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.

Morning Glories Issue 1: 4

            In my travels as a comic book reader it isn’t often that I go into a comic expecting not to like it because of the name or the art or something and then get completly turned around. Morning Glories was one of those to the T. When I first picked the first issue of this comic up I was hesitant. With a name like Morning Glories one can really only imagine a stereotypcial female romp through fields of giggling annoyance. I am not a fan of comics that pander to female readers and hold that above telling a good story which sadly is most of the female oriented comics. But this comic, this comic blew me out of the water. I did not expect any of what was presented to me.

            Morning Glories is nothing but intriguing, fast paced and brutal. The comic opens up with a literal bang right before they kill off a character that we were mislead into thinking was important. This trick is often used and some times used badly. Not here. Here it shows us details in a way that they are not leaked in such a small amount that the audience is confused while not over loading us from the start. It’s a hard line to straddle but Morning Glories did it very near perfect.

            So the only time the pacing slows is the introductury of the main characters and not surprising since there are six. I am a bit hesitant on this staying as strong as it started out being just because of the size of the main cast. We have six main characters, two main villians and one mysterious transluscent killer. That’s not to mention the side characters that you can already tell will be important later on. From what I’ve got so far of the plot, the setting and the general themes this cast size is what I’m most worried about.

            Firstly it’s set at a school kind of like an evil Xavier’s Insititute for the Gift which pretty much means interpersonal plotlines will be a good portion of this whole. X-men and the Justice League always ran into this problem: Some characters will get air time while others are forgotten and it’ll keep happening until the fans revolt. A non-comic example: Glee with Finn and Rachael which by the way thank you fans. Was getting a bit sick of those two.

            Anyways back to Morning Glories. The problem here is the more interesting characters, in my opinion, are probably the ones that will get forgotten since they are not stereotypical sorts of leads. In my opinion those are the best ones to lead, makes life more interesting. Every character has got a standard introductury but the blonde little genius and the slut got two of the longer intros. Any guess as to why? Good we are on the same page then and all sarcasm aside.

            Moving on, the language and turn of phrases in this comic make me smile. Especially when two characters literally crash into each other in the halls. Books and papers going every where causing it to become a blatant cliche. Best part here though is one of the characters refuses to look at who she ran into stating she won’t have any of the awkward will we, wont we fall in love crap. Loved each and every panel of that interaction. The comedy and pure saterical jab at any and all rom-coms played out in a way that did not cause an overdramatic eyeroll at the introduction of a love story so early on.

            Morning Glories: 4 out of 5. The hesitance over the huge cast dropped it down from a full glorious 5. It can yet go up if the writers play this out patiently, eveningly and most importantly in an interesting enough way that I care in some way shape or form for every single of the main six, two villians and the one mysterious dude. Just as it can go up it can also go down, way down. For now there are twenty issues out as of now and still the series is ongoing which means in a month or two after I have caught up and gotten to a good point I shall review it again. Perhaps it goes to a full 5 out of 5. I love this premise and start so much that I am definitely hoping for the best.

Star Trek Captain's Log: Sulu One Shot: 3

            So a while ago I received a large stack of random comics from a friend. For a long time this stack went in a box and was put in a closet since I had no space for it either but one should never turn down almost a hundred dollars worth of comics. Granted after going through it all there was only about $25 worth of good comics. I didn’t know it then but that lovable dude slipped in a gem just for me. Late spring cleaning- yes I know I’m two months late. I’m good at procrastinating- caused me to open the box and sort through them all. I honestly squealed like a stereotypical fangirl when I pulled out Star Treks Captain’s Log: Sulu.

            Sulu may no be my favorite character among the original cast but he’s definitely not at the bottom- that was Rand- but I still love him to pieces. In my opinion new Sulu (John Cho) and original Sulu (George Takei) both make this character amazing in different ways. This comic does take the view of the original Sulu before Nero went back in time and messed the neat little universe up. That means no space jumping, sword fighting Romulans, and lack of Vulcan for this comic.

            As a Star Trek fan that has seen 90% of original, all of Voyager, about ¼ of Next Gen. as well as majority of movies and having most of the reboot memorized- give me time and I will have seen everything in this universe (except probably Enterprise); I was amazed at how spot on the speech was.  The Star Trek universe has a very distinct way their characters talk, especially when it comes to the main cast. Sulu after a while was definitely main cast. This comic hit it on the nail on almost every page. There were two cringing moments when it came to that but otherwise completely accurate.

