[Zacharie]

Title: Blackest Night Batman (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Pete Tomasi (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Dan Phillips (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Fans are in for a hell of a ride."
Review: Blackest Night: Batman #1

The first of Blackest Night's main tie-in series debuts.

Is there a more divisive and complicated topic in all of mainstream superhero comics than the question of event tie-ins?

Fans want an event's supplementary books to be worthwhile and important to the main story, but feel slighted when they're forced to buy too many books in order to follow along. They want an event to feel massive and epic, yet they balk whenever it consumes too much of their favorite fictional universe. To date, neither Marvel nor DC has been able to arrive at the perfect middle ground, and for that reason, the subject of tie-ins is one of the first things fans bring up whenever the latest crossover/event is announced. Blackest Night has been no exception.

On the heels of Blackest Night's first tie-in miniseries, the disappointing Tales of the Corps, comes Blackest Night: Batman, the first of a line of three-part miniseries designed to flesh out DC's latest event in a way that Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps won't. Upon the announcement of these projects, fans had little idea how these tie-ins would work alongside Geoff Johns' main story other than that they'd feature certain main characters like Batman, Superman and the Titans. The most logical comparison to draw right off the bat was with Secret Invasion's similarly titled supplementary books such as Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man and Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four, which accomplished virtually nothing other than to remind readers that these characters were at least up to something during the Skrull's invasion of Earth.

From the looks of Blackest Night: Batman #1, DC has a lot more in mind for these tie-ins. In other words: so far, so good.


Blackest Night: Batman has one very important thing going for it: its main character has yet to appear in Blackest Night proper. This means the book doesn't feel the least bit derivative, and it allows Peter Tomasi to add something new to the greater picture of Blackest Night – namely Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne's emotional response to the burgeoning crisis. The issue proves that, at the very least, these tie-in miniseries have been well thought out, leaving talented writers like Tomasi the room to add some emotional and dramatic weight to this story.

More importantly, the issue also manages to reveal a little about Blackest Night's central mystery through the use of Deadman, meaning it's a tad more than just emotional padding. As many have already realized, Boston Brand's involvement in Blackest Night immediately calls to question the exact nature of the Black Lanterns, and the way his spirit struggles with his possessed and resurrected body in this issue does a wonderful job of heightening the intrigue of this question without answering it outright.

But above all else, Blackest Night: Batman is a fantastic exploration of the new Batman and Robin. By focusing on Dick and Damien's unique emotional responses to the sight Bruce Wayne's dug-up corpse and the possible resurrection of their loved ones, Tomasi is able to say a lot about the characters. Damien in particular really shines as a complex character in this issue, the highlight of the book coming when Boston Brand makes some pointed observations about the troubled kid after possessing his body.

The art, by Ardian Saef, is traditional superhero stuff, but his steady and capable visuals are definitely nothing to frown upon. With the help of inkers John Dell and Vicente Cifuentes and colorist Nei Ruffino, Saef brings a suitably dark, horrific look to the book, making the story feel very much like a terrifying nightmare.

For fans worried about how Blackest Night tie-ins will work moving forward, Blackest Night: Batman should go along way towards easing many concerns. If the rest of the event's tie-ins turn out to be this strong and worthwhile, fans are in for a hell of a ride.

More info:

Art by Ardian Saef
Inkers: John Dell and Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist: Nei Ruffino

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Mighty Crusaders Special (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Eric Trautmann and Brandon Jerwa (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Zack Freeman (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" I highly recommend you pick this up."
Review:

The Mighty Crusaders reform, for the first time, as the Web, Inferno, the Hangman, the Shield and others fight for a strange, mystical "portable safe."

The Good
I've criticized comics for being too "retro" in the past, but the description is most definitely a positive for this comic. This reminds me of why I loved reading superhero adventures as a kid in the first place. It's just solid fun from cover to cover, keeping things simple while still keeping things smart. Since this was a "jam" issue, I'm not sure who to properly credit, but the overall tone of the book - - taking the plot seriously enough so you could get behind it while still celebrating the ludicrousness of all these costumed tropes - - reminds me in the best way of Grant Morrison's more whimsical works like All-Star Superman and Seaguy. Every joke worked, every spill took me by surprise, every fight had the right amount of punch. Pina's art was just gorgeous, perfectly capturing the fun and sun vibe of this book and handling the updated looks of all these characters rather slickly. Actually, the "updating" was pretty seamless, because the character files were quite helpful in getting you up to speed. In a pleasantly surprising way, they actually added to the rhyme of the pacing. And I have to say that "portable safe" was a surprisingly intriguing concept, mixing some secret history conspiracies with a genuinely crazy gimmick. Just wow... I couldn't help smiling after reading this.

