Review - Elektra #1

Elektra #1 - 

Marvel Comics

 

Written by Matt Owens

Art by Juann Cabal

Colors by Antonio Fabela & Marcio Menyz

Letters by VC's Cory Pett

Cover by Elizabeth Torque

 

Elektra has always been one of favorite female characters in Marvel.  First, I mean, you can't really go wrong with a badass female assassin who uses sais as her weapon of choice.  Aside from the comics, me having a pretty big crush on Jennifer Garner in my younger days didn't hurt either.  Combine all of that with Elodie Young's great portrayal recently, I was wondering when we would be seeing more from the character in comics again.  So seeing that she now had her own series was just too good to pass up. 

 

Elektra has gone to Las Vegas to try and get away from her old life.  It's pretty clear that she doesn't want to be drawn in by almost anyone, but she ends up talking to a bartender at one of the casinos.  It seemed like their dynamic woke something up in Elektra, and the story started to change from there.  All the while there was an undercurrent of something sinister going on behind the scenes, and you start to connect the dots from there.  How it happens is not exactly conventional though, which was one of the interesting things about this story.  This almost read like it could have been a one shot, until you see the last couple of pages and see where the rest of the story is going.  Question is, will any more supporting characters come along from here on out (and should they?)

 

No matter how much I love her, I think we all admit that Elektra is a secondary character.  At the same time, there are so many things you can do with her and stories you could tell, should you take the time to build a good foundation.  Owens gives her a little  vulnerability here, which is a good thing if you're trying to keep this going for the long haul.  Sure the action in this book was fun, but to make this story work, you have to give Elektra more than that.  He gives her motivation, which helped make this story believable.  I wasn't a fan of the beginning of the book, but I feel like it may have been necessary to establish the connection with the bartender.  The art is very solid, and it definitely makes you want to keep coming back for more.  The only thing that gives me pause is the sustainability of this storyline and the actually threat that the villain will pose going forward.  If the threat doesn't feel real, and fast, it's going to be hard to keep me interested.  So, we'll see what happens in the next couple of issues.

 

RATING:  PICK UP 

Review - Star Trek Boldly Go #5

Star Trek: Boldly Go #5 -
IDW Publishing
Written by Mike Johnson
Art by Tony Shasteen
Colors by J.D. Mettler
Letters by AndWorld Design



Not too long ago, we had Mike Johnson on the podcast talking about this series and it has never disappointed.  Boldly Go is just another in a long line of successful Star Trek comics from IDW.  This issue takes a deeper look at one of the breakout characters of the Star Trek Beyond movie.  Jaylah was definitely one of the most intriguing and strong characters in the movie, and now we get to find a bit more about her back story.

Do you remember that Seinfeld episode that started from the end and ended at the beginning?  That's exactly what happens with this issue, which is almost like tragedy in reverse.  The beauty of that is, the book ends on more of a happy and touching note.  Without spoiling anything here, we get to see just how much Jaylah has gone through in her young life, leading up to future at Starfleet Academy.  We actually get to see the depth of her family life and the bonds she had with each member of that family.  Seeing how each member of her family played a role in her future, and making it a spotlight, really makes you like her character even more.  The books ends on a very touching family moment that very much ties into the movie and the book itself.

Mike Johnson's appreciation for Star Trek is so front and center in all of his books, and really shines through here as well.  This is a strong, female character from the last movie and giving her more depth really sets up for even more great storytelling down the line.  As a matter of fact, reading this really makes me wonder if we should get a Jaylah spinoff series.  Even if it were just a six issue arc, I would absolutely be all for that if this creative team was on board.  Shasteen really did a great job at bringing the family moments to life, which I think really sold this issue.  Sure there is action, sure there are moments of evil, but this had almost a biographical feel to it.  I can't wait for more Boldly Go, but I'm really hoping we get even more of Jaylah going forward.




