Comic Reviews

iZombie #16 – Review

iZombie by
Chris Roberson and Mike Allred has always been one of those comics I looked
at, picked up, paged through, and put it down. I adopted the “I’ll get around
to that one later” mentality. I’m slowly starting to realize how much of a
mistake I’ve been making.

The series follows Gwen Dylan, a grave digger who
must eat a human brain in order for her to not lose her memories. This, in turn, gives her the memories and feelings of the human whose brain she last ingested.
Gwen proceeds to fulfill the deceased brains’ last requests, accompanied by her
best friend Eleanor, a sassy ghost from the sixties. Along the way she meets
vampires with paintball guns, hot mummies, and were-dogs with crushes on
certain protagonists.

The Infinite #1 – Review

Time
travel is one of the few tropes I doubt I’ll ever feel is overused.
With any story that needs that extra something, whether it’s new or
running its course, if you throw some time travel in there then suddenly
there’s something entirely new. Remember how if Marty McFly interacted
with his older self, a paradox would rip a hole in the universe? Well,
luckily that isn’t the case with The Infinite, where a sour
protagonist teams up with his younger self in order to fight the good
fight. This is something I have really never seen before. Way too often
are time travel storylines chained under the tyrannical rule of time
paradoxes.

Spawn #209 – Review

That’s right, Spawn
is still around. I know. I was surprised too. Although the attention of
its creator has been elsewhere as of late, the comic that Todd
McFarlane built is still going. With over two hundred issues and nearly
two decades of history, is the indie favorite still relevant or has the
whole thing just gone to Hell?

Spawn
is the story of a decent guy named Al Simmons who died and went to
Hell. Literally. So literally, in fact, that he gained the powers of a
Hellspawn and returned to Earth to kick a little ass, make a little
love, and declare war against Heaven, Hell, and anyone who messes with
the homeless. Except Al Simmons isn’t Spawn anymore. For those who have
not been keeping track, Al has taken on a new role in Hell and has left
his powers and costume to amnesiac Jim Downing. As the new protagonist
Jim struggles to not only fight enemies from above and below, he’s also
trying to learn just what his powers are and why he got them.

Malignant Man #4 – Review

The thrilling conclusion to this four-part sci-fi thriller – written by the mind that created the acclaimed horror film Saw –
has a rocky finished product.  The action is the best you can find in
modern comics, but the dialogue between the characters is flimsy with
Alan’s character seemingly forgetting his established character traits
for a more macho man approach that results in some cool, but
uncharacteristic, moments.  It feels slightly rushed with poor artwork
and uncreative plot points, but still has some spurts of creativity.

Alan
and Sara arrive at Dr. Ezra’s lab only to find everyone dead and
discover Mr. Cancer is responsible.  After sharing a touching moment
while mourning Ezra’s death, Alan and Sara take the fight to Mr.
Cancer’s home base until the final showdown between Alan and Mr. Cancer
begins.

Infestation Outbreak #1 – Review

Vampires,
vampires everywhere, and plenty of blood to drink. It has been said
before, by me, if memory serves, that these days it seems like you can’t
change the channel, browse a comic rack, or download a game without
tripping over a vampire or two. The only undead fantasy monster there
might be more of are zombies. IDW’s Outbreak series has both. In an over-saturated market, are these the monsters you’re looking for?

Doctor Who #7 – Review

Doctor Who #7 is a decent addition to the sci-fi library of comics but is cluttered with problems.  The issue fails to bring the same charm the popular show has with characters lacking an interesting spark.  There are still great intellectual elements and the design of the Tardis and other dimensions are creative, but the overall art is not detailed enough, especially regarding the characters.  Still, the story is solid and the Doctor is fun – and he’s gotten himself into another mess, of course.

The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde #4 – Review

It took a bit for this issue to sink in after reading it the first time. Not because I didn’t like it, but because it just didn’t feel as spectacular as the last issue. Of course part of the problem is that it’s a comic narrative and you can’t have all of your reveals fall to the end like you would typically in film or television. The story’s conclusion is still very rewarding and solidifies the series as one of the best of the year for sure.

Undying Love #4 – Review

Undying Love
is the most creative new spin on vampire lore. It has surprisingly
good action coupled with powerful creativity and the relationship
between the two protagonists is starting to feel more natural and real.
The art has some nice touches, but many more mediocre moments. Mei and John are attacked by a horde of shape-shifting vampires in the guise of ravens (like from The Birds
but a thousand times deadlier). With the use of charms the two manage
to evade them for a while but still need help from a strong, familiar
face.
The
way John defends himself in this issue, with charms rather than guns,
is much more interesting than the first three issues where he would just
rashly use a gun. The actions in those issues did not feel like true
vampire action and was not coordinated well. It all seemed like an
attempt to beef up John into the stereotypical macho-man. This issue
shows writers Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman know how to sculpt John
into a character that is more than the macho-man, a technique fully
realized in this issue. His use of charms in an attempt to avoid a
fight and show more Chinese lore establishes how familiar John has made
himself with the techniques, and that he has skill in his mind as well
as his body. Don’t expect gunplay, but actual thought.

All Nighter #2 – Review

This series is a combination of teenage drama, weird and somewhat interesting characters and more teenage drama. All Nighter feels like the perfect comic for teenage girls and is an oddity on the shelves. Kit is a teenager with normal issues – school, her crush dating her friend and the murder of her mother by the hitman Kit hired still fresh in her mind. Just a normal teenage life with a few twists thrown in, as well as a new roommate who isolates herself from everyone with a secret.

Marineman #6 – Review

Upon looking at an issue of Marineman, you would be forgiven for thinking it to be a blatant Aquaman rip off. A muscular blonde dude who wears orange and swims? Okay, let’s be honest, there is, at the very least, a fair deal of inspiration taken from the DC Comics hero. Fortunately, Marineman is not as derivative as it seems on first glance and is not wholly without its charms.