2015 in Review--Best Single Issue of a Comic

Starting Things Off!

Let's kick-off all these posts that will vary between positive and immensely depressing with a discussion of what I feel is the best single issue of a comic in 2015--regardless of if it is a one-shot, part of a mini-series, or an entry in something ongoing. What earns that distinction? Well, its a comic I actually stated in my review would quite possibly be declared as such--"Zero" and its concluding 18th issue.

Issue of the Year--Zero #18

"Zero" also was one of my comic's of the year in 2014, but in its last issues it changed from an already intriguing story about a super-spy in a world that mistreated him into something much, much stranger but just as fantastic. I wrote in-depth about the 18th issue of "Zero" and how I felt it could be interpreted when it came out, and that a comic could spur myself and so many others to comment on our opinions of just what "Zero" might have meant (in terms of an overall message) says a lot about how this comic touched us.

"Zero" was a series about a man named Edward Zero who did terrible things for the United States before leaving his agency and being forced to come back when things went horribly wrong. However, "Zero" is also a comic about childhood trauma and having our joyful youth snatched away from us, harming not only our childhood but future children impacted by a world ruined by those who never got to grow into healthy individuals. "Zero" however is also about the concept of Universes, good-and-evil, if we as humans are genetically built to be cruel monsters or in fact have a goodness in us that just needs the evil cast-out to survive.

"Zero" is clearly a lot of things, and its 18th issue brings all these themes together in a marvelous way that is a sheer delightful to behold. The incredible art by Tula Lotay in this issue goes a long way in further illuminating these worlds of the real and metaphysical--and how they interact. Thanks to Lotay there is a cohesive visual narrative whether we are in some sort of mind-space or walking through the real world (whatever that means) with out protagonist.

Lotay's art and Kot's writing manifest into what I can say is without a doubt my favorite comic of 2015. I was sad when I heard "Zero" was ending, but boy did it end in a way that was flat-out majestic and superb.

Box of Dread and Geek Fuel AKA Two Stellar Subscription Boxes for December 2015

Unwrapping the Presents!

It's Christmas so let's unwrap some goodies and talk about how I recently received in the mail my December 2015 Geek Fuel box as a part of my subscription and the December 2015 Box of Dread which I was sent for the purposes of review. You may recall I quite liked the last Geek Fuel box, but then reviewed some other mediocre sub boxes. Well, I'm pleased to say these two most recent boxes are without a doubt winners in my humble opinion.

Box of Dread

The December 2015 Box of Dread had an assortment of exciting items that I feel fit the horror and sci-fi theme. Box of Dread is a subscription box that comes from the website Dread Central and the box will sometimes tie-in with the movies and such covered by the website.  This month had some bigger and smaller fun items such as:

This, "Predator," Minimate and a coaster that ties-in with, "The Crow," were both cool. The coaster could vary by person however as some folk got other movies or even, "Space Invaders," themed coasters. I was hoping for one of the Predators to be in my Minimate bag, but of course it is totally random so I don't hold it against the Box of Dread folk that I got a human character.

I received this poster for, "The Forest," movie. From the trailers I've seen for this it looks pretty bad, and if we're being honest PG-13 horror movies tend to not impress (with a few exceptions). Still, it is not an awful poster even if the movie looks to be uninspiring.

These postcards for, "A Christmas Horror Story," were just the right blend of scary and gross with humorous and silly for me to like them. I haven't seen the movie but if it has the same mixture of funny and gruesome it might be worth checking out.

There was a cool big plastic card that has the code for 4 songs from some assorted music artists. I haven't heard of these individuals but think it may be more rock-focused which would explain my ignorance (I don't do too much rock or heavy-metal). Still, that's a pretty good gift and I look forward to trying out the jams!

Here is an ornament that advertises Dread Central and a nice Christmas card and envelope with what appears to be good ol' Krampus. I'm impressed by the heft of the ornament and how it is plastic but has a nice look almost like those fancy glass ornaments. The Krampus card is fun too!

