Comic Review: D4VE2 #1

• Story and Letters by Ryan Ferrier
• Art and Colors by Valentin Ramon
• Published by IDW Publishing

Even after reading through it a couple times, I can't tell you what exactly D4VE2 is. It is about robots, and is quite out there, even by comic standards. Trying to summarize it is a losing battle. I will likely check out the next issue, though I find it difficult to explain exactly why.

Comic Review: Tokyo Ghost #1

• Created by Rick Remender and Sean Murphy
• Writer: Rick Remender
• Artist: Sean Murphy
• Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
• Letterer: Rus Wooton
• Publisher: Image Comics

The only comics I've read by Rick Remender are this and Low, and both have given me the impression that I do not like what he writes. He's not the only creator, but there are similarities deeper than just the writing. A lot of people like him, but so far I have not, and Tokyo Ghost does nothing to make me want to come back for another issue.

Comic Review: Awake #1

• Story: Susan Beneville
• Art: Brian Hess
• Letters: Jaymes Reed
• Flatting: Darne Lang
• Publisher: Action Lab

Awake is only the second comic I've read from Action Lab (the other being the surprisingly good Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess), but I'm getting a feel for one thing they do well: All-Ages comics. They're not perfect, but they're so much fun I'm more than willing to overlook the flaws.

Comic Review: Boy 1 #1

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

• Writer/creator: H.S. Tak
• Art: Amancay Nahuelpan
• Colors: Sebastian Cheng
• Letters: Dezi Sienty
• Editor: Denton J. Tipton
• Producer: Jeremy Entin
• Publisher: IDW Publishing

 Science fiction often exists for the sake of making fantasy stories feel more grounded. From the beginning, Boy-1 seems to be straddling that line, trying to bring fantastical things to life while actually starting in real science and moving forward. It focuses on genetic engineering, though exactly the role that it plays in the plot is not really clear quite yet.   

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.