Atomic Fangirl

A new week. More comics! Yaaaay!

Absolution Rubicon #1: (Avatar) John Dusk is a superhero.  John Dusk has decided that all the scumbags in the world should just end up dead, rather than rotting in jail.  Things are getting bloody. For readers who haven’t been pawing through Absolution – or didn’t pick up the FCBD issue – this a world where superheroes are police…with a bit more oomph. Of course, just like cops, after they’ve seen too much, they could snap. John Dusk did. This is a great setup for this storyline, thanks to Christos Gage’s great characters and Daniel Gete’s beautiful art. (4.5 out of 5)

Night of the Living Dead – Aftermath #9: (Avatar) With this arc, a bunch of folks are in an Army bunker, away from the zombies. Good, right? Not so much; they’re test subjects for a possible antidote. And it’s not going well. David Hine is doing a great job of keeping the “trapped during the zombie apocalypse” story from getting stale, and Emiliano Urdinola’s colors are lush, even in the desert. How will the poor survivors survive? I’m looking forward to seeing how (or if) that’s going to happen…. (4 out of 5)

The Walking Dead #112: (Image) Rick has taken just about all he can take. Negan is starting to make The Governor look like a Girl Scout. And I was starting to think that Kirkman and company were running out of ideas. Surprise! This issue has zombies, Negan, guts on the ground and a helluva way to end an issue. I can’t wait to see what happens next, and I hate to say that that’s something I haven’t said about this series of late. (4.5 out of 5)

Breath of Bones — A Tale of the Golem #2: (Dark Horse) Niles builds suspense and fleshes out characters in this second issue, and it’s good stuff. As the Nazi army approaches the small town, an old grandfather gathers children to build a mound of earth. Meanwhile, an English pilot trapped behind enemy lines tries to help out, but can they protect themselves and the town from the monsters that are coming? Sadly, there’s only one more issue in this miniseries. And if the first two are any indication, it’ll be amazing. (5 out of 5)

Ghosted #1: (Image) Take two parts The Legend of Hell House, one part Ocean’s Twelve and stir. That’ll get you Ghosted, and interesting twist on the classic “group of folks in a haunted house” story. Jason T. Winters, a crook with a crappy past, gets busted out of prison and told that he’s been hired to steal a ghost. There’s a group of people he chooses for his team, and one – a psychic – that the pursestrings required him to take along. If the last two panels don’t leave you dying for more, I don’t wanna know you. (4.5 out of 5)

Crossed: Badlands #32: (Avatar) The “Quisling” storyline wraps up with this issue, and it’s a doozy. This isn’t a big, glorious sendoff, but a nasty, brutal end that reminded me that in this world there’s only the Crossed. But the mythology takes a wicked turn…. The usual brilliant art and colors are here, along with a hint of a match up that I’m looking forward to seeing. Well done, Christos Gage. Looking forward to your next story. (4.5 out of 5)

Happy 4th of July weekend to all my fellow pyros fireworks enthusiasts out there! On with the show….

AVP #3: (Boom) I was all sortsa excited about this one when I saw the title. Alien vs. Predator? Sweet! But in fact, this is Aliens vs. Parker, and it’s about a guy who works as a space delivery man. He falls for a girl, grabs a spaceship in order to follow her, then gets stuck on a planet full of….yep. I wish I could say this is awesome, but the main characters – Parker and his buddy Modi – are so hyper that I’m rooting for the aliens. And the Marine that saves them is kind of a douche. The good news? This is a 4 part series. Pity AVP uses hyperactivity as humor; a little bit is good, but every page is overkill. At least Manuel Bracchi draws cute baby aliens. Bumped up a half star for the SpaceEx slogan “We know how to handle your package”. I’ll take that on a tshirt, please. (2.5 out of 5)

Catalyst Comix #1: (Dark Horse) Wait – is this story using the West Wing’s President Santos? A’yup. So! Many! Exclamation! Points! The background narrative reads like an acid trip to the Golden Age of comics. Except writer Joe Casey is having a conversation with himself, rather than with the readers. And that’s just the first story; there’s two more in Catalyst. They’re tied together by the general “ZOMG the world may end” premise, and they’re just as convoluted as the first one. Lovely art by Dan McDaid, Paul Maybury and Ulises Farinas can’t save the overblown chaos that is this issue. (2 out of 5)

Dexter #1: (Marvel) I love Dexter. Well okay, I stopped watching last season, because it felt like it had jumped the shark. (Though I am open to revisiting that assessment.) Now Marvel is giving us a dose of everyone’s favorite do-gooder serial killer. Jeff Lindsay takes Dexter to his high school reunion and we get to meet Dexter’s former nemesis. Who doesn’t seem to have changed a bit. Pages 6 & 7 switch from Dexter’s usual first person narrative to third person, which is jarring (and something that an editor should have cleaned up), but this miniseries has a story that is looking like a fun non-premium-channel way to get your Dexter fix. (3.5 out of 5)

Clive Barker’s Next Testament #2: (Boom) Barker’s take on the Second Coming is a glorious look at what humanity believes God should be, and what a higher power probably is. Wick, the God that created us all (or at least says he did) is ready to get down to business. Haemi Jang’s art is beautiful as ever, but the rainbow letters of Steve Wands are the stand out here; if a lord of colors spoke, I’d bet that’s how it’d be. But Wick ain’t here for fun and games y’all. And the last panel ends with a bang. Bring forth issue #3! (4 out of 5)

