By Jarred A. Luján — No One Left to Fight #5 is out THIS WEEK! For those of you who have been following this book and were hoping for a big, bombastic ending to a comic that has had some of the biggest, bombastic issues year round, I have news! It is bigger and bombastic-ier than I imagined. I don’t think I’m allowed to curse in these (Ed. note: he is), so suffice to say: Holy cow. What an insane issue.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — If you’ve been anywhere near me for the past year (or, really, most other folks in comics), you’ve probably heard ranting and raving about a book called These Savage Shores, and now…it’s ending. Yes, the final issue of this great series — These Savage Shores #5 — arrived yesterday, and I think this is the most emotional reaction I’ve ever had to a book finishing up...a strange blend of complete excitement to read it and utter dread knowing there isn’t a #6. I received a review copy in the service of writing this very article and still had to kind of hype myself up to read and finish it. I am, however, glad I did, because it’s a perfect ending, by the way.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Relics of Youth #1, a new title from regularly-awesome publisher Vault Comics, released this week. Relics is sort of an interesting addition to the Vault publishing line, one that has more of a YA feel to it than most of Vault’s other titles. With crazy cool cover art (that Deadly Class variant tho) and my favorite logo on a book ever, Relics of Youth had some solid momentum, even before I cracked the book open.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Once and Future is back this week with issue #2! If you read my review of #1, you probably know by now that one of my favorite parts of this book was the fresher approach to the tale of King Arthur, as well as the perfect dynamic of Duncan and his Gran.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Pandemica #1 is a new mini-series from IDW Publishing written by New York Times’ bestselling author Jonathan Maberry with line art by Star Wars: The Old Republic alumni Alex Sanchez. It’s also a timely book about designer pathogens used to commit ethnic cleansing across the globe. Which is, to be blunt about this, a pretty horrifying plot. The phrase “designer pathogens” alone gives me a sense of dread, and Maberry has made it quite clear that he wants the book to be grounded in reality, going so far as to mention that he has been conducting research with epidemiologists and molecular biologists to make the book more realistic.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — No One Left to Fight #3 is out today, continuing a streak of excellence for one of the most fun comics being published today. This book really does fire on all cylinders, and while its rooted in nostalgic anime vibes, it also does so much to establish itself as its own unique and wonderful thing.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — So, in Berserker Unbound #1, we of course met the main character of this comic — the very buff and very angry, Mongrel King, a Conan homage if ever there was one. Then we proceeded to watch him discover and deal with the slaughter of his family, accomplishing the latter via a pretty awesome rampage...before being teleported to the future, which is actually our present but you get the gist. It was a very action packed, emotionally intense issue, and it was a ton of fun to read. This week’s Berserker Unbound #2 doesn’t have quite the same level of intensity that the debut did, but it is still a pretty fun read.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — To sort of echo what Zack said in his review for Sera and the Royal Stars #1, Sera and the Royal Stars #2 continues to be a wholly unique fantasy comic. Notably, the Royal Stars themselves have some of the best character designs I’ve seen in a while, providing something that is so different than we’ve seen in other recent fantasy comics. I’m particularly fond of how colorful and diverse The Bull’s design is, but that’s sort of a testament to the book in and of itself. While elves and orcs and the like are plenty fun, Sera’s strength lies in that it brings you into a different, colorful world. I’m just really thrilled about how it’s gone so far.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — The Necromancer’s Map #1 is, as co-writer Andrea Fort called it, a “new beginning and continuation” of Vault’s Songs for the Dead. So, first and foremost, I should tell you that I haven’t read Songs for the Dead, so if you’re not familiar with the title, this is actually the perfect review for you. You can see through me if it’s as accessible as you want it to be!
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — It’s been just over a month since Dynamite announced the new creative team for the James Bond 007 comic series. While much has happened since then, I feel like we haven’t spent enough time looking at ourselves and asking: “What have we done to be blessed with such a creative team?”
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Crowdfunding has become a pillar of the indie comics market. Creators of all levels within the industry have realized that while a comic may fail to be picked up by traditional publishers, crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter are a viable method to get work to fans. Despite its rise in popularity, however, crowdfunding isn’t always a fruitful venture for creators.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Another month, another Gideon Falls issue that has left me afraid of turning off any of the lights off in my house. Andrea Sorrentino and Jeff Lemire are absolutely back at it again with Gideon Falls #16 this week, in what is maybe the most enlightening issue of this reviewer’s monthly question: What the hell is happening in Gideon Falls?
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — I know Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora are pretty big deals in comics, but neither of those names are what first got me excited about Once and Future. Holly, from Boom! Studios, actually tweeted out a page from the book, and it was so funny and gorgeous, that I was immediately sold on it. The creators being who they are was an afterthought...the single page was that good. I preordered it that day.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — In comics, it is often said that letterers are the unsung heroes of the craft. They’re generally the last hands on the pages, completing it as a narrative art piece, and they’re always the ones most pressed by deadlines. Being a letterer, suffice to say, isn’t exactly an easy gig, and it rarely comes with the credit it deserves.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Berserker Unbound is the new Jeff Lemire and Mike Deodato Jr. book from Dark Horse Comics. I kinda feel like this has flown a little under the radar, but that’s about to change—this first issue is awesome.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — She Said Destroy, a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid comic by writer Joe Corallo and artist Liana Kangas is back with its third issue this week. This has been one of my favorite titles on my pull list since its debut, so I’m going to preface my review with simply telling you how excited I was for this book.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Vault Comics has a new title out this week, Test #1, from writer Christopher Sebela and artist Jen Hickman. I know Hickman mostly for her work on AfterShock’s Moth & Whisper. Sebela, meanwhile, actually writes one of my favorite current ongoings, with the creator-owned book from Image Comics, Crowded. These two teaming up made me excited as soon as I heard about it, but it was really that Test’s concept also involves technology that got me truly fascinated. Sebela has done some sort of funny-while-tragic stuff involving the future of technology over in Crowded, so I was really excited to see him tackle the topic again, perhaps in a different way.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — If you’re anywhere near the comics stratosphere, by this point you’ve probably heard of Liana Kangas. You’ve seen her art in 2000 AD, or in the Eisner-nominated Where We Live anthology. She spent some time doing the mini-series Black AF Devil’s Dye with Vita Ayala, which was published by Black Mask Studios. Basically, Liana has been…busy.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Let me start off by just saying that Magdalene Visaggio is one of my favorite writers. Eternity Girl (a Young Animal comic that featured art by Sonny Liew) absolutely blew me away. I know this is a review for Marilyn Manor, but if you haven’t read that comic, consider going to your shop, slamming your fist on the counter, and demanding a copy of Eternity Girl. I’m fairly certain you’ll be grateful you did.
Read MoreBy Jarred A. Luján — Resonant is a new series from Vault Comics, written by David Andry and drawn by Alejandro Aragon. The concept of Resonant is that in the Waves, the story taking place a decade after the first one, all of humanity’s worst impulses are engaged at the same time. Andry’s talked pretty extensively about how inspired by the Call of the Void the story is, so I won’t get too bogged down in that, but the premise alone is a fairly interesting intro to horror.
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