Written by Mark Waid
Pencils and Art by Marc Silvestri, Eric Basaldua, Kenneth Rocafort
Inks by Joe Weems, Matt 'Batt' Banning, Rick Basaldua, Studio F
Colors by Steve Firchow, John Starr, Chad Fidler, Blond, Tyson Wengler
Letters by Robin Spehar, Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $24.99; On-sale: Feb. 13, 2008
What if you were told the Cold War was not fought over nuclear weapons, but over the control of ultra-sapiens -- humans genetically engineered to be weapons and traded like stock between nations. What if you were told these ultra-sapiens got a little too aware of the power they held, struck back at their controllers, and now are either in hiding or have farmed themselves out to the highest bidder? And what if you were told the entire world as you know it is a complete fabrication, a complex series of lies and cover ups to hide the real truth of the matter -- that one man, known only as the Czar Obscura, runs the entire planet out of a secretly surrendered White House?...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Comic Review: Hunter-Killer Vol. 1 TPB
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Comic Review: Afterburn #1
Created by Scott Chitwood
Script by Scott Chitwood, Paul Ens
Pencils by Wayne Nichols
Inks by Nick Schley
Colors by Marc Hampson, Andrew Dalhouse
Letters by Troy Peteri
Red 5 Comics
Cover price: $2.95; On sale Jan 23, 2007
Mmmmm... I do love me a bit of fine post-apocalyptic fiction.
The Terminator. The Matrix. Singularity 7. Mad Max. I Am Legend! There's just something about the post-apocalyptic setting that fascinates me. No chance for a happy ending. The worst has already happened. The good guys lost. The world ended. What happens next? What stories are told in the aftermath? How do we, as a society and as a species, bounce back?...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Comic Review: Neozoic #2
Written By Paul Ens
Art by J. Korim
Colors by Jessie Lam
Letters by Troy Peteri
Red 5 Comics
Cover price: $2.95; On sale now
For a new publisher, Red 5 Comics has done a good job of making a name for itself, getting some buzz on their Atomic Robo book and hitting the deadlines for a good number of other books. From what I've seen so far, they are putting out a wide range of books with some great art and stories and very pleasing production quality, all good things to do when getting a new company off the ground. My impression is that these guys really enjoy comics, and are not just doing it for the money, but also for the love of the art form...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Comic Review: Abyss #2
Written by Kevin Rubio
Pencils and Cover by Lucas Marangon
Inks by Nick Schley
Colors by Andrew Dalhouse
Letters by Troy Peteri
Red 5 Comics
Cover price: $2.95; Available now
The first time I saw the advertisement for Red 5's new series, Abyss, it hit me with one of the more interesting sells I've seen. It touted itself as the first comic book to begin its story *after* the death of the title character. The picture in the ad was a riff on the classic Death of Superman image, with Abyss's cape in tatters, fluttering from a makeshift flagpole while characters in super-suits stood in the background with their heads bowed...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Comic Review: First Born #3
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Stjepan Sejic
Covers by Marc Silvestri, Stjepan Sejic
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $2.99; On-sale: Nov. 28, 2007
And now we come to the end of Top Cow’s big summer event, or big fall event such as it is. Much like the first two issues of this mini, it does a decent job, and has some very nice artwork, but is basically unspectacular and kind of lost on me. This has been an event for fans of the Witchblade and Darkness properties, and is not a bad jumping on point, but could definitely have been done better.
Sara Pezzini, the former Witchblade, has her pregnancy come to full term in this issue. Meanwhile Jackie Estacado, the wielder of the Darkness, is forced to protect his baby’s mama from the forces of the Angelus. This is the big fight issue with most of the issue taken up with the battle between the Darkness and the Angelus...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Comic Review: Dark Sector Zero
Written by David Wohl
Art by Bill Sienkiewicz
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $2.99; On-sale: Dec. 12, 2007
Ahhh, Sienkiewicz.
Sienkiewicz, Sienkiewicz, Sienkiewicz.
Just saying the name out loud, it... well, it makes me scratch my head and google the damn thing because I’ve never really known how to pronounce it.
