FLASH #796 DC COMICS
And in the final chapter of the One-Minute War storyline, not only is Jeremy Adams able to wrap everything up but actually makes sense of it all. From the onset, I haven’t been a big fan of this story. And with the cliffhanger at the end of the last issue, I thought we were going to go into some very unwelcome territory. But luckily, Adams big picture sorted a lot of bad ideas from the past out. And while it does end on the cliche of resetting history so the events never happened, it still works. And getting to revisit the most touching moment of the story in the Epilogue made my day. And with Roger Cruz, George Kambadals, and Fernando Pasarin on pencil duty, there is a little something for everyone’s favorite art styles. Congradulations Gentlemen, I didn’t think you were going to work this one out. Color me impressed. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
THE NASTY #1 NIGHTFALL COMICS
This is one of those weird little oddities that fly under everybodies radar. John Lees takes us back in time to the early 1980’s when the glut of horror movies overflowing your local video storesgenerated a backlash where censorship ran deep. Especially overseas in places like England and Austrialia. I lived through those days and remembered the thrill of locating a movie that we were warned was bad for us. The best part of this situation is that it lead down sooooo many rabbit holes that I am still trying to track down those rare DVDs/VHS Tapes. So when we are first introduced to Graeme aka Thumper and his imaginary friend Red Ennis (the deranged spike welding killer of the movie Labor Day!) he is immediately identifiable.He is one of us and along with his video store cohorts, the Murder Club, they are part of our (as Joe Bob Briggs refers to us) Mutant Family. But after a disasterous attempt to watch the Holy Grail of Video Nasties, The House of Creeping Flesh, Thumper discovers that his usually imaginary friend Red Ennis suddenly is starting to interact with the real world. An interesting premise with a definite target audience. And while the story has a taste of adult themes, George Kambadais and Adam Cahoon’s artwork is more young reader which adds to the charm of the story, even if it involves a spike welding killer. This one is worth checking out especially if you have a subscription to streaming services such as Shutter, the Halloween Channel, of Full Moon Entertainment. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
KAMEN AMERICA HOMELAND INSECURITY #1 ANTARCTIC PRESS
Technically the third volume in the Kamen America series, we continue with the exploits of Kamens Comet, America, and Ramen. Part Americanized Anime, part genre farce, writers Mark Pellegrim and Timothy Lim do a wonderful job of presenting an anime girl group out of Oscar, Indiana with boatloads of emotional agnst and humor. While also smirking a bit at the standard anime plot points. The scene where the heroes hand out cups of Ramen to a group of clueless Indiana fair goers is priceless. With one character asking “What is Natto Flavor” causing to me to laugh out loud. If you like anime, this one has a lot for you. If you make fun of anime, this also has a lot for you. Worth a read through. 8 out of 10 Grahams.