DARK ARK #9
"Below"
Written By: Cullen Bunn
Art By: Juan Doe
Letters By: Ryane Hill
Cover By: Juan Doe
Price: $3.99
The journey of the Dark Ark continues in both before and during the flood. The balance between "Before" and "Now" were done great in this issue, where there was a symmetry between them through the story of a mother and her son, which then paralleled Echidna with her children. I really liked that aspect as it makes you ask: Who is the real monster? The art works so perfectly with the story, it gives you that dark grittiness that really sells the tone and mood of the story. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
FATHOM VOL 7 #2
Written By: Ron Marz
Art By: Siya Oum
Colors By: Peter Steigerwald
Letters By: Zen
Cover By: Siya Pum & Peter Steigerwald
Variant Covers: Mirka Andolfo & Peter Steigerwald, and Siya Oum
Price: $3.99
Aspen is searching for her brother but runs into trouble, but is rescued only to get into more trouble. Meanwhile her brother discovers a bit more of what they have planned for him. I haven't enjoyed Fathom this much since Vol 1, the story and the art are equally as great as the original and brings me right into the story. The art immerses you into the Aspen's world, you feel like you are in the ocean with the beautiful scenery, while the story makes you invested in the characters. The outstanding moment is when Aspen's brother Finn and Comrade Red Kite are talking about Pinocchio and Finn asks, "Is he happy when he becomes a real boy?" such a great question posed and you can tell it hits Red Kite, and makes you rethink a classic story at the same time. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
PORTALBOUND #5 (Of 5)
Written By: Mark Roslan & Gabe Carrasco
Art By: Alex Arizmendi
Colors By: Wes Hartman
Letters By: Zen
Cover A By: Alex Arizmendi & Wes Hartman
Cover B By: Adam Archer & Wes Hartman
Price: $3.99
PortalBound is an awesome book with lots of action, fantasy adventure and interesting characters. Earth is being attacked by Havos and herded to be used as armor. Eli is making his way to Sybil while Brett is struggling to get through to Omeil from within to take down Attilus and save Earth. The twists here were great, Eli taking control of the merged form, the reveal of Attilus were great. I hope the ending leads to another series, ongoing or mini. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
SABAN'S GO, GO POWER RANGERS #12
Written By: Ryan Parraott
Art By: Dan Mora
Colors By: Raúl Angulo
Letters By: Ed Dukeshire
Cover By: Dan Mora
Variant Covers By: Miguel Mercado, Audrey Mok, Natacha Bustos, Dylan Todd, Miguel Mercado
Price: $3.99
Shattered Grid leaves Go, Go Power Rangers and and it does it with lots of action, drama, and Hart. The Ranger Slayer leaves, but she leaves an impression for sure, meanwhile Jason talks to his parents. I don't know which was better, the conclusion of the Ranger Slayer arc, Matt's ultimatum, or the small scene between Jason and his father, they were all perfect. Who am I kidding? It was the Jason subplot, it just resonates with me on a deeper personal level. This is Dan Mora's final issue, and he goes out in style! Mora delivers some of his best work with a great scene with Ranger Slayer deliver a special arrow, and emotional scenes with Matt and Jason. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
WWE ATTITUDE ERA SPECIAL #1
Written By: Kevin Panetta, Ryan Ferrier, Aaron Gillespie, Julian May
Art By: Michael Mulipola, Dominike "Domo" Stanton, Hyeonjin Kim, Kendall Goode
Colors By: Doug Garbark, Jeremy Lawson
Letters By: Jim Campbell
Cover By: Rahzzah
Variant Covers By: Will Robson & Jeremy Lawson (Angle), David Nakayama (Stone Cold)
Price: $7.99
I’m a huge wrestling fan, that’s no secret, and BOOM! Studios’ WWE series has been the best wrestling comic I’ve read, and I’ve read pretty much all of them. So when they announced doing this WWE Attitude Era Special, the highest rated era in wrestling history, I was all over that! And I wasn’t disappointed! This book had four tales from the Attitude Era (mid to late 1990s) featuring some of the big names and big feuds from that Era. And while it wasn’t the usual Dennis Hopeless and Sergio Acuña team I’m used to, these writers and artists were also very faithful to the product and delivered overall solid stories for our enjoyment.
The Funeral for a Rattlesnake story took us into the mind of Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Rock threw him into the bay and had a fake funeral for him. It lead us up to the point where he came into the arena with the monster truck, letting us relive the rest of the altercation in our minds. A well crafted story and the artist nailed the mannerisms and posture of both superstars.
3 Faces of Foley was an interesting story playing on the WWE Network’s Table for Three show only it was the three personalities of Mick Foley (Dude Love, Mankind and Cactus Jack) recounting their greatest memories.
