Review - Ruin of Thieves: A Bridands Story #1

Ruin of Thieves: A Brigands Story #1 -
Action Lab / Danger Zone

Written by Ram V
Art by Sumit Komar & ROSH
Letters by Aditya Bidikar

Tales of pirates and the high seas have been told for quite some time.  With games like Sea of Thieves and others, plus the recent movies and television series, you could say these stories are becoming increasingly popular.  Danger Zone & Action Lab have their own tale to tell, and the fate of entire civilizations may depend on this heist.  It's time for A Brigands Story and to explore the Ruin of Thieves.

The story follows a group led by the vicious Stilian Desault, who is leading a group to steal the Myros Pendulum before it can fall into the wrong hands.  They are also on a ticking clock, as the artifact appears with the Myros Comet which can already be seen overhead.  The story picks up with Stilian's crew landing on an island to gather themselves and try to obtain more information.  What they end up running in to is a lot of trouble, but also, an interesting chance encounter.  I won't spoil that here, but it really changes the direction of this first issue.  It also adds depth to the characters in Stilian's group, as they come across something along the way that simply cannot (or should not) be ignored.  It's almost like when you're playing a video game, and you have your main task, but a side mission presents itself and it's something that you know you have to do.  If that wasn't enough, we now see a third group emerge in another part of the world who are also seeking the Myros Pendulum.  A priest and an army captain don't usually make for a good combination, but you would be surprised who is the most vicious.  We do get a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the issue, and you wonder if the quest was all for nothing.

This story definitely kept my attention.  I do feel like there was some backstory that I missed out on, but there is a great description in the beginning of the book that explains how the story got to this point.  Once you get the faces to match up to the names, which does happen in the middle of the issue, new readers can easily settle in to this.  The motive here is pretty simple on all sides, but it actually worked for me that it wasn't unnecessarily complicated.  I like the added aspect of several different groups, who all seem to want the same thing for different reasons.  It's a race against time, other factions and there are also some political games going on at the same time.  The art was pretty solid throughout, but seemed to especially shine in the action sequences.  There is also a scene with fire that really popped and gave more meaning to that particular scene.  While I don't find myself itching for the next issue, I do want to see where this story goes and think the characters have a solid foundation.  I could easily see being drawn in more with another issue or two.

RATING:  PULL / BUY

Review - Fraggle Rock #1

Fraggle Rock #1 - 

Archaia / Boom! Studios

 

Story & Art by Jared Cullum

Letters by Mike Fiorentino

 

When you think Jim Henson, it's hard not to think about The Muppets first.  If you grew up in the 80s, you know there was so much more to it than that.  One of the things I used to love to watch when I was younger was Fraggle Rock.  Naturally, when I saw that Boom! Studios was bringing us down to Fraggle Rock in comic book form, I jumped on the opportunity to check it out.  Let's see what this book has in store.

 

The story centers around Mokey and a problem that she is having.  Naturally, her fellow Fraggle friends try to help her, with mixed results.  This is a very family friendly story that you could definitely share with your kids.  There is a great message during, and at the end, of the story.  Unfortunately, that's all I can say and still avoid spoilers.  I will say that this book doesn't necessarily feel like watching an episode of the tv series.  That is not a bad thing, because if I wanted the tv series, I'd just grab my DVDs.  This book provides a nice 26+ page story that stands on it's own.

 

One of the things I loved that Jared Cullum and company did was, this book is a good starting point.  You don't have to know a whole lot, if anything, about the original series to appreciate this book.  Something I REALLY loved was the watercolor art by Cullum.  I also love how he used shading, or even lack of color, to depict the mood of his characters in each panel.  Story wise, it would have been easy to just make this a fan service book.  Instead, this story was full of both fun and emotion, which also provides a teaching moment for younger readers.  While this differs from what we have seen on the screen, this is a solid opening for this iteration Fraggle Rock in the comic book world.  Now, who's up for a paint night?

 

RATING:  PULL / BUY 

Review - Betty & Veronica: Friend Forever #1 (At The Movies)

Betty & Veronica: Friend Forever #1 (At The Movies) - 

Archie Comics

 

Written by Bill Golliher
Pencils by Dan Parent
Inks by Rich Koslowski
Colors by Glenn Whitmore
This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day 2018!  Not only is a great day to get free comics, it's also a great day to take a look through books that you may have never read before.  Sometimes trying something different and having more variety in your pull box is a good thing.  This week, I sort of went back to basics.  It just felt like a good week for a classic Archie Comics story, so let's head to the movies with Betty & Veronica.