RATING:  PULL / BUY

Review - Forever War #1

Forever War #1  -

Titan Comics

Written by Joe Haldeman

Art by Marvano

Letters by Cat Connery

Translated by Gay Haldeman

When is the last time you read a great novel?  To me there is a distinct difference between a book and a novel, even though some may view them as the same entity.  More often than not, we get to see these stories brought to life and we get to see it outside of our own imagination.  Forever War started as an award winning novel, now Titan Comics is bringing it back and giving it new life.  Now let's see if it was a life worth resurrecting.

If you're not familiar with the story, life on Earth has expanded into space but it hasn't gone so well.  Earth vessels are under attack by extra terrestrial ships, and the result was the formation of the United Nations Exploratory Force.  This elite task force is meant to fight whatever force is attacking humans.  What we get to see in this first issue is, mostly, the extreme training that the team is going through.  On one hand, you get why it is so difficult.  As you keep reading though, you can't help but wonder if it's really worth it.  You're also given very little about the threat that they are facing, but that may be because it appears that little is known by anyone about said threat.  The story appears to be narrated by one of the members of this force, William Mandella.  Problem is, there is really no set main character that can be defined in this story right now.  We do get a focused story on someone, but it doesn't last long.  It's not until the end of the issue that the team actually gets set off on their first mission.

As I read this book, very early on I started to wonder if this was something that should have been adapted to a comic.  It's easy to see how this could work as a novel, but to me the first issue dragged on quite a bit.  Yes we do get to see a bit of a spotlight on Mandella, but not enough to really make you feel like he is the main protagonist of the story.  You also don't really get any attachment to any of the surrounding characters.  So when somebody dies, there is no emotional connection, other than the fact that they're all human beings.  You do get to see the struggles of what they're going though, and maybe even the absurdity of it all.  Problem is, what I didn't get, was invested.  It was like if they forced you to watch an entire NFL training camp from start to finish, then they drive you to the first real game and block it from your field of vision before it starts.  The art was a bit below average for me too, and didn't really seem to capture the vast space backdrop that I'd hoped it would.  First issues have to grab you, especially if you're not familiar with the original novel.  Fans of the original text may press on to get the visual of a story they loved.  For someone like me, who never read the original, there just isn't enough here to make me want to keep going.

RATING:  DROP / SKIP 

Review - Blood Blister #1

Blood Blister #1 - 

AfterShock Comics

 

Written by Phil Hester

Art by Tony Harris

Inks by Eric Layton

Colors by Guy Major

Letters by Dave Sharpe

 

The thought of possibly going to hell is pretty scary.  No matter what your belief system is, I think there is a fear deep in all of us about what happens after we die.  You also take stock in your life and wonder if you were a good person.  Even the most perfect human being has done a thing or two that they were not proud of.  Problem is, what if you're just a BAD person?  Enter lawyer Brand Hull and Blood Blister from creators Phil Hester and Tony Harris.

 

As you read this story, you find out pretty quickly that there is nothing to like about Brand Hull.  What's even worse than having no redeeming qualities, is how he turns on the charm and tries to hide it when it's convenient for him.  Third strike, he even knows how much of a prick he is.  Every time I thought I couldn't dislike him any more, I would turn the page, and it would prove me wrong.  Something happens to Mr. Hull about halfway through the book that seems like nothing at the time.  It turns out it was a much bigger deal later on, and one of his sins (for lack of a better term) ends up putting him in a situation that is the stuff of nightmares.  The questions you're left with at the end is:  What's next?

 

That really is the question here because, even thought this appears to be an ongoing series, it almost doesn't feel that way.  I got a very one-shot feel when I read this first issue.  What I mean is, I'm not sure if the Brand Hull story is going to continue or we're set up with a whole new horrible human being in Issue 2.  The story is good, and is definitely creepy as hell at the end, but I'm just not sure who's story this is yet.  The art is definitely what you want out of a horror book.  It's dark, dirty and even takes a transformation in the page layouts when things start to get scary.  I'm definitely interested to see where this goes, but finding out who or what is at the center of this story is going to go a long way in deciding whether or not I'd want this in my weekly pull. 

 

RATING:  PICK UP