The Bad
Things get a wee uninteresting once Project Liberty gets on the scene and starts figuring out how these guys are going to factor in to their secret program, but that only last for about two pages.

The Verdict - 4.5/5
I'm almost shocking myself that I'm giving this so high a rating, because I didn't think it was going to be that great when I saw it on the shelf. I haven't picked up any of the specials and minis featuring the Archie Comics heroes and I've been skeptical about why DC would want to integrate these characters who've had so much trouble grabbing readers' lasting attention. So, again, I'm surprised as anybody that this proved to be as much a bang for my buck as it did. Young and old, seasoned fan and fresh newbie alike... I highly recommend you pick this up.

More info:

Story by Eric Trautmann and Brandon Jerwa
Art by Julian Lopez, John Lucas
Colors by John Kalisz
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover by Stanley Lau

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Mary Jane: Homecoming (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Sean McKeever (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: R.J. Carter (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Homecoming may help a new audience come home to comics."
Review: Mary Jane: Homecoming #1

Back in the 70s, someone got the idea to give the superhero's girlfriend her own comic. Sure, the superhero showed up more than his fair share given that he wasn't the supposed star, but Lois Lane managed to carry the series for well over 100 issues.

Not a bad run, all told.

This go-round, it's Mary Jane Watson, the love interest of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man who takes center stage. Of course we all know that MJ ends up having a super-hero webbing... er... wedding in the end, but this series sets her back in her high school days. And believe me, there's a lot more drama to be had in the halls of a city high school than in any great metropolitan newspaper office.

This is the start of Mary Jane's second miniseries, and as one might surmise from the title, it's all about the Homecoming dance. MJ's beau is Harry Osborne, and she's looking forward to attending the event with him. But there's a problem: Harry's grades have been slipping, and his overbearing father thinks it's because Harry has been spending too much time with extracurricular activities. Specifically with one extracurricular activity--Mary Jane. And if the grades don't come up, there will be no Homecoming dance for Harry.


Mary Jane's idea is to tutor Harry with his physics; but if Peter Parker, boy genius, can't help Harry, then Harry has little hope that MJ can (especially when a study session involves a whole lot of kissing, and little-to-no studying.) Harry would rather move ahead with a plan of his own: cheating. And when he and MJ are held after class for note-passing, Harry has the perfect opportunity--he just needs a tiny little bit of help from Mary Jane. But will she give it? And what's up with her friend Liz's reaction when MJ asks her about her feelings on the matter?

Several times through the years I've heard of attempts to bring more female readership to comics. The answer has almost always been to provide another superhero book that does little to appeal to female interests other than to have a female lead. Mary Jane: Homecoming succeeds where others have failed. Yes, there's a superhero in the book, but only tangentially. The focus of the book is more on the intricacies and complications of romance, friendship, and day-to-day life. A winning combination, told in compelling narrative embellished with the manga influence. The only problem now is distribution--getting the book into the hands of the intended readers so that they'll become customers.

Recommendation: Homecoming may help a new audience come home to comics.

More info:

Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Takeshi Miyazawa

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: TESTAMENT (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Douglas Rushkoff (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Scott A. Riddle (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Looking forward to rereading them again."
Review: First 9 issues

Testament is a book about Humanity and Gods and the struggle between Evil and Good. The book moves seamlessly between three different times and planes of existence, which are Modern Present time (but it is set slightly in the future), Past Historical Biblical time, and the supernatural Realm of the Gods.

In the modern/future present time there are three major events taking place. One being the fact that the government requires that people have computer chips implanted in their bodies. The second is the emergence of artificial intelligence that has been created by a computer scientist but unfortunately has escaped from his computer into the Internet. The third event is a major corporation is beginning a move to usurp power by changing currency/money into a new very different form that I don't believe has been revealed yet but it sounds very spooky.

So basically there are college aged radicals who have refused to have the chips implanted and are living outside the law. One of these is the son of the creator of the computer chips, who when creating them had no notion that the government would actually use the chips beyond what he or most others believed was acceptable in a way I'll just say reminiscent of the Kent State Massacre on May 4 1970.

