Review - X-Men '92 #1 (2016)

X-Men '92 #1 (2016) - 

Marvel Comics

Written by Chris Sims & Chad Bowers

Art by Alti Firmansyah

Colors by Matt Milla

Letters by VC's Travis Lanham

Cover by David Nakayama

 

I wasn't a huge fan of the latest Secret Wars arc, or the tie-ins.  One that I DID enjoy was the X-Men '92 run.  I was so happy when I saw that it was coming back, and with continued continuity.  So before you pick this book up, here's what you need to know (SPOILERS AHEAD if you didn't read X-Men 92 Secret Wars tie-in).   The man baddie, Cassandra Nova, was defeated and now all the mutants she rounded up are headed for the Xavier School.  Now that you're caught up, let's dive in, shall we?

 

 It's never going to be a normal day at the Xavier School, and the new students quickly see what they're in for.  Maverick, a familiar face from Weapon X, has come to warn the X-Men of something BIG that's coming.  Turns out, Maverick is on the run too, but from a family that I think any diehard Marvel fan will recognize.  The main part of the story describes this new threat and where it came from, but I can't go into detail without spoiling a couple of major reveals.  I can say that someone decided to sneak out of the school, and may be the first target of this threat.

 

The writing definitely gave you that feeling that you were re-living the animated series, much like the previous series did.  The art is a bit different, and not quite as spot on, but it's still VERY good and detailed.  This book definitely kept me entertained, and if I can't put it down, that's a big win.  It gives you the right amount of nostalgia, but gives you a unique villain and premise to make you feel like you're really reading something new.  This a MUST for any X-Men fan.

 

RATING: PULL 

Review - Dept. H

Dept. H - 

Dark Horse Comics

 

Written by Matt Kindt

Art by Matt Kindt

Colors by  Sharlene Kindt

 

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Marine Biologist.  Something about the deep ocean, and what lived within it, intrigued me.  So natrually, I felt like I was drawn to this new Dark Horse series.  Then you see Matt Kindt's name attached, and it's something that simply cannot be ignored.  So let's dive in to this story of an underwater research center.

 

The story follows Mia, who has been sent by a government agency to investigate a murder at a research facility miles below the ocean.  The victim, who's identity I won't spoil, definitely adds to Mia's motivation to get to the bottom of this (yes, I went there.)  The faces are familiar, but now they are all suspects and there is an overall uneasiness throughout each page of this story.  You also get the impression that, either no one cares, or they're just plain uninterested in the fact that there was a murder at all.  The more and more you get into the story, the more challenges pop up in the investigation.  The final page definitely gives the reader a nice conclusion and almost "whodunnit" guide that moves you into the next issue.

 

One thing I did enjoy is the tech that Kindt created in this story.  From the suits, the vessels and the facility itself, very cool for anyone who enjoys undersea stories.  I also like the way the book itself was structured.  It almost felt like I was looking at a journal and not a typical comic book page.  There was even some art in between panels, so really pay attention.  Speaking of the art...it's not the best.  Kindt is a great writer, but the art is fairly inconsistent and honestly made my eyes wander a way a bit at times.  I also thought there may have been a bit too much ground work, and I found myself wanting Mia to just get in the water already.  Kindt did do a good job of letting you know who each character is and the role they play.  There is intrigue, and no clear answer to who the murderer is, but not as much as I was hoping for.  Still, it's worth another issue to see where this is going.

 

RATING:  PICK UP  

Review - Rivers of London: Night Witch #1

Rivers of London: Night Witch #1 - 

Titan Comics

Written by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Carmel

Art by Lee Sullivan

Colors by Luis Guerrero 

Letters by Rob Steen

 

Witches, wizardry and Russians in London.  Sounds like a winning combination for this Titan Comics series.  Rivers of London is not new at all, as matter of fact, this story takes places in between Foxglove Summer and The Hanging Tree, for those who are already fans.  If you're not, the story follows Peter Grant and Thomas Nightingale, cops tasked to handle the most abnormal of cases.

 

Before we dive into the story, you may need your Google translator, because the first couple of pages are in Russian.  There is a rescue attempt (and I use that term loosely) of a Russian woman named Varvara Sidorovna Tomonina.  We find out very quickly there is more to her than being a normal prisoner.  The plot thickens on her story when we find out SHE is asked to be part of an entirely different investigation.  Her past, and the rescue attempt, play a key role in Summer and Nightingale's investigation and brings back a familiar face.  