One of the classic women’s wrestling feuds is recapped in the Trish Vs. Lita story as the two ladies battle it out over the course of several weeks culminating in Lita’s triumphant victory.
The weakest of the four was Behind Enemy Lines, which took us behind the scenes of the Degeneration X invasion of WCW. It wasn’t a bad story, but the art was a little weaker, and it was more of a fan service kind of story resulting in the NWO’s Hall and Nash meeting up with DX’s Triple H and X-Pac to give the “Too-Sweet” Cliq gesture.
Overall, this was a fantastic trip down memory lane and a fine read for longtime or past WWE fans. ~ Brant @BrantFowler
DISNEY'S FROZEN: BREAKING BOUNDARIES #1
Written By: Joe Caramagna & Jai Nitz
Art By: Kawaii Creative Studios
Colors By: Kawaii Creative Studios
Letters By: Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Cover By: Kawaii Creative Studios
Price: $3.99
Dark Horse has been spearheading a new line of Disney titles, and what’s a line of Disney titles without heavy hitter, Frozen. Unlike the pervious Frozen series, published by Joe Books, this title establishes a continues plot line by introducing new character, Heinz. Caramagna and Nitz build a pretty interesting plot for the character that makes older readers want to come back for more. The artwork is less cartoony than I expected, but still matches the tone of the film. Overall, Frozen #1 is a good first installment that both kids and adults can have fun reading. ~ Kat @ComicUno
ADVENTURES OF THE SUPER SONS #1
"Action Detective - Part One: Bad Guise"
Written By: Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils By: Carlo Barberi
Inks By: Art Thibert
Colors By: Photobunker
Letters By: Rob Leigh
Cover By: Dan Mora
Variant Cover By: Jorge Jimenez & Alexandro Sanchez
Price: $3.99
Super Sons is back and all I have to say is SUMMER OF COOL!!!! Yes I am so excited about the return of this Dynamic Duo, and who wouldn't be? Super Sons is everything that is missing from comics today, the stuff that makes your day as bright and full of joy as the comic itself. Jon and Damien are spending the summer doing their Super Hero thing and it is off to a bang when they meet The Gang, and Jon finds out about Gold Kryptonite. Tomasi just bring such fun and passion to the book that it burst out of the page and makes you feel like you're a kid again and I love it! Barberi, Thibert and Photobunker make a perfect team that remind me of watching Saturday morning cartoons again. Can we make this longer than 12 issues? Please! ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
JUSTICE LEAGUE #5
Written By: James Tynion IV
Art By: Doug Mahnke
Colors By: Wil Quintana
Letters By: Tom Napolitano
Cover By: Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, & Wil Quintana
Variant Cover By: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, & Alex Sinclair
Price: $3.99
The Legion of Doom takes over this month with a new creative team. This move keeps the story a bit more interesting as it’s being told from the villains’ perspective. Also James Tynion writing and Doug Mahnke on artwork make the story feel like a new one. Plus this issue provides some backstory on why Lex Luthor returned to villainy and how he recruited the Legion’s members. Unfortunately not all questions are answered which may lead some readers to regard this as merely filler. Still this issue does provide some depth for the Legion of Doom’s motivations. Also this issue creates the idea that even though there are universal stakes, this story is basically the Justice League Vs the Legion of Doom. ~ Louis @SpiderMan1991
MISTER MIRACLE #10
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Mitch Gerads
Colors By: Mitch Gerads
Letters By: Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Nick Derington
Price: $3.99
Tom King continues his excellent and fresh take on the lesser known DC character, Mister Miracle. In this issue Scott Free wrestles with a decision to give up his son to Darkseid so the recent Apokalypse/New Genesis war will end. During this issue Scott’s decision making process is the same as anyone else. First he talks with his friends (Booster Gold & Blue Beetle), then his significant other (Big Barda), and finally with a random cashier. Ultimately Scott makes a decision that gives readers an idea on where the story could go for its final two issues. Also this issue’s cover by Nick Derrington is awesome. It tells the reader how scary Darkseid can be and why Scott’s decision is a difficult one. Plus Mitch Gerads designed an awesome shirt (similar to Scott’s costume) for Scott’s night out and I want a real version of it really bad. ~ Louis @SpiderMan1991
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS VOL 2 #1
Written By: Rob Williams
Art By: Sergio Davila
Colors By: Felideus
Letters By: Simon Bowlan
Cover By: Francesco Mattina
Variants By: Ed Benes & Dinei Ribeiro, John Royle & Juan Fernandez, Philip Tan & Elmer Santos, JG Jone & Brian Reber, Stephen Segovia & Elmer Santos, Sergio Davila and Ivan Nunes
Price: $3.99
