey
Variant Cover By: Francesco Mattina
Price: $3.99
This issue was a pretty mixed bag. My biggest problem is the folklore tale inserted into this issue. Obviously it was meant to show a comparison between Batman and KGBeast since it’s shown both enjoyed the story as children. Unfortunately this is very unnecessary. The majority of the issue is a brutal fight between Batman and KGBeast with no dialogue exchanged. For the most part this fight is awesome but it’s constantly interrupted by the folklore tale. This really disrupts the flow of the fight and keeps taking readers out of the story. However one positive thing about this fight is Tony S. Daniel’s artwork. Also after the fight ends, Tom King delivers a clever exchange between Batman and KGBeast. When KGBeast offers to tell the Caped Crusader who hired him if Batman helps him. However Batman responds that he’s “the world’s greatest detective” and he’ll find out himself. Despite some positives, this issue’s negative aspects keep it from being more than an average read. ~ Louis @SpiderMan1991
NIGHTWING #51
"Knight Terrors Part Two"
Plot By: Scott Lobdell Aditional
Script By: Fabian Nicieza
Art By: Travis Moore & Gary Brown
Colors By: Hi-Fi & Nick Filardi
Letters By: Deron Bennett
Cover By: Mike Perkins
Price: $3.99
EXORSISTERS #1
Written By: Ian Boothby
Art By: Gisele Lagace
Colors By: Pete Pantazis
Letters By: Taylor Esposito
Cover By: Gisele Lagace
Price: $3.99
Exorsisters #1 is Archie meets magic. Gisele Lagace's art style brings a slice of life tone that almost feels like a throwback to old school webcomics. The chemistry between the two main characters makes this a fun read. I enjoyed the procedural aspect of the issue as the sisters break a demonic case, while giving a good dose of clues to the real mystery behind our main characters’ lives as well. Exorsisters #1 explores a dark genre with a refreshing lightness. ~ Kat @ComicUno
HACK/SLASH: RESURRECTION #12
Written By: Tini Howard
Art By: Celor
Colors By: K. Michael Russell
Letters By: Crank!
Cover By: Tim Seeley & Nick Filardi, Daniel Leister
Price: $3.99
Censorship $%@#&*^ sucks! Comic books have had a long history of censorship, and I couldn’t think of a better character than Cassie Hack to challenge comic books’ complicated relationship with this topic. The issue presents some of Celor’s best artwork for the series with proportions staying consistent, which was a problem in past issues. Hack/Slash Resurrection #12 works perfectly as not only a stand alone story, but a final issue for this maxi series. Cassie and Vlad get stuck in a wholesome town where cursing and all things fun are banned as a wild man called, you guessed it - The Censor is running around making sure citizens follow his rules. The issue is hilarious and had me laughing at almost every page, but it also gave a nice ending for Cassie as she reunites with her ex, Laurie. The couple teams up together to beat The Censor AKA Dick Weiner, and are able to patch together their relationship. They have their version of walking away into the sunset with a bad guy’s dead body splattering into the night sky….yeah, I’m going to miss this series. ~ Kat @ComicUno
ASTONISHING X-MEN #16
Written By: Matthew Rosenberg
Art By: Greg Land
Colors By: Frank D’Armata
Letters By: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Greg Land, Jay Leisten, & Frank D’Armata
Price: $3.99
Havok’s redemption arc reaches its penultimate issue. My favorite part of this issue is Matthew Rosenberg’s dialogue. Rosenberg’s lines feel very natural while adding some humor to the story. One great example is Colossus throwing Warpath for a fast ball special and the latter says to himself he can already fly. Also Rosenberg does an outstanding job writing Havok (a.k.a. Alex Summers). Rosenberg’s interpretation of Alex is the X-Man who can’t catch a break. He tries to do good but causes more problems in the process (Really living up to his codename). In this issue, Havok gets the Reavers to help free the X-Men but gives them the information Bastion stored in his head. Ultimately this allows the Reavers to merge their cyborg bodies with Sentinels owned by O.N.E. This is a great set up for the final issue. Artwork wise, Greg LAnd and Frank D’Armata did a spectacular job especially with Dazzler’s light blasts. If you’re a fan of HAvok, this is worth a read. ~ Louis @SpiderMan1991
THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN MARVEL #4
Written By: Margaret Stohl
Art By: Carlos Pacheco, Erica D’urso
Colors By: Marcio Menyz
Letters By: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Julian Totino Tedesco, Jen Bartel, Sujin Jo
Price: $3.99
The long lost origin of Captain Marvel is revealed! Carol’s mother tells Carol how she made a new life for herself on earth and how difficult life as a Kree became. This new tale doesn’t change Carol’s origins, but instead enhances it. I especially enjoyed Carol’s mother commentary on Joe Sr. How she fell in love with a man who has been painted as a monster. Carlos Pacheco and Erica D’urso both do a splendid job on the past and present story as Marcio Menyz’s colors perfectly ties the story together. If you read any Captain Marvel story in this decade - The Life of Captain Marvel should be the one to pick up. ~ Kat @ComicUno
RUNAWAYS #14
Written By: Rainbow Rowell
Art By: David Lafuente & Takeshu Miyazawa
Colors By: Jim Campbell & Michael Garland
Letters By: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover By: Kris Anka
Price: $3.99
Runaways splits its story in two as the kids have to make a decision about the Gibborim and Runaways fans get to see a day in the life of Old Lace. This structure felt like an odd choice because the main story felt too short, but I did enjoy the Old Lace silent tale. Takeshu Miyazawa and Rainbow Rowell did a great job at showcasing Old Lace’s relationship with the team without using any words. I especially enjoyed the ending! Gert is dealing with a lot of her own emotions and pushes Old Lace away and then Old Lace runs to Chase, who greets her with open arms. It shows how much their relationship has grown. Another small moment I enjoyed with this issue was Karolina giving a sandwich to one of Gibborim children. It’s just a great example of Karolina’s most important skill set - her heart. The small moments are what shine the most in this uneven issue. ~ Kat @ComicUno
SHURI #1
Written By: Nnedi Okorafor
Art By: Leonardo Romero
Colors By: Jordie Bellaire
Letters By: VC's Joe Sabino
Cover By: Sam Spratt
Variant Covers By: Various Artists
Price: $3.99
Shuri has returned from the dead changed and she uses the skills she has obtained on the other side to help her people. What I like about this issue is the connective tissue we have here, it ties into what happened in Black Panther, and World of Wakanda explaining how Black Panther ended up in space. What I didn't like was how Marvel insists on forcing changes on long standing characters to fit into the molds made by the MCU. While I didn't like that I think it was explained really well here. The art is really solid creating almost a folklore vibe for the book while making it very modern sort of like Wakanda itself. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
OGRE #1 (OF 3)
Written By: Bob Salley
Art By: Shawn Daley
Ogre is an interesting new book from Source Point Press that really plays off of today's themes and setting while placing it in this medieval world. The North and the South are at war but which is the "right side"? That is a question that we may not get answered, because the book shows that in life there isn't always a right and a wrong side sometimes things exist somewhere in the middle. The characters here each bring something great to the story, especially the ghost who acts as the Ogre's conscience and insight into humans. But it is the Ogre himself that stands out the most where I really want to see where he goes and how his story unfolds. The art here fits this book perfectly with a very almost story book approach to the art that makes it seem larger than a comic. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
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