Comics

Zatanna #16 – Review

DC’s sorceress supreme makes her triumphant return to the Player
Affinity stage! You’ll be shocked! You’ll be amazed! Zatanna will
perform her greatest magical feat of all: genuine improvement in
writing! That’s right, you heard it here first folks – Zatanna #16 makes a strong return to form for the series. If you read my review for Zatanna #14,
then you’ll know that I was disappointed with a stand-alone story
interrupting Paul Dini’s well-crafted, on-going story. You might also
recall that I was less than impressed with writer Adam Beechen’s single
issue story. Well, if that was the definition of bad filler, then
Beechen has redeemed himself with an issue that clearly defines good
filler.

Books to Read From IDW Publishing

IDW was known for its horror before its licensed titles. Here, we showcase some of the better series produced by IDW Publishing that focus on the more horrific side of comics. IDW’s first comic, which launched an infamous seven-way bidding war for a movie (which scored a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes), 30 Days of Night, was written by Steve Niles. Niles loves to write horror and has tackled numerous dark characters in the comic universe, including Batman, Spawn and his own creation, Simon Dark. His series 30 Days of Night was another vampire title, but with a creative twist: the vampires come to the Alaskan town of Barrow where, from mid-November to mid-December, the town is completely dark all day long. The perfect setting for a vampire. It’s feeding time!

Amazing Spider-Man #666 – Review

Hey howdy hey, Spider-fans. Spidey has been getting a lot of buzz lately, even for one of the most popular characters in comics. He has a new movie and a new game coming out, ‘Ultimate him’ died, and, last but not least, he’s getting an island named after him! Well, kinda-sorta. You see, while there has been a lot of interest in the death of Ultimate Spidey lately, our good old fashioned Amazing Spidey is still kicking derriere and taking monikers. The inauspiciously numbered Amazing Spider-Man #666, or perhaps auspiciously (depending on your preference) acts as the prelude to the new Marvel event “Spider Island.”

Deadlands: Death Was Silent – Review

Stop
me if you’ve heard this one – a mute gun slinger goes into a bar to
shoot dozens of plant people with his undead brother slung over his
horse with more plant people coming to… Never heard of it?  Well, Deadlands: Death Was Silent has
it – and much more.  There are many Western horror comics and while
this issue falls into a few of the clichéd pitfalls of the genre, it
manages to pull itself out with numerous creative ideas. But it still
has some frustrating artwork and a second story that shows just how
great the first story was by making the second, a much less enjoyable
story, easily pale in comparison.  

Mysterious Ways #2 – Review

Mysterious Ways
takes a religious turn this issue that could upset many Christians –
especially when it’s worked in with strippers and murderers.  The vulgar
language and actions of our ‘hero’ make him unlikable.  The plot has
many facepalming moments that make you almost laugh out loud at how
improbable they are.  The art continues to fail to impress and remains
reminiscent of Image Comics of the 90s with rarely any good moments but a
consistent gritty New York nature that fits the tone of the story. 
In
this drenched New York City, the chase is on between cop killer Sam and
the police who are convinced that our blood-covered protagonist is the
serial killer they have been looking for.  During the pursuit, Sam is
aided by a mysterious figure that disappears as quickly as he appeared,
leaving him with more questions and, shortly after, a shotgun in his
face.

Publisher You Should Know: IDW Publishing

There
are so many popular movies with dedicated fan bases; IDW Publishing is
the publishing company to turn to when making them into comics.  The
company managed to establish a large client list despite their lower
level of notoriety (especially when compared to the popular DC and
Marvel companies) after the release of their very first title.  IDW
Publishing has their own original series but also a slew of licensed
titles including Star Trek and G.I. Joe.  This is a look at the history of the company and what they produce.

Executive Assistan: Lotus #1 – Review

Lotus, starts off a bit different from the otherHit List Agenda books in the fact that it doesn’t go through the entire process of explaining what an Executive Assistant is. In fact it’s not even mentioned until much later in the issue which makes this series stand out a little more from the other crossovers.

This is of course the origin issue for Lotus and builds on her as a character while leading into her involvement in the crossover event. The issue begins with Lotus systematically infiltrating an Ambassador’s suite. It’s a great sequence of events as Lotus’ narration gives us details that are usually missing from comic books like the warmth of an explosion on her back and the protection she receives from her suit. In fact writer Vince Hernandez (EIC of Aspen) does a great job of including details like this throughout the entire book. In another sequence Lotus describes how two men being shot by her sniper rifle are in less pain than the rest of the men she’s killing with deadly gas and a tiger.