Review - Garfield's Cheesy Holiday Special (One Shot)

Garfield's Cheesy Holiday Special (One Shot) -

KaBOOM!

Part One

Written by Mark Evanier     Art by Andy Hirsch

Part Two

Written by Scott Nickel     Art by David DeGrand

Colors by Lisa Moore

Letters by Steve Wands

Cover by Andy Hirsch

Holiday specials are one of my favorite things about the Christmas season.  It takes you back to your childhood, and for that short amount of time, makes you feel like a kid again at Christmas.  Being a big Garfield fan, I jumped at the chance to read this Cheesy Holiday Special!  You get two different stories in the issue, along with a few classic comic strips at the end.

The first story really felt like an episode of the Garfield & Friends animated series.  Jon gets a job as Santa at a store, and as it usually does, it takes Garfield and Odie on a wild adventure.  For a moment in this story there's moment that will leave you saying, "REALLY GARFIELD!?"  I won't spoil what happens in the next panel, just keep going.  The story does take an oddly serious tone near the end, but the message is a pretty good one.

The second story, for me, just didn't hold my interest.  The art was vastly different from the first story, as well.  Having an evil lasagna plotting against Garfield is a good idea in theory, but just didn't play off well to me.  They even try to break the 4th wall a couple of times, and it fell a little flat.  I get that this isn't really geared towards adults, but as a long time fan of Garfield, this story just seemed out of place.

The classic strips speak for themselves, and serve as a reminder of the joys the Sunday paper used to bring.  This book as a whole definitely had it's ups and downs, but was definitely able to bring some holiday spirit.  Evanier definitely captures the Jim Davis spirit of Garfield, and the colors by Moore are solid throughout.  If you don't mind a slight misstep in the middle, I think there's a chance you'll enjoy this with your kids.

RATING:  PICK UP

Review - Last Sons Of America #1

Last Sons of America - 

Boom Studios

 

Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Art by Matthew Dow Smith

Colors by Doug Garbark

Letters by Jim Campbell

Cover by Tonci Zonjic

 

As the proud parent of a one year old, I could not imagine a world without my child.  Now imagine that the ability to have children was taken away from...everyone.  What would happen to society?  That's what Boom Studios tackles with Last Sons of America #1.  A terrorist attack in the United States has left every family unable to have children.  Now adoption from foreign countries is the only option.

 

The story follows two adoption agents, Jackie and Julian, who are trying to convince parents poor parents in Nicaragua that their children could have a better life.  As you might expect, it's not a very easy task and they're struggling.  One thing I found in this issue is, one character is far more likable than the other.  I would even go as far as to say, you will really dislike Jackie before the end of the issue.  You know how the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.  Well Jackie does something, and it sets up a MAJOR plot point going forward with the big reveal at the end.

 

The story is very solid and intriguing by Johnson.  The way he skillfully crafts this world after such a tragic attack, and sets the mood of all the parties involved, definitely hooks you in this issue.  Even if you see the twist coming, the end result still leaves you wanting to read more.  I wish the amazing cover art by Tonci Zonjic continued into the pages of the story, but Smith takes great care in crafting just the right expression to match the situation.  It's not perfect, but it doesn't make you want to put the book down either.  As you read the story, whether you're a parent or not, it really does make you wonder what it would be like if this really happened.  The questions really start to pop up in your mind as you read, and to me, that is good and engaging storytelling.

 

RATING:  PULL/BUY  

Review - Call of Duty: Black Ops III #1

Call of Duty: Black Ops III #1

Dark Horse Comics

 

Written by Larry Hama

Art by Marcelo Ferreira

Colors by Dan Jackson

Letters by Michael Heisler

Cover by Benjamin Carre

 

  

It's no secret that Call of Duty is one of the most popular first person shooters of all time in the video game world.  Continuing a recent trend, Dark Horse it putting out this comic as a prelude to the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops III.  Larry Hama is definitely the go-to guy when it comes to military and warfare style stories, and he's well known for his work on G.I. Joe for IDW.  This, however, is a little different.

