Review - Mera: Queen of Atlantis #1

Mera: Queen of Atlantis #1 -
DC Comics

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by Lan Medina (Pencils) & Richard Friend (Inks)
Colors by Vero Gandini
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover by Nicola Scott & Romulo Fajardo
At one point or another in your childhood, you were either told or believed that you could be anything that you wanted to be.  At the very least, you had SOME choices you could make to decide your own fate.  Now imagine that was taken away from you, and that everything was decided for you from the moment you were born.  Being royalty may not sound like a bad thing, but there is a bit more to it beneath the ocean.  We dive in to the world of Mera: Queen of Atlantis.

Before you give me a hard time about my bringing my puns into written form, I'll have you know there are a few worked into this book (intentional or not, they're there.)  Now onto the book itself, which is about Mera dealing with the aftermath of what is happening in the main Aquaman run.  I will not spoil that for you, but it would help to at least have read up to about Issue 30 for context.  We get to find out a bit about Mera's past, and this book really gets inside her head.  It's not just about the conflict on the outside world, there is one in her own head as well.  Don't get me wrong, there is action too, but that is not the main focus of this story.  I was even more surprised to find out that there is a whole other story going on in this book, dealing with a VERY familiar character.  Again, not something I'll spoil for you, but I will tell you that their presence could lead to a huge change in the larger story going forward.

One thing that really struck me while reading this story was, I couldn't shake the feeling that Mera and Wonder Woman are really more alike than you would think.  It was refreshing to not just focus on Mera the warrior in this story.  We also get to see Mera the diplomat, and quite simply, Mera the everyday woman who also has desires of her own.  The emotions of this book serve as a subtle reminder of simple little things that we can take for granted sometimes.  I will confess, when I saw Nicola Scott's art on the cover, I was really hoping she would be doing the interior art as well.  Then I saw the amazing work done by Medina and Friend, and it felt like I was part of a master class in comic book art.  What I'd really love to do is shout from the tallest lighthouse all of the spoilers from this book, but that wouldn't be fair to you, the reader.  So I will just say that this, what we have her is a Mera story that could end up being what we as fans have wanted all along.  I'm really hoping to see that trend continue.

RATING:  PULL / BUY

Review - Punks Not Dead #1

Punks Not Dead #1 -
Black Crown

Written by David Barnett
Art by Martin Simmonds
Colors by Dee Cunniffe
Letters by Aditya Bidikar

No matter what genre of music you listen to, the story of rock is easily the most compelling.  Just look at the genre over the years, from the music to the personalities behind it, there was never a shortage of stories to tell.  Now imagine that you take that, and put a paranormal twist to it?  Put the Black Crown team on it, and that sounds like music to my ears.  So let's throw on some vinyl and check out Punks Not Dead #1.

The story follows a teenager named Feargal Ferguson, or Fergie for short.  We're not sure how HE can sing the National Anthem, but Fergie certainly has quite a messed up life.  He knows next to nothing about his father, and his mother has him living a life that it's hard for me to even describe without spoiling the book.  I doubt you'll think much of her when you see it.  As the book goes on, there is a bit of a twist involving Fergie and departed rocker Sid Vicious (yes, THAT Sid Vicious.)  Think of HAPPY! but with a punk rock legend.  If that's not interesting enough, we also have a bit of a side story involving a very secret part of the UK government designed to deal with the paranomal.  We don't get much about that, other than they exist and so do the things that they go after.  You definitely get the sense these stories will cross paths at some point.  At the end of this issue, however, Fergie finds out something about himself and it's far beyond being able to see a dead rocker.

This was one of the books that had my interest right when it was announced from Black Crown.  Taking nothing away from previous releases, I think Punks Not Dead has the best art of any Black Crown book to date.  I'm not sure if calling the work by Simmonds and Cunniffe top notch can even begin to describe it.  If the odd beats of the story weren't enough to keep your attention, the consistently vibrant art sure did.  Still, I found myself feeling bad for Fergie and wanting the kid to catch a break.  Whether he did or not either remains to be seen or is a matter of opinion for the reader.  I'm not sure where this story goes from here, and in this instance, I like it.  I feel like there is a good base here, and the off-beat delivery of it really makes me want to keep going.  It's a book that feels different, but not just for the sake of being different.  So I say...rock on!

