Spike In Space

No seriously. You heard me correctly. Spike from Buffy has now been launched into a new comic book story arc (as well as space.)

Seems Spike has embarked on a self finding journey through space and to what I think is the dark side of the moon. Probably to meet that cross dressing gnome everyones talking about. 

Spike: A Dark Place will be bannered under Season Nine and is a follow up of IDW's Spike. It's being pitched as a limited series and has five issues placed out. Is five issues the max they will do or not is anyones guess. This series will be published by Dark Horse and was released today. So naturally I shall go find it. Tell you how it is in a day or two.

If you are a Buffy and/or Spike fan from what I've heard and seen so far it's definitely worth checking out. Also if you do please leave a comment here or on the review and let me know what you thought.

Cross posted in Left of Extraordinary

Goon's Gonna Shine

Goon's has been popping up every where and until now I have never felt the urge to read it. Behold! 

Who wouldn't want to pick up an issue after that?! And good news Dark Horse has Issue #39 for free right now in their digital store: Click Here to get it.

I know what I'll be reading this week.

Keep reading my darlings and Sparkle on! *Snort*

Smoke and Mirrors Issue 1: 3

While randomly going through titles at my local comic book shop I came across a particular one with a man and a boy on the cover in a king of hearts sort of way. Both were doing magic but two different kinds; Neil Patrick Harris’ sort of magic tricks vs Merlin’s sort of magic. The comic was Smoke and Mirrors. I’m a dope for both of these sorts. I made my parents sit through endless magic specials as a kid while ohing and awing in all the right places. On the other side of it I also pretended that I was a wizard in the playground before pretending you were a wizard was cool. Thank you Harry Potter for becoming big two years to late to preserve my coolness factor.
        Because of my complicated history with magics of all kinds I tried not to get my hopes up to high about this issue. Good thing those breathing exercises and mental preparation were for not. This comic blew me away with its ingenuity The whole basis is that this world has actual- Merlin and Harry Potter casting kind of magic. They have incantations to program music boxes, cars that run on talismans, crystals that work as keys. It’s as if everyone was living in the wizarding world but instead of getting stuck in the turn of the century they decided to use their magic to further human invention.
        So that’s the world and in it a mysterious man. Really how can you get a mysterious man when the world is run by magic but this man is from our world and knows coin tricks and probably the dark side of humanity that isn’t shown in this world. He’s found out by this troublesome kid who just wants to learn the tricks. This concept made me so happy. It was done exceedingly well and wasn’t over complicated right from the start.
        So the big 3 that I critique on are: dialogue, art, and story. This comic hit nicely on all three. The dialogue isn’t stagnant nor is it forced. The art is shadowed but not overly so and the story is really interesting. Next I like to look at the characters. Since I only review one issue at a time and right now just reviewing first issues I don’t look at characters so harshly (until I reach the second issue of a series) because you can’t always get a grasp for a character in just one issue. Here each character was pretty vivid in their own rights, especially the main.
        Ethan the main character is neither a good or bad kid, just a kid who makes stupid decisions. I have a feeling he’ll fall on the side of good since he’s a blond, blue eyed boy but one never knows. This whole issue is nothing but his curiosity taking charge and he breaks into a secure area of what is an equivalent to Apple headquarters and accidentally attacks two guards.
        Smoke and Mirrors: 4 out of 5. Overall extremely interesting with a great ending that left me running to the comic book store for the next issue. Unfortunately it’s at a standpoint that it can either go up to a 4.5, probably no high but the odds are against it. Let’s hope I’m wrong and I shall keep reading and reviewing.

Webcomic; Chirault Chapters 1-2: 3

            I totally forgot it was Webcomic Wednesday. Totally thought I was getting a head start on future articles and have the next three weeks written, to bad none were about Webcomics. I fail at remembering my own schedule, which is why this is late. So onto the Webcomic of choice, which is: Chirault. I believe I’ve mentioned before how as of yet-meaning without audience suggestions- I come across the webcomics for these specialized days but incase I haven’t here it is. I go on webcomic lists, close my eyes, press the up and down page keys until I am satisfied and click the link below my cursor. Some times I cheat and go, “Oh no. So not reading that!” then do it all over again until I am happy with my ‘random’ choice.

            This time it took me three tries to find Chirault and I am satisfied with the choice. Unlike majority of webcomics this one is in comic book/graphic novel form instead of strips and is organized into chapters. I read until the end of chapter two which didn’t take long since the pacing is quick but not to fast. I honestly got to about a page or two before the end of chapter two before I even thought to check when to stop.

            So aside from the pacing we have an interesting storyline with a nice clean yet intriguing fantasy world. With webcomics if it’s set in a fantasy world I’ve noticed it either goes one of two ways most of the time: 1. It’s simplistic and has been done before or 2. New and inventive but extremely complicated and takes an ass-long time to figure it all out. Same rule applies to all those sci-fi comics out there.