There were two comics, with all subscribers getting the same 1st issue of, "The Mocking Dead," which is a parody of sorts of, "The Walking Dead," written by the talented Fred Van Lente, and the other comic could be a variety of the 1st issues of the Double Take, "Night of the Living Dead," comics. I of course was not a fan at all of the Double Take comics so getting this was one of the only things I found myself less-than-enthused about besides the poster. Still, the other comic is fun so that makes me happy.

Lastly, there were some trading cards for a movie called, "Condemned," that from what I could find online is a horror film involving a virus that makes people turn into crazy killers (and this virus forms in an old condemned building full of people living squatting in the place, hence the name). Could be good, could be awful, but I was impressed by the detailed information on the cards.

In conclusion other than one comic being lame and the poster advertising a movie I have no desire to see I was greatly impressed by this month's, "Box of Dread." It has a good representation of smaller horror films, bigger flicks, sci-fi that has a horror-bent, and the free music is a nice touch too. Plus, I'm a sucker for postcards, so I really liked those. Overall I would say this was a stellar box, and rate it...
4.5 out of 5 stars.
You can learn more about Box of Dread at this link.
The December 2015 Box of Dread was provided for the purposes of review.

Geek Fuel

This month the folks at Geek Fuel really went all-out and turned in some stellar stuff. Note that some of the pictures I have of the items that came in this month's Geek Fuel are from this article on My Subscription Addiction as they generally take much better photos than me.

First off we had an adorable holiday greeting card that ties-in Geek Fuel with, "Star Wars," with that series playing a significant role in this month's box.

There was also a big eraser shaped like BB-8 and some candy sabers.

Seeing as how it's the holiday season it makes sense they would include some 8-Bit gift-wrap for all your presents to look awesome!

Subscribers to Geek Fuel could get either a Homer Simpson book or a Bart Simpson book. I got the Homer-themed one and was impressed by its heft and the cool way it is not just a book, but has little files and fake post-it notes you can take out and move around.

The shirt this month was a clever mash-up of, "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and the Joker AKA Batman's biggest nemesis. Pretty snazzy!

The usual Geek Fuel magazine came too--I told you, "Star Wars," was a big aspect of this month!

One other item related to the war in the stars, a plastic mold of the Death Star that can make a big ol' ice cube that will surely intimidate any Rebels!

Finally this month two games came with my box! The, "Devil's Bluff," one looks especially interesting, but this, "Bloo Kid," doesn't look too shabby either. I'm pleasantly surprised to get a duo of fun!

Geek Fuel generally doesn't have a theme, which I actually like as that way it is just an assortment of cool stuff, but this month there was a slight motif of, "Star Wars," items. Between those and some other great stuff (like two games!) I would say this is a delightful month of Geek Fuel goodies and would rate it as a very-pleased...
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Learn more about Geek Fuel at this link.

Great!

These were some fantastic boxes and I am very happy to have received them. The Box of Dread supplied some great horror-themed items and Geek Fuel continued to impress with their assortment of cool things. I hope everyone has a merry Christmas and I will see you back here tomorrow for my 2015 in Review posts!

Rant-Reviews: New Series Showcase

Brand New Debut
I just had some rant-reviews go up for an assortment of Image titles, but there are of course many publishers--both big and small--who are coming out with comics all the time. Let's review some 1st issues from an assortment of folk right now, why don't we?

The Premiere
New Romancer #1
A new comic from Vertigo (yes, they still exist). This is a variety of interesting ideas that writer Peter Milligan sadly can not manage to have it all come together in a coherent way. We've got the idea of artificial intelligence forming based on past historical figures. Then that idea is put into dead people and results in them coming back thinking they are characters from the past. But we also have this plot about dating websites, and evil corporations, and a protagonist whose Father used her as a lab rat for science experiments involving technology. Oh, and there's a killer on the loose.

 I'll give Milligan credit in that he is nothing if not eager to put his ideas on the page, but the problem with this comic is I see ideas that could easily make for two or three interesting series but instead he is trying to jam them all together. Milligan basically could give the reader a nice tasty soup, but has put the ingredients of three very different soups together and the result is an interesting but also pretty weird mess. If Milligan can flesh things out this might flow better, but right now, "New Romancer," an intriguing failure of a first issue.
2 out of 5 stars.