 

To me, this doesn't seem like an issue that you can just jump into and fully appreciate.  We get a LOT of back story on these Russian characters, including real life Russian leaders, but not much else.  As a new reader, there wasn't really a whole lot of opportunity to get to know the detectives themselves.  The big reveal also fell short on me, as very little information was given about a potential antagonist going forward for the book.  The art by Sullivan is very sharp and detailed, so that definitely kept me turning the page.  I don't think there was anything wrong with the way the book was written, but with the bulk of it being back story on the Russians, I could find even regular readers may drift off a bit in this book.  Fans of the series may stick around for the next issue, but this one just didn't grab me the way I hoped it would.

 

RATING: DROP  

Review - Snow Blind #4

Snow Blind #4 - 

Boom! Studios

 

Written by Ollie Masters

Art by Tyler Jenkins

 

If you listened to Episode 91 of our podcast, you heard us talk to writer Ollie Masters about this series before it even hit your local shop.  Now we've reached the conclusion and it has evolved SO much.  What looked in the first issue to be a commentary on social media wrapped in a family drama, became so much more as the series went along.  So what about the fourth and final chapter?

This may be a bit a spoiler territory here if you haven't read any issues in the series yet, so tread lightly, but I will not spoil any main plot points of Issue 4.  We know that Teddy and his family have escaped their home to a cabin in the woods, because the man that has been after his dad is still on the loose.  The last issue, Teddy threw that safety out the window and now everyone believes the man is on his way to the cabin to kill his father.  There was a gut wrenching scene in the last issue between Teddy and his dad in the last issue that really carries over well into this one.  I can tell you that you will get closure in this issue, and you will find out what's really going on with Teddy's dad (on the off chance you had any lingering doubt left.)  What we haven't really seen, up to this point, is the mother's involvement and where she stands on everything that's going on.  We get that as well, some action mixed in and a great conclusion that may set the stage for a second volume. I have to be a bit vague here, because I really don't want to spoil anything and even the little things matter.

One thing that drew me back to this series issue after issue was the strong writing by Ollie Masters.  The way he evolved each one of his characters here and allowed them to change over time was brilliant.  Nick and I talk all the time about artists who really give great attention to their pages and it really makes the art pop.  Masters does that with his writing and keeps you engaged throughout.  The scenery set by Tyler Jenkins' art makes you feel the chill in the air and creates a world where the characters really thrive.  This is one you may have passed by at your local comic shop, and that would be a huge mistake.  You won't be disappointed with this series, which has been stellar since Issue 1.  I really hope to see a second volume in the future. 

 

RATING: PULL / BUY 

Review - The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1

The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #1 - 

Valiant Entertaiment

 

Written by Rafer Roberts

Pencils by David Lafuente

Inks by Ryan Winn

Colors by Brian Reber

Letters by Dave Lanphear

 

One of the more celebrated teams and duos of the Valiant Universe are finally back with a new story.  Archer & Armstrong are already part of the film slate set to appear from Valiant in the coming years, so it only makes sense to get readers familiar with them now.  For those who may not know, here's a brief description.  Archer is a martial arts expert and marksman, but also a high strung teenager who was raised to kill the devil.  Little did he know that devil was Armstrong, an immortal adventurer who has never met a bottle of booze he didn't drink.  Once they became friends, their story took off from there with a whole other cast of characters.  Let's see where this one stacks up.

 

First, you should probably know that Armstrong has this bag that pretty much has unlimited space in it.  Picture a messenger bag you could actually put a messenger in.  We see something that happens to Armstrong with another partner in the past that prompts him to go into his own bag.  Archer has no idea what's going on and decides to go find his friend, with his sister keeping watch.  This leads to a whole other world, and an "ancient evil" that Archer fears may have captured his friend.  We find out what that is near the end of the issue, but the real problems may be back in the real world.

 

This book did have sort of a naive charm to it.  Archer has a real teenage Ned Flanders vibe to him, but without the church.  Armstrong is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a booze loving, immortal adventurer (because who DOESN'T have one of those in their life?)  Still, this book fell a bit flat to me.  The humor felt a little dated, especially with Archer's straight from the 50s dialogue.  I did laugh at some parts, but even the random characters from the bag lacked the humor and charm of characters from "I Hate Fairyland" from Skottie Young.  The art by Lafuente and Winn is very good, and probably the best part about this book.  Not being familiar with Archer & Armstrong, I will press on at least one more issue, but with extreme caution.

 

RATING:  PICK UP