So what is taking place in the present events is a reflection of what had taken place in the Bible. Rushkoff does a few things here that I feel need mentioning, he shows us stories from the Bible but he doesn't either show them as or disregard their being sacred events, obviously he believes they are important because they are illustrations of the Gods attempts to influence humanity, but he tells both the modern and those past in a way that makes them both entertainingly modern, relevant, and human.


Basically the story jumps back and forth between what is happening "Now" and what happened in the Bible. Instead of Just God and Satan Rushkoff has Krishna the Hindu God on the side of good along with the Christian God or more specifically the Jewish God (because the comic only has to do with the old testament) and the Evil Gods I think are Egyptian, Hindu and third is Jewish. Like every character in the story the Gods are thankfully multidimensional that is to say they don't come across as 100 percent pure good or pure evil.

Douglas Rushkoff, uniquely qualified to write such a book, outside of comics might be consider a Futurist or a Media Guru, at least an expert on such topics in addition to Judaism, which he wrote a book on called "Nothing Sacred: The Truth About Judaism" I've seen him on panels on CNN and speaking at Disinformation counterculture conferences, he is a what most would considered a modern day Renaissance Man. He writes books on Ecstasy eating Ravers, advises the United Nations, plays keyboards in the radical group Psychic TV, and writes comic books.

A Great story that makes one think about what these stories may actually be and makes one question what is the current real world's spiritual significance.

My review is based on the first 9 issues I've read only once but am looking forward to rereading them again.

More info:

Written by: Douglas Rushkoff
Art by: Peter Gross, Gary Erskine, Liam Sharp

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: The Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom of Pain (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Randy Queen[ (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: TROY MAYES (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" A thoroughly enjoyable one-shot."
Review:

The two monster makers Jackie Estacado, bearer of The Darkness, and Ariel Chylde meet in this Top Cow one-shot from Randy Queen. It was originally scheduled to come out back in December of 2009, but the highly anticipated one-shot had been delayed until now. Question is: is it worth the wait?

The one-shot sees the return of Darkchylde after an eight year hiatus and the first artist, Queen, outside of Marc Silvestri drawing The Darkness since the character was first designed ten years ago. That alone will please fans of both characters, but some great dialogue and artwork really make this one-shot an enjoyable read.

Jackie Estacado, wielder of The Darkness, intercepts a psychic plea for help from Ariel. He uses his Darkness power to free Ariel from a self-imposed seven year exile. In doing so he agrees to help her in defeating a force potentially stronger and more dangerous than the two of them, as it can create anything it desires, unlike Ariel who can only create the monsters from her nightmares and Jackie who can create monsters out of Darkness. The battle takes place in the Kingdom of Pain where it rains blood.


It was certainly an interesting story, and I appreciate that they took some time, about half the issue, to develop it even though it's a one-shot. Fans of both characters will probably understand and appreciate the story more as certain characters and events are eluded to but not fully explained. Newbies may find themselves a little confused at times, like I was. I did appreciate the fact that the narration was split fairly evenly between the two main characters, although Ariel Chylde is the driving force of this comic. Also, the story seemed to end all of a sudden; you found yourself really getting into it, and then, BAM, it's all done. I know it's a one-shot, but it had me wanting more, especially with that thoughtful ending.

The dialogue Queen has created between Jackie and the little girl Miss Happy is just fantastic. They engage in some great back and forth in a bid to find out who each other is and what they want. It seems very natural, has some dry humor, and it really sucks you into the story. Like Jackie, you find yourself willing to go anywhere with the story. His dialogue with Ariel was still fun and interesting, but not as good as with Miss Happy.

At its heart this is a story about monsters, and, boy, are they impressive. Jackie, in his nightmare influenced Darkness armor, reminds me of a Yuuzhan Vong from Star Wars, except he has a kick-ass sword and can make monsters appear out of nowhere — freaking sweet. Also when you see Ariel transform into one of her nightmares, it's both cool and a little bit disgusting, the perfect mix for a story about monsters. There was the occasional page which had a touch too much writing in it, but this was evened out by plenty of pages devoted solely to Queen's artwork, like the reveal of Queen's Darkness Jackie in stunning detail. At one stage Jackie remarks, "...it's absolutely stunning," and that's definitely true with this one-shot. You really get the sense that this is a place for monsters and nightmares via Queen's oddly gorgeous artwork. Everything is just so detailed and well designed.

Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable one-shot. It has some truly gorgeous artwork and rather twisted monsters, which is what you'd expect in a place called the Kingdom of Pain and populated by nightmares. The story was interesting, with some good dialogue, but fans of both characters will enjoy it more than the average comic book fan who may not know all the back story.