            It’s a great read for Trekkies, Trekkers and newbies. It’s nothing more than a tiny little mission that shows Sulu in command. I absolutely love seeing Sulu in command. It’s so many different kinds of awesome. My problem here is this mission is fluff. I want a real hardcore Star Trek worthy mission to test our little crazed buccaneer. Don’t get that reference? Re-watch Star Trek the Original Series. You’ll know it when you see it.

            Also the first panel we see of Sulu he looks like a mad man. Through out most of the issue who ever was drawing this really didn’t have an understanding of Asian specifically Japanese bone structure. He goes between looking like a stereotypical Asian old man (which is annoying since at this point Sulu isn’t that old!) and a sixteen year old kid. One thing that really bugs me in comics is when the artist hasn’t thought out different angles, facial expressions and lighting for a character. If his face keeps changing I shall not be happy! Especially since this artist had a real life model (with three years full of sodding episodes) to go off of.

            To sum it up if you are not a die-hard read everything with the word Star and Trek in the title type of fan than this is not for you. If you have not exposed your self to Star Trek at all the first four pages won’t make any sense. ‘What is going on? They’re just fencing and talking fancy. I so confused!’ If you haven’t exposed yourself to Star Trek please do. Even if you end up not liking it- It’s a generational experience at this point.

            Star Trek Captain’s Log: Sulu 3 out of 5. Wish I could give it higher since it has Sulu as the main. The only way I could love this idea more would be if McCoy was the main but Sulu is second best yet it still doesn’t help. It’s good for us hardcore fans that know the universe and just want to see a bit more of what happens to the crew after the Enterprise gets docked for the last time but really no one else. You can’t just write a story for that small fraction of people. It makes us happy because we’re interacting with one of our favorite fandoms again but it doesn’t give us much else. I don’t really feel or care for anyone but Sulu in this and the only reason I care for him isn’t because of this but because of the show. Sadly doesn’t measure up to what it should have been.

Courtney Crumrin On-going Series: 5

            First of all it’s Friday the 13^th and no I am not making any stupid jokes referencing the films. In honor of this special day that was once in celebration of females everywhere- See children just how far we’ve come?- I have decided to pick a comic of my past that is just now starting to release new issues and is about an amazing female lead! When I mean my past I mean high school years, which is bridging on a decade. Shut up. Anyways really the only main point I want to make about this comic is.

            Thank you Universe for giving me Courtney Crumrin. I found the first trade volume years ago by pure chance. I was looking for the next book in some series- I can’t even tell you which now- and a light purple book kind of fell out of the bookshelf. It was clearly in the wrong section since I was in the High Fantasy section and this was obviously a comic book but one look into that cheerless stare of Courtney herself and I was sold. Thank god the story was actually brilliant because if it wasn’t I was sure to have suffered a content-heartbreak. I suffered a major one with Terry Brooks not long after finding Courtney Crumrin. Those content-heartbreaks are nothing but frustration, tears and throwing the book across the room.

            Over the years I have re-read this series so many times that I am shocked over the fact that they are still in one piece. The plotlines are amazing as well as the characters. The art is self took me a bit of time to get into but after the second story in the first trade I started to love it.

             The main character Courtney is probably the best female character out there that we’ve got so far. She’s only in her early teens but already she is strong, independent and of individual thought. Also she’s badass since she befriends a child-eating goblin and sort of makes him her bitch. Later on the reader is introduced to this goblins cute but crazy little brother. His tongue is to big so he can’t speak properly. It’s so cute!

            You also have Courtney horrible parents who care more about their image and the rich people around them then their own daughter. Fortunately for Courtney she has this amazing uncle that steps in begrudgingly. It’s actually extremely on the adorable side. Even if he’s like a hundred years old.

            Also Courtney visits the Twilight Kingdom and the characters there are amazing. No detail is spared here. The author/artist fleshes out everything from the architect to the food. Storyline aside the imagery is simply amazing. It’s both haunting and beautiful with a dash of Goth but not an overwhelming amount. The style is very Johnny Vasquez but is not as limited. Ted Naifeh pushes away from the macabre to give a more rounded image. I am completely in love with it.

