Amala’s Blade: Spirits of Naanaron TPB Review

Amala’s Blade: Spirits of Naanaron TPB
Writer: Steve Horton
Artist: Michael Dialynas
Colorist: Michael Dialynas
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $18.99
Release Date: January 22, 2014 | From my column @ Forces of Geek.com

Dark Horse Comics had an amazing 2013 with a plethora of books covering both familiar and foreign territory.

One miniseries that came out of nowhere was Amala’s Blade which tells the story of Amala, a young female assassin who is drawn towards a higher purpose. This trade collects all six issues including the Dark Horse Presents prelude released in 2012.

Continue reading “Amala’s Blade: Spirits of Naanaron TPB Review” →

WWE Superstars #1 Review

Superstars marks the newest foray into the comic book genre for WWE. While their previous efforts were met with little success, in essence, this offering has already succeeded where the others have failed because Mick Foley pens the script. The book reads like an episode of Monday Night Raw with several different story lines taking place within the noir landscape.

Continue reading “WWE Superstars #1 Review” →

The Star Wars: Why You Should Read It

A longer time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, George Lucas penned his original draft of Star Wars titled “The Star Wars.” Concept art and bits of information about the characters have been released over the years. Thanks to Dark Horse Comics, an eight-part comic book series has been released with the first three issues already in circulation. Some will find this concept intriguing, while others might not care because, after all, it is a rough draft and the prequels were rough enough. However, I’m going to tell you why you should be reading this series if you believe in the ways of the force.

Continue reading “The Star Wars: Why You Should Read It” →

Batwoman #24 Review

Batwoman #24 serves as the series’ swan song for W. Haden Blackman and J.H. Williams III. Despite all of the great stories that has come out of these remarkable pages, it is fitting that the duo gives us the one thing they’ve been teasing for twenty four issues: The showdown between Batwoman and Batman.

Continue reading “Batwoman #24 Review” →

Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #1: Review

If you’ve ever read a comic book that tests the limits of your mind and imagination, Matt Kindt probably wrote it. His ability to make the reader question what they are reading and seeing in front of them is truly remarkable.

Marvel Knight’s tales involving Spider-Man tend to have a certain edge that the regular continuity books don’t possess. Speaking about continuity, Peter Parker is the resident web-slinger for this story, which is a nice change for those who miss the character.

Peter lives in a world where work as a photographer is drying up because Spider-Man photos are considered passé. He looks for work elsewhere, but his rep for being Spider-Man’s photographer makes it difficult for the ends to meet.

Parker takes a particular job that turns into a deadly escapade where he is taken to the edge of his physical and mental abilities. The detail of Marco Rudy’s artwork perfectly illustrates the madness Spider-Man is experiencing.

Val Staples’ coloring compliments the pencil and makes the reader feel that they are tripping on acid at times, which also conveys the gravity of the psychological peril Spider-Man is in, as his spider-sense is ringing nonstop.

The maze of twists and turns written by Kindt makes you wonder if this is real or just some horrible nightmare. The end of this tale reveals an insurmountable gauntlet of 99 problems for Spider-Man. Oh, and a bitch ain’t one.

Grade: A-

Jupiter’s Legacy #3 Review

What if, one day, the Justice League got tired of Superman’s truth, justice and the American way rhetoric and conspired to kill him? This is the plot device that Mark Millar uses to crank the intensity up as family drama drastically changes everything.

Continue reading “Jupiter’s Legacy #3 Review” →

Flash and Green Lantern’s First Meeting

“When Barry Met Hal” provides an inside look at their friendship over the years.

What begins in the past culminates in the present as the residual effects of a previous crime rears its ugly head. Of course, the residual is Green Lantern’s fault, and while on the surface, there are deadly consequences but it’s really just Hal being Hal.

Brian Buccellato writes this in a way where the reader lives vicariously through Flash because we’ve all had that really good friend that has gotten us into a sticky situation.

You want to choke them out and swear you will never speak to them again, but in the end, you have their back, and the friendship becomes stronger as a result.

Batman and Superman’s legendary friendship is one of the things that make them a popular duo. Flash and Green Lantern’s bromance should be on the same pedestal because certain variables make it more relatable.

Nicole Duback penned a nice back story highlighting how even a hero can’t save everyone all of the time, but you can help push things in the right direction. This was the right story to tell for this second annual because Hal is away on Oa running the Lantern Corps, and Flash is doing his thing on Earth with the Justice League. It may be a while before their shenanigans can entertain us again.

Grade A-

Believe the Hype for Red Sonja #1

Gail Simone is one of the more respected names in the industry whose reported firing from DC Comics’ Batgirl title sparked such fan outrage that she was hired back a few days later.

Simone’s take on the red-headed She-Devil generated a lot of buzz going into this past Wednesday.

After journeying through twenty-four pages of superb storytelling and fierce imagery, I’m here to tell you, believe the hype.

Red Sonja’s slightly refreshed origin story wastes no time in setting up a plot where the beautiful barbarian is charged with repaying a life debt.

What makes this moment poignant is how Sonja is portrayed as an unapologetic badass.

There was a fun moment where three would-be thieves attempt to pillage Sonja’s belongings. She is completely unfazed by this and draws the ire of the more daring thief by refusing to engage the trio because she doesn’t want to get blood on her horse. The blood splattering artwork of Walter Geovani shows how exquisite a sword through the head can look.

“I can teach them tactics. I can’t teach them WAR” is Sonja’s motivation as she serves the king who granted her salvation to prevent the slaughter of a kingdom. In my humble opinion, there aren’t enough comic books featuring female leads.

This ongoing series is another great example of why there should be more, and the talents of Gail Simone is the perfect archetype to improve a glaring need.

Grade: A

Star Wars Legacy # 4 Review

The second installment of the Legacy series has established a different kind of tone from its predecessor championed by the Skywalker clan.

Continue reading “Star Wars Legacy # 4 Review” →

Superman Unchained #1 Review

Let me get this out of the way right now. Superman is my all-time favorite superhero. That being said, Action Comics has been either hit or miss, while the self-titled series has been completely uninspired since the inception of the New 52. Superman Unchained changes all of that.

I was curious about how Scott Snyder would approach things since his amazing knack for storytelling has been predominate with street-level characters.

Rest assured, Snyder, manages to put a fresh coat of paint on this 75-year-old classic. For starters, he actually made the book about Superman instead of focusing on the complexities of everything around him, such as his personal and professional life.

Those elements come into play when Lois informs Clark of an error in his news article, which prompts him to put on the cape and investigate the matter. Other characters from Superman folklore also make an appearance, and they were used for the purpose that they were intended.

Jimmy Olsen augments Clark Kent’s humanity as he receives a helping hand, including an attempt to be covered for, to avoid the wrath of his boss. The alien-hating General Sam Lane is not central to the story, but he brings about what could be Superman’s biggest threat.

Jim Lee’s legendary splash pages encompass your imagination as the action unfolds in front of your eyes. I mean it. It literally unfolds in the form of a beautiful gatefold poster with so much action that it couldn’t fit on one page.

While due to some dull moments, it is not a grand slam by any means, the newly heralded dream team Scott Snyder and Jim Lee have set the standard for what a Superman comic book should be in 2013.

Grade: B+