Tag: Pull List

Maxwell’s Mini Reviews: Chained Gun Vol. 1

I recently got around to reading Chained Gun Vol.1, a graphic novel created by Donny Morris and published by LGM books. Upon first glance, CG didn’t look spectacular, but then again most gems don’t. Chained Gun tells the story of Gallie “The Gun” a freed slave living in the American West. Our hero was raised by a mysterious man along with other orphan’s who were experimented on for the purpose of evolution. He and two of his adopted siblings escape, then join the union army during the civil war. They gain fame as great warriors, but Donovan Taft, one of the trio, betrays their allies,killing their whole platoon save for Gallie and his bother Ghost Hawk. Gallie, who stands accused of the crime, must now fight to clear his name and finally gain his freedom.
 

Hits:
 + The art perfectly sets the tone of the world.
 + Gallie’s character is cool and sympathetic.    
 + Adalina is a strong female character.
 + Story compels and engages 

Misses:

–  Art is at times inconsistent and hard to follow.
–Donovan’s betrayal is never explained. 

Rating: 4/5

 You can purchase Chained Gun Vol 1 on Amazon.com

Preview: Askari Hodari

Writer: Glenn Brewer

Artist: Glenn Brewer

Publisher: Glenn Brewer

Askari Hodari is the story of three men fighting crime, poverty, and inequality in the fictional city of New Buscoll.   For years, the underworld of New Buscoll was run by the Giovanni crime family.  The drug trade flourished.  Violent crimes and poverty plagued the city until the arrival of Dietrick Romellus and the Askari Hodari.  Dietrick resurrected the organization that his father began and set out to rid New Buscoll of the Giovanni’s.  Armed with high tech armor, ammunition and veiled in anonymity, the three men began to chip away at the Giovanni Empire.  

  
 

Maxwell’s Mini Review: Battle Masterz # 1

 
Over the weekend, I got around to looking for little known, but impressive looking black creator owned comics. In my search, I happened upon Battle Masterz, created by Antuan, Sha, and Roland Broussard. BM is the story of Rymz. A man gifted with the lyrical prowess of Rakim, and the reality altering abilities of Scarlet Witch. These gifts put him on the radar of Plague, a secret organization with bad intentions. Our hero is assisted in his evasion of Plague by Delilah, a cabbie who is as beautiful as she is deadly. This femme fatale is tasked with aiding our boy into the near future.

The book looks incredible. The art done by, Ivan Anaya, Katrina Alberto, and Sherwin Santiago harkens back to the golden days of Capcom. The writing does the same, unfortunately Capcom was never known for storytelling . The vignettes that make up the book are a bit jarring and towards the end, they’re just plain confusing. It’s a case of beautiful art hampered by writing. The idea of hip hop as a weapon and a means to change the world for the better is a good idea. However, the overall delivery was hurt by the message, and ultimately the book. You can buy this book at Battlemasterz.com
Rating: 2.5/5

Foreign Matter: Vol 1 Review Or In the Air

Previously…

A while back, during my first excursion into comics, I searched for examples of successful indie books. What worked, what didn’t and how others were building their fan base. In my search, I stumbled upon a comic called Foreign Matter, a story about the media, perception and what would happen if superheroes actually existed.

Situation

At the start of the book, the reader is treated to an article about a confrontation between Virtus, FM’s version of Superman, and Acturon, an atomic monster. The article details the battle and gives us a bit of insight into how the world views Metaheroes, as they’re called. Cut to a zombie attack in Champion city, a fictional metropolis akin to, well Metropolis. Here we’re introduced to the Champion Coalition, this worlds Justice League analog, complete with crime fighting billionaire, Phantasm Prime, and the seasoned Amazonian warrior, Femina. A number of other colorful characters such as the robotic genius Cranium Case and the genetically altered Gentleman who is as poetic as he is ferocious, round out the team. When our heroes discover that the source of the undead disturbance is Salma, a young woman unfortunate enough to open Pandora’s Box, a series of events unfold that expose the hero’s, vulnerabilities, short-comings and most of all their humanity.

Story

What writer Martin John has done in this comic, is take beloved superhero arch-types and made them fun again. Not unlike the hyper-violence of the Authority or the over sexed heroes in The Boys, John shrouds his characters in drama. From the moonlit rendezvous of Virtus and Femina, to the roof top intervention of Phantasm Prime, we have a recipe for a good reality T.V. show. However, drama isn’t the books only draw as members of the Coalition begin to die and Virtus’ mysterious origins come back to haunt him. The thing I love most about this story, is how it uses media, mainly fake ads and blogs, to inform the reader about the world without the need for exposition. That brings me to another great thing about the world of Foreign Matter, and that is ‘superhero as celebrity’. There seem to be whole careers built upon the coverage of Metahero/ Methuman activity, both in and out of the crime fighting world. This angle makes the book feel like a fresh take, instead of a Supreme Power rip-off.

Pictures

German Ponce’s ability to add realism to a fantastic landscape is another reason I dig FM. From the intricate designs on Pandora’s box, to Cranium Case’s various metal caprices, to the luscious lips on Femina , this world looks real. That being said I’d love to see this comic in color at some point and hope that both John and Ponce have that in the works. My only issue is that some background designs look like they were borrowed from other comics, such as the creatures wreaking havoc on the city.

