All posts by scarey71

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RESONANT#1 – VAULT COMICS

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WRITER- DAVID ANDRY
ARTIST – ALEJANDRO ARAGON
COLORIST – JASON WORDIE

I initially picked this book up because I had never read this company before. I like to give Indy companies a try, as over the last 3-5 years there has definitely been a change in the industry, and a lot of times the art quality and storytelling is on par with anything the big 2, and bigger 3 are putting out. The beautiful cover also was a big selling point for me. Let’s dive right in.

The thing that stuck out for me from the first page of this book was how beautiful the art was. Artist Alejandro Aragon has created some really beautiful sweeping landscapes that really give a sense of the world that this book is trying to create. I’ve always believed that detailed scenery gives a reader a much better sense of scene transition which in turn  makes the book seem much more of a journey. It’s done very well here. Reminds me a bit of Geoff Shaw in God Country if you can looking for comparison.

To the story itself, writer David Andry is able to give a nice build on multiple storylines within the book. This can be a challenge to make that flow properly in the first issue, where you want to bring the reader back with basically an introduction, so kudos to him on that success. Great arc up to a sense of foreboding and urgency to give  the ending a nice hook that will most likely want to bring the readers back for a second look. It feels like the end of the world ,but we’re still really not sure what the cause is, or how it happened……….just that it is coming with a “chrip”.

If you enjoy apocalyptic tales, with slow burns, this might just be a tale for you. The dialogue flows well between the characters and it gives you a real sense that the family featured is just trying to make it from one day to the next while making sure each other is safe. One of the the main characters is dealing with a disability(Though you’d never know it from her actions).This is understated, and not dwelled on, which I think helps you recognize the contribution even more. A resourceful person with disabilities has made for an interesting read here.

Overall the  book was a yes for me.I like cliff hanger mysteries and slow burns so I probably will end up picking up the second issue to see where it’s going. If your looking for something new, giving this a try would be worth the money and perhaps even give you a good intro to a new company.

Til next time.

Scott

 

 

COMICS, Dynamite, Review, Uncategorized

VAMPIRELLA #1-DYNAMITE COMICS

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Writer – Christopher Priest
Artist &Colorist – Ergun Gunduz
Letterer- Willie Schubert

I should probably state that I actually don’t ever remember reading a VAMPIRELLA comic before. I have however been a fan of Alex Ross’s art for a very long time, so the cover(B) initially sold me on taking a read of the book. It’s probably my favourite of all 5.I’m glad I took a chance on it as, overall, it was much better then I thought it would be. I’ve read far too many “vampish” books that tend to be heavy on the sexuality, but light on the story, so this in that regard was a pleasant surprise.

I’ve been a fan of Christopher Priest’s work since the 3rd volume of Black Panther. Overall I enjoyed his writing on this issue. One thing that did stick out to me which would be more dialect then actual storyline ,was Priest’s literal sounding out of words of one of his characters “Dr. Chary” which I found a bit distracting figuring out what the character was saying. Sometimes it broke up the flow of the story for me. I really enjoyed the dialogue between Dr. Chary and VAMPIRELLA though. Great back and forth that was one of my favourite parts of the story.

Mentioning earlier I had never read VAMPIRELLA,  I found you really didn’t need to have a strong history of the character to enjoy the book and be interested where they were going from here. There were some references to what I assume is past volumes(if so a note in the panel would have been great) of the series, but this played into the current storyline nicely . The story grew on me as it went along and I enjoyed the situations and vulnerabilities, both physical and situational that PRIEST exposed the character to. In this aspect it felt very original to me.

Another small gripe I had was the misleading size of the story.it ran about 20 pages, but the book itself is a pretty thick (34 pages in total).Minor spoiler, it’s a variety of variant covers. Would have much preferred a further more fleshed out storyline for what is one of the more cerebral vampire book beginnings I have seen in a while. I chuckled a bit upon finding out that VAMPIRELLA was indeed Canadian .Had no idea .In that aspect I suppose she is lucky being the undead, because no way does her attire get her through a Canadian winter.

