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Monday, July 14, 2014
Action Lab at Comic Con international 2014
Straight Forward Reviews : Skyward # 8
Jeremy Dale's adventure epic returns for issue 8.
Writer - Jeremy Dale
Artist - Jeremy Dale
Publisher - Action Lab
Review by Jeremias de Leon
Story
Three Rivers is in the sights of an enemy with a powerful army on his side and the ruler of Three Rivers is preparing his own for the attack. In the meantime the Rabites are training and scouting for the attack as well and run into some people usually unlikely to be as deep into the woods as they are.
This issue is certainly building towards something epic and possibly catastrophic in the Skyward universe as there's an underlying tension through the whole issue and quite a big bang at the end.
The story moves at a decent pace this issue and gives enough time for characters personalities to be revealed more. Though the issue is remarkably short.
Art
Jeremy's lines and Kathryn Layno's and Hoyt Silva's colors come together to form some of the most charming and full of personality art I've seen in a while. Where a lot of comics, especially in the big two seem to have some technically great, but very similar, art styles this comic is full of a style that is it's own and easily identifiable.
Verdict
While I loved the art and the story is solid it felt like it ended much too quickly. Understandably it has quite a younger reader fanbase but the rest of the story never insulted the intelligence of the kids and it felt like it could have been the length of a standard comic. But the story is still, as stated before, very solid and the art is wonderful so I give Skyward # 8 a 9 out of 10.
Writer - Jeremy Dale
Artist - Jeremy Dale
Publisher - Action Lab
Review by Jeremias de Leon
Story
Three Rivers is in the sights of an enemy with a powerful army on his side and the ruler of Three Rivers is preparing his own for the attack. In the meantime the Rabites are training and scouting for the attack as well and run into some people usually unlikely to be as deep into the woods as they are.
This issue is certainly building towards something epic and possibly catastrophic in the Skyward universe as there's an underlying tension through the whole issue and quite a big bang at the end.
The story moves at a decent pace this issue and gives enough time for characters personalities to be revealed more. Though the issue is remarkably short.
Art
Jeremy's lines and Kathryn Layno's and Hoyt Silva's colors come together to form some of the most charming and full of personality art I've seen in a while. Where a lot of comics, especially in the big two seem to have some technically great, but very similar, art styles this comic is full of a style that is it's own and easily identifiable.
Verdict
While I loved the art and the story is solid it felt like it ended much too quickly. Understandably it has quite a younger reader fanbase but the rest of the story never insulted the intelligence of the kids and it felt like it could have been the length of a standard comic. But the story is still, as stated before, very solid and the art is wonderful so I give Skyward # 8 a 9 out of 10.
Straight Forward Reviews : Unity # 9
The fight against the Armor Hunters heats up in Unity # 9.
Writer - Matt Kindt
Artist - Stephen Segovia
Publisher - Valiant
Review by Jeremias de Leon
Story
Livewire wrestles with who she is and if using the Armor some time ago when she thought Aric to be her enemy has any effects on her. While that is going on the enemies unleashed during Armor Hunters are causing destruction and Gilad and Ninjak are called in to take them out.
Livewire's flashbacks and pondering her humanity are quite well written and Gilad's flashbacks as a way to reveal how he comes up with his tactics are quite nice as well.
Art
The art in this book is fantastic. There's mostly action scenes and all of it looks as dynamic as it should. Some of the panels even look like they could be done as posters or wall scrolls and it gives the comic a reason to be picked up even if you weren't interested in the story.
Verdict
This issue furthers the Armor Hunters plot and delves into Livewire's and Gilad's psyches really well. The awesome drawn action scenes which are plenty in this issue gives all the more reason to read. I give Unity a 9 out of 10.
Artist - Stephen Segovia
Publisher - Valiant
Review by Jeremias de Leon
Story
Livewire wrestles with who she is and if using the Armor some time ago when she thought Aric to be her enemy has any effects on her. While that is going on the enemies unleashed during Armor Hunters are causing destruction and Gilad and Ninjak are called in to take them out.
Livewire's flashbacks and pondering her humanity are quite well written and Gilad's flashbacks as a way to reveal how he comes up with his tactics are quite nice as well.
Art
The art in this book is fantastic. There's mostly action scenes and all of it looks as dynamic as it should. Some of the panels even look like they could be done as posters or wall scrolls and it gives the comic a reason to be picked up even if you weren't interested in the story.