Emily and the Strangers #3: (Dark Horse) This is the final issue of a special Emily the Strange story, and it’s got all the gorgeous, detailed art of Emily Ivie, plus a rock and roll battle! I’m a fan of Emily (okay, I’m really a fan of her cats), and this was a neat little miniseries. Is the theme a bit treacle? Yeah, but what do you expect from an all ages series? Not as much feline awesome as I’d like to see, but I’m betting that just as we’ll most likely see Emily and her bandmates again, we’ll see plenty of kittenness in Emily’s regular series. Fun stuff for kids, but emo-gal and rock and roll fans will find something to smile about too. (3.5 out of 5)

Screwed #2: (Zenoscope) I love the character of Special Agent Erin Scott. A gal that survived a serial killer’s advances and refuses to let that weaken her. Then there’s Anne, a woman with tons of scars and no memory; a woman who sees monsters everywhere. This is getting better and better, with gorgeous colors by Oracle that bring the incredible detail of David Miller’s pencils to life. Screwed is only a 6 part series, and I’m already hoping for more. (4.5 out of 5)

Camping: (DuskBunnies) Three guys go out for a bros weekend. Beer, campfire, shooting the shit. But as the story progresses, things aren’t all that great. The guys find themselves lost, and it’s all downhill from there. Mike Eshelman has a great story idea, and the minimalist art from Alex LeVasseur keeps readers focused on the horrors. But the big reveal isn’t focused, which left me wondering what was going on. The final page – where Eshelman and LeVasseur discuss the story – ties things up nicely, but I would rather have had a reveal panel that was a bit more coherent. Still, mad props for a killer (heh) story. (4 out of 5)

Happy pre-4th of July weekend!  What? I love this time of the year. I’m a pyro.  Baltimore sells fireworks.  Yes.  Let the neighborhood sparkler-a-thon commence!  And let the reviews begin….

Uncanny #1 — Season of Hungry Ghosts Part One: (Dynamite) Singapore.  Weaver reads people so well that with a touch, he knows them so intimately it’s like his mind becomes theirs.  For five minutes.  So what does he do with it?  Uses it to fleece easy marks, of course.  But when he gets tricked in his own game, he’s gotta make a break for it…but gets stopped by a woman offering “a real job.  The kind that pays.” Ain’t nothin’ for free y’all, so I’m betting the work will be more than a 9-to-5 office job.  Love the take on telepathy, and Aaron Campbell knows his way around shadows and light, providing a dark, unsettling air.  Compelling, but unlike Walker’s usual marks, I want to know more before I’m all in.  (3.5 out of 5)

Hoax Hunters: Case Files #1: (Image) I adore Hoax Hunters. They’re part goofy satire, part monster-palooza, part serious story. Think Magnum P. I., if Magnum and the crew fought paranormal stuff. (And had cool abilities of their own.) Case Files is unrelated to their primary storyline, but these stories have the same funky/freaky vibe as the usual issues. Reagan is excited about the chance to see a unicorn, the Hunters meet a god in his BVD’s, and disprove Supreme Man, among other things. And did I mention we get to meet Murder’s ex? These short & sweet stories are a great jump in point for new readers, though I heartily recommend starting at issue #1 of HH. (4 out of 5)

Larfleeze #1: (DC) Seriously, did anyone else read that title and hear DEEZ NUTZ in their head? Just me? Fine. But I’d bet Keith Griffin, J. M. Dematteis and Scott Kolins woulda laughed. In fact, Larfleeze is hilarious, and definitely played with tongue firmly in cheek. Doubt me? The subtitle is “The Extremely Large Dog On Tue Edge Of Forever!” (I didn’t add that exclamation point. It’s in there y’all.) This is an origin story with a twist; Orange Lantern (and greedy guy extraordinare) Larfleeze tells his butler Stargrave his life story, but what he says and what you see in each panel are two different things. Giffen and Dematteis write a heckuva story, and I think Stargrave is my new personal hero. Kolins’ art is beautiful, with tons of detail. I love detail. Larfleeze is funny as hell, and touching, especially when Larfleeze talks about his life growing up. I’m not a Green Lantern aficionado, but I enjoyed this issue. Larfleeze is a hilariously ill mannered narcissist, but his story makes a great starting point for the New 52 Corps. And you get to see an extremely large dog. Win. (4.5 out of 5)

Lazarus #1: (Image) Greg Rucka and Michael Lark team up to give readers a look at the world to come. Money is the new politics, and a small handful of families control the wealth. Naturally, they don’t live in harmony. Pity the folks who aren’t in these families; people who work for the families and are treated little better than pets, and those who do not, called  Waste. Since the ruling class can’t seem to get along, each family picks a member and trains them to be a Lazarus, the family protector. As the name implies, these not-so poor saps are brought back to life again and again, each time someone gets the best of them. Forever, the Lazarus of the Carlyle family, is starting to feel bad for the common man. You know her family isn’t gonna be happy about that. A good start to what could be a brilliant new mythos. I’ll be following Forever in the hopes Rucka and Lark deliver on the impressive premise they’ve started here, that’s for sure. (4 out of 5)

The Wake #2: (Vertigo) First off, I just want to pay homage to Sean Murphy and Jordie Bellaire; the cover of this issue is gorgeous, and a cool throwback to Golden Age action comics. Now where were we? Oh yes. Snyder is playing out a sci-fi/horror tale that feels a little like Carpenter’s The Thing meets 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, but is wholly original. I love it when a comic stirs up my latent science nerd. And this one does. There’s still a few WTF moments, where the main story gets interrupted by background/dream sequences/the unknown, but now I know that it’s all going to come together soon. I got to see prehistoric man battle a Megalodon! Thank you, The Wake. (4.5 out of 5)