Comic Review: String Divers #1

This was originally posted as a review for Word of the Nerd. Reposted here with slight modifications.

• Creator/Art director: Ashley Wood
• Storytellers: Chris Ryall and Nelson Daniel
• Letters: Neil Uyetake
• Editorial Assistant: Michael Benedetto
• Publisher: IDW Publishing

When I first read it, I had no idea where String Divers came from. I had my suspicions, but it wasn't until looking into it later that I discovered that it was based off of a toy line. I don't say this in judgement, since I'll defend the possibility of good out of any source material, but to illustrate how knowing the genesis of something can explain so much about it.

Comic Review: We Stand on Guard #2

This was originally posted as a review for Word of the Nerd. Reposted here with slight modifications.

• Story: Brian K Vaughan
• Art: Steve Skroce
• Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
• Letters: Fonografiks
• Publisher: Image Comics

When I read the first issue of We Stand on Guard, I was not over the moon about it. I liked it enough that I wanted to keep reading, but I was curious how well it would work as a continuing series. I loved the fact that it was all about the US at war against Canada (something that the creators liked to encourage), but I was having trouble actually being pulled into the characters and storylines. After reading We Stand on Guard #2, I continue not really knowing what I think about the series, but I see enough promise that I don't want to quit yet.

Comic Review: Morning Glories #47

This was originally posted as a review for Word of the Nerd. Reposted here with slight modifications.

• Words: Nick Spencer
• Art: Joe Eisma
• Colors: Paul Little
• Letters: Johnny Lowe
• Study Hall: Matthew Meylikhov
• Design: Tim Daniel
• Cover: Rodin Esquejo
• Publisher: Image Comics

Writing about Morning Glories at this point is a nearly impossible task. This series has been going for almost 5 years at this point, and is unfriendly to new readers to the point of being outright hostile. The storylines are labyrinthine even when they're playing nice, the mythology is still unclear, and it makes Lost look positively straightforward. Still, for all of that, this series is truly great when doing what it does best, and for those who have put their time in, even a slower issue, like Morning Glories #47, is still a good read.

Comic Review: Star Wars: Shattered Empire #1

• Writer: Greg Rucka
• Artist: Marco Checchetto
• Colors: Andres Mossa
• Letterer: Joe Caramagna
• Publisher: Marvel Comics

In the new Star Wars universe, this is the first of the comics to cover ground after Return of the Jedi. In fact, it starts almost immediately after that, starting to move the story forward in the immediate aftermath of the battle of Endor, but despite finally moving things forward, there are a few issues with how it handles moving the story forward.

Comic Review: The Shrinking Man #1

This was originally posted as a review for Word of the Nerd. Reposted here with slight modifications.

• Adaptation: Ted Adams
• Art and Design: Mark Torres
• Colors: Tomi Varga
• Letters: Robbie Robbins
• Publisher: IDW Publishing

Shrinking Man #1 is the first issue in IDW's adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel, which even if you haven't read it, you likely know from reputation. True to its name, it follows a man who is shrinking a little bit every single day, and despite their best efforts, scientists have no idea why it's happening or what they can do about it.

Comic Review: Transformers: Combiner Hunters One-Shot

This was originally posted as a review for Word of the Nerd. Reposted here with slight modifications.

• Written by: Mairghread Scott
• Art by: Sara Pitre-Durocher
• Colors by: Yamaishi
• Letters by: Tom B. Long
• Editor: John Barber
• Publisher: IDW Publishing

Transformers: Combiner Hunters One-Shot starts off with an idea that I can really get behind. There is the possibility of combining some Transformers together to create a much larger one, and while that is happening, there are other Transformers hunting them down. As a high concept premise goes, it's pretty good. Also, despite this being a one-shot, it's not surprising that this is part of the Transformers comic universe; IDW has built a strong universe with those comics, and one of the strengths of a shared universe is the opportunities to tell a small story within that universe.

Comic Review: Valhalla Mad #3

This was originally posted as a review for Word of the Nerd. Reposted here with slight modifications.

• Writing: Joe Casey
• Art and colors: Paul Maybury
• Letters: Rus Wooton
• Design: Sonia Harris
• Flats: Chuck Knigge
• Publisher: Image Comics

This is an odd comic series that I'm really not sure what to think about. When I read and reviewed the first issue of the series on my own site, I was in the same spot, but three issues later, I'm still not sure what to think about it. When I first picked up Valhalla Mad, I recognized the writer and artist from Catalyst Comix, a series that I loved despite barely knowing what it was half the time. I'm still trying to work out what I think about this series, but for some reason, I'm compelled to keep reading.