Review: Kill Shakespeare Past Is Prologue: Juliet #1

By Reboot

"And if a gentleman showed himself, I'd be happy to take his arm."

Conor McCreery is at it again with trying to kill Shakespeare! That's right, IDW's Kill Shakespeare created by Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col is back in a fifth installment for the prequel, Past Is Prologue: Juliet. This time Conor McCreery is flying solo as writer with artist Corin Howell, colorist Shari Chankhamma, and letterer Chris Mowry.

So how does issue #1 of this new installment stack up? I was just getting to that.  But before I do let me give you the premise, especially for those unfamiliar with Kill Shakespeare as this is also a good starting point for the series.

Kill Shakespeare is a world where Shakespeare's creations, heroes and villains alike, are all real and he's looked up to as a powerful background figure like the Wizard of Oz. Earlier installments have shown off many of the different characters interacting including Juliet, but we never quite got her full backstory.

As many of you are hopefully aware, Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet dies at the end of the play. In Kill Shakespeare: Juliet #1, it's immediately revealed that she had survived the poisoning. Sad and Resentful, Juliet wants to escape from her family to end her life and be with Romeo, but plans don't always work out the way we originally envision them, especially of you're created by William Shakespeare.

Conor McCreery weaves a story here that is dealing with a few less characters than previous installments. It's also a bit of a slow burn. Previous installments have started with a bang and slowed down after, or start with a mystery to keep you turning the pages. Conor's approach here is to take it slow, lay down the groundwork and build on it all the way to the end. It's different from some of what I've seen before in Kill Shakespeare, but it works here.

Corin Howell debuts as the new Kill Shakespeare artist and it's a fantastic debut. I'm not sure how much of it is Conor's scripts or how Corin lays out the pages, but they're mostly very dense with the overwhelming majority of pages being a minimum of five panels. You really feel like you're getting a lot of story in this comic. These layouts are honestly incredible. Most of the pages do an excellent job of bringing your eyes from top center down to bottom center in a way I don't often see done. The last page is the best example of this, and is honestly the best page in the whole comic.

Shari Chankhamma had previously colored Kill Shakespeare which really helped give the book the feel of previous volumes. Shari does an excellent job through the book, but in particular for me the second to last scene where Juliet meets The Player is gorgeously colored and shaded, and the last page is colored perfectly. Really, that page is so incredibly executed.

While Kill Shakespeare: Juliet #1 is somewhat of a departure from the formula we've seen in the previous four volumes, it's an excellent, well paced march to tragedy that is nearly impossible to pull off in a prequel. It's also a great introduction to the series, so please, if you haven't read any of the series yet and want to jump in, this is the way to do it.

Kill Shakespeare Past is Prologue: Juliet #1 hits the shelves on Wednesday, April 5th.


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Review: Grass Kings #1

By Reboot

“Welcome to the Grass Kingdom. Where fools like you come to get their asses kicked.”

Reboot here again. Back so soon, I know. I’m a pretty big Matt Kindt fan though, so when I heard that he was writing a new comic, Grass Kings, at BOOM! Studios with Tyler Jenkins illustrating and Jim Campbell lettering, I wanted to review the first issue of this six part miniseries. Lucky for me [insertgeekhere] got a review copy. Get ready for some reviewing!

Review: Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy Trade!

By Reboot

Courtesy of BOOM! Studios

Hey everyone! Reboot here again. It's been a little while since I reviewed a trade paperback collection and what better way to jump back into that than with the big Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy cross-over from BOOM! Studios with DC Comics collecting issues #1 - 6!

Before I jump into it, there are quite a lot of names that should be mentioned so let's start with that. This limited series now collected in a trade paperback was written by Chynna Clugston Flores, penciled by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, Kelly Matthews and Nicole Matthews, inked by Maddi Gonzalez and Jenna Ayoub, colored by Whitney Cogar, and lettered by Warren Montgomery.Lumberjanes was created by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, and Brooke Allen.Gotham Academy was created by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl. While other people were also involved in bringing this book to life, this is the bare minimum number list of names of those who should be acknowledged before I continue. 

Review: Jade Street Protection Services #2

By Reboot

After a hiatus, Black Mask Studios' Jade Street Protection Services is back with issue #2! This comic was created by Katy Rex and Fabian Lelay with Katy on writing duty and Fabian on the art. Rounding out the team are Mara Jayne Carpenter coloring, Taylor Esposito lettering, and rising star Mags Visaggio editing. I got a chance to read it for this review, and now you get a chance to read this review.