The art and colouring by ERGUN GUNDUZ was hit and miss for me. There was a few splash pages that I would say were really well done. One air shot in particular could be framed and would fit nicely on any geek wall. A few of the panels with VAMPIRELLAS face looked a bit off, almost ghoulish ,for what is a beautiful character for being dead and all. I found the splash pages beautifully colored also.The art serviced the story but never really stood out for me.

This story was not what I expected, so it’s originality will probably appeal to newer fans and keep the character completionists happy also.Worth a read if your looking to try something new. Not putting the book in my file, but will probably grab the second issue off the shelf if I see it.

Til next time

Scott

 

COMICS, News, Review, Uncategorized

Comic Review – SECOND COMING #1 – AHOY COMICS

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Writer :Mark Russell

Artist: Richard Pace

 

Well, I kind of understand why DC backed down on publishing this comic. It would have brought a tonne of heat down on them that really would not have helped their bottom line. In the same breathe, kudos to AHOY COMICS for having a brassy pair and going ahead with the publication. I’ve seen nothing but good titles and talent from this company so far.

Over all this book was a pretty good read. I have to confess(ironically) , I’ve never really read the bible, so I have no idea which parts of this comic is writers imagination, and which parts are scripture influenced. The world of God’s and superheroes, and the similarities of the two have crossed paths before, but I don’t think so literally. It’s a very interesting concept when you think about it .To some , both god and superheroes are works of fiction so it’s natural that at some point in time their paths would cross.Having said that, the folks who were upset with this book did have a point. No way would Allah ever get the same graphic novel treatment without death threats being leveled against the entire team involved with the project.Now on to the book itself.

It’s very well written story by Mark Russell.(Eisner nominated writer in 2018) There were a few bits of dialogue I found a bit “hokey”, but overall a fantastic engaging read. Russell put more then a few bits of social commentary and ripping humour in there, which brought the characters to life(again, ironically God and Jesus) in a very surreal, sarcastic and dry way. Most of the jokes(even the inside ones) landed. There was great  interaction between the characters and the moral stances between Jesus and our superhero mentor “Sunstar” made for some very interesting conversation. Loved the “humanity” Mark Russell brought Sunstar for what initially to me looked to be a bit generic looking superhero.

Artist Richard Pace did a great job with the art. Some great attention to detail that really got the emotions and nuances of the characters across nicely. Also I found pretty strong attention to background detail which to me really added to, what is partly, a historical tale to me. Colorist Andy Troy completed the scenes with some beautiful use of earth tones in shades of greens , blues and browns to give the story a biblical feel to it.

It may seem odd to people to see Jesus and God as such raw characters, but they really bring them down to earth with the dialogue and seemingly mortal situations that they present each of them with. I must admit, I would have  liked to have seen the first chapter to end with a bit of tension, but they have managed to nicely set up moral stances making for interesting storylines down the road. Bottom line, if you are deeply religious and can’t see the humour in everything then this book is probably not for you. If you are someone who enjoys satire and biting social commentary you might want to give this series a read.

Til next time

Scott

P.S There is some brief nudity involving Adam and Eve and what appears to be Adam’s fascination with his own cock………….which to those us who have not read the bible….makes a lot more sense now.

 

COMICS, Commentary, Marvel, Review

Comic Review:Invisible Woman #1 (of 5) – Marvel Comics

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If someone had told me last month that I would be picking up the first issue of “Invisible Woman” this month, I probably would not have believed them. Make no mistake about it, the absolutely beautiful cover by Adam Hughes caught my eye when I was mulling through the titles at my local comic shop.

Let’s start first with the main reason I bought this book. Between the previously mentioned Adam Hughes cover, and the crisp , fleshed out, and intricately detailed backgrounds of artist Mattia De Iulis (Jessica Jones)I was sold pretty well just thumbing through the book at the store. Add to that the beautiful use in colours in the book in  different Blues, Whites, Browns and wonderful use of  inking shades to match the tone of the book and I was sold for this month

Writer Mark Waid  has written a pretty interesting re- introduction to one of Marvels oldest characters, and made her seem very fresh and new after 60 plus years. The first chapter was very well paced, and there are 4-5 scene transitions which makes for  a pretty good statement about where the character is going after the FF’s return. It sets her off on a storyline that I suspect very few would expect out of this character. Yet it makes perfect sense when you think about it.

