Tag: comiccollector

Top 5 Releases of 2019 (So Far!)

Alright, it’s June!!! Halfway thought the year, and we have so many exciting new releases already. I wanted to take the time to tell you what I’m currently freaking out over and what has my full attention.

5. METALSHARK BRO by Bob Frantz, Kevin Cuffe, & Walt Ostlie

This new Scout Comics release was only sold as a single issue, with the rest of the story being released as a trade on July 31st this year. It’s a really fun story about a Shark who eats a man who’s meant to claim all the souls that pledged allegiance to Satan. As punishment, the Shark becomes anthropomorphized and has to kill all the people who swore their lives to Satan. Until he is done with his task, he can’t become a regular shark again. The premise for this comic is wild, and it’s a very entertaining read.

4. GHOST TREE by Bobby Curnow & Simon Gale

This IDW series is a four-part mini that tells the story of a man who returns to his grandpa’s house 10 years after his death to meet beneath a certain tree, like his grandfather asked of him. When he arrives at the tree, he sees his grandfather’s ghost — along with all of his ancestors! It’s a really beautiful story that has a suspenseful arc underlying the main plot. We’re only half way through, so my eyes are glued to the calendar as I await issue #3. 

3. BATMAN: LAST KNIGHT ON EARTH by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo

I consider Snyder and Capullo to be legendary Batman creators at this point; their stamp is firmly set onto the history of Batman. This is the last dance, the final hurrah, the curtain call for Snyder and Capullo. Of course, they’re going to hit us with some crazy plot to put Bruce Wayne through the ringer. Only one issue in and I am chomping at the bit to get the next issue. (Don’t be surprised if you see this on my end of the year list.)

2. SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY by Chip Zdarsky & Mark Bagley

This is an amazing read. Go get it right now if you haven’t. This is not your typical Spidey story. Chip Zdarsky masterfully weaves modern American history into a history of Spider-Man told in real time. The book is cute, and funny at first, right up until the end of issue one when Flash Thompson volunteers to go fight in the Vietnam War. Don’t be surprised if you cry while reading. 

DAREDEVIL by Chip Zdarsky & Marco Checcetto

I consider this to be the best book out right now. Matt Murdock is framed for murder. It isn’t clear if he did or he didn’t commit the crime. Matt certainly doesn’t think he did, and that fact that even readers aren’t sure yet makes you feel so involved with the story. Additionally, Marco Checcetto’s interior work is some of the best Daredevil art I’ve ever seen. On top of that smorgasbord of awesome, the always-incredible Julian Tedesco is drawing the covers. If anything else I hope that by end of this read you pick up Daredevil. Trust me it’s the best thing out right now and you can take that straight to the bank!

Review of QUEEN OF BAD DREAMS #1 from Vault Comics

8.5 / 10 Rating

MADAME XANADU Homage Variant, Michael Kulata

What’s QUEEN OF BAD DREAMS about?

Set far enough into the future where flying cars are no big deal, QUEEN OF BAD DREAMS is about a woman who decides the fate of dream entities (called figments) who’ve “dropped” into the real world.

The hero of the story, Daher Wei, is the model employee at the Morphean Annex, the organization that handles all issues related to figments. As an Inspector Judge, she decides if the figments are reinserted into dreams, given residency in the waking world, or are neutralized.

Inspector Judge Daher Wei on the job.

Don’t sleep on QUEEN OF BAD DREAMS #1

In issue one, a particularly powerful figment named Ava escapes from the imagination of a man named Emerson Chase. He’s the son of an influential councilwoman, whose family has a complicated relationship with the Morphean Annex. For years, Ava’s protected him from nightmares, but she seems to have new priorities. Judge Wei’s job is to determine if Ava has enough agency to be granted a life beyond the confines of Chase’s mind.

Chase’s dream figment, Ava, has escaped into the world.

In issue two of QUEEN OF BAD DREAMS, we’ll likely learn more about Ava, why she escaped, and how Emerson Chase is one of those “Men who fall apart when you challenge their worldview,” according to the narrator, Daher’s ex-wife, Viv. The purpose of Ava’s character, it seems, is to say that certain figments have the same humanity as people — or even more. The QoBD series will be five issues long.

My opinion

Jordi Pérez (inks) and Dearbhla Kelly (colors) work together to create trippy, dreamlike art with a wobbly fisheye-lens quality.

Written by Danny Lore, the plot and relationships between characters are brimming with possibility. As a queer woman, I’m especially interested to learn more about Daher and Viv’s former marriage beyond the work-life balance issues. For such a unfamiliar world, the writing about it was clear. There was one scene, however, between Daher and her partner, West, that was tough to follow.

I’m looking forward to issue #2, releasing next week on May 29.

Queen of Bad Dreams Issue #2 cover

EXCELLENCE #1 by Skybound Comics and Image Comics

BY : Reece Guida

Rating: 9/10

EXCELLENCE is an action-fantasy story about a young man, his complicated relationship with his father, their magical lineage, and the complications that legacy brings.

Spencer Dales is a descendant of one of the original ten magical bloodlines. After a youth spent struggling to master magic (and disappointing his father), he is finally a rising member of the Aegis — a sacred order of black magicians who secretly protect the “deserving” people of the world.

But Spencer finds himself at odds with the obligation of his heritage and their questionable guiding principles.

The rock-solid world-building in book one lays the foundation for writer Brandon Thomas to ask tough questions. Why does the Aegis only protect “the deserving,” and not the vulnerable? Why aren’t females allowed to use magic? The art is also masterfully done. Khary Randolph renders mind-blowing action sequences alongside quieter expressions of pain, making every panel feel raw and personal.

Brought to life by a creative team consisting entirely of people of color, EXCELLENCE dares to question why things are the way they are, and proposes that what is doesn’t have to be.