For those of you who haven't read issue #1 yet, this is the story of five diverse teenage girls, Divya, Saba, Noemi, Kai, and Emma with magical abilities that are going to school to get better at being magical. The first issue gives a taste of all these characters and how they interact with each other and wraps up with them working together to get through a dangerous magical conflict.

Strange Attractors Gets A Rebirth!

Out tomorrow is a reprinting of Charles Soule's Strange Attractors #1.  It was originally released as a graphic novel from Archaia but will now be a five issue comic series from Boom! Studios, including a new short story, Antithesis.

The story is a chaos math problem, wrapped up with a compelling character in Dr. Brownfield, that he uses to continually try and save the city.  When he realizes he needs help, he calls upon Heller Wilson, a young math grad student.  The story is conveyed through amazing art by Greg Scott as well as Complexity Maps by Robert Saywitz that are one of the most fantasical things I have ever seen.     

Review: House of Penance #2

By Reboot

After enjoying Dark Horse’s House of Penance #1 by Peter Tomasi (w) and Ian Bertram (a) as much as I did, I figured I should give issue #2 a go. So, did issue #2 keep the momentum going after House of Penance came charging strongly out the gate last month?

One of the first things I noticed as I read this issue is the pacing. As the first issue is a slow, methodical build-up to the unknown, the second issue wastes no time jumping in head first. References the characters bring up hints at the time period, such as how the construction workers mention the Spanish-American War and Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, but as the first issue takes the time to slowly drag you down into this world via the time period, issue #2 focuses nearly exclusively on the psychological horror of it all.

Review: House of Penance #1

By Reboot

Hey again! Reboot here. Back sooner than usual to review more comics. This time it is Dark Horse Comics' House of Penance #1 by Peter Tomasi and Ian Bertram. 

Dark Horse seems to be taking more chances lately. They've been trying out some ideas through their anthology series Dark Horse Presents with oversized issue #1's including reprints of the Dark Horse Presents material like the already released King's Road #1 and the soon to be released Weird Detective #1, in addition to original series that have seemed more inspired as of late.  Some of these chances are paying off. One of those chances that should pay off is House of Penance. 

Review: Bloodlines #1

By Reboot

Before DC stops "Batgirling" and starts Rebirthing (Re - Prefix: Definition 1. again 2. back to an original place, condition, etc.) they've decided to send some short series our way. One of which is Amy Chu and Clay Mann's Poison Ivy, which has been an enjoyable look into Poison Ivy as well as Harley Quinn. The latest of these short run series to come out is J. T. Krul and V. Ken Marion's Bloodlines. Its first issue debuted on April 6th.

Bloodlines is arguably one of the most obscure revivals of a title DC has done since the New 52 started (and they did a Sword and Sorcery run!). It was never its own series, but rather a crossover event from 1993. And a really 90's event at that. So 90's. We're talking "aliens that suck out your spinal fluids, but sometimes give you badass 90's superhero powers as a side-effect" 90's. Don't just take my word for it though. Fill yourself in on how 90's it was here.

Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #2

Cover Page Courtesy of Boom! Studios

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from Boom! Studios is two issues in, and I just had to give an update. I probably should have reviewed issue#1 or even the issue #0 but I really wanted to give it a little more time to see how it developed.  I can't wait anymore, so here it is!

In case you couldn't guess, I was always excited by this arrival of this series. I remember going home from school just to see the latest episode of Power Rangers. Yes, I might have been a bit too old to be watching it, but it was fun and entertaining. The show was a basic afternoon kids show though, so it avoided any serious depth in the plot. Mostly, it was a steady march to the fight scene with a moral lesson taught throughout. One of the more interesting ongoing storylines was the battle for the Green Ranger's mind. As I got older, I had wished they had really explored that plot point. Thanks to Boom!, I got my wish.

The series started off with a newly good Green Ranger Tommy dealing with the aftermath of what he had done under Rita's control.  He is haunted by it, as well as Rita Repulsa, who is literally in his mind.  Writer Kyle Higgins does a great job of showing the range of the character's journey that was never explored previously.  And while Tommy is a central figure to the current story, the entire team has been seen and introduced.  In issue 2, Billy gets a great moment with Trini, while giving readers a behind the scenes look of the inner workings of the Dragonzord.  I will tell you this, the best line in issue 2 is in the first panel from Trini.  And she is totally right, Zords are like giant segways.

Page 1 Courtesy of Boom! Studios

The art so far has been top notch.  Hendry Prasetya has done an amazing job capturing a close resemblance to the original actors while still giving the characters their own new and fresh look.  The art style is an americanized manga, which makes since considering the origins of Power Rangers.  However, my favorite art piece is still the cover of issue 2, done by Jamal Campbell.  It's a fantastic shot of the Megazord with a battle pose of Green Ranger and Scorpina.  