The first thing I liked about this book was it's comic strip feel.  You get four short stories in this book, each of which is much more than a strip in length, but still gives you that "funny pages" type feel.  The classic look always gets to me and takes me back to one of the reasons I started falling in love with comics in the first place.  Each story has a movie theme, with Betty & Veronica visiting a Hollywood movie set, getting a job as extras and more.  There is one at a movie theater that I particularly enjoyed.  There's really nothing to spoil or not spoil, these are just fun stories that have a great throwback vibe.

Any time I see Dan Parent's name on an Archie comic, I know exactly what I'm getting myself into.  The art is one of the main things that has always made me love these books.  Hats off to Bill Golliher as well, who really captured the true essence of these characters and really made it feel like I jumped in a time machine.  Also, I'm not sure what the record is for number of exclaimation points in one comic, but this one may have broken it.  Sure, some stories were better than others, but reading this book felt like throwing on one of my favorite old nerd shirts and firing up my classic NES.  So when you go out to your local shop for Free Comic Book Day this weekend, remember the things that made you fall in love with comics in the first place.  Just like you, I always have my characters like Batman and Spider-Man, but it's nice to see that Archie comics can still make me remember those classic moments of reading the Sunday funny pages.

RATING:  PULL / BUY

Review - The Prisoner: The Uncertainty Machine #1

The Prisoner: The Uncertainty Machine #1 - 

Titan Comics

 

Written by Peter Milligan 

Art by Colin Lorimer

Colors by Joana Lafuente

Letters by Simon Bowland

Cover by Mike & Laura Allred

 

We like to absorb our favorite shows and movies in any way that we can.  It seems like every thing on the screen is now translated onto the page, with a few exceptions.  Rarely do we get to see something brought to comic books that we don't expect to see.  In 1967 (then again in 2009), The Prisoner combined elements of mystery and is a show that fans still love to this day.  The Simpsons even did a short parody episode based on the show.  Now it's Titan Comics' turn with The Uncertainty Machine.

 

The story follows an MI5 agent named Breen and we get to find out a lot about how he does his job right away.  His partnet Agent Carey is also a big part of the story, and something happens that leads Breen down a different path.  I'm not going to spoil anything here, even though some of the beats of the comic follow that of the show.  I will tell you that, if you are a fan of the show, The Village is definitely part of it.  There is also a pretty good explanation of what's going on right at the beginning of the book, so even if you're going in with no knowledge of the show, you won't be lost.  After Breen makes a decision that he can't turn back on, he sets his trap and waits for his intended target.  As you can imagine, that doesn't go so well and you do get the reveal that you are expecting at the end.

 

What I love about this book is the deep dive that it takes into the mind of an agent who has to juggle multiple identities.  I also picked up on a bit of a commentary on what happens when they find something that they can hold on to that reminds them of who they really are.  Peter Milligan is never stingy on the details in his books, and this book definitely needed it.  I also love how the art really highlights each identity, and also really got the shine in the last few pages.  If you were a fan of the original show, you'll love this trip down memory lane and you'll probably wonder what will be different about the adaptation.  Set in modern times, this book definitely has the ability to do some things that the original story simply could not do.  Only time will tell if that pays off.

 

RATING:  PICK UP 

Review - Star Trek Discovery: Succession #1

Star Trek Discovery: Succession #1

 

Written by Kirsten Beyer & Mike Johnson

Art by Angel Hernandez

Colors by Mark Roberts

Letters by AndWorld Design

 

I think it's safe to say that Star Trek Discovery was a big success for CBS All Access.  A show that began as a gamble ended up being a huge triumph, in large part because, they weren't afraid to take chance.  One of the things they did was head into the Mirror Universe in their first season for a major story arc.  So what happened when they left?  IDW is giving that answer to fans with Succession.

 

Obviously on the cover you see Michael Burnham, who is a much different character in the Mirror Universe and with much different motives.  Those motives are very apparent in the beginning of this first issue, but things aren't as simple as they appear.  The book quickly fast forwards a year to a catastrophic event that sets off a chair reaction to race for power.  I know that's vague, but anything more and I would be spoiling a whole bunch.  The story then takes place in a few different locations, with plenty of characters you know, and we see sides start to be chosen.  The common goal may be the same, but the methods appears to be very different.  Then we have yet another shocker happen towards the end of the issue that may create a new and unexpected enemy within the ranks of one of the sides.  Believe me, it's very difficult for me to keep from spoiling everything that's going on in this first issue, but there is a lot of plotting both behind the scenes and right out in the open.  The issue comes full circle at the end, and re-introduces someone who may be the one person who could change the entire landscape of events that we saw earlier in the issue.

