Tag: indiecomics

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

Review of 4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK Chapter 1 by Black Mask Studios

4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK Stray Dog red homage cover

9.5/10 Rating

What’s 4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK about?

The title, 4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK, makes the series sound like the start of a convoluted dad joke. In actuality, 4KWIB is a well wrought crime / humor story written by Matthew Rosenberg (of UNCANNY X-MEN) about kids, the awkward middle-school years, friendship, family, and the bank heist of a lifetime. First published in 2016, Chapter 1 is part of the five issue mini-series, which has recently been optioned for the movies — and with good reason.

Why is this comic worth your time?

The first installment of this gloriously quirky 1980s caper has all the ingredients for a successful big screen adaptation that will remind readers of Stranger Things and Wes Anderson flicks.

In the first pages of Chapter 1, the four kids are playing Dungeons & Dragons in an ephemeral action sequence masterfully illustrated by Tyler Boss. By the end of the issue, they’re grounded in a strange reality where they’re spying on a bunch of ex-cons who saved them from some schoolyard jocks…and also just barged into one of their homes.

  • Four goons strut into Paige’s house unannounced.

Rosenberg and letterer Thomas Mauer imbue each kid with a comically distinct personality, making me feel like I knew all the inside jokes and was part of the group. This doesn’t happen a lot. I just finished Y: THE LAST MAN — 11 years late, I know — and as emotionally attached as I was to Yorick’s journey, I felt like the dialogue for every character had the same wit and sarcasm, which was really just the voice of author Brian K Vaughan. Rosenberg’s writing doesn’t suffer from that monotony.

  • The dialogue is hilarious, unique, and almost audible.

By the end of Chapter 1 of 4KWIB, you’ll have enjoyed some quality laughs, be in complete admiration of Paige (the group leader / badass wonder child), and need to know what the hell is going on with her dad and these unruly ex-cons. You’ll want to read Chapter 2 ASAP.

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.