Invisible Woman has always been a bit of a one dimensional character to me, but Mark Waid found some creative ways to  hi lite both her adaptable powers, and some overall weaknesses she has. The dialogue between the others characters in the story flowed smoothly, and gave you enough character development to make you want to come back for the second chapter.

It’s a 5 issue mini series and you don’t really need to be a regular reader of the Fantastic Four to appreciate the book, but I think long time readers will appreciate what they have done with Susan Richards. There’s no extra cost on this one either as many of their numbers #1’s have usually added a dollar to them. I’m going to put it in my pull list as it’s only 5 issues and go from there.

Til next time

Scott

 

 

 

 

I’m glad to see such a talented team and what many would call a

Action, MOVIES, Review, Uncategorized

Non Spoiler Review.Spider-man:Far from Home

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Hello Folks. I enjoyed the trailer for this movie more than the previous installment because this one seemed like it had a bit more fun associated with it. Seeing Jake Gyllenhaal as “Mysterio”, and the groove of that “old school” spider man theme absolutely sealed it for me as a must see.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie quite a bit. It did have it’s faults but nothing that took away from the storyline too, too much. This movie did blow out of the water some major theories floating around on the internet of exactly where the MCU may be going in the next ten years or so, and also served as a stark example of “life going on’ and featured some of the “real world” examples of this after “Avengers: End Game”. Let’s take a look at a few issues that I had with the movie first off.

A small one, but it was first, so I noticed it. The intro theme was different .The film gave a decent reason for it ,but I do hope it’s a “one off” as I enjoy the theme they had in place. It had become kind of iconic to me. Another small one, but understandable was the lack of Spider-Man costume. If you saw Iron Man 3 you may know what I mean a bit. This movie was a great Peter Parker story unfortunately, in places, that meant less iconic Spider-Man costume.

Although I thought there was some great character development with Peter Parker, I can’t say the same of his supporting cast of high school life. Marvel has begun moving towards a more culturally diverse cast of characters, as promised, but many of them seemed 2 dimensional to me and no effort was really made to flesh them out during the film. What was done seemed…..”hokey”. ESPECIALLY the teachers featured in the film. They were basically there for comic relief and not enough of that humour “landed” for me.  Probably the thing I liked least about this high school cast was the lack of chemistry between Tom Holland and “MJ” cast member Zendaya. I wasn’t expecting Toby Macguire /Kirsten Dunst level chemistry ,but it was pretty awkward and childish. It didn’t help that her character dripped with sarcasm and put downs at practically every turn. She doesn’t need to smile, but her character seemed permanently sad most of the movie.

There was much good in this movie though. The CGI action scenes looked fantastic, and were IMHO better than the ones in the previous installment. The movie purred along quite well thanks to some globe trotting scene transitions and a pretty well written script minus the items mentioned above. Jake Gyllenhaal has some really good chemistry with Tom Holland and I’d say the intensity of their  scenes  really shined, particularly in the last half of the film.

(l to r) Numan Acar, Tom Holland and Jacky Gyllenhaal in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME

Jake G, played an excellent Mysterio. Heroic when needing to be and vicious when not.If you have seen any of Jake’s previously roles, particularly Nightcrawler or Southpaw ,you’ll know what I mean. they needed a cerebral actor to play this role, and he filled the character quite nicely. Not sure what the future holds for the character but would like to see him don the globe again.

The mid and after credit scenes were there, and gave a fairly strong idea where the franchise was headed and set up a classic time in Spider-mans career. Excited to see where the MCU is headed after the reveal of what looks to be a major comic book storyline. Few other notes, include a cool cameo by a character from the spider universe of years past, and the fact that Aunt May can still rock a pair of jeans.

Spider-Man: Far from home was a solid, fun, exciting B+ outing to me that had a nice hook for the next installment and set up the next phase of the MCU relatively well. What more can you ask for in a movie?