Each issue also comes with a continuing short comic of The Ongoing Adventures of Bulk & Skull.  It's almost as if they plucked up the characters subplots from the show and plopped it down on the page.  To be frank, it isn't my favorite part of the issue, and I would be a little happier with an additional two pages to the core story.  Writer Steve Orlando and artist Corin Howell do a fine job with the characters, but with the more developed core story, having the humorous addition at the end seems unneeded.  Still, it's better than trying to weave them into the core story too much.  

If you were a watcher of the '90's show, then Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is hands down a must read.  Boom! has taken a childhood classic and polished it up to be more developed and balanced than the show ever was.  But even with all the changes, when you see the Rangers morph, that theme song will be playing in your head.  

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #2 will be available on April 6th.



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Review: King's Road #1

By Reboot

Something I complain about in comics is that there aren't enough fantasy comics being published as floppies or graphic novels by big publishers. Webcomics do overcompensate for this, but it would still be nice to get my fix in a physical copy. I imagine part of the problem is that drawing horses are hard. Or so I hear.

As a result of this fantasy deficit at the big publishers, when I saw King's Road #1 written by Peter Hogan and illustrated by Phil Winslade and Staz Johnson come out through Dark Horse Comics, I wanted to read it. I wanted to read it so much that I read it. Which lead to me having opinions. Opinions I will share with you.

Review: Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book Archive

By Reboot

In the last week, BOOM! Studios released all of the Bill and Ted comics that Marvel did back in the early 90's that were written and drawn by Evan Dorkin. BOOM! has had the rights for at least the last couple of years and have now finally put it all together in one, oversized hardcover volume called Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book Archive. Now, I haven't even thought about Bill and Ted for years let alone watched or read it, but BOOM! Studios has been making good decisions and Evan Dorkin is one of my favorite people in comics so I had to give this a read through.

[IGH] Book Review: Trashed

By Reboot

Hey again! Hope you've all been well.  I recently read Trashed by John "Derf" Backderf to review for you all. Already being a big fan of another graphic novel of his, My Friend Dahmer, this was not much of a chore for me to read. And I don't think it will be for you either.

If you haven't already read My Friend Dahmer, I suggest you stop reading this review right now, go get yourself a copy, read it, then come back to this. It is easily one of the most fascinating autobiographical graphic novels out there. If you are unfamiliar, it's about how Derf was friends with Jeffrey Dahmer (yes, THAT Jeffrey Dahmer) in high school and examines Dahmer from his own perspective. This is a unique blend of slice of life meets page turning suspense just in the knowledge of knowing what will eventually happen.

Firefly Withdrawal

As I finished the final issue of the current Serenity comic series, Leaves on the Wind #6, I felt a tear well up in my eye. This was not for the tear jerking moments of the issue, although there were plenty. This was because, yet again, this was over. Once again, the crew of Firefly was not getting a new story to read or another fight to survive. It was an ending, pure and simple.

Over the years, geeks have taken to the scrappy crew of Firefly, riding their emotional ups and down. Still, every roller coaster ride is short-lived; from 13 episodes to a movie to a few comic mini-series and one-shots, all spread out over a decade. Most of the gaps in content are due to the creator himself, Joss Whedon, who has been busy with other projects. Still, the love from fans has kept this crew front and center in the geek world, even with nothing new on the horizon in most years.

Review: Unmasked Vol. 1

We've all read superhero stories, and we all know the basics of how they go.  But what really makes up a superhero?  Is it just saying it or is there a specific moral code that needs to be there?  Unmasked Vol 1 delves into this question, looking at what makes a superhero.

Unmasked was created and written by Michael Sarrao, with art by John Broglia and published through Kickstarter.

Review: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1

Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

If you don't already know, I'm a huge Browncoat.  Yeah, super big.  Like throwing a whole party around the Firefly game.  On New Years Eve.  I turned the year playing the Firefly game while ignoring the clock.  So I was a wee bit excited for the release of Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1 from Dark Horse Comics.  With the team of writer Zack Whedon, penciller Georges Jeanty, inker Karl Story and colorist Laura Martin, this series continues the story of our favorite Firefly crew nine months after the events of the movie Serenity.

Review: The Steamworld Chronicles #1

By Reboot

Today I'm reviewing the successfully Kickstarter funded comic The Steamworld Chronicles #1. The Steamworld Chronicles was created and written by Steven Hoveke & Mike Scigliano with pencils by Ben Risbeck, inks by Mark McKena, colors by Kote Carvajal and letters by John J. Hill.