InSeXts #1
A debut title from the brand-new publisher, Aftershock Comics. Writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Ariela Kristantina here provide what I would definitely agree is an erotic horror story with some gross-out elements that bring to mind the more disgusting moments of, "The Fly [the Cronenberg version]," We have two Victorian-era women who have to keep their  love for one another secret and a cruel and uncaring husband who meets a nasty demise at the end of this issue. A lot of things are left unclear, but it is made apparent that one of the women has come across a rather nasty way for her lover to have a baby that contains both their genetics and use the cruel husband as an incubator of sorts. Cue a lot of raunchy sex scenes and one of the more hideously rendered images of a stomach exploding I've seen in some time--and that's meant as a compliment to Kristantina's superb art skills!

The mixture of sex and horror works quite nicely in this debut, and even though us readers are left in the dark on what exactly is going on, I imagine some answers will be forthcoming in future issues about just what these dangerous women and their child have in store for London.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Squadron Supreme #1
Part of Marvel's big event and relaunch/reboot, I picked this up mainly because I really enjoy James Robinson's writing (when he's "On," and opposed to some terrible works), and because this features the Nighthawk from the Supreme Power Comic-verse (that made up some of the earlier Marvel Max comics) on a team of fellow survivors of destroyed Universes. The basic idea here is that these are people who literally are the sole survivors of worlds where billions of lives were lost, so now that they call this Earth (of the general Marvel-U) home, they ain't gonna let anything threaten it. This leads to a shocking death of a long-time character that most of the internet already spoiled but I won't in case you would like to be surprised

In essence we are riffing on some of the ideas of various comics that have featured incarnations of the Squadron throughout time, the idea of if people with this much power have the right to declare themselves makers-of-the-rules simply through their force of arms, or if they are acting wrongfully. The end of the issue illustrates that the rest of the Marvel Universe may have a problem with this group and I am eager to see where things go.
4 out of 5 stars.

X'ed #1
From somewhat-newer publisher Black Mask Studios, this comic is much like the earlier mentioned, "New Romancer," comic in that there are a ton of ideas and concepts in this comic. However, this book for the most part makes it work. We seem to have an organization that goes into people's minds and can help them forget painful memories, dig-up secrets, etc. So it's a little bit like, "Inception," but focused more on the mind in general than dreams. This idea of focusing on minds allows our characters to go inside people's brains and explore fascinating landscapes full of surreal imagery and metaphors. This was probably my favorite part of the comic thanks to being so weird. Then the book introduces the story-element where the facility in which these procedures take place gets attacked by some mysterious people who have a deadly app that can harm others and case damage just by simply having the phone pointed toward what needs hurting.

Yes, as you can see this is another comic full of strange stuff, but despite being a little confusing, "X'ed," actually seems to work for the most part. Some questions remain about just what exactly is going on, but enough is made clear that I wasn't left scratching my head in utter bewilderment, just minor confusion.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Closing Thoughts
There are a lot of new comics always coming out. I like to think more good stuff than bad stuff gets released, so that's a good thing. These debut series may turn out to be really good or end-up being terrible, but at least I got some thoughts in on their first issues.

Rant-Reviews: An Assortment of Image Comics

Why Image?

You may be asking why I'm doing some rant-reviews focused on Image comics. Well, I'm reading a lot of Image comics these days, so it makes sense to discuss some of them, I feel.

The Image of Comics...The Comics of Image...Some Kind of Pun

Citizen Jack #2

I am just so unsure with this book. I see some amazing potential and love the jokes in it, but other times it seems so ham-fisted in its metaphors and lack of clear motivation for certain characters that I'm left scratching my head. The basic idea is our protagonist, Jack Northworthy, has sold his soul (or something of value) to a devil (of sorts, maybe not the Devil, maybe he's meant more as a metaphor for special interests?) in order to be guaranteed the Presidency of the United States. 

This is clearly a comedy (with some horror-overtones) but you would wonder if even with the help of the devil a character like Jack would stand a chance in our political climate. I mean, the character is a loud-mouth, an idiot, and oh dear God this is basically a comic about someone a lot like Donald Trump but maybe less evil. Well, taking that into account and wondering where things could go next I would rate this a solid...

3.5 out of 5 stars.

