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  

Review - The Silencer #1

The Silencer #1 - 

DC Comics

Written by John Romita Jr. & Dan Abnett

Inks by Sandra Hope

Colors by Dean White

Letters by Tom Napolitano

One thing that I have said for a while on our podcast, and in conversations with my fellow nerd friends, is that I'd like to see the "Big 2" create some new characters every now and then.  Not just for an arc, but give them a chance at sustained success.  DC Comics has done a pretty good job with that recently, especially coming out of the pages of Dark Nights Metal.  Let's continue that this week by talking about The Silencer.

The story revolves around Honor Guest, a seemingly normal woman with a seemingly normal life.  Problem is, it's comics and that's very rarely the case.  Honor used to be a part of something much more intense and is really hoping to just live out the rest of her life with her family.  I don't think I need to say spoiler alert before I tell you that's not going to happen.  We find out why she is called The Silencer, and I must say it's a pretty cool ability.  You get the sense reading this issue that we're barely scratching the surface of it too, so that's quite interesting.  Even though she is new to us, someone shows up in this issue that DC fans should be VERY familiar with.  I won't spoil who it is or why they show up, but it is essentially where the backstory ends and the rest of the story begins.  We get a pretty amazing action sequence at the end, plus a reveal that almost made me drop my tablet and cheer.

It's hard to hide it, I loved everything about this book.  I was instantly drawn in by the Honor character, her toughness and her will to do anything for her family.  Then you see her "other side" and it instantly doubles that.  I'm not sure who did the heavy lifting on the scripts here, but the team of Romita Jr. and Abnett worked so well here.  I'd really like to see them team up even more in the future.  The art time joining Romita Jr. also did a fantastic job, with a big tip of the cap to Dean White for really making those "super" moments pop even more.  When creating a new character, I need a reason to care about them and a reason to care about why they are here.  I was given both of those things, and then some.  To me, this felt so different for DC, and I mean that as a compliment.  I love a lot of what is going on in DC right now, but there is nothing wrong with having a change of pace.  It's going to be hard to stay quiet about The Silencer, because I feel like this is a character that can really take off.  You will not be disappointed when you give this book a chance.

RATING: PULL / BUY  

Review - Abbott #1

Abbott #1 - 

Boom! Studios

Written by Saladin Ahmed

Illustrated by Sami Kivelä 

Colors by Jason Wordie

Letters by Jim Campbell

Cover by Taj Tenfold & Micaela Dawn

There's been a lot of talk about the press lately.  No matter what side of the argument you fall on, the art of the written word is certainly making a comeback in the last year or so.  What was once looking like something that was becoming a part of our past, newspaper reporting seems to becoming  more and more relevant again.  This week, we will go back 40 or so years to a time where such a job may have been one of the most important.  Let's head to Detroit with Abbott #1 from Boom! Studios.

The story follows an African American reporter named Elena Abbott with the Detroit Daily in 1972.  Historical accuracy certainly comes to play in this story, as things are not easy for Abbott in her job or as a black woman in the city.  The reason I put it that way, is because that is very much a part of the narrative.  Things are changing in the community, and the community wants to change how they are viewed and addressed.  A brutal crime against the police, which I will not spoil for you, leads Abbott to a very strange investigation.  As we get later on in the book, we find out that there is something much bigger going on and it may somehow be tied to her past.  As she searches for answers, we slowly and slowly get to find out more about Abbott.  What we see at the end is that this story may be taking a very different turn in the coming issues.

One good thing about this book is, we really got a good amount of character development for the main protagonist.  Elena Abbott is a character you root for, and a character you could see really making a difference.  I love that Ahmed focused on that, and the pride of the community in what she is doing.  When you don't live in a certain time period, it's hard to understand what it was really like. I feel like Ahmed really did a lot to make the reader feel as if they were there.  Kivelä does a masterful job with that as well, not only depicting the city, but dropping little subtleties for the reader to catch (possibly without even realizing it.)  It also looked like a 70s comic, and that is a good thing.  My one complaint is, I found myself wishing at the end that the story would have remained a simple crime story about a woman who is trying to save her community.  I realize that may not seem like enough, but the first several pages of the book really made me crave that story towards the end.  I doubt the book will get away from that, but I'm hoping the other aspect of the story doesn't completely take center stage.  This is a good character in a good story, so I hope the story remains more personal.

RATING:  PICK UP 

Review - Harley Quinn #35

Harley Quinn #35 - 

DC Comics

 

Written by Frank Tieri

Art by Inaki Miranda

Colors by Jeremiah Skipper

Letters by Dave Sharpe

Cover by Amanda Connor & Hi-Fi

 

Sometimes it's good to step back and get a fresh perspective.  At the height of her popularity, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner created a whole new direction and identity for Harley Quinn.  They built a world and entertained Harley fans for several issues.  For the first time in years, someone new will take control of the Harley-verse (that's a thing, right?)  Let's see what Frank Tieri and company can do.

 

First thing I can tell you is, that is not a reboot or a reset at all.  If you've been reading the recent Harley run, you will see a lot of the supporting characters that you have grown to love.  As a matter of fact, one of them goes missing under very strange circumstances.  That kind of drags Harley back into a world that she didn't really want to be a part of right now.  No matter what the circumstances are, Harley doesn't turn her back on her friends.  As she investigates there a lot of frustrations, both friend and foe.  She also isn't the only one looking, as we find out later in the issue.  I can tell you that we do find out who is responsible in this issue, and that may be the most interesting part of this story.  The ending is a bit predictable, given the cover, but that doesn't mean it lacks in intrigue.