More info:

Written and illustrated by Randy Queen

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mike Mignola (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Matthew Lewis (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" They are good beyond belief and, honestly, they have something different in their pages."
Review:

The Artic, Penguins, and a little napping God.

An artic trip reveals something that has long since been buried - and with good reason. Simply looking at the captain of the voyage that finds it shows us that it has madness cradled inside the ice, and that it has reached out and touched the minds of both people and animal alike. Penguins, mottled and discolored, walk alongside of the thing inside the ice and, when inspected, one can see that it is not happy with its lodgings. No, it is taking its time to get loose but it is getting out nonetheless. When the ship that found the thing disappears, an older man goes to find him and comes across some very strange things. He also finds himself conflicted, and decides to go back to Gotham with some of the things he has found - includingone now-estranged person. As he does so, you can see something hanging in the background and recognize the man to be more than an older man on a voyage. Here we have a Batman, and his curiousity about the Doom coming to Gotham.

Mike Mignola, Batman, and a Cthulhu-like creature are a mix that I have loved since i found this seires once upon a time. It is three books that are really great in all aspects, and that connect to make something terrifyingly odd for the citizens of Gotham. the Dark Knight is also depicted well in this story, aging and yet still fighting for the city he loves, and that is a great thing. Combine it with the art and you have something to sink your teeth into.


While there have ben many Batman storylines, the one-shots that take the bat and make him face oddities, psychos, and other strange things are really good stuff. I looked all of them over as they came out, and i found that i really liked them. I am not the superhero type, either, but Mignola doing Batman was something I couldn't resist and the one-shots were something that allowed Batman to really get his hands dirty. That is the problem with a lot of superheroes - try as they might, the world simply does not work in a linear fashion. you will see damages done and bodies strewn about in one issue only to return to find that the event has been bypassed and only gets a brief mention in something down the road. That is one reason i like the Batman series done this way, because anything can happen and yet it is a self-contained tale. That means that Batman can be old or young, can have The Demon pop up, a psycho Dummy come out and play, or have something strange and undying find its way into Batman's clutches. mix that with mike mignola's skill level, a very great thing indeed, and you have yourself a tale and a half.
I always wanted to see Batman do something like this, because I always admired the way Batman takes on the world with only himself to fall back on.

Bat fans, Cthulhu-lovers, or people who want a good story should pick up these three issues. They are good beyond belief and, honestly, they have something different in their pages. that makes me happy, and happier still with Mignola on board. It is just too good to pass up and should be on anyone's radar that has an inkling of love for Hellboy style works, dark tales, and so many other things. If you came this far, you should find this and get it.

More info:

Written by Mike Mignola
Art by Richard Pace (Autho

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Tomie (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Junji Ito (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Matthew Lewis (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" If you've never had a chance to check out his works and you've the need to be disturbed by something, this is a good place to wet your feet."
Review: Tomie, Volume 1

Love and the Little Pieces It Often Leaves Behind...

Welcome to the world of Jinji Ito, where horrors walk both rural and urban settings while plaguing humans in some of the most complexly perplexing tales I've seen. The reason for this is because his canvas is more than a meshing of words and pictures, offering instead a talent that knows how to illicit a shudder from its audience. Herein seems to be the secret to all truly great horror innovators, a mark that he seems to have found early in life. Tomie Vol. 1 is no exception to that rule, either, with imagery that is quite disturbing and ideas that are richly driven, taking one concept (that of Tomie) and twining it through several different pathways (throughout 6 tales that span 248 pages). Within these are richly developing ideas that mingle crucial elements within the main theme itself, with the characters playing as crucial a part in the habitual tingles that Ito's work summons as any other element. They always seem to have lives, feelings and motivations, wants and ambitions that drive them, making them more than simply characters fed to a paper world. Even the beast here, the beautiful destroyer perpetually working her way through nameless town after town, becomes less of a specter and more of an understandable nightmare as time goes on. Within familiarity, the specters of the mind truly run scared.


The premise of these stories revolves around Tomie, a beautiful young girl with a voracious appetite for consuming young men, who finds herself with a uniquely disturbing gift. She has the power to mesmerize, possessing the male soul utterly with less than even a glance, making them kill and die for her at a whim. This she uses to her advantage, picking up their spirits and smashing them against the jagged rocks she so cruelly manipulates. Unfortunately for her, these men all find themselves driven by a need to kill her as well, to hacking her into pieces with a madness even they find disturbing. Still, she has the ability to come back, each portion regenerating other Tomies that are just as beautiful and just as deadly, always unable to forgive the person that inflicted that painfully derived demise from.