We Stand on Guard #6

Huh. I really liked this book, but find the ending to be little too neat. In this story about Canada and America at war the Canadians win a big battle, and the U.S. actually kind of hangs back. The book makes it clear Canada still has a long way to go but kind of ends more hopefully than I would have expected, even if a main character dies in the process (but then she gets a happy denouement, so again, oddly positive). For a comic that has been so rough, cruel, and shocking in its showing of the United States as bad-guys it maybe just threw me off for it to end with a tone of warmth.

The political cleverness is still there in that we are witnessing the U.S. do everything to Canada we've done in foreign countries, with the comic asking the reader, "Why does this upset you, yet what's happening today doesn't?" with the obvious answer being of course it is much harder for resders to stomach the idea of invading and being cruel to people who look and think like, "Us," in terms of race and religious beliefs. That message is still there, but I guess I'm just shocked that they went with less of a downer conclusion. I'd be interested in further exploration of this world, so that means the comic was a success in that way too. All-in-all a solid mini-series even if it almost would have been more effective and shocking in its ending were it to have just suddenly stopped after an intense 5th issue.

3 out of 5 stars.

Trees #13

Aw, come on Warren Ellis. You give us a crazy cliffhanger at the end of one issue with those dangerous black flowers and then shut-down any danger right at the start of this one by saying, "Oh, it's just a regular flower!" That is just too much of a bait-and-switch and something I can picture a lesser writer doing, but not you, man, you're too crafty for that. My annoyance with that aside this was an issue that is clearly more in the process of setting-up some big events than it is one paying-off as marvelously as the series did at the end of its last arc. 

The fact it was so intense and effective when it last wrapped some plot-lines makes me think we are building to something good, but having to do a bit of a slog beforehand. There is at least some impressive action at the end of the issue when the mayor of NYC (who has his own twisty agenda) has the base of some former associates assaulted. I am intrigued in where that is going. Still, I just felt let-down by this issue a bit. It feels so average in terms of my enjoyment, hence getting an average...

2.5 out of 5 stars.

The Goddamned #2

I would not have thought a take on the bible that happens between the Fall of Eden and before the Flood would be so interesting. Then again, perhaps I didn't realize that a writer like Jason Aaron who knows how to tell a violent yarn (just look at, "Southern Batasrds) and artist R.M. Guéra could make something so--if you'll pardon my pun--Goddamned good! We've taken the story of Cain and Noah and kind of put them together and flipped aspects on their head with Cain being a sort of good-guy in this story who is possibly looking for redemption and Noah kind of looking like a man with noble-ish intentions, but really bad ways of going about them.

This is indeed one fallen world, full of terrible violence and cruel actions. That God would want to wash this planet clean is understandable, but seeing someone like Cain (forced to wander the world, unable to die) showing kindness to the few potentially non-evil others makes a reader wonder if maybe God's going too far and Noah is little better than the people he harms in his effort to build an Ark and gather the animals. I suppose time will tell as this series continues, and I am without a doubt interested in seeing where this goes!

4 out of 5 stars.

The Humans #10

The fantastic mini-series reaches its conclusion--but with promises of future tales on the way, which keeps me from feeling as sad as I would be if this were completely the end. This series by Keenan Marshall and Tom Neely has been equal parts horrendously violent, gratuitously sexual, and deeply introspective on the affect of war on the human psyche. Yes, a comic about humanoid apes who drink, have sex, and fight also turned out to be one of the smartest meditations on how our veterans feel and are treated when they return from the horrors of war only to be expected to live, "Normal," lives. 

Clearly Johnny realizes a life of happiness will be unobtainable for him, because once the biker gang known as The Humans finds it has been betrayed, Johnny and the surviving members have set out for vengeance. This issue shows us the conclusion of their efforts to get revenge and is mostly brutal, bloody, violent action. Thanks to the art of Tom Neely it is incredible-looking and with Marshall having made us really care about these characters it impacts the reader's emotions greatly to see these ape-people we care about dying...or maybe, just maybe, some of them will survive and return for a new mini-series as is mentioned at the end of the comic--I guess we will ahve to wait and see! This still stands solidly alone as its own story however, and I can without a doubt say this is a superb...