            The tales of Courtney stopped being released around 2005-2006 but I kept looking just incase. It paid off! This past May on Free Comic book day of all days I found a new issue. Oni press has decided to pick it back up. For how long? I don’t know but nevertheless I am thrilled.  I have already picked up the first of the 2012 series and am not disappointed. Still amazing, still breathtaking and still little hesitation over handing out karmic punishments to little shits. In the first trade a bastard bully gets eaten and in one of the later trades we have a girl that befriends Courtney and later on steals magic books. She tries to make her self bigger and better with magic without learning consequences, which ends in her getting her just desserts. A lot of comics/books/movies/etc don’t like to write in karmic punishments to anyone under eighteen. In Courtney Crumrin, they don’t care. It’s extremely refreshing.

            I should really end this while I can since if I keep going on it’ll just be a fangirl worshipping of Ted Naifeh and his little inventions.

            Courtney Crumrin: 5 out of 5. Yeah gaze on that since it’s not going to happen again for a long while. Honestly this comic is all you want in a macabre, morbid and ghoulishly little tale for pre-teens. It’s intelligent as well as being thought provoking. The stereotypes (like her horrible parents) are well played out and are not mind numbing. Her great-uncle is surprisingly warm while being a rigid old man. Over all an amazing read for anyone and everyone. 

Webcomic; GastroPhobia: First Two Months: 3

 This Webcomic Wednesday or W.W. I went on The Webcomic List closed my eyes, scrolled up and down real fast and at random, clicked and came across this comic: Gastro Phobia. At first I was hesitant because of the art. It's childish as well as being somewhat undeveloped but it works with the actual mood of the comic. I wasn’t hooked right out of the gate nor was I hooked at any point while reading it but I was still happy with the random luck of the click.

            The comic is loosely based on Greek Mythology as well as being set in Ancient Greek. I was actually really happy about that fact since I am re-watching Xena and Hercules right now. Ancient Greece is my ‘now-crack.’ One thing that I like and dislike about this comic is that the cast is so small. I like it since it’s easier to keep track of everyone and dislike it because after a while 2-3 characters gets boring. Honestly have no idea how Supernatural is still entertaining and actually good. So we have two main characters Phobia: a single mother who was raised Amazonian and Gastro: her weird seven year old son. After I believe it’s the third chapter a new character called Klepto shows up as a slave to Phobia.

            The dynamic between all three characters is pretty interesting and some times down right hilarious. Klepto keeps teaching Gastro how to bullshit and steal which annoys the crap out of Phobia. It’s probably the only thing she’s actually on top of. She’s a stereotypical dumbass barbarian but with no skill. Half the time when she wins fights it’s pure dumb luck. Seriously, this webcomic is not for anyone who likes a true hero and Gastro will never be the hero of the group, ever. The kid likes music over swords, which annoys his mother like crazy. Also Gastro: extremely weird kid. His little child adventures are bizarre which leads to a good amount of funny one-liners from Phobia.

            I think they are also trying to suggest a love story about to start with Phobia and the Slave but honestly if it’s kept to them just fighting and her by accidently calling him ‘The Slave’ it will be ten times better.

            There are also a lot of really great usages of mythology. One example: the Sphinx. Every single traveler knows the answer to her riddle. Mostly this character comes back often trying to figure out a new riddle and is used mostly as funny little fillers. Another one is a story arc where Phobia has to fight the miniature. Some of the pages are really funny since we have the mix of dumb unskilled barbarian and big mean monster guy.

            Over all this webcomic is really funny and entertaining but it doesn’t have a very interesting plotline as well as the fact that the art STILL bugs me. I might finish reading the archives but I really can’t see myself adding it to my bookmark bar so I could check it every day. After a while it does get kind of repetitive and not quite dry but definitely in the same ballpark.

            GastroPhobia: 3 out of 5. I do know that some would really get into this while others would like it but not add it to their daily webcomic checks. I really would not expect anyone to outright hate it, at most feel absolutely neutral on it but it’s cute enough that it’s good for light entertainment. If you are into this kind of style and storylines than in it’s category it is really good but they are definitely not for me. Kind of a drag since at times it is really cute. 


If this sound right up your alley click here!

Info on Webcomic Wednesday

It is the first Webcomic Wednesday of Wayward Pages and I am here real quick to explain how I'm going to do these posts. Right now I'm going on The Webcomic List and just picking ones at random. I do read web comics but most of mine are extremely popular and need no review from little ol' me. From there I will be reading the first month- two months worth of comics and then writing up a review. If I like it I shall finish reading it and than review the webcomic in it's entirety on a following Webcomic Wednesday.

Also feel free to comment and leave requests such as: So I have this megafreakin'awesome webcomic/printed comic you should totally check out or this webcomic/printed comic is so bad you need to check it out. I love getting recommendations so please feel free to do so.

