REVIEW: A Dark Interlude #1 brings the return of Henry, Henry (who is still the worst)

in

By Zack Quaintance — For a book determined to malign and dissect the very idea of sequels, A Dark Interlude #1 sure knows how to do a sequel right. Whether you want to call it a sequel or go along with narrator Henry Henry and shun the phrase, A Dark Interlude #1 is the first issue of a followup to Fearscape, which ranks as a singular and impossible-to-classify title within the diverse and excellent Vault Comics stable.

Read More

REVIEW: Vampire The Masquerade - Winter's Teeth #3

in

By Gabe Gonzalez — So, I’m just going to get right to it: I really enjoyed Vampire The Masquerade Winter’s Teeth #3. This is a third issue that demands attention on every panel and every page, doing so with a careful balance of world-building, intrigue, and fantastic narrative flow. The book continues utilizing the modern gothic-horror at its foundation while also bringing in ideas and new spins on creations from the genre’s past. The creative team continues the impressive work of taking a sibling drama spliced with a coming-of-age story and embedding it into a world of crimson chaos.

Read More

ADVANCED REVIEW: Giga #1, a mech habitat murder mystery

in

By Zack Quaintance — Every great once in a while, I read a new comic that feels like it was made just for me. There’s an innate feeling attached to this, one that combines familiar stories of the past I’ve enjoyed with a sense of timely novelty. That’s the best way I can describe it, and it starts at the name and aesthetic of a book, continues on through the creative team and concept, and finally ends with the execution. I felt that feeling through Giga’s announcement, during the conversations around it when the review copy hit, and during my experience with the story. Hell, I still feel it now, just sitting here thinking about the coming issues.

Read More

REVIEW: The Autumnal #1 is a beautiful debut, putting atmosphere over plot

in

By Keigen Rea — It’s difficult right now for a horror comic to stand out. Everyone has a favorite, and there are plenty of flavors to choose from, from body-horror, to single issue focused, to action oriented, most bases are covered in comics today. In some ways, The Autumnal is unable to really differentiate itself from the lack, but in others it stands above them all.

Read More

REVIEW: Engineward #3

in

By Benjamin Morin — Engineward #3 carries our protagonists off on their quest for a better world. At only a quarter of the way through this twelve-issue series, Engineward continues to provide a solid sci-fi comic. Mann has woven an intricate conspiracy into the roots of his narrative and issue by issue the mystery deepens. The artistic craft on display enhances the work, but by-the-numbers story progression continues to hold the book back from greatness.

Read More

REVIEW: Finger Guns #4 excels in small, interior moments

in

By Jacob Cordas — There came a moment in Finger Guns #4 when our two protagonists are in the kind of fight you only have in high school. They are returning from a field trip to an aquarium sitting separate on the bus and sending texts to argue. This text argument is done over one panel with no border and no backdrop color. You can’t even see our main characters. All you see is a school bus moving forward regardless of limitations or directions with text boxes surrounding it. It’s quiet and personal. It’s sad and lonely. It’s everything I remember about my high school experience pushed into one boundless panel. It’s all the best parts of this comic rolled into one little moment.

Read More

REVIEW: Vampire The Masquerade - Winter’s Teeth #1

in

By Gabe Gonzalez — Within horror stories, perhaps no monster has reached the heights and become as commonplace around the world than the vampire. For centuries, vampires have stimulated the imaginations of billions, first appearing in Germanic poetry in the 1700s. From those earliest appearances, vampire stories have seeded a sexual nature and erotic proclivities into the fibers of the beast, helping the creatures to become steadily-appearing figures in the world’s gothic horror stories.

Read More

Brandon Sanderson's DARK ONE - Graphic Novel Review

in

By Zack Quaintance — Vault Comics — the rising indie publisher putting out the most interesting and literary work in all of monthly comics — is exploring new territory. This, of course, is not unusual for Vault. Nearly every book Vault publishes offers a fresh take on sci-fi or fantasy, be it via a new voice, a new twist, a new approach to well-tread territory, or simply a new and deeper focus on well-done conventions. This time, however, Vault is exploring new territory off the page, doing so with its first full entreaty into the booksellers market, the graphic novel, Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One.

Read More

Money Shot #6 - Vault Comics REVIEW

in

By Jacob Cordas — I’m unsurprisingly a fan of anime. I didn’t get into till I was an adult though so a lot of the conventions I never developed the same fondness (or maybe tolerance for?) that most of my friends have. And almost nothing in anime frustrates me more than a filler episode.

Read More