Bill Sienkiewicz (that’s “sin-KEV-itch” for the google-impaired) is a legend within the comics medium. His work on Marvel’s New Mutants in the early ’80s, followed by his groundbreaking work on Elektra: Assassin has pretty much cemented him in the comic book art hall of fame (should such a thing ever exist) as one of the most influential talents of our lifetime. Echoes of his moody, often chaotic art style can be found in the works of artists like Mark Texiera, Ashley Wood, and even Australian superstar Ben Templesmith. To many, Bill Sienkiewicz is a god...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Comic Review: Midknight #1
Written By Paul Ens
Pencils and Colors by Tom Hodges
Inks by James "Buckshot!" Bukauskas
Letters by Troy Peteri
Red 5 Comics
Cover price: $2.95; On sale: Nov. 14, 2007
A life of parenting and crime-fighting never stops the for superhero duo of David and Tarilyn D’Ville in Midknight #1. In the first issue of the Red 5 published comic, the two heroes, also known as Midknight and Knightingale, have date night at a hockey game, disrupt a mob-style robbery, stop a furor in church, and manage to take care of their young daughter with a little help from their nanny. The delicate balance between life and hero's work hangs precariously in the air, like to pieces of fruit in mid juggle...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Comic Review: Witchblade Takeru Manga #9
Written by Yasuko Kobayashi
Art by Kazasa Sumita
Colors by Blond
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $3.99; Available now
Sometimes, you just need a butt-shot.
It’s true! One of those ancient facts of life. Richard Donner understood it when he filmed Mel Gibson taking a walk in Lethal Weapon, McG understood it when he directed Cameron Diaz’s surfing scene in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, and Joel Schumacher most DEFINITELY understood it when he showed Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Chris O'Donnell suiting up in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. They all understood that, sometimes, y’just gotta show a little ass.
Well, it seems the creators of Witchblade Takeru Manga have upgraded that old saw from “Ancient Wisdom” to “Prime-effing-Directive.” Through the course of issue #9 of the American-translated manga series, we are treated to a total of 13 bare-ass shots, 11 of which feature the heroine, Takeru, in her free-swinging, imagination-defying Witchblade uniform (or, as I like to call it, “The Scab From Hell” ...have these jokes been made already...?). The other two belong to some random school-girl -- we can only assume is a friend of the main characters -- who has lost her panties and doesn’t really seem to miss them...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Comic Review: The Darkness: First Look
Written by Phil Hester
Pencils by Michael Broussard
Inks by Ryan Winn
Colors by Matt Milla
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Michael Broussard, Joe Weems, and Larry Molinar
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: 99¢; On-sale date: Nov. 2007
Though brief, The Darkness: First Look is a hint that there may be some good things to come from Top Cow comics.
After success of the video game version of The Darkness, another reintroduction to the series -- which has already experience two previous launches -- was inevitable. The Darkness follows ex-mafia hitman Jackie Estacado, who after being betrayed by his uncle, discovered a curse that has plagued his family for uncounted generations. The Darkness gives Estecado the powers of the damned but at the same time struggles for control of his very soul. Given the truly fantastical nature of the story and the Darkness itself, this story is probably best told in the form of a comic book...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Comic Review: Velocity #1
Pilot Season issue
Written by Joe Casey
Art by Kevin Maguire
Colors by Blond
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price $2.99; On-sale date: Oct. 24, 2007
One of five Pilot Season comics that Top Cow is releasing, Velocity #1 cruises along like an octogenarian in a Ford Festiva powered by rubber bands. The book hits a few peaks as the title character zooms through plotline loopholes, each transition a jolting stutter into the next scenario. But wholly this comic screeches to a halt and misses crucial elements a first issue should accomplish before leaving the reader in a pool of disappointment....continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Comic Review: The Necromancer #1
Written by Joshua Ortega
Pencils & Inks by Jonboy Meyers
Colors by Brian Buccellato
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Francis Manapul
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $2.99; On-sale: Oct. 17, 2007
A Pilot Worth Watching
See, I’ve been out of the loop. While the rest of the comic book world was going ga-ga over the original Necromancer miniseries a few years back, I was only just starting to be gently guided back into the comics mainstream under the tender care of Brian Michael Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Warren Ellis’s Planetary trades.
Truth be told, with the exceptions of the Paul Jenkins/Dale Keown run on The Darkness, and stand alone limited series like Midnight Nation, Wanted, and Common Grounds (all trades), I haven’t read anything published in the Top Cow universe since the late ’90s.
So, with this in mind, you may ask yourself, “Who the hell is this guy to be telling us anything about this comic book. He doesn’t know the world, he doesn’t know the characters!”