Thanks. Please subscribe and comment.
-L. Fayth

P.S. The actual post for Webcomic Wednesday should be out later today. Look for it after 2-3pm east coast time.

The Rebels Issue 1: 3.5

    The Rebels was a random comic I picked up last week when I was browsing through the stacks at my favorite comic shop. By the art alone I could tell that it had a few years on it. Eighteen to be exact. Still it looked quirky and upon further research I found out that it was linked to ElfQuest. I don’t know much about ElfQuest, pretty much just the name and the fact that it was big for a while when I was younger. So all that aside I figured for two bucks I’d pick it up.
    To start off it’s cute. The plot line is similar to Star Trek’s in that there is an academy filled with humans and nonhumans alike but mostly humans since it’s the lazy way. The main character is also blonde and handsome and down right reminds me of James T. Kirk. The only difference is while the forces of good and evil or Kirk’s labido and some random alien wage you are on the edge of your seat. The same thing happens here yet all I can think of is: how cute! Nothing to bad happens and even when people are trying to kill them in space they just laugh, ‘Oh we fooled them, ha ha!’ It’s like children playing a space adventure at recess.

To be honest it’s an interesting but extremely easy read and above all: It’s almost twenty years old so you won’t have to wait for updates. That is one of the big advantages of picking up a series of days gone past. Nothing in this story will have you at bated breath but at the same time it will pass the time and entertain. Sadly we can’t fill our time with epics and awesome adventures. To be truthful there just aren’t enough outstanding works out there to do so. Why not pass your time with an entertaining already, maybe finished gem from the past?

A big downside to comics from the 90’s is the fact that they rely on stereotypes. The blonde male is dashing, the blonde female is the love interest and fought over by the two male friends. Also there is a redhead that is a hot head, mischievous pain in the ass. He’s a sodding red headed step-child with no respect for anything .There is a character who’s an alien that he calls bug instead of her name. Problem: She doesn’t even look like a bug. She’s modeled after a flower.

All in all a good read when you need your fix.

The Rebels: 3.5 out of 5. It’s cute, entertaining and fun just as long as you can get past the dated characters and white person related stereotypes.

Ninjettes Issue 1: 2

            Ninjette. With a name like that honestly how could you go wrong? Oh in so many sodding ways. I picked this comic not because of the cover, which I know is my downfall, but because of the name. Who can argue with Ninjette? Seriously. Not only was the plot a huge disappointment but also there were no interesting or witty characters to make up for it. I want my 3.99 back stat!

            First it can get confusing as hell since there are four women with black or dark brown hair that all look alike. Two of them have the same style hair cut. I will give credit that the art is well done but unimaginative. It’s not hard to make females look different from each other. The only two in the whole story that I can tell apart is the blonde and a black girl. Any guesses are to why those two stick out? Sadly they only stick out in appearance. They are actually in it for a good few pages but all I got from them was… Nothing. I don’t remember their names nor do I know why the hell they are talking to the main character. Or really whom I think is the main character.

            Also they are meeting at a nightclub, which is owned or staffed by creepy stereotypical Italian-eqsue men. The main character or I shall call her Boobette since the only defining feature she has are her tits, is still carrying her sword on her back. The same sword that earlier sliced a man in two right between the balls up to the tippy top of his balding head. I also don’t think this is physically possible and since this sword is not magical from what I can see nor is she her self magical. Stop breaking the laws of physics. It sucks when people do that because it makes physics cry. Do you want to make physics cry? It’s not pretty.

            The conversation that they have in this nightclub is mind numbing with a flashback that does not even pique my interest. I’m pretty sure there is more to this series but it is not stated on the issue. It is not Ninjette Revenge of the ittie bittie tittie committee issue 1. That would tell us that this is definitely not the beginning. So far from what I gathered from the cover alone is that it is issue 1 of Ninjette, which means: They sodding suck at explaining back-story or hinting at it or even coherently expressing/showing it. There were other times throughout the issue that the dialogue is stagnant and roundabout but not as bad as in that stupid nightclub.

            Also the issue is heavy on the violence and if one were to go through my book, comics, movies and shows you’d see I am not a stranger to violent storylines. Hell I listen to a band called Bile. Enough said. But Ninjette has this crazy idea that when there is no plot around and none can be found in a dark corner than violence is the only substitute. Majority of this comic is senseless violence that makes no sense other than telling us the main character is a bad ass or more accurately kills the weak and unarmed. Wow, she’s really cool.