I actually got to meet Steven Hoveke and Mike Scigliano at Grasshopper Comics on Long Island some weeks ago when they were signing for the book; which is when I picked it up. I got the Walter Simonson variant cover which is great, but I probably didn't need to tell you that. When I picked up this comic, they described it as being like Indian Jones in a steampunk setting. Since there really is no better way to sum this book up quickly, I'm going to go with that. Now, to elaborate.

This is the first part in a miniseries titled "The Constantine Quest." Basically, a train gets hijacked for a particular piece of cargo, things don't go according to plan, which leads to our hero, Q, being introduced to help find the missing cargo. As Q digs deeper, he runs into faces both new and familiar and slowly beings to see how important the missing cargo really is.

The story is solid and paced pretty well. The only real complaint would be that it is fairly predictable at first. However, this is supposed to be serving as an introduction to a new world which makes it difficult to go too far beyond just setting up the story. They have plenty of time to add twists and turns along the way.

The art is also solid, but they don't take too many risks. This is both good and bad. On the one hand, the art is very clear, fluid, and the panels combined with the lettering guide you seamlessly through the story; making for a quick and easy read. Let me be clear, this is incredibly important and even some of the top tier professional comics fail at this sometimes. It highlights how skilled this team is. The downside is that the art could be pushing the envelope further and be more visually outstanding. None of the pages really popped at me as being exceptionally stunning or visually intriguing. I think for this story though, that sacrificing that for clear and fluid storytelling works.

Overall, The Steamworld Chronicles #1 is a solid story, and if you're into steampunk and like comics this is a no brainer. If you aren't by Grasshopper Comics on Long Island, you should check out their website to pick up a copy, physical or digital, of the first issue with the promise of more to come!


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Review: Prime-8's #1

By Reboot

Today, I'm reviewing all digital publisher Monkey Brain Comics new series, Prime-8's #1.  This series is brought to you by Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley, the co-writers and co-creators of this series that premiered with their successful Kickstarter project that I also reviewed, Mini-Comics Included.  This full length series now has art by Kyle Latino and Jordan Gibson.

Before I go into my review, I have to briefly discuss my love of monkeys doing people things.  I have fond memories of being over my great uncle's house watching old VHS recordings of the Planet of the Apes' movies in the late 80's and early 90's.  Additionally, I spent many an hour watching Lancelot Link with my dad growing up.  If you don't know what Lancelot Link is, go internet it.  In short, monkeys make great people, and after having read Prime-8's, I can also say monkeys make great comics.

Review: Buzzkill #2

By Reboot

Today, I'm reviewing issue 2 of 4 of Dark Horse Comics' Buzzkill.  This is part of Dark Horse Comics' push for more superhero comics and was created by Donny Cates and Mark Resnicek.  The script itself was written by Donny Cates with art by Geoff Shaw.

For those of you who haven't read issue 1 of Buzzkill (you should read it right now then) here's the premise; a man named Ruben (that's not his real name) starts going to AA meetings again to help him get over his addictions because they give him uncontrollable powers.  Not a feeling of power,  like super strength and super speed.  They make him a super hero.  But with these powers, he's also hurt people he loves and people he's never and will never meet. 

Early Review: Battling Boy

By Reboot

Today I'll be reviewing Paul Pope's Battling Boy put out by First Second Books.  I've really liked what I've seen from First Second so I was excited to finally be reviewing something they put out.  Additionally, I was excited to finally read something from Paul Pope.

Full disclosure, prior to reading this I was fairly unfamiliar with Paul Pope's work.  I've seen his work before and I knew he was very talented, but I had just not gotten around to reading one of his works.  There are a lot of authors I still want to get around to reading.  It wasn't that he was even low on my list; for whatever reason it just didn't happen until now.  I also have not watched Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad yet.  Again, not because they're low on my list.  I'm sure when I finally watch them I'll enjoy them, but it hasn't happened yet.

Review: Itty Bitty Hellboy #1

Out today is the latest addition to the Hellboy universe, Itty Bitty Hellboy from Dark Horse Comics! Issue #1 of 5 is co-written by Art Baltazar and Franco, plus art by Art Baltazar. These guys do their best to bring the red guy to you and your kids.

This is an single issue of six short stories that introduce the characters in a fun way.  We get to see all the old familiars Hellboy, Liz, Johan, Roger, Abe plus the baddies Rasputin, von Klempt, and Kroenenbut.