A Review: INFESTATION 2 #1

The Fellowship was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of INFESTATION 2 #1 from IDW Publishing.  The book is the first chapter of the multi-title event that will crossover into G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. Duane Swierczynski wrote the story with art by David Messina. The art for the Prologue section is by Valerio Schiti.

In the prologue, it states that the monsters (called The Elder Gods) are in a prison in time and space. While imprisoned, they can still connect to the darkness in certain people (H.P. Lovecraft being one).  The prologue tells us what really happened to Lovecraft and introduces us to “The Oblivion,” a group whose sole purpose is to make sure The Elder Gods do not enter our plane of existence.

Fast forward to current time; the CVO (Covert Vampiric Operations - a top-secret paramilitary team of vampire and zombie agents that protect the world against supernatural threats) respond to several reports of monsters appearing all over the United States.  Let’s just say things don’t go well (otherwise this would be a quick “event”).

I did not read much of the first INFESTATION, probably due to my being tired of the use of zombies in the comics industry right now. However, my curiosity was piqued by the use of the Lovecraft monsters and the hint of the characters meeting up.  While I do have “event tired head,” INFESTATION 2 intrigues me and this issue did not disappoint.

INFESTATION 2 #1 is out in stores now or available to order at https://shop.idwpublishing.com/.

~ Thomas

A Review: SIDESHOWS

The Fellowship was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of SIDESHOWS from Arcana Comics. Erik Hendrix writes, and Michael David Nelsen gets the art credit.

The premise: mob-operated Vegas in its heyday. Inject some carnies as hired muscle for one of the casinos. And let’s make it interesting—we’ll give the carnies the super powers they need to pull off their acts.

As improbable as this sounds, I think it works well. The story portrays a mafia skirmish which feels as though it could have been pulled from 1930s Chicago. Characters are introduced pretty effectively, and for the most part the rest of it is violence (which is very fitting of the mob genre, of course).

The art is very fitting to the genre too, though I’d have liked it to be a little more crisp; some of the fight scenes could have been drawn grittier. Overall, though, I think the art works. It helps to draw out the noir feel from the mob-dominated setting. So overall I like this book. The inside cover bills it as “Book One” so I’m interested in seeing what Book Two is about.

SIDESHOWS is available now at your FLCS or by order from arcana.com.

~Mike

A Review: WORDGIRL: WORD UP

The Fellowship was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of WORDGIRL: WORD UP from BOOM! Studios.  The graphic novel is based on the PBS show WORDGIRL that is designed to expand children’s vocabulary in a fun and exciting manner. Anita Serwacki wrote the first story THE HAM VAN MAKES THE MAN with art by Steve Young. The second story is THINK BIG by Scott Ganz and Andrew Samson with art by Andy Price.

In THE HAM VAN MAKES THE MAN, WordGirl’s Father won an essay contest in which the grand prize is to drive the “world-famous Spiral Ham Van” through the city’s portion of a cross-country promotional tour. This does not make the villain The Butcher very happy. In THINK BIG, the villains Two-Brains and Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy kidnap Mr. Big in attempt to figure out how to turn their failures into successes. The answer…THINK BIG!!!

I have not watched the PBS program, but if the graphic novel is any indication of what the show is like, it seems like an enjoyable ride. I know the book was meant for a younger demographic, but it was fun reading the adventures of WordGirl and her sidekick Captain Huggy Face (a monkey). The stories are smartly written and very entertaining. The art is nice, clean, and very pleasing to the eye.

WORDGIRL: WORD UP is out in stores now or available to order at www.boom-studios.com.

~Thomas

A Review: PROPHET #21

The Fellowship was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of PROPHET #21 from Image Comics. Brandon Graham writes, Simon Roy pencils, Richard Ballermann inks, and Ed Brisson letters.

This book heralds a new beginning for Rob Liefeld’s Prophet series. The story begins as John Prophet awakens from cryogenic sleep into the alien wasteland that Earth has become. Humans have fallen from technological dominance, and it’s up to our hero to jumpstart the civilization.

This book tells (mostly shows, really; not much dialogue as Prophet is alone most of the time) of Prophet’s journey to discover his mission. Artistically we are treated to a brief tour of the ‘new’ world, showing us some of the changes that have taken place in the time that has passed.

I like the setup of this story. They have built in some nice potential for epic storytelling, and left the sci-fi front wide open. This story could go in any of a dozen different directions without altering the flavor at all, and possibly hundreds with only minor tweaking. My interest is piqued.

PROPHET #21 is available now at your FLCS or by order from imagecomics.com.

~Mike

A Review: CREEPY #7

The Fellowship was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of CREEPY #7 from Dark Horse Comics. This black-and-white 48-pager contains five short tales of horror from various writers and artists.

The stories: MUD is a revenge story in which a young lad learns an important lesson through supernatural means. THE SHROUD finds a down-on-their-luck young couple falling victim to forces well beyond their control. BLOODSUCKERS provides us with a fascinating Florida twist on a classic vampire tale. We witness the horrors of losing oneself in drug abuse in the Twilight Zone-esque THE ULTIMATE HIGH. And DEEP RUBY gives us a brief glimpse of the price of greed.

Being a bit of a classic horror fan (such as Lovecraft and pre-gore vampire movies), I found this collection very enjoyable. The stories were brief but satisfying, and I thought the art styles helped to sell the emotions of each piece. I will definitely be checking out more of this series.

CREEPY #7 releases on January 25th at your FLCS or by order from darkhorse.com.

~Mike