Verdict
This issue furthers the Armor Hunters plot and delves into Livewire's and Gilad's psyches really well. The awesome drawn action scenes which are plenty in this issue gives all the more reason to read. I give Unity a 9 out of 10.
Straight Forward Reviews : Armor Hunters # 2
The Armor Hunters are back for Aric. What steps have they taken to eradicate the X-O Manowar?
Writer - Robert Venditti
Artist - Doug Braithwaite
Publisher - Valiant
Review by Jeremias de Leon
Story
A spoiler free summary. The Armor Hunters power have been felt by the people of Earth as an entire city has been decimated. The United States government and other governments have been trying to come up with a response to combat the aliens. A team looks to be forming and Aric learns more about the properties of the armor thanks to experiments, properties that seem to be tied to the whole reason these Armor Hunters do what they do.
The story in this issue does a great job of showing just exactly what the stakes are and why these Armor Hunters should be taken deadly seriously. Destroying an entire city just one of the things they do to show they are on a completely different level than what the world has seen before. The reactions and the planning by the people trying to defend Earth show this as even the most stoic of people get emotional during this issue. Touches like that make the characters more relatable and I give Venditti credit for that.
Art
The art is very detailed and has some grittiness to it but still seems clean as well. Nothing seems out of focus are hard to identify. Which is perfect for this kind of book which seems to be a bit dark yet doesn't lose it's soul as a story about heroes.
Verdict
With a relatable cast of characters, and destructive events that aren't really battles but does count as action, that is intriguing and captivating I give Armor Hunters # 2 a 9.5 out of 10.
Artist - Doug Braithwaite
Publisher - Valiant
Review by Jeremias de Leon
Story
A spoiler free summary. The Armor Hunters power have been felt by the people of Earth as an entire city has been decimated. The United States government and other governments have been trying to come up with a response to combat the aliens. A team looks to be forming and Aric learns more about the properties of the armor thanks to experiments, properties that seem to be tied to the whole reason these Armor Hunters do what they do.
The story in this issue does a great job of showing just exactly what the stakes are and why these Armor Hunters should be taken deadly seriously. Destroying an entire city just one of the things they do to show they are on a completely different level than what the world has seen before. The reactions and the planning by the people trying to defend Earth show this as even the most stoic of people get emotional during this issue. Touches like that make the characters more relatable and I give Venditti credit for that.
Art
The art is very detailed and has some grittiness to it but still seems clean as well. Nothing seems out of focus are hard to identify. Which is perfect for this kind of book which seems to be a bit dark yet doesn't lose it's soul as a story about heroes.
Verdict
With a relatable cast of characters, and destructive events that aren't really battles but does count as action, that is intriguing and captivating I give Armor Hunters # 2 a 9.5 out of 10.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
HARBINGER # 25 Review !!!
HARBINGER # 25
Written by Joshua Dysart, Justin Jordon, Vivek Twary, Dan Goldman & Lucy Knisley
Art by Lewis Larosa, Khari Evans, Clayton Henry, Lucy Knisley, Romulo Fajardo, Brian Reber, Dave Lanpher, Rafer Roberts & allen Passalaqua
Valiant Comics
This will be a spoiler free review
Written by Joshua Dysart, Justin Jordon, Vivek Twary, Dan Goldman & Lucy Knisley
Art by Lewis Larosa, Khari Evans, Clayton Henry, Lucy Knisley, Romulo Fajardo, Brian Reber, Dave Lanpher, Rafer Roberts & allen Passalaqua
Valiant Comics
This will be a spoiler free review
We look back several times this
issue as to what happened before with the origin of the Renegades, the team a
car talking about Fan Fictions, sharing personal moments with Peter and Kris
and how one of Harada’s inner circle came to be part of his group.
The main event story is, however, is a look at a new status quo for Harada and that one snippet from Harbinger #21 comes back to haunt us now as things have changed … for everyone.
ART:
The main event story is, however, is a look at a new status quo for Harada and that one snippet from Harbinger #21 comes back to haunt us now as things have changed … for everyone.
ART:
Since this issue had a diverse
amount of art, I am just going to run by things quickly. Rafer Roberts was
entertaining in his own right with his cartoony style. LaRosa does some really
nice, detailed work that is clean with help from Fajardo, Reber and Lanphear.
