WASP #1 MARVEL COMICS
Well now, this one was actually quite refreshing. Writer Al Ewing definately knows his Tales To Astonish stories. Jumping back to pull a villain from June of 1963! This first issue stands as a love letter to the First Lady of the Avengers. Janet Van Dyne spends the entire issue being Janet Van Dyne. Spending time with Jarvis, showing her buisness and financial saavy, and fighting off an old stalker! And while we have plenty of flashbacks, Ewing works in the state of the current Marvel universe as well. It’s as if Marvel allowed Ewing to cherry pick the best of the Wasp’s 60 year history. And with Kasia Nie’s artwork covering all the needs of the story from flashbacks to battle scenes, this one has something for everyone. Whether you’re an old time Marvel fan or a newer reader with no care for what came before, this is worth your time. I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
NIGHTWING #100 DC COMICS
Pesky renumbering! As far as I remember, Nightwing #100 appeared on newsstands in 1996 with a great cover of Nightwing and then legacy hero, the Tarantula. But general crabbing aside, Tom Taylor has done what I thought was impossible. Presenting us with an interesting master villain in Heartless. The return of several of Nightwing’s greatest foes. A wraparound flashback/flash forward that makes perfect sense. Classic Titans are back and seem to be working as the well oiled machine it should have been 35+ years ago. Humor, heart, and an air of respect from his peers, this is what Nightwing the character should be. The New Teen Titans reformed, Nightwing being recognised and rewarded for the man he’s become. Dick and Barbara still a thing. This is how I envisioned the future of DC should have been back when I was reading comics in the 80’s. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
TIM SEELEY’S LUCKY #1 KEENSPOT ENTERTAINMENT
You know that you are in for a treat when Tim Seely drops by with new characters, a new super group and the promise of a good time featuring monsters. Meet Lucky, the youngest member of the Super Beasts. Or at least she was, five years ago. Now she’s a Grub N’Go delivery girl. After plotting out the story, Seely, in a stroke of good luck, (see what I did there!) let Troy Dongarra do the pictures and words. Enjoyable characters, fun art, and a uncomplicated story that you can just sit back and read. And with the promise of a new title called Lucky’s Tales coming this summer. This one is worth jumping on board early. I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
KAMEN RIDER ZERO-0NE #2 TITAN COMICS
The second chapter to the newest version of the Kamen Rider picks up right after the commercial break. Based on the weekly Manga and television series that came to life in 1971, writer Brandon Easton and artist Hendry Prasetya have styled the comic to read almost as if it were a television episode. Ending each issue on the cliffhangar making us wait until the commercial break is over to see what happened. Which works perfectly for this sort of character. While Aruto/Zero-One tries to become a better Kamen Rider, the villainous Ragnarok continues to batter and beat him. So while I await issue #3, I’m going to refill my bowl of sugary cereal and the hop back on the couch in front of the television. 7 out of 10 Grahams.
ART OF COLORING SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK! HYPERION AVENUE
“How can you review a coloring book?” the staff asked as they went through my stack of review books. Luckily, I stopped off at Lolly’s to get some adjectives! First off, you can talk about the immediately recognisable cover art that any child of the 1970’s can spot from a distance! And then describe in great detail how each of the 100 images to be colored stay true to the art style of the original cartoon shorts. So Bill still looks like a bill (yes, he’s only a bill and he’s sitting here on Capital Hill) Interplanet Janet (the Galaxy Girl!) still is a rocket with a woman’s head and super-heroic Verb (he’s what’s happening!) can still bend a noun! This is one of those once in a lifetime items that just based on the nostalgic value is worth possessing (Yes, I can sing all of the songs by memory!). That’s how you review a coloring book. It was this series that introduced me to the infinity symbol (turn that 8 on it’s side!) Best soundtrack ever! 10 out of 10 Grahams.