Until next time

Scott

 

 

 

 

COMICS, Review, Uncategorized

Comic Review – Ignited#1 – Part 1”Triggered” – Published by Humanoids Inc.

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Writer – Mark Waid/ Kwanza Osajyefo
Art-Phil Briones
Colors – Andrew Crossley
Letters- A Larger World Studios

Hi Folks,
I picked up the introduction to this new world during the Free comic day. The comic included a first look at this series along with 4?5? Other series that are going to be launching over the next 6 weeks. It also featured some direct quotes and “world building stories” from all the talent involved in the enterprise. It’s worth a read for the tidy sum of “free” dollars. Your local comic shop probably has a copy of it.

Beautiful cover art by John Cassady(I ended up buying the “B” cover). “Ignited” as a concept has a pretty dark backdrop for it’s origin. It’s genesis, if you can call it that, comes from a place of death in the form of a school shooting, which have become a maddening normalcy within the American school system. This first issue is told from the point of view of a young lady who is returning to school ,like so many have done before, after an event that shattered the normal routine of her life the May before.

I’ve been a fan of Mark Waid’s writing since his various runs on Captain America . I figured I was going to get a decent story, and I did. There is definitely some social commentary in this story, but for the most part they are no brainers to the general public…….and they are well done. That matters too. A few of the “more conservative” characters could have been fleshed out more (for better or worse), but for the most part I think it was a pretty good introduction to all the players.

The “heroes” in this universe that Waid, and writer Kwanza Osajyefo are creating are a bit more unique then your traditional superheroes in their power set up, but the book so far appears to have a high school backdrop, so the classic Spider-Man titles, with a touch of “Riverdale” came to mind for me in this first issue. I like comics that read like novels, and this first issue accomplished that. Heavy on complex, engaging, dialogue is mothers’ milk as far as I’m concerned.

I knew a bit  of artist Phil Briones(or his given name Phillippe Briones from his native France)when picking up this book. He’s done work for both Marvel and DC, including a great run on 2010’s “American Son” for Marvel. He also has a pretty impressive resume for Disney in their animation field. His work on this book was great. Plenty of detailed facial expressions, and attention to detail on back ground items. I’ve always enjoyed the work of artists who pay attention to tiny details. Cracks in walls, dents in lockers etc.It completes the picture so much vividly
I enjoyed this first issue, and will probably pick up the 2nd issue but not sure about putting it in my pull file just yet. I want to see more of the heroes in this story first but it is a promising start. I’m also looking forward to another one of their titles coming out…. Omni which is scheduled for release August 14th.

Thanks for reading Folks.

Commentary, News, Uncategorized

Pop Culture Cafe Reviews – Welcome Home

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After about a year and a half of giving mini twitter reviews I think I’d like to start giving proper, long winded, but hopefully entertaining reviews again. This will range from Graphic Novel reviews(Fancy word for the floppies), to television reviews(A lot of Premiere episodes to wet the viewers whistle, or any other body part they may have), to cinematic releases, streaming content and even YouTube odds and sods

I’d like to also sink my teeth into some editorials, music, podcasts, Independent Digital content and whatever other media may come my way also.(Christ I may need to extend the day cycle) I found one of the reasons I got bored with the review concept before is that I tried to write like a proper reviewer……….whatever the hell that may entail. I tried to cookie cutter it too much so that they tended to be devoid of any personality of any kind. That’s just not me.

I want reviews to entice to want the reader to perhaps give the material a try…or perhaps give it a pass. I will never blatantly take a shite on any ones craft no matter how much I may not enjoy it. I”ll leave that to SOME…..I say SOME of the wingnuts on other sites. You won’t see any plot regurgitation reviews with me either. Can’t imagine how much it must infuriate an artist/writer to see his/her story reduced to poorly(sometimes) put together Cole notes. I may use profanity every now and then but it will well placed and not in excess.

As far as a schedule goes , there isn’t one. I may do three in one day and none for two days or I may do one …or two…..or three a day. I work, I’m married and we have an award winning(somewhere I’m sure) podcast that comes out every two weeks. I hope you enjoy what does come out though. I’ll try and make it entertaining.

Scott