Knisley has a great moment as well with some okay art there for her tale. Yet,
Henry and Evans clearly steal the issue with their powerful, detailed art. Evans and Henry, who have drawn the majority
of the Harbinger issues, give some of their best work this issue with great perspectives
and detail. Overall, the art was from okay to excellent.
WRITING:
WRITING:
This issue packed an emotional
wallop that would not be denied. From the change status quos, to memories of
characters long gone, to knowing that the group of people we have come to know
will not be together again the same way …
ever. Jordon’s story brought much needed levity and a great sense of nostalgia of
our heroes on the road. Knisley showed us the heart of our girl, Faith. Twary
and Goldman gave us some powerful memories of a character who has been long
dead but still in the minds of two of our main characters. Each of those
stories were good, solid and ran their course.
Yet, Dysart writes his masterpiece finale for this first chapter. Yep. It says in the end of the main story of the issue “End of Chapter 1.” If all of this was chapter one, all I can say is that I am looking forward to chapter 2 and onward. This issue gave a terrific climax to all that had occurred before as well as gave us new plots for things to come while sending off our original team. It is over. The Renegades as we knew them are done … gone possibly forever. It was a send off that was heartfelt and Dysart grabbed every last one of our emotions this issue … both the characters and the readers. We got some significant development for our main cast as we say goodbye to the rest of our crew … leaving only two left. And Harada and Stronghold both get significant characterizations as the status quo had changed. Dysart crafts these changes well, making them grandiose and impactful. The pacing was perfect and the overall weight of everything as palpable. Everything Dysart has written in Harbinger has worked up to this … and it was the end … the end of the beginning it seems. Like graduating college, it was time to move to the next phase and Dysart captures that feeling with this issue completely. The dialogue was rich and the overall construction of the story was perfect. THIS is comic book writing at its best and I will claim this as Dysart’s greatest work in comics ever … till he tops it.
Yet, Dysart writes his masterpiece finale for this first chapter. Yep. It says in the end of the main story of the issue “End of Chapter 1.” If all of this was chapter one, all I can say is that I am looking forward to chapter 2 and onward. This issue gave a terrific climax to all that had occurred before as well as gave us new plots for things to come while sending off our original team. It is over. The Renegades as we knew them are done … gone possibly forever. It was a send off that was heartfelt and Dysart grabbed every last one of our emotions this issue … both the characters and the readers. We got some significant development for our main cast as we say goodbye to the rest of our crew … leaving only two left. And Harada and Stronghold both get significant characterizations as the status quo had changed. Dysart crafts these changes well, making them grandiose and impactful. The pacing was perfect and the overall weight of everything as palpable. Everything Dysart has written in Harbinger has worked up to this … and it was the end … the end of the beginning it seems. Like graduating college, it was time to move to the next phase and Dysart captures that feeling with this issue completely. The dialogue was rich and the overall construction of the story was perfect. THIS is comic book writing at its best and I will claim this as Dysart’s greatest work in comics ever … till he tops it.
FINAL VERDICT:
This was a great celebration of what Harbinger was, is and will be. The stories were entertaining, powerful and full of a cascade of emotion. The art was good to excellent. This issue excelled at giving fans a great look into Harbinger and its evolution. Dysart continues his prolific work with a great end … to chapter one. Yet, all Harbinger fans should buy and read this book. It really is comics at its best. Harbinger # 25 gets a 4.5 … out of 5.
This was a great celebration of what Harbinger was, is and will be. The stories were entertaining, powerful and full of a cascade of emotion. The art was good to excellent. This issue excelled at giving fans a great look into Harbinger and its evolution. Dysart continues his prolific work with a great end … to chapter one. Yet, all Harbinger fans should buy and read this book. It really is comics at its best. Harbinger # 25 gets a 4.5 … out of 5.
Scum of the Earth # 1 Review
Scum of the Earth # 1Written by Mark Bertolini
Art by Rob Croonenborghs
Action Lab Entertainment
This will be a spoiler free review.
What starts out as a love letter
to Natural Born Killers makes a crazy turn that no one would expect as True and
Laura go on their way … killing and loving as they do.
ART:
ART:
This art is not for everyone. It
seems a bit on the simplistic side. Yet, Croonenborghs is more than able to
capture a mood and feel that makes it feel like a grindhouse movie or Natural
Born Killers as I mentioned earlier. Detail isn’t outrageous and it is more
abstract compared to traditional super hero comic book art but Croonenborghs is
able to make it work.