Well, I’ll tell you who I am, my friend...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Comic Review: Witchblade #110
Written by Ron Marz
Pencils by Steve Sadowski
Inks by Kevin Nowlan
Cover by Mike Mayhew
Colors by Nathan Fairbairn
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $2.99; On-sale: Oct. 3, 2007
I wrote a review for another Top Cow book the other day, First Born #2, and I liked it for the most part. I'd imagine that it would be very enjoyable for longtime fans of the Top Cow universe, but may not be the best thing for people who are looking to get into it. Witchblade #110 ties into the final scene of First Born #2, so you'll want to read that first, and also watch out for spoilers here, although the cover is kind of one big spoiler. Also, if you're looking for an issue of Witchblade, that y'know, has the Witchblade in for more than two panels, pick up a different issue...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Comic Review: First Born #2
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Stjepan Sejic
Cover by Dale Keown (A), Stjepan Sejic (B)
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $2.99; On-sale: Sept. 26, 2007
Since everyone has to have their own big summer event, Top Cow brings us First Born, a tale set to shake the very foundations of the Top Cow universe and make sure that nothing is ever the same!! If I sound a bit cynical, it's only because I've been around comics long enough to have seen all this before. It probably doesn't help that outside of the first few issues of The Darkness, I've never been a big reader of the Top Cow line of books. I'm sure fans of these books are anticipating this mini and probably enjoyed the first issue [see review here]. Non-fans might have less reason to pick this up, although it's not completely without merit. The event smacks of a “Me too” attitude that crashed these kinds of things in the late 90s. How many event minis did Wildstorm produce in their heyday, and how many of those does anyone actually remember as being any good? With so many things going on at Marvel and DC, it's hard to see any other companies jumping on as anything but a cash grab...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Comic Review: The Darkness: Levels TPB
Written by Paul Jenkins, David Wohl
Pencils by Eric Basaldua, Tyler Kirkham,
Patrick Blaine, & Mike Choi
Art by Mattias Snygg, Stjepan Sejic,
Rick Basaldua, Sal Regla, Eric Basaldua,
Jay Leisten, Joe Weems, & Sean Parsons
Colors by Rob Schwager, Studio F, Blond,
& Sonia Oback
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $14.99; On-sale now
When I heard that Top Cow was coming out with a comic book based on a video game based on a comic book, I was, to say the least, skeptical. I was never a big fan of The Darkness comics in the first place, but I am a fan of the video game (see my review here), so I figured it was worth a try. With input from the game's development studio, Starbreeze, Top Cow has come out with a comic that is a bit of a departure for this long-running series, and one that I can easily recommend...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Comic Review: Witchblade Takeru Manga Vol. 8
Written by Yasuko Kobayashi
Art by Kazasa Sumita
Colors by Blond
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $3.99; On-sale: Sept 19, 2007
Manga is an entirely different art form than the western comics I’m used to reading, requiring alternative modes of visual interpretation. Luckily, Witchblade Takeru Manga Vol. 8 gives readers -- new to the series and manga itself -- plenty of time to acclimate.
One of the most striking aspects of the book (written by Yasuko Kobayashi with artwork by Kazasa Sumita), in relative connection to what I typically see as manga style, is the dynamic vibrancy the book maintains throughout the issue -- from character rendering to the full-color displays utilized from page to page...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Comic Review: Cyblade -- Pilot Season #1
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Pencils & Inks by Rick Mays
Colors by Guru-eFX
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $2.99; On-sale: Sept 2007
There is one beautiful, sexy woman coming after you. That might be a good thing if it wasn’t the trained killer Cyblade, one of the most popular members of Top Cow's original flagship series Cyberforce.
Cyblade, 19-year-old Dominique Thibaut, has the power to create psychic blades and power bursts which can affect both animate and inanimate objects. She is an incredible athlete and acrobat and, boy, can she wear a g-string. However, she’s a little low on self-esteem, which is why her good friend Rashell is there to coach her along via radio on one of her first missions for Cyberdata. Cyberdata is where she thinks she has been training for six months and who sends her on a mission to retrieve their Tachyon Emolliator...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Comic Review: Madame Mirage #2
Written by Paul Dini
Art by Kenneth Rocafort
Colors by Imaginary Friends Studios
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $2.99; On-sale date: Sept. 2007
The chameleon-like Madame Mirage chooses a face and a body that men will die for, and that bras will want to hide from.
Paul Dini, the Emmy-winning creator of The Batman Adventures cartoon series, teams up with very talented artist Kenneth Rocafort to create Madame Mirage, a new superheroine for Top Cow.
Madame Mirage can change her appearance, and seemingly, the appearance of others. She can change her clothes at will and look exactly like any other person she is around. It may be as simple as her just seeing them. She can change into inanimate objects as well and also different masses do not seem to be a problem. She is taking out a criminal organization one peg, henchman, at a time...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!