5 out of 5 stars.

Imaging Complete...That's An Even Worse Pun
As can be seen, there are an assortment of interesting titles coming out from Image. Some are starting out, others have just ended. Some are really good and others are working at figuring themselves out. The main thing worth noting is that I am pleased that such a wide variety of titles come out via Image, and I'd recommend you give some a read too!

Reviews of 3 Assorted Subscription Boxes From November

No Time Like the Present...To Discuss the Past

We are already deep into December, so what better time than now to discuss a variety of subscription boxes from November? I was able to sample some of these boxes and have two big disappointments and one that was okay enough that I'll try a future box or two.

1UP Box

I'd heard some mixed things about this box, and yeah, it isn't for me. Upon looking at the items I got in this box my wife remarked, "A lot of that looks like stuff you could buy at Hot Topic." She has a point, from the little figure of Aquaman to the Flash Mopeez I got, nothing in this felt that special to me. Well, there was an exclusive shirt that mashes-up Goku and Superman with something about a power-level of being, "Over 9000," but I already gave that to someone else because my interest in Dragonball Z is pretty negligible (so the sticker didn't please me much either). Besides that the Harley Quinn air freshener was kind of fun with a pleasant fruit-smell, plus I got a somewhat interesting 100-piece Star Wars puzzle. Oh, and the pin is cute, I guess?

Overall this box just doesn't impress me much at all and strikes me as one big disappointment full of stuff one could generally just buy at the store. I would give this 2 out of 5 stars, but feel free to add half-a-star if you're a big Dragonball Z fan. You can explore the 1UP box here.

Smuggler's Bounty (The Official Star Wars Box)

I've seen such cool things come in the Marvel Collector Corps boxes and this is the same folk, so why was this box lame in my opinion? I mean, if you absolutely love Funko Pop figures this maybe is a bit more impressive, but it features Storm Trooper characters--the guys and gals who are basically the comedic relief of the, "Star Wars," Universe with their terrible aim and easy-to-trick minds. Besides two Funk pops there was an interesting t-shirt, a lanyard, a patch & pin, and...that's it.

For what it costs ($31.95, so five cents short of 32 bucks after shipping) all the expense seems like it went toward the Funkos. I won't be getting the next one of these in January (it ships every two months). This is also 2 out of 5 stars, unless you're a big Funko aficionado. Information on the Smuggler's Bounty can be seen here.

Loot Crate

This had a mixture of meh items and some legitimately cool things. The Hunger Games pin was unimportant for me as I have never read the books or watched the moves. The Shredder Shades are kind of funny, but other than some novelty value serve little purpose. The magnets and figurine were nice and the comic is an exclusive to Loot Crate that tells a story about the employees teaming up with characters from the, "Street Fighter," video-game...or something. I'll read it for kicks maybe and post-up a review. Then there's a pin and some gift tags for if you give any Loot Crate stuff you have to friends and want to let them know where it came from. The main thing though is how the bobble-head themed for the, "Fallout," games was really cool. Without the bobble-head this would be pretty much a bust unless it turns out that novelty comic is really cool. There is also a little magazine that discusses the items in the box and other topics.

Overall this was an okay box, what with the awesome bobble-head, and then some meh stuff. Having seen that a number of previous months of Loot Crate were awesome though, and finding others complaining this box was a relatively rarer let-down out of their usual better editions has me thinking I should stick with this a tad longer to see what the future holds. This box though is an average 2.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. You can learn more about Lootcrate here.

Best/Worst/Most Interesting of 2015 Suggestions?

I am planning to have a number of posts for the end of 2015 as I've engaged in doing some past years. I have an assortment of posts already in mind but didn't know if any of you--my dear readers--have a good post subject for the best/worst/most interesting/etc. of 2015 for me to discuss. Should you have any suggestions please feel free to email me or comment on this article. In the meantime I'll be working on those think-pieces and seeing what else I want to cover before that barrage of posts I'll be doing between Christmas and the New Year.

Scattered Thoughts After Having Played "Just Cause 3" for a Few Hours

His Cause is Just, for the 3rd Time in a Row (Or Some Kind of Lame Pun Like That)

I tried out, "Just Cause 3" for a few hours. I had a Redbox game-rental credit and a bit of time to spare, so I gave it a shot. I have some varied thoughts that don't really make a cohesive blog post so much as form an assortment of opinions/read like the ramblings of a madman. Let's share some.

