Really Quick Review – 1872 #3 (Secret Wars Tie-In)

The third issue of Marvel’s western, 1872, arrived a week ago, and as the cover shows, we’re finally getting a little of the extraordinary nature of the Marvel heroes universe.  Following the shocking events of last issue, some of the resident of the town of Timely are in an uproar.  They’re tired of the violence and they want some stability and less corruption from their leaders.  Gerry Duggan and Nik Virella keep the story interesting, and in continuity with other events happening across Battleworld, but the flurry of action in the latter half of this issue happens a little too quickly.  The first half is relatively tame, and then things just explode and things go haywire.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does feel a little unnatural.  That being said, the fourth and final issue of this story should be something pretty spectacular.

The Verdict for 1872 #3:
4/5 – I can dig it.

If you like this review, or any of my others, don’t forget to subscribe!

Until next time,
Stay nerdy, my friends.

Upcoming reviews:
Captain America: White #2
Hail Hydra #3 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
Weirdworld #4 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
X-Men ’92 #4 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
Ghost Racers #4 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
Squarriors #4
RunLoveKill, Volume 1
Crimson Peak (Movie)

Review – Captain America: White #1

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are back with the newest installment in their Marvel “Colors” series with Captain America: White.  This mini-series sets out to examine in detail the time immediately after Cap woke up from being frozen in ice for several decades, as well as the Star-Spangled Avenger’s relationship with his teenage sidekick, Bucky.  The first issue depicts that very wake-up scene from the early days of the Avengers, and the moment that Steve was told by Nick Fury that Bucky didn’t make it through the war.  He then reminisces on their time working together during the height of the war.  I’ll be completely honest, this is my first foray into the work of Loeb and Sale, but I’ve heard great things about their other Marvel works, so I thought I’d give this one a shot.

Loeb’s writing is interesting here.  As with many good Captain America stories, there’s a significant amount of introspection from the character.  Cap is the soldier out of his own time, and that is at the forefront here as he struggles to deal with waking up in a strange place surrounded by people he doesn’t know.  He has a lot to think about, and it shows, particularly after he’s confronted with Bucky’s Medal of Honor and he goes into his memories.  He blames himself for his sidekick not making it back, and throughout the extended flashback that is obviously a tremendous weight that he still carries on his shoulders.  Loeb does a good job with the character here, making his dialogue introspective and thoughtful, without ever coming across as mopey.  Honestly, my only real complaint is that it ended too quickly, but I guess that’s what issue #2 is for.  Marvel also justifies the cover price of this one by including the previously published issue #0, a nice touch.

I feel like Tim Sale’s art is the real star of the issue.  The style has a vague, dream-like quality to it that comes across like a memory being recalled, and also acts as a nice throwback to the art style of older Captain America comics.  The other effect that it has is being reminiscent of the propaganda posters from the era of World War II, which again, just adds a nice and authentic quality to the story.  Putting the Avengers in their original costumes during the opening scene was also a really nice touch.  And the massive two page splash image near the middle of the issue is simply beautiful.  Kudos to colorist Dave Stewart as well for putting together such a marvelous palette.

Overall, this first issue was really good, if a bit short.  As nice as it was to have issue #0 tacked onto the end of the book, I think I would have preferred for an actual double sized issue #1 to get this story kicked off.  That being said, I’m really looking forward to the rest of this mini-series.

The Verdict for Captain America: White #1:
4/5 – I can dig it.

If you like this review, or any of my others, don’t forget to subscribe!

Until next time,
Stay nerdy, my friends.

Upcoming reviews:
Captain America: White #2
1872 #3 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
Weirdworld #4 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
RunLoveKill, Volume 1
Crimson Peak (Movie)

Review – Tokyo Ghost #1

Rick Remender and Sean Murphy tell the story of a future Los Angeles where everyone is so plugged into their phones and the internet that they barely notice what goes on in the world around them.  On top of that, a ruthless crime kingpin has figured out how to hack into someone’s neural implant in order to make anyone work for him.  And did I mention that he views life as one giant video game, where each new murder and violent act gets him one step closer to his all time high score?  Pretty bleak picture of the future, eh?  Well, fear not, because there are still some people fighting on the side of good.  Constable Debbie Decay, the lone person who is not plugged in, and her ‘roided out boyfriend Led Dent, who is completely plugged into the net, are working to put an end to the string of violence.

Remender’s writing is pretty solid here.  There’s a lot going on, and tons of text boxes and dialogue balloons, but it’s a reflection of the story’s setting, and how everything is so completely distracting.  Speaking of the setting, the dystopian future L.A. with its death races and criminals roaming freely is pretty spectacular to see, but we’ll get back to that in a minute.  Remender creates a world where practically anything goes, and no one really cares so long as they don’t ever become unplugged.  It’s a scathing social commentary of where we could be heading in the not too distant future.  With so much going on at once, I did find certain sections of the issue to be a little difficult to read, but again, it’s all part of the atmosphere that completely immerses you in the story.

Sean Murphy’s art is brilliant.  The city is dark, gritty, and dirty.  Advertisements and TV monitors litter the landscape, making it impossible to get away from some sort of stimulation at any given time.  It’s like an uglier, angrier version of the L.A. from Blade Runner.  Murphy does an amazing job in conveying just how nasty and dangerous this world is, and after reading the first issue, it kind of made me want to take a shower.

All in all, the first issue of Tokyo Ghost didn’t completely knock me off my feet, and I did genuinely feel like parts were hard to read through because of all the text in each panel, but it’s definitely a solid start to what looks like it is going to be a very interesting story.  Previews for issue #2 have me looking forward to checking the rest of this one out.

The Verdict for Tokyo Ghost #1:
4/5 – I can dig it.

If you like this review, or any of my others, don’t forget to subscribe!

Until next time,
Stay nerdy, my friends.

Upcoming reviews:
Captain America: White #1
1872 #3 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
Weirdworld #4 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
RunLoveKill, Volume 1
Crimson Peak (Movie)

Really Quick Review – Secret Wars Journal #5

The final issue of Secret Wars Journal gives us one serious story involving the Night Nurse playing a more heroic role in the Wasteland, then a comedic story of Mill-E the Model Citizen as she tries to build support for Doom’s regime.  Both of them are actually pretty good.  The Mill-E one is kind of silly, but still entertaining, which is always more important in my opinion.  The story about the Night Nurse is intense to say the least, which is probably why it made the cover of the issue.  The art in both stories is also great.  For a series that started out kind of shaky, it definitely got better with each issue and I think this final issue might just be the best of the bunch.

The Verdict for Secret Wars Journal #5:
4/5 – I can dig it.

If you like this review, or any of my others, don’t forget to subscribe!

Until next time,
Stay nerdy, my friends.

Upcoming reviews:
Captain America: White #1
1872 #3 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
Weirdworld #4 (Secret Wars Tie-In)
Tokyo Ghost #1
RunLoveKill, Volume 1