RATING:  PULL / BUY

Review - Death of Love #1

Death of Love #1 - 

Image Comics

 

Written by Justin Jordan

Art by Donal Delay

Colors by Omar Estevez & Felipe Sobreiro

Letters by Rachel Deering

 

Valentine's Day isn't the best day for some people.  There were plenty of years in my young adulthood that I dreaded this very day.  Being unlucky in love can make people do some very questionable (sometimes stupid) things.  So grab your chainsaw and we'll talk about Death of Love from Image Comics.

 

The story follows Philo Harris, a man who is doing something that seems quite simple, just looking for love.  Problem is, Philo may just be doing everything wrong.  His best friend tries to talk to him, but it doesn't help.  He tries to keep doing things his way, the definition of insanity.  Then it happens, he does something desperate and then something very stupid.  So stupid, that I think I did a literal facepalm while reading it and actually said the word "stupid" out loud.  With that in mind, it does push the story forward and really serves as a kickstart for what is to come.  The question left here is, how do we get from that last page to what we see on the cover?

 

If you are a man and did not identify with Philo even a little bit while reading this, you should consider myself lucky.  I can personally remember making a couple of the same mistakes and having some of the same conversations, just not exactly the same.  Justin Jordan gives the readers someone they can really relate to and someone they can sympathize with, even if they'd rather not.  The art team really plays a big part in this, as well.  There are parts of this story where facial expressions really play a vital role in setting the tone, and Delay and company really knock that out of the park.  For some readers, this may be part of your life that you'd rather forget or you could be living it right now.  This first issue definitely sets the stage for quite the different story going forward.  If you can identify with Philo, this book will definitely have you interested.  It will just be difficult to say just how good this story can be until we get to the next issue.

 

RATING:  PICK UP

 

 

Review - Armstrong and the Vault of Spirits

Armstrong and the Vault of Spirits #1 - 

Valiant Entertainment

 

Written by Fred Van Lente

Art by Cafu & Darick Robertson

Colors by Andrews Dalhouse with Diego Rodriguez

Letters by Dave Sharpe

Cover by Kalman Andrasofszky 

 

Eternal life is probably something we have all thought about at some point.  Would you want to live forever?  Now imagine you're not the only one, and your family follows you into immortality.  Nobody has had more fun with his many lives than Armstrong, and a celebration looks to be in order.  Let's head into the Vault of Spirits from Valiant Entertainment.

 

The first thing I would do if I were you is take a really good look at the cover for this issue.  Armstrong is absolutely not alone in this book, and that turns out to be a very good thing.  To say the title is a play on words is an understatement, and should have been completely obvious in any book involving Armstrong.  There is, however, and underlying story here that has a bit more meaning as the book goes on.  It's a name you will definitely recognize, and leads to some consequences in the present day.  As if it weren't enough, Armstrong also has to deal with someone else that is very close to him that very much clashes with his personality.  That person has an internal conflict of their own going on, and that causes a bit of tension in the issue.  In any Archer & Armstrong book though, there can only be so much tension without hilarity.  We actually get to see a rare side of Armstrong in this issue, which leads to a very nice moment at the end of the book.

 

This was one review that was a bit tough to write spoiler free, because there are two key things that I could not mention without giving away a couple of big moments.  We don't see Archer a ton in this book, but he has a couple of lines that definitely reminded me why I love the back and forth between he and Armstrong.  The familiar person from the distant past is definitely portrayed in a way that may make a few heads spin, but here are two things I will say to that.  One, consider the book you are reading and the character involved.  Two, the book actually acknowledges it through one of the characters in a quick but clever way.  At the end of the day, if you love these characters already, you will not be disappointed.  If anything it adds a depth to the Armstrong character that I think was kind of needed.  Great artwork is almost a given in any Valiant book these days, but when you combine Cafu with Darick Robertson, you're really talking all star status.  As someone who was never very crazy about the Archer & Armstrong books, these characters have really started to grow on me.  Only time will tell if this is the start of a trend.

 

RATING: PICK UP