Straight Forward Reviews: Bubblgegun issue 3

Bubblegun is back for more cyberpunk action. What's one of Aspen's newer heroines up to now?

Writer - Mark Roslan
Artist - Mike Bowden
Publisher - Aspen 

Review by Jeremias de León

Story

This issue sees Molli and what's left of her team try desperately to get back her sister from the weird techno coma she's in. We see more backstory this time for the antagonists and some nice character development for Molli.

In short the story and dialog in this issue is all about leading up to the bigger stakes and action we'll see soon and it does a fairly good job.

There's some good storytelling here but all the different technologies in this sci-fi world could use some explaining. There were different variations of robot and cyborg being thrown around at different specific entities and for what the antagonists are after it seems that the differences between them are important but since the reader doesn't know it might as well be gibberish for now.

Art

A very varied color palette takes the spotlight in this issue, along with good emotive close ups of the character's faces. As this issue is pretty tense for the protagonists seeing their emotions does a lot for the storytelling.

Molli's character design is one of my favorite designs in comics this year, as I've probably already said in my reviews of issue 1 and 2. It really stands out here as she's doing a lot in this issue. Her design is one of those character designs that really makes the character look especially cool while in motion. Not unlike Cowboy Bebop's Spike Spiegel, when standing still he may have looked goofy but while in motion he pretty much defined cool. For Molli her two colored hair makes her look very unique and much like an action hero as in some panels where she's moving her hair in the wind looks very much like a flame.

Verdict

This book is a ton of fun, and subjectively, one of my personal favorites. Objectively, this has the potential to be a really well done series. Right now it could use some more fine tuning but it's really worth the read and I have faith it'll only get better from here. I give Bubblegun an 8 out of 10.

Straight Forward Reviews: BubbleGun # 2

With the second issue of Bubblegun out we're here to answer the question, is it still good or even better?

Review by Jeremias de Leon

Story

Already this issue improves over my complaint of last issue (I still really liked the issue mind you) about the backstory hardly being there. There's some time taken to explain things about Molli's past and about the world itself. Which is done well, there isn't a wall of dialog but it also isn't too short either. For a comic that has a lot of action in it they gave it a proper amount of time... or... panels. 

The dialog is still well done as in the previous issues. Even though this is a sci-fi world with a lot of crazy cyborgs and the like the characters still talk and act like people would or as you would expect like people would. Maybe the antagonists are a bit flat for now but with one of them being a bit of a surprise perhaps the others will turn out to be more interesting too.

Art

The art looks great. I just love the stylistic choices made with the characters especially on the female characters hair. Even more especially Molli's hair. Her hair looks like a flame in most of the pages and it really makes her standout. The world is drawn fantastically when you see more of the world in this issue it really does look like it is an actual place with specific landmarks and the like when you take a closer look. Which I have to give credit for.

Verdict

This fixes the few complaints I had with the first issue, and it has good action scenes and a really cool art style so I have to give this a recommendation. When read with issue 1 it starts to make sense, issue 1 by itself I had a few minor gripes with though I still loved it but if read with issue 2 it really looks to be an awesome comic. I give Bubblegun issue 2 a 9 out of 10.

Straight Forward Reviews: Bubblegun # 1

Aspen debuts another brand new series this month after Jirni debuted in April. In this edition of Straight Forward reviews we look at cyberpunk action in Bubblegun issue 1. Sparkling issue 1!

Review by Jeremias de Leon

Story

The story in this issue, as it should do since it is a first issue, is set up the characters and the world. They debut in a big action scene that quickly lets you know what each characters strengths are and then afterward have some character building dialog and then at the end delve into what the plot for the next issues are going to be. In a spoiler free nutshell. 

The writing is not bad, the dialog between characters is believable and well done. The world seems to be pretty huge and have a lot of lore for it. In this issue, it seems to be a good thing and a bit of a drawback. It looks like there's going to be plenty going on in this world to not run out of stories to tell but it also feels like there's some important things about the world that the reader should have known about the world; like a little as to why certain corporations are extremely powerful or important t the characters. The story doesn't stop being enjoyable but it feels like there could have been some more information. Though I'm sure there will be more explanations in the second issue.

Characters

The main character and the crew she's in are all distinct and, although some got more time to shine than others, it's obvious when reading their dialog that they all have tons of personality. Also their designs are all fantastic. I love their character designs, they all have this nostalgic flavor and new sensibilities at the same time. Plus they're all bright and colorful and Molli and her sister look fabulous. It's nice to see colorful characters like them. 

Molli as a character has a lot of spunk and is very animated. Her sister is a nice foil for her, and their crewmates are all very distinct. 

To speak about how well the character designs are, I originally was not supposed to review this book! But after seeing the first two pages and how the characters looked I was intrigued enough to want to review the book and see if it really was good. 

Art

I already mentioned how much love I have for the characters. The whole comic is a colorful cyberpunk adventure and the inventive designs don't just stop at the characters. The weapons and technology are cool and the action looks flashy and stylish. The art is what made me pay attention and it will most likely get you to pick up the book. So it more than does it's job in my book.

Verdict

This book is tons of fun to read. There is less information about the world than I would like but it looks great and the characters are awesome. Plus there being less information than I'd like doesn't mean it is by any means not followable or poorly written. Quite the opposite. I give this comic an 8.5 out of 10

2013 Calendar by xaos

2013 Calendar by ~fighterxaos on deviantART

At the Broken Infinite I'd like to bring to your attention that xaos (er... that's myself) has created a calendar for you guys to hang on your wall for the new year.

Now there's a couple of ways to get your hands on this, and also a couple of options concerning this.

First you can buy a physical calendar from deviantart by clicking on the above picture and clicking on art gift. The calendar is 25 dollars printed by them. But they do a great job on it. (Plus, I can't change the price unless I'm a premium member)

Another thing worth checking out is the gallery, you can look at the individual months and if only one or two months strike your fancy you can get those as a print individually, that also includes the covers. Now those can be much cheaper depending on what kind of print you choose they can range from a postcard size that's like only a dollar or to a big poster size that's, well... more than a dollar.

Finally, if you'd like to print it yourself and don't want to spend 25 dollars, you can donate to paypal, a minimum of 5 dollars will get you a PDF emailed directly to you that is print quality.

Make sure to drop a line to TrueIkariWarriors@gmail.com if you don't receive your PDF withing 2 days. I always want to make sure that you get what you paid for. If you donate 10 dollars I'll give some extra art, actually I'll make it of whatever you like (as long as it's not porn, ecchi is ok). Donate right here: and let me know of any problems you have or if you just happen to really like it.