Thoughts

This is Rico.
You don't really need to know anything else to have fun.

Your main character's name is Rico, I can't recall the name of anyone else. The plot is terrible and doesn't know if it wants to be serious sometimes or always off-the-wall silly. Just ignore the horrendous excuse for a story, it doesn't really matter. I mean, you need to play the story to get some cool things unlocked, but don't actually bother listening to the plot. Go make a snack instead.

The overall graphics in the game are fine, but my word the explosions are beautiful. The effects of all the things that can be destroyed getting destroyed are gorgeous. From fuel tanks exploding to helicopters turning into flaming comets of doom, everything just looks so good when it catches fire.

Oh my God, the wingsuit makes things so wild. In the previous games you could get up to some shenanigans with your grappling hook and parachute, but now with the added wingsuit you can get to the point where you barely ever have to let your feet touch the ground. It truly is majestic to rig a tower to explode, jump off it, and glide away whilst you trigger the C4 and watch the buildings crumble.

On the the subject of buildings crumbling, it is kind of funny and odd that when it is something that is owned by the evil dictator you can easily blow it up, but much of the rest of the land's building are essentially invulnerable. For some reason I can make a huge satellite dish go boom, but a small pueblo won't do it too. Before anyone argues that is done because your character is a hero who wouldn't hurt innocents, I would like to point out early in the game it is stated that Rico can blow up whatever he wants as, "We'll rebuild it," and people hate the dictator so much folk don't care how many things gets ruined in an effort to destroy the enemy's statues, wind turbines, etc. I suppose it would be too heavy on the processing and technical side to have everything be possible to destroy, but a man can dream.

The earlier-mentioned grappling hook can do some cool tricks too. You can use it to hook two things together and then watch in delight what happens when you try to make the hooks pull on each other. Should you have any other ideas--wire a car to an exploding barrel, or two people to one another, maybe a huge fuel tank to a car that is about to drive away very quickly and cause some fireworks by doing so--it is all possible, and it is all so, so pretty when it blows up.

Shooting your guns is a fine game mechanic, it doesn't impress too much; it isn't awful either, though. The enemy AI is horrible though and even though this is an incredibly violent game it has a really cartoony-feel, like when Elmer Fudd shoot's Daffy's beak around his head with a shotgun--its really absurd and feels more silly than it does gruesome.

Conclusions

Any game where you grapple onto a plane and snatch it mid-flight is worth a try.

You should try, "Just Cause 3," if you enjoy fun and silly action games. It can get dull after awhile so try not to play it for sustained periods of time--that's my suggestion at least. Just give it a little bit of your time now and then in order to feel fully entertained.

"Tomboy" #1 Is A Really, Really Good Comic, and Issue #2 Comes Out Today!

A seemingly cute picture is a lot darker
when you notice what she is holding.

Written and illustrated by Mia Goodwin, the comic, "Tomboy," is one I picked-up based upon having heard some positive buzz and seeing the cool covers it had. Well, I am glad I did because this is one impressive read. Focusing on a young girl named Addison who has just turned 16, the comic seems at first like it could just be the simple everyday tales of a happy girl, but slowly things get darker and more twisted when she learns her best friend (and possible romantic interest), Nick, has been murdered--this leads to a shocking last few pages where it seems Addison may have some dark magical powers that are going to result in a fair amount of death.

In fact, that expertly done balance of cutesy and gruesome is one major reason I love this comic. Whether it is Addison's imagination of a cute Princess Cheery Cherry (a cartoon she loves) telling her to transform into a killing machine, or how the book can go from a peppy and light coloring to dark with some splashes of bright-red blood, it really is some great stuff. The theme of happy world of being young facing the painful realities of grown-ups doing no good (a conspiracy involving a drug company may be to blame for Nick's death as his Father was involved in some questionable business) makes me wonder where things could be going next in this book.

Cute-meets-Grotesque.
I love it!