 

While this issue was fine, and certainly had it's interesting moments,  something just felt a bit off.  It can't be easy to just take control of a world and a story that someone else created, but that's essentially what Tieri was given here.  Part of me expected a bit of distance from that, and letting the story become something new.  It's like seeing Dick Grayson dressed up as Batman.  It's not like it's not good or not interesting, you just know something is not right.  I like Tieri, and he's very talented, but I wish he had the chance to create something fresh.  Some of the jokes were funny, and the antagonist story is very interesting, but this wasn't the fresh take I was hoping for.  The art, on the other hand, was a nice change of pace.  I love Amanda Connor and Chad Hardin, but Miranda does a fine job at giving the story a bit of an edge.  The art does set a bit of a different tone, which the book really needed (especially with the villains.)  Again, I liked the issue, but I was hoping for something a bit different.  Still...it's Harley and I need to see where this story goes.  I hope that this may be a slow burn into something different, and not just someone new writing a Palmiotti/Connor story.

 

RATING:  PICK UP  

Review - Incognegro: Renaissance #1

Incognegro: Renaissance #1 - 

Berger Books / Dark Horse Comics

 

Written by Mat Johnson

Art by Warren Pleece

Letters by Clem Robins

 

Who doesn't love a good murder mystery?  As a matter of fact, people still have murder mystery parties and dress up like they stepped into the 1920s.  The party isn't ours, but it's in the pages of the latest installment in the Incognegro story.  We're headed to Harlem for Incognegro: Renaissance #1 and A Harlem Murder Mystery.

 

The story follows an African American reporter named Zane, who went with his bartender friend Carl to a party that is supposed to honor an author who wrote a book about Harlem.  It should be noted, for the context of the story, that the writer was white, along with the publisher and the vast majority of the guests.  As I was reading this book, page by page there is a slow burn of uneasiness and growing tension overall.  Without spoiling anything, think about the time period it is based in and who is at this party.  Then you see the title of the book being celebrated, and it really feels like the last straw.  Another African American author, who helped with the research on the book, starts to speak his mind before he is taken away by another woman at the party.  Tucked into this murder mystery is the story about Zane himself.  He's a reporter trying to make it the right way, but he's also dealing with being a very light skinned black man in 1920s New York.  We see him take matters into his own hands to do what is right in this issue, but quickly we see that it may be way more than he bargained for.  The very last page is a very nice murder mystery plot starter, and makes it feel like the story has really begun.

 

The Incognegro stories have been around since 2008, but I will admit, this book is my first exposure to them.  I feel like Zane is really intriguing character for a lot of reasons, and he is also very likeable.  The more the story went on, the more I found myself rooting for him and wanting to see where his story leads.  Essentially, his life is a constant struggle no matter what he does, and it made me feel like this is really one of those books you could have a great group discussions over.  Then you have a classic murder mystery, a period piece of a dark part of American society and beautiful black and white art that really sells the story.  I was hoping for a good story, and I got it.  What I wasn't expecting was for the book to be so thought provoking and have so many layers.  So grab this book when it comes out in February.  While I wait for Issue 2, I'll be catching up on some back issues.  

 

RATING: PULL / BUY  

Review - Cosmo #1

Cosmo #1 - Archie Comics

 

Written by Ian Flynn

Art by Tracy Yardley

Colors by Matt Herms

Letters by Jack Morelli 

 

Unless you've been a fan for a while, there is definitely a misconception when it comes to Archie Comics.  When you say the name, even most comic book fans will think of Archie, Betty, Veronica and the gang.  If you look just a little closer, Archie has a lot of other stories to tell.  This week, they take us to space with the Martian adventurer, Cosmo.

 

Cosmo travels with a crew of other Martians throughout space searching for adventure and lending a helping hand.  Just like any other crew, there is a pilot, a doc/science officer type, some comic relief and a faithful companion.  Ok, so maybe not the normal crew.  While exploring through space, they stumble on a craft in distress piloted by a human.  No matter your ego, imagine how you'd react to an alien encounter, even in space.  Seeing how Max reacts to Cosmo and his crew is quite funny, but also has a fair amount of truth to it.  That's not where the story ends, as the crew was on their way to check on a distress call on Earth's moon.  I won't spoil what's on the moon, but it's a good laugh for any dark side of the moon conspiracy theorists.  Not only do they find who sent the distress call, they find out the reason as well.  That sets us up nicely for the next issue.

 

One thing I felt when I read this book was a real sense of fun.  Everything from how the character were written, to the friendly vibe created by Tracy Yardley's art, makes this book so easy to read.  It helps that all of these characters are even likeable, even those that may be considered moody.  Cosmo was great, but I have to say that I really enjoyed Astra as well.  I would really like to see more of how the team interacts with one another in the upcoming issues.  That was the only thing I really felt like I wanted more of.  This is a great, family friendly book that is something I feel like I can enjoy with my son.  These characters really feel like that have a great appeal and longevity.  It just feels like Archie Comics may have another timeless book on their hands, and a creative team that just understands how to bring that all together.  Sign me up for more.

 

RATING:  PULL / BUY