            Let’s be honest. Violent can be in abundance but if you don’t have an ounce of plot to back it up its useless, waste of time and ink. Most of this comic seems to fall under those two categories: waste of time and ink. I can’t even fathom how anyone with two brain cells could possible enjoy this series. It may get better later on but first issues are there for a reason: To show us what the rest is going to be like. Introductory issues have to be fashioned ever so carefully or else it will all implode.

            Lastly every since character in here is a stereotype and not just a plain old stereotype but also one that has no other sort of personality going for it. The black one talks all sassy like, the blonde one giggles, the raven-haired one broods. I even think there is a strict Asian parent talking in broken English some where in there. Stereotypes can be fun to play around with but when it’s the only thing the characters got might as well take a shovel and end their existence.

            Ninjette: Don’t bother picking it up. It’s basically four bucks for blood and titties. If you want this save your money and go to the dark side of 4chan. 2 out of 5 and that’s bleeding generous. 

Happy 4th everyone!

Happy 4th of July everyone. Go crazy and be safe.

Thank you for following/reading my blog! Don't forget to subscribe.

P.S. I know I said no Marvel rule but it was beginning to be broken on this day.

Photo: Behind the scenes of Captain America

Color Enchancement: Done by yours truly!

Bye!

Occultist Issue 1: 4

    I have this awful habit of buying comics and books a like because of the cover. If it’s pretty, action packed or simply epic I buy the book and 9 times out of 10 I get stuck with crap but when that 1 out of 10 does happen it’s magical. I picked up the comic Occultist because of the cover, which is kind of badass in a chaotic mess of a way: One little dork facing off against a miscellaneous army of baddies. I also have a soft spot for little dorks against the world storylines.
    Thank you Dark Horse for actually having this be interesting. It was an honest to go page-turner. The plot is so well paced that even in the slower parts where they are doing nothing more than introducing two slightly irrelevant characters it still keeps in pace with the action. None of the dialogue is stale, stiff or lame. In the beginning of this issue there is a snake beasty-thing that is kind of awesome even while eating the head off a guy. I hope this character comes back just for the sole purpose that his little monologues are beautifully written. I won’t lie it’s not sweet poetry that ensnares the heart and enthralls the mind but it really gets your juices going for the big baddie. Also have a soft spot for well spoken, cryptic as hell monsters.
    The only downfall here is that all the other spoken roles are well thought out even the blonde at the end that wants to eat their hearts but we have another cardboard main character. We see it all the time Dylan Dog, Nick from Grimm and for a while Peter Parker (thank the dark side gnome for Ultimates.) Frankly I’m sick of the cardboard brooding males. Robert, the main character in Occultist, is a cardboard cut out. I’ll give him a bit of credit, he has a pint sized store keeper haunting his thoughts with cheer and wisdom as well as having a girlfriend that use to step out on him. That problem was fixed with a bit of magic now she won’t leave his knob along. Also he just has some supernatural entity taking over his thoughts resulting in a giant identity crisis. No biggie. By the way this information right here isn’t present in issue one. You’ll find it in the one-shot that was done in 2010. So all in all the main character is just an Edward Cullen cardboard cut out that can move. My hope is that with all the badass-ness that seems to follow him around it’ll rub off on him.
    You honestly don’t have to read the one-shot. I recommend it since I actually enjoyed it as well but they do a good job at hinting and briefly explaining it all.
    The comic also ends in the middle of a fight scene. How cheap but boy does it freakin’ work! This is one of the cheapest ploys to ever be used by a writer- not going to lie I’ve done in it my novels- starting with Tolkien who didn’t have a say but still. If it worked for the great man of godliness himself than it shall be over used! Like Elves. Does anyone remember when Elves were big? Now we have vampires. Great downgrade. Anyways completely off topic but let’s sum it all up: Author used a cheap tactic, it sodding worked and now I want the next one right now! And the third one after that! Piece of info I forgot to mention is it’s only a three parter which means one of two things. I will want to kill the authors in another two months or will walk around for an hour hugging it like I did to that Star Trek memorabilia book at Barnes and Noble last night…
    And moving on! So my last point about the Occultist is the art. It was fine, a lot better than some but the problem with it was that fact that they over shadowed everything. You know those creepy computerized ‘drawings’ of people’s faces? Some of the close ups looked like that. Chill on the shadowing. It’s a comic it can look not so creepily like real life. We’ll love you even more if it’s not. There’s one face on page 9- bottom right- that does it the worst. I shudder at the creepster.
    Occultist: Great read. Definitely a good buy especially since it’s only a three parter which means it won’t hurt the wallet terribly. 4 out of 5 since it goes the distance but there is aways room for impovement or a main character with a personality.

Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy Issue 1: 2.5

        Some times when wandering around a much beloved comic book store you manage to pick up some great treasures and other times you really want to find the author and smack them with it. Those two finds are thankfully and unfortunately not as often as the gray area ones. The ones where you don’t mind keep reading it. You’ll continue to buy it once you’ve run out of all your favs for the month and really don’t want to go and scrounge around for a whole new hopeful series but they don't capture your heart or your mind.

        Baltimore from Dark Horse is honest as can be one of those stories. It’s living in the gray zone of my love and hate scale. It’s passable but nothing much else. The one I picked up is Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar’s Remedy. This isn’t the beginning of this gray matter series but the continuation after two volumes, which I was terribly shocked to find out about. Usually these floating in the in between kind of stories peter off just as slowly as it started with a nice bow tie wrapping it all up for no reason other then to allow the author a sense of closure on his not quite failure.

        Good thing here is this is part one of two. I will probably pick up part two to read but my $3.50 is not getting spent on it. It’s good enough to read but not to buy. Sorry Baltimore I like to pay for men with personality, interesting quirks and simply someone that does not allow side characters to steal the panel every two panels. Plus hair instead of what I think is badly shaved stubble doesn’t hurt.

        Honestly, if the character has no personality to speak of and only talks in clipped phrases of uninteresting-ese at least give a girl something good to look at. Granted than we might get another Cyclops on our hands and one annoying dick in my happy little comic medium is enough for me. Yes I am a slave to the X-Men, which means I can tolerate that there. This? My tolerance level has been used up. Simply sorry darling.

Also his whole story is seeking revenge, sweet clichéd revenge. His family was destroyed by the big bad and now he must trek across the world looking for their killer and his lost personality. The only good thing about this little tidbit of plot is that in this issue it’s mentioned once as simple information and not revisited that way we can focus more on this diabolical Dr Leskovar which the issue is so happily named after.

            Besides the slight comatose main character there are monsters. Big baddies hiding in the shadows just waiting for the right moment to jump out and make the little school children piss their pants or you know slaughter a whole village. Not to sure what their intentions are. Lets start off with the obvious. They are mutated, over clichéd bats. Lovely. I will give the artist a bit of credit all of them look different. No two monsters share the same model. Each monster is a special little snowflake it seems. To bad even then they all seem very- what’s that word?- lame.  The icing on the cake is that it’s the ‘other form’ of vampires and vampires mutates. At least they’re not sparkling in the sun- granted then it’s easier to kill them. Far less of the conscious telling you killing is wrong there if you ask me.

            Over all the premise is intriguing for a two-parter. I honestly can’t fathom how it has two volumes prior to this. If you want to just forget those two volumes I’d suggest this as a quick read, two issues and you’re done. Since it’s a two-parter you all must have guessed that it leaves on a cliffhanger. I personally nitpick over cliffhangers since they are so often used. Honestly how will we get audiences to come back and pay attention to us besides having great plots, characters and themes? Some cliffhangers work but majority don’t. This one worked simply because I didn’t expect it to go the way it did. It was slightly clichéd but not easily guessed.

            The cliffhanger left me wondering so I shall sit in the far corner of my faithful locally own comic book store and read the second part and I suggest you do the same. Well only if the store owner doesn’t stand over you with a shot gun declaring ‘this is not a library.'

            Baltimore: Good read to pass the time in between the better reads. I give it a 2.5 out of 5. Half way there but some dumbass tripped over a root and toppled his ass back down the hill before ever reaching the summet.

Information Page of Doom!

            In this blog there will be no reviews, acknowledgements, or promotions of any kind for DC or Marvel. They already have enough flailing fanboys and girls drooling over their- not even denying it a little bit- complete and utter awesomeness. I have will be  joining in the flailing on my main blog: Left of Extraordinary

            This blog is for the less knowns just keeping their heads above, the independents struggling to be noticed and the gems from years past that got lost in our memories. Here they will get the acknowledgement and attention they deserve. I won’t ignore the failed attempts and will spotlight these cases with torrents of school yard-esque smack downs.

            Updates will be a regular as my flea like attention can make it. Hopefully it shall be a regular Monday, Wednesday and Friday with 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month dedicated to webcomics. The last week of every month will be focused on all finished storylines. Everything in between will be the comics I’ve come across randomly at the comic shop.