Another area the comic excels in is really sounding authentically like the voice of a teenage girl when we see our protagonist's narration, or hear her conversations with others. We witness someone who isn't quite an adult, but clearly not a child, and unsure whether she wants to truly be mature or still enjoy the things of her, "Childish," youth before the impeding of reality when her best friend is killed. Whether we see Addison spending time with her Father & Grandfather, or a best friend, we get the feeling that this is a fully-developed and fleshed-out character, one with hopes and dreams...and then a lot of rage.

Were I to have any complaints about the comic, it would be that it does something I find a bit cliché as so many movies/books/comics seem to do it now, where we, "Open," on a scene from the end and then go all the way back to the beginning. I've gotten kind of tired of so many forms of media doing that, "Trick," where we see a glimpse of the conclusion before jolting back to the start, so I could do without that--one thing I'll give a pass for this overused plot device is the movie, "Swordfish," as it opens around the last 1/3 of a movie before going back to the beginning, so that's kind of clever. Oh, and Memento opens at the end and each scene leads all the back to the start, that's clever too.

The bright and cheery colors give way
to darker hues as the issue continues

"Tomboy" is a stellar first issue from Action Lab, a publisher whom I have been hard on sometimes, but which has something really great here. I'm thinking I should look more into their comics and see what else I might like which they put out. I would recommend you go out and buy the first issue of Tomboy, and issue #2 actually is out today too, so grab that while you're at it!
5 out of 5 stars.

Now That They've Had Some Days to Sink In, My Thoughts on Two Super-Hero Movie Trailers

Been Mulling It Over

Within just a few weeks of each other we have had two big movie trailers. The 2nd longer-length one for, "Batman VS Superman," and the first one (at least for public consumption, let's not count leaks) for, "Captain America: Civil War." Both look interesting and they each have me cautiously optimistic, with a certain concern I have for both.

Batman VS Superman

This latest trailer proved one thing for sure, namely that the movies set in the DC cinematic universe will in fact have some humor. That opening bit with Lex Luthor "introducing" our heroes to one another is just classic and helps me at least feel pretty sure that Jesse Eisenberg was a solid choice to play Luthor despite some initial concerns I saw expressed online by others (I like Eisenberg though, even with his somewhat significant number of haters).

Really, the opening of the trailer is just stellar, with its almost-winking-at-the-viewer acknowledgement of how we finally are seeing these two titans meet-up, with Wonder Woman appearing too at the end! Doomsday looks a little wonky but that doesn't worry me too much, as I imagine the fact he's a mish-mash of mad-scientist tinkering would result in it being he would look kind of, "Off."

Doomsday is my name,
I am aware I look like a reject Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

After my worries that this would be a purely dour affair full of misery and sadness I am thinking this may work out well. I mean, at this point it has to considering how much money DC has riding on this succeeding and leading into other films in their cinematic universe

Captain America VS Iron Man...I mean, Captain America: Civil War

This preview does a great job of both raising questions (just what terrible thing do people think Bucky/The Winter Soldier did) and laying-out clearly what is going to happen--namely,the heroes are going to come to blows over the concept of registering their identities/powers/etc. with the UN. Now, in the comics it was just a thing that heroes based in the United States had to register but this of course is a world with less heroes who do a lot of work around the globe so the concept works pretty well that the world would call for some control of heroes.

The main thing that will be interesting to see with the movie is if it will be able to take some of the ideas of the comics but make both viewpoints possible to agree with. In the comic-books it really was more of a case that Iron Man was right and acted like a jerk, and Captain America was wrong but less dickish about it. I also am pleased to see William Hurt back as the Marvel movies have kind of pretended that the Hulk film didn't happen which was a shame as Hurt was good as General Ross and his apparently new position as a Secretary of Defense (I think I read he's that) should be snazzy.

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier," was in my opinion probably the best Marvel flick made so far, so this one where Steve and Tony go head-to-head definitely has a lot to live up to. The Russo brothers who directed the latest film are behind this one too though, so I'm eager to see this for sure!

My Concern

I briefly popped up in the preview,
did you notice me?