The Real

The biggest impression I get from Foreign Matter, is that John and Ponce took time to develop it. From the story to the character designs, this doesn’t have all the tell-tale markings of a rushed indie book. On the contrary, it seems to be an attempt at the big leagues and if this is just the beginning, I cannot wait to see what else they have in store for us. You can pick up this book on Amazon.com or on Foreignmattercomics.com
Rating: 5/5

 

Watson and Holmes #1 Print Edition Review Or Uptown Saturday Night

Previously…

Last year upstart publisher New Paradigm Studioslaunched their digital comic book series Watson and Holmes. It was a modern re-imagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic characters with a new twist: the lead roles were African-American. The   series was enjoyable and after hearing they were releasing a print version of the first issue (including a few extras) I had no choice but to take a look.  

 

Situation

We open up with medical intern, Jon Watson at the hospital, attempting to save the life of a newborn found in a dumpster. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse and the child dies, just as young man is wheeled into the ER on a stretcher. Watson learns that besides being severely beaten, the victim has overdosed on drugs. This is where we’re introduced to the second part of our duo as Holmes enters, and informs Watson that the patient had overdosed on truth serum. Their fateful meeting leads to a mystery involving a gang member’s kidnapped sister, an exclusive nightclub that’s never in the same place twice and a group of mercenaries who may hail from Watson’s stint in the Afghan war. After finding out Holmes is not affiliated with law enforcement of any kind, Watson is left to wonder what his newfound partner’s motivations are.

Story

Writer Karl Bollers does a good job of us making us feel for our narrator (Jon Watson) right off the bat. His narration captures the essence of a compassionate man dedicated to helping people. Holmes’ hunger for mystery is a fixture of the character; it’s what he does, if not who he is. Holmes, especially in this incarnation, is almost an enigmatic force of nature, embodying the conundrums he attempts to solve. Watson, on the other hand, is a normal man who fought in the Afghan war, has a normal job as well as a family, and is swept up in the story’s mystery like a leaf in the wind. Bollers has not only constructed a good story but also asked one of the most important internal questions and that is “What drives a man?”

Pictures

Rick Leonardi does a great job of visually telling this story, and though I’ve read the comic in digital format, the print version is even more beautifully done. The pacing of the art on the page adds emotional weight to scenes (i.e. when Watson and co. fail to save the newborn) and a high-octane, adrenaline-fueled rush during chase scenes. Paul Mendoza’s color looks like a work from the Harlem Renaissance, using earthy colors that give an urban feel without looking grimy. GURUEFX’s digital re-master adds touches to the art that help the story come to life.

The Real

I never thought I’d say this, but the print version of Watson and Holmes is actually cooler than the digital version. There is something refreshing about the tone of this series and it’s not just that the main characters are African-American, but the way they’re portrayed as well. When contemporary comics feature underrepresented groups, they end up falling into categories that become caricatures; this story avoids that and makes them people, who happen to be African-American. That said, there are no questions of authenticity here either, as the characters keep certain cultural nuances that remind us where we are in the story and where the characters come from.  Watson and Holmes # 1 is now available at your local comic shop.
Rating 5/5

Rachaun Rogers Review: NoWhere Men

 (RRR)  NoWhere  Men issues 1 & 2

Writer: Eric Stephenson
Art: Nate Bellegarde & Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: Image Comics

“Science is the new rock and roll.” Or what would happen if three of the four Beatles and Jim Hendrix decided to reshape the world with science instead of music. That is the impression I got from  NoWhere men originally and with high hopes I picked up a copy of issue 1. Here we’re introduced to the main characters Emerson Strange, Dade Ellis, Simon Grimshaw and Thomas Walker who got together and formed World Corps, which propelled them to rock star status on the world stage. I love the way Stephenson uses little articles in the back of the story to create the notion that these men could just as easily be on the cover of rolling stone as they could popular science. What I don’t particularly like is the fact that I really am not sure where the story’s going and maybe that is by design but it feels like there are things that we should know and don’t. A perfect example of this is a scene in, which the group is talking about the morals and ethics of their scientific ventures and then we are introduced to a whole new group of characters almost out of nowhere. Which brings me to my next issue with the story, we are introduced to the characters in the space station we aren’t given any real reason to care about. Sure there is a possible romance blooming somewhere in there, but other than that if these people died I couldn’t see why that would matter and that is a key element of storytelling in my eyes. Maybe I have to keep reading to gain that sense of connection with the characters but I don’t know if I’ll be around long enough to get there. On the plus side I’m a sucker for superscience and I like Stephensons notion to turn into pop culture. The Art by the Bellegrade and Bellaire does a really good job at setting the feel for the comic, everything is clean and and the use of colors do a good job at maintaining a Sci-fi pop culture look. 

This is Comic gets 3 R’s out of 5.

Pull List: Single Issue

Beyond Comics presents the first in the ALL SHADES OF GREY series LIFE AND DEATH IN PARADISE ,a graphic novel set on the beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados.A gritty story with a mix of action and drama all brought to life with colourful visuals of the island paradise. Follow the mix of characters as they cross paths in this world where things aren’t so black and white.

For Mature Audiences

Story by Nigel Lynch and illustrated by Matthew Clarke.