What if the superheroes of "The Greatest Generation" arrived in the present? The world has changed but has it changed too much? That is what is great about this book it makes you ponder these things. When every plane around the world suddenly falls from the sky the heroes must spring into action and this is where the change in the world comes into play when the hero Black Terror tells everyone who he is and that he is there to help him, they attack him thinking he is with some terrorist organization and attack him. The book is very new reader friendly by quickly introducing you to the team and the new character Imani Cooper without overwhelming you or bogging down the story with a lot of exposition. The art here is really nice, it balance the classic feel while adding very modern touches to it making each page a timeless art piece. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
PAPER GIRLS #23
Written By: Brian K Vaughan
Art By: Cliff Chiang
Colors By: Matthew Wilson
Letters By: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover By: Cliff Chiang
Price: $3.99
One of my favorite things about Paper Girls is just how raw the emotions Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang create for these girls. In this issue, K.J. finally reveals to Mac what she saw in her vision, and Mac doesn’t take the news well. In a very KJ type of way she finally releases this weight that she has been holding onto since the last arc by saying something she’s been trying to tell Mac since she knew about their potential romance, and in a very Mac way she literally shoves her issues away - remember how much Mac loves escapism. She rather deal with literally fighting cancer than having to focus on her feelings for KJ. Paper Girls #23 does a great job at progressing the main plot with Erin’s hunt for Wari, while keeping confusing teenage emotions at the forefront.
INFINITY WARS #1 (of 6)
Written By: Gerry Duggan
Art By: Mike Deodato Jr.
Colors By: Frank Martin
Letters By: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover By: Deodato & Martin
Price: $5.99
Infinity Wars Prime last week really kicked this series into high gear after an overall lackluster build up via the Countdown and other mini-series and one-shots. But the death of Thanos, that is replayed in this issue, really set the stage and the tone for this series and event going forward. Which brings me to this issue in which the new Infinity Watch comes together for the first time only to discover Thanos’ death and come in contact with Requiem, the one responsible.
I felt the identity of Requiem was telegraphed here as we see parties severed and lines drawn. The coming together of the Infinity Watch was a solid mix of drama, action and humor considering villains held the Mind Stone. But it all culminated in Requiem coming to collect the stones and revealing their identity before doing the unthinkable and murdering one of the Watch. While the side story of Loki served as a minor distraction and didn’t seem to add anything to the main plot, by that tale’s end we understood its tie-in to the larger plot.
Deodato’s art was very strong here for the most part, though I felt the overuse of crosshatching was a bit much here. Still, the intensity of the battles, the emotion displayed in the dramatic scenes, and the general panel work were all exceptional.
This was a fantastic start to what promises to be an epic story, but we also get implications that it, of course, could all be undone in the long run. Only time will tell, but for now, I’m intrigued and just a little excited. ~ Brant @BrantFowler
SPIDEY SCHOOL'S OUT #6 (OF 6)
Written By: John Barber
Art By: Todd Nauck
Colors By: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters By: ComicCraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Cover By: David Nakayama
Price: $3.99
If you liked Spider-Man: Homecoming, Ultimate Spider-Man and Classic Spider-Man this is the book for you. The perfect blend of those three universe are all present here. Spidey is at Stark Camp and taking on the Vulture with Black Panther meanwhile someone stole the Arc Reactor and Pete's new friend Ganke knows his identity. That's Parker Luck for you. This mini has been really good so far, I can do without young Aunt May, but other than that I really like this set up and would love to see what other heroes are like in this world. Todd Nauck only gets better with age, he style is more refined, and paired with Rachelle Rosenberg they pop even more. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
X-MEN GOLD ANNUAL #2
Written By: Seanan McGuire
Art By: Marco Failla
Colors By: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters By: VC’s Petit
Cover By: Djibril Morissette-Phan
Price: $4.99
If you’ve been itching for a classic Kitty Pryde story than you’ve come to the right place. X-Men Gold Annual #2 takes us back to a less complicated time as we see a fourteen-year-old Kitty Pryde return to her childhood summer camp. Kitty is looking for normalcy, but quickly figures out she can’t escape who she is - a hero, a mutant. This one-shot reminded me of everything I loved about the X-Men in the 80’s, and shows you how Kitty became such a lovable and relatable character. Marco Failla pencils are solid and remind of Joe Eisma’s style from Morning Glories and Archie, which fits the issue's teen aesthetic. There are aspects of the story that I felt were rushed (like the romance story) and I’m not a fan of the overall X-Men trope that every non-mutant is a bigot, but the nostalgia is what makes this story worth the read. ~ Kat @ComicUno
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