If you've never had a chance to check out his works and you've the need to be disturbed by something, this is a good place to wet your feet. Then, after finding yourself hooked, you can continue to the second edition of Tomie, an even more disturbing creation, and then on into the lives of the unfortunates that Ito crafts in other tales.

More info:

Written and illustrated by Junji Ito
Published by COMICS ONE

[Zacharie]

Title: Batman: Reign of Terror (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mike W. Barr (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: DERF (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" My suggestion, get this book and read it today!"
Review:

"Captain Bruce Wayne becomes the rogue masked defender of the innocent by night, battling the very revolution he defends by day. This sweeping adventure pits a dashing Dark Knight against the war-scarred political mastermind Herve Deinte and the world's most frightening weapon: The Blade of Death! "

In Batman: Reign of Terror, we find Bruce Wayne a man of honor in France during the French Revolution. Sickened by what he sees at what has happened to the land that he loves, he takes the guise of a bat to first free his in-laws from the guillotine or Blade of Death as the locals called it. After sacing his in-laws, Bruce is foced to act a kinship with the war-scared Herve' Deinte until his identity was revealed. Batman was surely near death from the hands of Two-Face when a stranger in disguise comes to save him. You can say it wasa little bridy that saved him, lol. He is reunited with his wife and they live happyily ever after. Mike W. Barr is a creative genius for writing this story. I give Reign of Terror a rating of 8.5-9 very easily.

More info:

Cover Artists: José Luis García-López
Writers: Mike W. Barr
Pencilers: José Luis García-López
Inkers: José Luis García-López
Colourists: Noelle Giddings, Heroic Age
Letterers: Todd Klein
Editors: Jordan B. Gorfinkel

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Batman Scar of the Bat (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Max Allan Collins (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: DERF (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" My suggestion, get this book and read it today!"
Review:

"Writer Max Allan Collins spins a tale which deftly mixes super-hero adventure with historical fiction. In it, he gives his take on how Elliott Ness and his “Capone Squad” managed to bring down the most infamous gangster of all time. In a city where the mob ran everything from illegal booze to crooked cops, federal agent Ness was forced to recruit carefully to form a squad of cops who couldn’t be bought. As a result, his squad was known as “The Untouchables” and became part of popular legend. In this tale, however, the legend is expanded to include a masked man who set out to strike fear into the hearts of criminals."

Today, I came home a little bit under the weather. Well, I took my extra time off from work to catch up on some reading. Thanks to the wonderful world of ebay, I was able to get my hands on a couple of DC Comics Eleseworlds trades. I am a big fan of the Elseworlds stories from DC. Anyway, the two trades I read today come from the Batman line. The first one I read was Scar of the Bat. Once I finished that title, I read Reign of Terror. These are both great reads.

In Batman: Scar of the Bat, we are left pondering what if the caped crusader was one of the Untouchabes with Eliot Ness on his conquest after Al Capone. The story was brilliant! Max Allan Collins did a great job writing this piece. Each page had you asking, which one is the "Bat" man? After a few twists and turns, you are left satisfied. I highly reccommend this book to any comic or Batman fan. I give Scar of the Bat a rating of a strong 8 out of a possible 10.

More info:

Cover Artists: Eduardo Barreto
Writers: Max Allan Collins
Pencilers: Eduardo Barreto
Inkers: Eduardo Barreto
Colourists: Eduardo Barreto
Letterers: Todd Klein
Editors: Denny O'Neil, Jordan B. Gorfinkel

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Left Behind – Tribulation Force (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Bryan Augustyn (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Amazon (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Left Behind graphic novels are an entirely new and exciting format for Christian product."
Review:

Take a pound of apocalyptic suspense, add a dash of conspiracy, a little romance, and you've got a recipe for publishing success.

When authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins first imagined Left Behind, their goal was to create "...the first fictional portrayal of events that are true to the literal interpretation of Bible prophecy." Left Behind began as a sleeper, starting slowly and building steadily, selling by word of mouth. Eventually the book became a bestseller and LaHaye and Jenkins discovered that the story would take more than one book to tell, so they continued the tale in Tribulation Force.

Set against the backdrop of the Rapture, in which Jesus has returned as promised to gather his followers and remove them from this world, the characters in Tribulation Force must confront life without their loved ones, struggle with evil unleashed on the world, and ultimately embrace God's truth for themselves.