This book is bloody and the details of how gory this book can be are not held back … which definitely works for Croonenborgh. The coloring choices are also interesting, as much of the art is given a red hue but it does just add to the atmosphere. Croonenborghs’ art can be considered Sunday Comics with an adult twist and style and Scum of the Earth uses that to make this a unique reading experience.
WRITING:
This book is bloody and the details of how gory this book can be are not held back … which definitely works for Croonenborgh. The coloring choices are also interesting, as much of the art is given a red hue but it does just add to the atmosphere. Croonenborghs’ art can be considered Sunday Comics with an adult twist and style and Scum of the Earth uses that to make this a unique reading experience.
WRITING:
This was a unique mix of
murderous mayhem and crazy mystery that just blended real well. The real
depravity of our main characters shine through from the first few pages and
Bertolini makes them interesting and oddly relatable. Sure, True and Laura are
psychotic … yet they are in love and who can’t relate to love. Even with their murderous attitudes, there is
a charm to our leads. Which makes the mystery that much more impactful. Kudos
to Bertolini for writing such charming, yet psychotic characters as well as
working in one hell of a twist there. With great dialogue and a solid pace,
this first issue does make me want more of the Scum of the Earth.
FINAL VERDICT
Seriously … this book caught me by surprise. The art isn’t exactly what you normally see but it definitely works. And the story is intriguing, charming and an interesting twist on the lovable murderers. I give Scum of the Earth # 1 a solid 4 … out of 5.
FINAL VERDICT
Seriously … this book caught me by surprise. The art isn’t exactly what you normally see but it definitely works. And the story is intriguing, charming and an interesting twist on the lovable murderers. I give Scum of the Earth # 1 a solid 4 … out of 5.
All New Soulfire #6 Review
ALL NEW SOULFIRE #6Written by JT Krul & Frank Mastromauro
Art by V. Ken Marion, Mark Roslan, John Ercek & Erick Arciniega
Lettering by Josh Reed
Aspen Comics
This will be a spoiler free review.
We get the aftermath of Malikai
revealing that Michael is a fake and find that Malikai’s reveal had some
unexpected effects. Meanwhile, Rainier shows why magic is such a force in this
world and the price that Cole and Jayden will have to pay for find out.
WRITING:
WRITING:
The issue is very well paced.
There has been several different subplots that Krul has juggled but this issue,
it deals with two main issues primarily: Malikai dealing with the aftermath of
his actions and Rainier being confronted by Cole and Jayden. And while Malikai’s
plot gets handled well, getting into some philosophical debates, the majority
of the issue deals with some development for Rainier, Cole and Jayden.
Krul does a good job present us
with how deep Rainier’s plot is going as we do get some very powerful scenes
with him, Cole and Jayden in the book. The issue flows extremely well. And
while we do not get a mention of Abel this issue, unlike it states in the over,
Krul uses the space effectively as he brings out more of Cole and Jayden this
issue as a result. It is kind of a double edge sword there … not having Abel
there but making sure to finish out a plot and develop characters that were
already set in motion.
That’s the only thing that really goes against it. Otherwise, the dialogue was excellent and the pacing was great.
ART:
That’s the only thing that really goes against it. Otherwise, the dialogue was excellent and the pacing was great.
ART:
This
book continues to be beautiful. Marion, Roslan and Ercek do so very well to breathe
life into this book. The artists give a
good amount of detail, detailed clothing and characters that really stand out
and good perspectives. Yet, I found in this issue that backgrounds were scarce.
There are backgrounds with color and there are fully detailed background. I
found that the non detailed background might be a bit much in some instances …
but otherwise, this art continues to be amazing. Arciniega’s colors really
bring out the best of Marion, Roslan & Ercek’s art, giving a great tone and
mood to every scene.
The action in the issue was great
and Marion, Roslan and Ercek convey emotion so very well that it really keeps
your eyes glued. A great job by this team.
FINAL VERDICT:
FINAL VERDICT:
This was a good issue with
developing plots, character development and answering some questions. That said, both covers for the issue feature characters not in the issue at all and the lack of backgrounds here and there was slightly disconcerting. Yet, these aren't that major in the grand scheme of things. The art and characterization really are
superb and this issue makes me want more. I
give All New Soulfire # 6 a 3.5 out of 5.
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