 

Putting my tap dancing shoes on to not spoil this issue for you wasn't easy.  Beyer and Johnson give readers so much action, and so many thinks to consider, in one issue that it's almost all one giant spoiler.  This isn't simply fan service for anyone who may be a fan of the show, this is a legit story with a lot of intrigue that you would enjoy even if you haven't watched the show.  There's just enough information for new fans to jump in and enjoy this book.  I'm curious to see what will happen once these different factions cross paths and what the end game will be.  It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway, Angel Hernandez does amazing work and really knows how to bring a Star Trek book to life.  As a reader I feel like I got a lot, but at the same time, I feel like this is a setup for something even bigger going forward.  This is another great book and another reason to trust the quality of the Star Trek titles coming from IDW right now.

 

RATING:  PULL / BUY  

Review - The Dead Hand #1

The Dead Hand #1 - 

Image Comics

 

Written by Kyle Higgins

Art by Stephen Mooney

Colors by Jordie Bellaire

Letters by Clayton Cowles

 

To say that the Cold War was a tense and scary time is an understatement.  Whether you lived it, or just learned about it, it's one of those moments in history that will never be forgotten.  The story has been told a few different ways, but what if there was one specific thing that could have changed the course of that history?  Let's find out more about The Dead Hand from Image Comics.

 

The story follows Carter Carlson, a top operative during the Cold War.  When I say the story follows him, it REALLY follows him.  You get to learn a lot about Carter, get plenty of back story and even follow him the story's present.  It was hard not to get invested in the character, because we're given so much about his life in such a short amount of time.  We also see him stumble across something that he did not expect during one of his operations.  There is a hint of what it's about, but no solid information in this first issue.  The story all but tells you that this will one day come back to Carter, and it does in a very interesting way.  I certainly didn't expect the reaction that would happen when it did, and there is an aftermath that is sure to be dealt with in future issues.  The final page of the book was an interesting twist as well, and one that I'm hoping we will find out more about immediately in Issue 2.

 

There was a lot to like about this story, and I think it checks a lot of the right boxes. Higgins does well to add depth to his main character, and not just make him another military man following orders and completing his mission.  An argument could be made that we get too much backstory, but as you read on in this issue you find out that it is absolutely necessary.  The art on this book really brought me in as well.  There is a panel with a mountain view at one point that was just stunning, and the in-depth facial expressions really lend to the storytelling.  Not to be outdone, Jordie Bellaire does another masterful job making this pop with amazing colors and subtle shade changes that really help set the tone.  This book could have been easily dismissed as another Cold War story, but it is clearly building up to much more than that. I can't wait to see where this book goes.

 

RATING:  PULL / BUY  

Review - Helm #1

Helm #1 - Action Lab

Written & Created by Jehanzeb Hasan
Illustrated & Colored by Mauricio Caballero
Colors by Miguel Angel Reyes
Letters by DC Hopkins

It's no secret that, if you've listened to one of our podcasts in the past, I am a sucker for stories of magic, witches and folklore.  Give me an ancient world full of sorcery, ancient maps and creatures not of this Earth and I'm a happy guy.  Still...those stores aren't always done well, so I always enter with a bit of hesitation.  Let's enter the fictional world of Helm #1 from Action Lab.

The story really has two main focuses.  The first is on a an anarchist and magic maker named Luna Lumere (that's how she's described in the book.)  She appears to be looking for a young man, but we don't really get to find out why she's looking for him in this issue.  The second focus of the story is on the young man himself, Eldrick Spellsong, who appears to be of college age but is at a bit of a crossroads in his life right now.  There are some hints here and there about what is going on with Eldrick, but again, nothing too concrete.  Without spoiling anything, he runs into someone very interesting on the train that he is on, and those panels felt very authentic to me.  What he doesn't know is, things are about to get more interesting, because Lumere appears to be after him.  She does run into some trouble along the way, which allows us as readers a chance to see a bit of what she can do.  This first issue winds down with Lumere trying to avoid the guards that are after her and find her way onto the train.  Whether or not she accomlishes that goal will have to wait until the next issue.

The first thing that strikes me about this book is the art.  If you don't know the name Mauricio Caballero, you definitely should.  I felt like I was looking at high end storyboards for an animated series.  Speaking of which, the combination of the amazing art, colors and writing actually gave me a real Disney vibe when I was reading this.  The charming relationship between Eldrick and his train companion is what really got me thinking along those lines.  Eldrick is just such a likeable character right off the bat, and I found myself wanting to learn more about him with every page.  Luna Lumere seems like an intriguing villain, but I don't feel like I got enough of her motives to understand her entirely.  That certainly didn't stop me from loving this book.  Honestly, I feel like this is the best Action Lab story I have read so far.  I'm interested to see how much the world opens up in future issues and get a few answers along the way.  This is an across the board win for Action Lab, and I hope readers take notice so we can get more stories like this from them.

RATING:  PULL / BUY