Pilot Rayford Steele, his daughter Chloe, journalist Buck Williams, and pastor Bruce Barnes band together to study the Bible, pray, and support one another through this time of terror and uncertainty. They realize that Nicolae Carpathia is the prophesied Antichrist, as they watch him consolidate his power. Buck and Rayford find themselves employees of Nicolae, keeping their faith in Jesus secret so that they can continue to work and share their faith unhindered while secretly fighting the Antichrist with the other members of the tribulation force.

The authors have drawn a story of intrigue and adventure set against a cataclysm of global proportions. Readers captivated by Left Behind will certainly want to read Tribulation Force. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Product Description
Created by leading designers and artists of graphic novels for the general market, Left Behind graphic novels are an entirely new and exciting format for Christian product. These are not the comic books you remember, but a modern way to communicate! Each volume is a high-quality, 48-page, full-color installment from the series's best-selling first novel, Left Behind.


• Volume I--Introduces the main characters. Takes place mostly on Rayford Steele's aircraft at the time of the Rapture.
  
• Volume II--Chaos erupts as a result of the disappearances. Nicolae Carpathia grabs the reins of power at the U.N.
  
• Volume III--Rayford Steele embraces God. Chloe Steele and Buck Williams search for meaning. Bruce Barnes introduced.
  
• Volume IV--Nicolae Carpathia grows in popularity and power.
  
• Volume V--Buck Williams becomes a Christian amid Carpathia's meteoric rise to absolute power.

More info:

Authors: Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins
Writer: Bryan Augustyn
Art: Paul Ryan

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Witchblade (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): David Wohl (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: superrobotmayhem (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Highly recommended series."
Review: Witchblade Origins volume 1.

For a lot of comic fan's Witchblade is one of the comics you might see on the top shelf of the comic store and walk past thinking it was just another title that dressed up a chick in sexy Gothic armour. For those people it also has an amazing story with some great dialogue. if you haven't read any before its a great time to pick up Witchblade Origins volume 1.

The Witchblade it's self is a mysterious artefact which has always been owned by strong women throughout history. The Witchblae falls into the hands of Sara Pezzinni a cop in the NYPD when her and her partner are left fatally wounded in a shoot out, it saves her life and so the story continues.

The series kicked off with David Wohl as the writer who has done an amazing job of giving Sara an strong personality which you can see grow with strength throughout the first volume, all the characters have distinguishably unique personalities each with a clear agenda.

It's no wonder the book is so popular with male and female comic fans alike as Sara's a strong intendant type like Rogue or Storm in X-Men. The story has something for everyone which is why the audience is so diverse.


Witchblade is probably more well known for the artwork which was one of Michael Turners most famous works. Everything from this creative team is put together to be a beautiful book, from Turners pencil work to the lettering. A style which has followed Turner throughout his career at Aspen comics.

The series has currently made it past 130 issues not including a whole load of cross overs including Tomb Raider and JLA. The comic has also had a TV series spin off and animé series all down to the on going demand and popularity of the comics. There has also been a Witchblade movie which has been in and out of production for nearly a decade which will hopefully get a finished script some time soon.

It's also a great series to get into, even though they are up to issue 130 or so there are also two 50 issue compendium's along with standard volumes which are always well stocked in comic shops.

For anyone who has been sceptical about Witchblade as a credible comic series really needs to pick up this highly recommended series.

More info:

Script by David Wohl
Art by Michael Turner

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Fame: Lady Gaga (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Dan Rafter (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Silkcuts (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" It is utter garbage."
Review: Fame: Lady Gaga 1

This new comic series has been featured in Rolling Stone, E!, Elle Magazine, and thousands more sites. Is it the costumes? The music? The voice? Maybe it's all that stage blood. Whatever the reason, Lady GaGa has become one of pop music's biggest stars. Bluewater Comics examines her impact on her legion of fans. Is there room for everyone in the Haus of GaGa?

This comic I do not own! I'll admit I did pick it up to check it out, but I did not buy it. I flipped it in the comic store and read a much as my mind could take. It is utter garbage. The story was too silly and contained no substance. The art looked like the worst local artist at you local comic con did it. No offense to the local artist, you got more skill then me, but this was the most Bollocks excuse for a comic I have ever seen. The whole day dream scene was sicker then a Garth Ennis story. That was twisted stuff.