One concern I have for both is that I'm hearing about these big casts for the movies, and while I of course wouldn't expect previews to show us too much, it makes one wonder how if they can't even given us a glimpse of some of the huge cast in a flick is it possible  they'll be able to jam everyone into a 2-hour film? Whether it is me hearing we could also see Cyborg and Aquaman in, "Batman VS Superman," or the confirmed big ol' cast for, "Captain America: Civil War," a viewer can't help but ponder how things will work. After all, "Avengers: Age of Ultron," felt a bit overloaded at times. I'll just have to wait and see how things shake out.

So yeah, I suppose time will tell how good or bad (hopefully not bad) each movie will be. As it stands though, those trailers are pretty fun.

"Fantasy Sports Number 1" is Pure Fun From Start to Finish!

Good Ol' Nobrow

As readers of the blog are aware, I've been a big fan of Tucker Stone and his writings/podcastings/etc. on popular culture and comic-books. He of course got a job with Nobrow and now chats with press folk like me as part of that job. Having spoken with him before and knowing he reads the blog now and then he has a pretty good idea what kind of comics I like. Therefore, when I got a copy of "Fantasy Sports Number 1" from him at the start of this week in the mail and it included a note where he said how he thought I would like the comic, I knew I needed to read it right away.

That is why despite having a stack of books, comics, and magazines I need to read that is literally as high as my waist, I put all those aside and delved into this book written and illustrated by Sam Bosma the same day it arrived at my doorstep. So, I'll just admit Tucker Stone knows me pretty well because I absolutely loved this book thanks to its gorgeous art and being really weird--but my kind of weird! Plus, it's mostly kid-friendly but appeals to a grown-up like me, that's another great aspect of this book! Still, you may be asking just what the book is actually about. Well....

What this Book is About

The title of the book actually describes things very well. This is a strange tome that takes a magical fantasy world and then throws sports into the mix. You see, a young girl known as Wiz-Kid--who also happens to be a wizard--is forced to work with a well-meaning but rageaholic dullard named Mug for a Mages Guild to acquire ancient magical artifacts. This results in them on one excursion eventually coming face-to-face with He of the Giant Steps--or just, "Steps," for short--an old Mummy that must be faced in combat to determine if our adventurers get the treasure or not. The form of combat he chooses? A basketball game. Yeah, you read that right.

Clearly from my description you can tell this is an incredibly quirky book, having a surreal world of magic co-existing with the classic pastime of basketball and coming together in a delightful way. Now, while the idea is clearly off-the-wall in a good way, it helps that writer-artist Sam Bosma also illustrates everything in a way that is delightful. With a look that the promotional material for the book itself describes as being reminiscent of, "1960's Manga," there is a feeling of a manga influence on this, but not so much as you feel like it ought to read right-to-left as manga does. It just is more of a manga flavor, with me really in fact getting the vibe of if a classic kid's movie like, "The Goonies," or, "E.T." suddenly was transferred into comic form with all the wonderment and excitement those films inspired (and the book discusses how another 80's classic, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," served as inspiration too).

You may have noted that both the movies I mentioned are from the 1980's, and that is because the book gives me that 80's vibe with its mixture of bombast, frenetic action, and sheer excitement that kid's movies feel like they used to have before turning into either excuses for product placement or the latest young-adult dystopian future-world novel made into a flick.

As a book that is friendly to younger readers other than a rude hand gesture and being violent at times (although most kids nowadays are so desensitized to all that it's a non-issue) this is something you could both read to your kids, or share with a fellow grown-up friend who likes comics. If a child reads this they'll enjoy the action, humor, and pep each page carries. Should an adult read this, they'll enjoy all that too but also probably get those nice warm waves of nostalgia I got when this made me reminiscence about my beloved classic movies and comics.

The only particular part of the comic I can think of that may give parents pause.
Well, that and the mummy getting really beat-up.

In conclusion "Fantasy Sports Number 1" really is pure fun from start to finish and a book I can wholeheartedly recommend to you, your kid, or anyone who enjoys comics. I'm not even a big sports fan necessarily and I loved how it incorporated that element into the story--that tells you all you need to know! So yeah, check this out, it's really, really awesome. My thanks to Nobrow and Tucker Stone for sending me such a great book to review!
5 out of 5 stars.

Note: As mentioned, a copy of this book was provided for the purpose of review.