 

We start out with our soldiers trying to procure arms to complete the mission they are given to take down a target trafficking drugs and women.  If you're a fan of military jargon and weapons specs, you will definitely enjoy the early pages of this book.  If not, or you just plain aren't sure what they're talking about, this book will drag for you a bit.   Once we get that out of the way, and we learn a little more about the target, the action really starts to pick up.  Early on it's almost like there is a tease of action, but we finally get some towards the end.  We do see a surprising death in this book, and a mystery enemy that we really don't get to learn much about (other than the fact that everyone seems to be scared to death of her.)

 

 There is nothing wrong with Hama's writing, but the structure of the story in the first half is a little all over the place.  There is some humor, mostly the guys ripping on each other, which matches the subject matter very well.  The art by Ferreira is very good.  It's not easy to manage all the players when the bullets start flying, but the stop motion panels are very fluid and detailed.  The only pitfall of this story is that, there has to be somewhat of a disconnect when the writer of the game is not writing the comics.  This is a prequel, so there doesn't have to be too much continuity.  At the same time, if the intent is to tie in to the game, it's hard for someone on the outside to come in and adapt to someone else's story.  If you're getting this book because you love Call of Duty, you won't be disappointed.  If you're looking for an in-depth story with a great story, this probably isn't going to work for you.

 

RATING: PICK UP 

Review - James Bond #1

James Bond #1

Dynamite Entertainment

Written by Warren Ellis

Art by Jason Masters

Colors by Guy Major

Letters by Simon Bowland

 

With Spectre about to hit theaters, Dynamite has their very timely release of the new James Bond comics.  If you're expecting Daniel Craig to jump off the page, think again.  We see an entirely different Bond on the page, and the characters that surround him seem to echo that.  

 

The first few pages have no dialogue, but the fluid movements and the art really catch your interest right away.  We then find out why 007 was pursuing this man, which leads into the main plot of the story.  A 00 agent has been killed and now M has assigned their caseload to Bond.  What's a little strange is, there seems to be a lack of respect for our favorite secret agent.  I'm not saying the folks at MI-6 have always fallen at Bond's feet, but it almost seems like people are going out of their way to tell him how great he's not.  Still, as I was reading, I found it refreshing that we're getting a less dark and more lighthearted version of 007.  Not quite a suave (at least not in this issue), but almost more of a youthful cockiness and sarcastic tone.

 

It wouldn't be a Bond story without a little bit of intrigue.  Ellis definitely leaves us hanging on some of the details on the "big bad" in this issue, but gives you just enough to want to keep going with the story.  His take on Bond, while different, definitely works and seems like more a throwback to a 70s era Bond story.  The art by Masters is consistent, and has some nice detail in the action sequences.  You may not be shaken or stirred by this issue, but you will want to stick with this journey at least a little bit longer.

 

RATING: PICK UP  

Review - Cognetic #1

Cognetic #1 (of 3)

Boom! Studios

Written by James Tynion IV

Art by Eryk Donovan

Colors by Juan Manuel Tumburus

Letters by Steve Wands

They've tired to end the world before, and they're back for another crack at it.  This time, it's an apocalypse of the mind created by James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan.  You might remember they went down the "end of the world" road before with Memetic, but this time, it's different.  A major psychic power is taking over everyone it comes into contact with.  We find out later on, that's not quite the case.

After a somewhat odd first few pages, we start to follow Annie.  She's the assistant to the Director of the FBI, and a family woman.  It seems normal until something unthinkable starts happening in New York City at a major landmark.  As you go page by page, you get a sense that this is quite likely what would be going on behind the scenes of a mass casualty event started happening in a major city.  There's one question that always lingered in the back of my mind when I was reading this...why?  Why is this happening?  How are these people being "chosen" and how are they simply being taken over?  I remember having somewhat of a similar feeling when I would watch "Lost" at times.  Then we get to the big twist at the end.  While it was interesting, it just left with more questions.

Even though this comic takes a few pages to start picking up steam, Tynion IV definitely creates a story with plenty of drama and it really makes you think.  At the same time, there are more than a few moments that even the most educated reader will ask, "What the hell is going on here exactly?"  The art by Donovan is solid, and the detail in the facial expressions of the characters really helps to sell the emotion of what is going on in the moment.  This story is definitely for the patient reader.  This is one you'll really have to stick with, but even I find myself unsure of what the payoff will be.  I can't help by be intrigued by the final panel, and with two over-sized issues to go, I think I'll ride this one out and see what happens.

RATING: PICK UP