This series reminded me of Rock and Roll comics back in the late 80s and early 90s. I have the Prince one, so I know that the stories in those ones have to be better then his Blue Water crap. This company should change its name to brown water, for all the turds floating in there collection.

I know Lady Gaga is huge right now, but this comic won't even be worth the bag and board is comes with once her "trendy" music fades away into the place were washed up artist like MC Hammer go once people stop caring.

The paper used for this was a complete waste of a natural resource, it is a shame and Swamp Thing is shaking his head right about now.

I ain't mad at you if you picked this comic up. Its your money, your life. I just wonder how could you? Heck I would rather by toilet paper with that money. This comics only has a few Arse wipes to it. With $4 you can get some decent TP.

The lowest score I could give is a 0.5... I wish it could be lower. This comic hurt my feelings and I needed to throw a rock at a random brick wall to cheer me up again. I pray I won't get nightmares!

More info:

Written by Dan Rafter
Art by Christoffer Smith

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Skaar: Son of Hulk (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Greg Pak (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Mel Odom (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" I’m down for the ride to see what we’re going to be offered. "
Review:

Greg Pak, the latest writer on The Incredible Hulk and now The Incredible Hercules, evidently ushered in a new period in the life of Bruce Banner, the Hulk with the Planet Hulk storyline. I wasn’t aware of this till my son got me to buy him an issue, then the graphic novel. I’ll be reading that soon because Pak has definitely made me curious.

Evidently in the Planet Hulk storyline, the Hulk was shot into space as a means to get rid of him. He landed on a planet called Sakaar. As it turns out, Sakaar is filled with warring races and violence. Hulk is enslaved, becomes a gladiator, and eventually king. He takes a woman named Caiera as his bride. Just as Hulk’s life seems on an upward turn, the vessel that brought him to the planet explodes and kills most of the populace. Caiera dies and the Hulk goes back to Earth on a killer rampage.

However, as it turns out, the story on Sakaar doesn’t end there. The people who live on that planet are incredibly hard to kill. Caiera manages to give birth to her son even as he lies dying. As one of the Shadow people, the child can run within minutes of being born. He can also survive the lava and other natural disasters that befall the planet. Given that he was half-Hulk, I could believe that.

The story moves quickly through the boy’s life. He grows up in days and becomes a killing machine, a predator that hunts what he needs. Caiera remains to deliver a voice-over for the book, and that insight feels real and natural. Her words are easy to read and create an instant bond with the boy.

I love the violence of the planet as well. It feels like an old Edgar Rice Burroughs novel mixed with Robert E. Howard. An alien Conan the Barbarian alone against the world. I flipped through the pages as anxiously as my son had, waiting for the story to unfold in the brightly colored panels filled with explosions of action. Within minutes, the boy’s plight had won me over.

Somehow Skaar becomes a leader of a bunch of giant ant-like things. I’m sure that bond will be explained later. The full-page splash of them battling a giant serpent thing is intense. Ron Garney’s artwork fits the series to a T.


Pak doesn’t slow the pacing down as he moves the time to a month later and a killing raid against people too weak to protect themselves or get away. Those deaths obviously leave a mark on Skaar, but we don’t know what it means yet.

Then, a year later, the action unfolds again as another group of raiders attacks a community. This group is led by Axeman Bone, who’s destined to become a chief villain in the series judging from the story time he’s given. Axeman Bone kills a young man who must be related to Caiera because he has the same flesh-to-stone power she had. Pak had me at that because at first I thought that was Skaar.

We don’t see Skaar again till the end splash page. By this time he’s fully grown and in a savage berserker rage. I don’t know how intelligent Skaar is because he never speaks in this issue, but there’s plenty of action.

I was definitely intrigued with this first issue, so my son and I are going to pick them up for a time and see what develops. Pak’s sense of pacing and Forney’s pencils are worth the cover price investment, and I’m really curious about where they’re going to take the Hulk’s son. Hopefully they won’t take him off-planet for a while. There seem to be plenty of adventures waiting there, and I’d love to see Conan-style adventures for a time.

With the movie out this summer, plenty of attention is being paid to the Hulk. There’s even a new, mysterious red Hulk on the loose in the new volume of the series, and Dr. Bruce Banner is trying to help figure out what that means. I’ve also heard the Hulk is supposed to have a daughter by an old character named Thundra. That story is set in the future.

Peter David was the first writer in a long time to really build an audience for the Hulk, but Greg Pak’s take on the character has obviously done the same. Now we also have Skaar, the Son of Hulk to follow, and I’m down for the ride to see what we’re going to be offered.

