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 

Review - Vampirella Vol. 3 #1

Vampirella Vol. 3 #1 (2016) - 

Dynamite Entertainment

 

Written by Kate Leth

Art by Eman Casallos

Colors by Valentina Pinto

Letters by Erica Schultz

Cover by Chrissie Zullo

 

It's a new chapter, and in a way, a re-awakening for Dynamite's favorite Vampire.  What better setting to do that than in Hollywood?  Changes have come to the Vampirella comics in the beginning of this first volume.  Some subtle, some not so much, but I definitely wouldn't call it a reboot.  Still, it's enough that some long standing Vampirella fans may raise an eyebrow or two.

 

We actually start off by getting a look at our villain, named Slade.  Picture Emma Frost meets Kim Basinger, but all we really know about her is that she's dangerous.  We then see Vampirella, who is accompanied by Tristan and Coleridge, to her new Hollywood home.  Let's just say she doesn't get the warmest welcome to the neighborhood and it leaves her looking for answers.  Problem is, now she's dealing with another enemy she's not used to...social media.  So she finds herself not just trying to track down Slade, but dealing with a world she's not quite used to.  She's literally and figuratively in unfamiliar territory.  We also get another reveal towards the end that will complicate things even further.

 

Before I even get into my rating, and break things down a bit, let's talk about the new suit for a minute.  We do see the classic Vampirella look in this issue, but it appears we're going to get a much more conservative look from now on (as seen above.)  I'll be honest, it was time to update the suit.  Not because it was too revealing, but because you can't modernize this character and not do the same with her look.  Personally, I like it.  As far as the story goes, I think the identity was a bit back and forth.  One minute it seems like they're trying to cater to younger viewers, but then we see a couple of brief sex scenes in the book as well.  I'm no prude, it was just surprising given the overall vibe of the story.  I think they got the attitude of Vampirella down just fine, and the action scenes were fine.  I just think there was a bit of force humor that didn't really hit the mark.  I like the social media angle, and I'm just interested in the villain enough to stay interested.  The art by Casallos is good, but I found myself wanting to see more from Zullo after seeing the cover.  Overall, not a bad start, but will definitely have to find it's identity in the next couple of issues.

 

RATING:  PICK UP 

Review - Superman: American Alien #4

Superman: American Alien #4 - 

DC Comics

 

Written by Max Landis

Art by Jae Lee

Colors by June Chung

Letters by John Workman

Cover by Ryan Sook

 

When it comes to comics, readers seem to have almost ridiculous expectations when it comes to Superman. At times, I've fallen victim to that myself and I admit it's been somewhat irrational.  So, why not tell a Clark Kent story...a REAL Clark Kent story.  Enter American Alien from DC Comics and Max Landis.  They also snagged someone for this issue who is familiar with the Man of Steel from his work on Batman/Superman, Jae Lee.  So what makes this story different?

 

If you've been reading the story so far, you know it started from the beginning with a VERY young Clark Kent.  I won't give you those details (you'll have to read the back issues), but let's just say it's been a steady progression and the issues have grown with him.  In this story, Clark is just a student trying to get noticed at The Daily Planet.  On another funny note, he doesn't know who Lois Lane is and they have a very awkward encounter.  Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen also play a role in this issue, but there is one character who stole the show.  Lex Luthor doesn't appear in many pages, but REALLY stands out in his limited time.  I found myself thinking, this is the Lex I want to see on screen, as I was reading it.  When Clark and Lex encounter each other for the first time, it has a very unexpected result for the future Man of Steel.  There is also a pivotal encounter at the end of the issue that will make things very interesting going forward.

 

Landis gives us something we don't really get to see in other comics...a young, somewhat immature Clark Kent.  We've seen the bumbling, unsure Clark...strong, confident Clark...but it's possible that this evolution of the character is more true to life.  You put yourself in his shoes when you were that age, how did you or would you have acted in similar circumstances?  That and the way Landis brought out the best in Lex Luthor really made this a good read.  Jae Lee's art isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but his attention to subtle details make him perfect for a story like this.  Combine that with great color work by Chung, and this is a book that is definitely worthy of your attention.  Appreciate this comic for what it is, because this is a true to life story that needed to be told.

 

RATING:  PULL / BUY 

Review - Deus Ex: Children's Crusade #1

Deus Ex: Children's Crusade #1 - 

Titan Comics

Written by Alex Irvine

Art by John Aggs

Colors by Mat Lopes

Letters by Rob Steen

It's time to question humanity as you know it.  Titan Comics brings the the video game world of Deus Ex to comics.  The story actually takes place before the events of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which won't be out until August of this year.  So what happens when one of the Augs joins an elite team of humans?

The story follows Adam Jensen, who is a part of an Interpol counter-terrorism force known as Task Force 29.  One problem, Jensen is an Aug and is now hunting his own kind.  If you're familiar with the story up to this point, humans don't exactly trust those who have been augmented after an Aug Incident that turned into a massive attack.  So clearly, the fellow members of Task Force 29 don't exactly welcome Jensen with open arms.  In this first issue, they go after a group of Augs who have kidnapped a bunch of children of government officials.  Seems like a typical rescue mission, only the media is watching their every move.  You get the impression that there is more mistrust of the media than the Augs by the Task Force.  At some point during the mission, they make a discovery that makes this much more complicated than originally planned.  When the issue ends it's hard to know who to believe, which leads to some serious questions going forward.

There are definitely a lot of trust issues here driving the story forward.  The media was a constant background voice in the issue and clearly have their own agenda.  There was a ton of action sure, but it's the tension and lack of trust that really drove the story forward for me.  Irvine manages to break the trope of video game comics by not relying strictly on action to make an entertaining story.  Even in the story time of the first issue, he even gives each member of Task Force 29 their own identity.  Another thing I loved was, at the beginning and end of the issue, there were propaganda posters that really set the tone for the world that the story is based in.  The art by Aggs was solid and extremely consistent throughout.  Deus Ex fans will not be disappointed, but even if you haven't played the game, this comic is definitely brings you in and gets you invested in the story.  Don't walk by this one at your local comic shop and not pick up the first issue.

RATING:  PULL / BUY