            Chirault seems to fall comfortably in the middle.  It’s so much in the middle that after a while it does get a bit dry but as I said before I only read two chapters in and hopefully the creator was using it mostly as set-up. This could very well be true since it hints heavily, to the point of smacking us in the face, that a big bad event/villain will be coming up on the horizon. So far the story is well done but when things start going bumpy for the characters sometimes the creators fall apart. I hope this does not happen here- granted it has already been written for the most part so nothing can be done- since it started off nicely.

            So moving on from story, the next thing that stood out for me was the art. I give a lot more leeway with art on webcomics than I do with printed comics. The art for Chirault is passable, neither cringe-worthy nor shockingly good. The character designs are extremely boring, the demon has horns, the Elves have World of Warcraft like ears and the shrunk down girl has animal ears like 95% of anime characters. The designs bore me to death and that’s definitely a negative quality for me since with fantasy races they already have a stereotypical look and it’s just lazy to not move pass that.

            Also so far from what I’ve seen the characters are a bit- well Anime like. Not just in appearance because that is definitely true but in action, dialogue and thought. Everything just seems child-like and not in the good way. I really don’t know the best way to describe the Anime observation because you will only get it if you are/were a fan of Anime. I held the secretary position for my college’s Anime club for a full years and then moved onto a secretary for a gaming club. Yes, I win the nerd points but also I by accidently overdosed on Anime which gives me these extraordinary- not really since most Anime fans past and present have it- powers of deducting a bit of Anime in non-Anime things. Confused yet? Good it means you were never an Otaku in any way.

            Chirault: 3 out of 5. This is a Webcomic I will keep reading on and might revisit it next month or somewhere down the line. Over all it’s interesting but the juvenile art and characters- seriously even the bounty hunting demon is cutsie- kind of make me cringe more times then when I catch sight of a crowd of Twilight fans. It has potential but it’s one of those titles that full on straddle the line between good and bad, like what’s his name in Doctor Strangelove did with the bomb. And no I was not a live when that way made. Not. That. Old. 

Click here if the Anime-ness intrigued you.

Keep an Eye Peeled for: Halloween Eve

            While wandering through various comic sites and forums I came across the announcement of the new comic by writer Montclare (Fear Itself: Fearsome Four) and illustrator Amy Reeder (Batwoman, Madame Xanadu.) It’s called HALLOWEEN EVE and is a one shot that will hit the shelves some time before Halloween in October of this year. They are stressing the point that it is a self-contained, stand-alone and not the beginning of a full series.

            Let me just get this out: Oh my Rowling! Oh my Rowling! Is it October yet?! Good now that I’ve had my moment we can move on. So far this project looks extremely promising. It’s going to consist of 40 pages (32 of actual storyline content, the rest is probably an ad for a lunch box or something pointless) and best of all its full color. Opposed to what? Not sure actually.

            HALLOWEEN EVE follows the life of surprisingly a girl named Eve. Didn’t see that one coming, huh? The comic is centered on a young woman who works at a dead-end costume shop. Every day she’s surrounded by masks, costumes and novelties probably made of plastic like most are these days. HALLOWEEN EVE takes place right before Halloween when things in the shop actually start bumping around at night and maybe even during the day. Eve has to fight her way through and make it to Halloween alive and not get eaten I’m assuming.

Eve is an expert costumer who seems to be both snarky and merciless in the ability to size up others. So far I like her dearly. In stated on the Official Press Release (link at the bottom) her downfall is that she can’t find the kickass powers inside herself. Because of this these little bumps in the night started to bump and come alive just to find out who Eve really is beneath a mask of her own. From this alone I am already hooked.

The storyline according to Reeder, “will break your heart and blow you away.” Score! Exactly what I want 75% of stories to do. The other 25% are Disney movies and Glee. Don’t judge! Anyways both Montclare and Reeder have expressed immense joy over who is publishing their little love child since all the decisions have been put in the creator’s hands and not the publishers. For all you die-hards you probably already figured out which publishing house it is but for every one else it’s Image who are known to be very creator-owned oriented. With a storyline like this one that should basically be kicking us in the face this October, hands off is probably for the best.

My advice once October hits, run to your local comic book stores and pester those lovable desk clerks until you have a copy in your hand.

            And thank you Image, Reeder and Montclare! It’s not like I wasn’t looking forward to October with all those awesome decorations, clothes and ambiance enough you just had to give me another thing to look forward to. I swear if I start yelling at a Time Lord to take me to October 2012 and ‘accidently’ get dropped in the 70’s I blame HALLOWEEN EVE.

Link to Official Press Release

Memoir Issue 1: 3

            So not every week do I have the time to get to the comic book store or justify the amount of money going into comic books for these tri-weekly posts. Over time I’ve collected a few sites that have free issues, mostly for a limited time and some times the free one is issue 4 but not issue 1. Through this method I have stumbled across some interesting comics, one being Memoir.

            Memoir is about a town in middle America called Lowesville. One night the town went to bed normal as apple pie but the next morning they all woke up with no memories at all. So far this doesn’t sound to interesting since there is only so far they can go with this but then they add in that one person that remembers everything and hints at the fact that there is more to these memories than we think at first. They are not just memories of breakfast at the diner and PTO meetings at the elementary school. Oh no, there is much more sinister skeletons in this towns closet.

            To be honest in the beginning it was confusing and the art is annoying. How the first part is structured is a big headache. They are trying to give you all the information at once but it’s not clear what is internal or external monologue versus narrative as well as some times the dialogue doesn’t seem to be flowing correctly. Up until about midway through it’s all butchered dialogue and awkward angles.

            Along side that is art that makes me want to punch the illustrator. The faces get warped in multiple panels, which to me is a clear sign of an amateur. Usually we see this problem happen with unknown little indie comics that don’t make it past infancy. Also this art style is completely over shadowed and I mean that literately. I absolutely hate when this happens and Memoir is one of the worst perpetrators. There are panels that the characters look like they have a mix between hooker and clown make-up having a gang bang on their faces. Point definitely lost right there.

            Now that I’ve ripped it up a bit for good measure let me tell you what I did like and why it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for this. The concept is well handled and still to me very interesting. We don’t see that one person with all the memories just yet. All we see of them is a creepy stalker-like set of e-mails exchanged with the main character, which gets cut off to early at the discovery at a mass grave. All the crazy talk from pages past now makes sense and some of it is forgiven- only some.

            Yes the bad out weigh the good but either way they have my attention. Also a good little fact that helps me keep reading is that there are only six of them. Even if I read until the end it won’t break the bank or take up a lot of time. Those are good traits for a comic with so many negatives already trailing it.

            Memoir: 3 out of 5. Most of that 3 is just concept and mass grave findings. Really the 2^nd issue will probably be the deal breaker or savior of all. Either way such a short series so no matter which way it goes it won’t take away any time at all from reading far better comics. 

Saga Issue 1: 4.5

            I just had to pick this comic up. The cover is of a gorgeous couple and a babe. The woman is freakin’ breast feeding and standing there looking like a badass while- not going to lie- the man looks like a Rambo version of Mr. Tumnus. I was sold on the cover alone. As I’ve said going off the cover alone is a bad habit I need to break. Good thing Saga, which was the comic, turned out brilliant. From art, to character design, all the way to storyline was nothing but grade-A work.

            So 9/10 times I visit the same comic book store, also the same one I’ve been going to since I was 14 and over time I’ve developed a tiny bit of an ongoing conversation with the owner. I do mean tiny bit since I am horrible shy around new people. When I went up to the till with Saga he could do nothing but continuously praise this comic and was thoroughly convinced that I would enjoy it. When the owner of a comic book shop that has been around longer than I have (no cracks about my age people) sings the praise of some random comic you found on the shelf while you buy it: that equals a good sodding find.

            The writers of Saga have this insane talent for incorporating multiple back-stories (some taking place on different planets and in different parts of the timeline) and character perspectives all into one issue. At no time did it become convoluted. We have the back-story of the main characters that found love in a very Romeo and Juliet kind of way. They are from two warring planets/moons. Here’s a piece of Fayth’s Fact: I am so sick of Romeo and Juliet sort of love stories but here it works. Probably since the woman, Alana, is a smart ass that wears the pants while Marko, her partner in crime, is kind of a nervous wreck through some of this. He worries more and when he’s not worrying he’s like a naïve child. Alana is definitely the cynical one with her husband to balance her out.

            Then there’s their child, Hazel, who is born in the first issue. She also narrates this issue and her voice and little points of perspective are amazing. The thing that blew me away the most was the language and turn of phrase used in this issue. Hazel has a few good quotes but the ones that had me laughing out loud many, many times were from Alana. If something gets me to actually stop reading and start laughing it means whatever that thing is will stick out greatly among the masses. Since the rest of the issue is serious and dark at times and revolves around a plot to kill these two lovebirds, Alana’s little quips were a great breath of fresh air.

            Also need to give a warning for future readers (mostly for the young’ns) there is a far amount of nudity from both male and female characters. All except for the very brief robot sex scene it’s all very tasteful. I know, I wish I didn’t have to give warning for humanoid bodies being shown but it’s the society we live in so I shall have to deal.

            Saga: 4.5 out of 5. It’s almost there just wished there was a little more of a quickened pace pushing us towards the overall storyline since we can gather there will be a huge turn of events for the whole universe. It is the first issue so hopefully that picks up later on once the entire introduction to another galaxy is done. Will definitely be keeping up this series for quite some time. Check back for my reviews of later chapters and see just how it’s holding up.