More info:

Written by Greg Pak
Art by Ron Garney

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Mass Effect: Invasion (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mac Walters (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Scott Lipowitz (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Mass Effect: Invasion’s first issue is definitely worth picking up."
Review: Mass Effect: Invasion – Issue One

Many of the hardcore followers of the Mass Effect series realize that it has become bigger than a game, spanning three (soon to be four) novels and two different comic book arcs. Unlike many other video game tie-ins, the Mass Effect tie-ins take the extra step to focus on and broaden the core story, but not on the main characters. The comic series so far has featured important characters, Liara and the Illusive Man, while the novels have focused on David Anderson. These characters, while important, are not Shepard, and the game’s story is really that of Shepard. The books have been successful by staying away from the player’s decisions and instead showing that even as important as they are, the universe still goes on.

Mass Effect: Invasion stars another major player in the power games that exist in the Mass Effect universe; Aria t’Loak. She is a crime boss, the “head” of Omega, an asteroid in the Mass Effect universe where the main laws are survival of the fittest and don’t mess with Aria. She is one of lead writer Mac Walters’ favorite characters to write, and it is really cool to see just why Aria is so feared.


The comic’s art is great. Omar Francia has a style that fits the series. His strength is really in capturing the various emotions on each characters face. One of the stand out moments is during a clash between the Illusive Man and Aria, two Alpha characters with a history longer than the first issue would suggest. The other thing that Francia really nails is the power of Aria. There are already moments of action in the first comic as husks travel through the Omega relay and begin to attack Aria’s station.

On the writing front, the dialogue is straight out of what one would expect from a Mass Effect related tie in. This positively reflects Dark Horse’s choice to use the lead writer of the series as the lead writer of the comics. Aria’s personality is the same one we remember from the games, as is the Illusive Man’s. A new Cerberus commander is also introduced, and he really fits the universe well. He has shades of a renegade Shepard, but also definitely seems like a Cerberus loyalist.

While this is only the first issue, it is clear to see that Invasion is setting itself up to be another awesome chapter in the Mass Effect series. If this is any indication, Invasion seems like it could be even more action packed than Redemption or Evolution. The most negative thing I can say about it is that it really makes me want Mass Effect 3 now and not in March. There are also several questions raised by Invasion, and it is up to the next few issues to sort them out. I look forward to them, but as it stands, Mass Effect: Invasion’s first issue is definitely worth picking up.

More info:

writer: Mac Walters
Art: John Jackson Miller

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Spider Judgement Knight (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Howard Hopkins (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Randy Johnson (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" I enjoyed this, both the story and the art... "
Review:

"The Spider: the most violent and ruthless of all crime fighters…more just than the law, more dangerous than the underworld…hated, feared, and wanted by both. A cloaked, fanged, borderline crazy denizen of the dark force-feeding hard justice with a pair of ‘45’s! Senseless slaughter accompanies a new string of bold and audacious heists, and only the Spider can stop it…but at a price so steep, can even the Spider hope to pay it?"

JUDGEMENT KNIGHT is a gorgeously done graphic novel from the folks at Moonstone. It’s based on The Devil’s Paymaster from The Spider Magazine, May, 1941, adapted by Howard Hopkins with artwork, both the color cover and the black and white noir paintings inside by Gary Carbon.
spider
A mix of prose and art, each page has three sections, prose top and bottom, about half the page, and an art panel in the middle, half the page. As you look at two facing pages, the art is one continuous panel stretching across both. They call it wide-vision.


Someone has turned a harmless device, one to produce synthetic radium for cancer treatments into a ray that infuses metal with killing heat. They use it to rob banks and murder people, terrorizing them, making anyone reluctant to try to stop them.

There’s a “ghost” of the son of the inventor, supposedly having committed suicide by jumping overboard from a cruise liner, that keeps popping up before every murder. And a beautiful blond that somehow seems to get “accidentally” in the way every time Jackson, the Spider/Richard Wentworth’s driver, and Ram Singh, Wentworth’s faithful servant/bodyguard get close to the criminals involved.

There’s a final showdown with the gang in the Statue of Liberty before The Spider reveals the leader of the criminal enterprise. And a surprise wedding at the end!

I enjoyed this, both the story and the art, and wouldn’t be averse to more Spider graphics from this team.

More info:

Adapted by Howard Hopkins
Artwork, both the color cover and the black and white noir paintings inside by Gary Carbon.

Publisher: