| Ed’s Early Evaluations #4
Boy oh boy four weeks into reviewing and I can’t think of anything interesting to say for the opening blurb, so I guess I’ll take this moment to say “Thank You”. Thanks for reading, thanks for choosing Fantasium as your LCS, and thanks for being the best, you’ve made this the only job I’ve ever loved. Getting to know you all has been wonderful, whether we chatted over comics, music, games, movies or food recommendations. I gotta say it’s been a blast; I’ve seen incredible acts of generosity in the store, and I’ve made some great friends, one of you even helped me move! Now you know that’s friendship! So, it is with heavy heart I bid thee farewell, it is unfortunately time for me to move on to new adventures. I’ll still be writing up reviews and the previews recommendation list, but I’ll no longer be behind the register.
“Alas, two years is far too short a time to work among such excellent and admirable people. I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” – Bilbo Baggins
–Ed Goodwill
“Batman/Superman” DC: This has got some really good stuff going on, it spins out of “The Batman Who Laughs” effortlessly and really ups the stakes. We got an evil Jokerized Batman trying to Jokerize other heroes! No spoilers but one has already been converted and the fight coming in issue 2 is gonna be bonkers! If you haven’t read “The Batman Who Laughs” don’t worry, we got copies of the trade so you can catch up quickly and easily. There’s one panel that’s pretty grim—lots of dead heroes from an alternate universe, other than that it’s pretty standard tights and capes action. I’m definitely gonna keep reading this, 8 infected heroes out of 10
“Fantastic Four: 4 Yancy Street” Marvel: This was a fun comic, we get a little flashback to Ben Grimm’s childhood which is colored to look like an old school comic, and then Ben is trying to impart some wisdom on a kid who’s starting to go down a bad path. It wouldn’t be a, FF comic without some villainy and setting up some larger dastardly deeds in the background. If you’re a fan of the FF, then you gotta pick this up, and If you’re new to the team, this is a great place to start learning who these characters are and why they’re so beloved. I’ll check out the next few issues, 7 pies out of 10
“Mall” Vault: The art is dirty and frantic, capturing the hurried desperate lives of survivors struggling in a post-apocalyptic mall. There are allusions to monsters roaming outside the mall, and possibly in access tunnels, new cultish religions and shifting gang factions. Different groups dress and fight with materials found in their respective stores/turf. It’s a great premise, it’s got some murder mystery and an intriguing hero, yet something falls flat in the delivery. I was hooked on the first few pages and I want to know what happens to the initial protagonist, we’re presented with a terrible loss then are immediately thrown mid story into a different scenario, it’s a good scenario, I just really wanted to follow the woman in the first few pages. Overall, I really enjoyed it and I’m gonna check out the second issue, I’m betting it will read better as a trade or at least a few issues at a time. 6 stolen babies out of 10
“Mountainhead” IDW: This is a blend of psychological thriller, crime drama and a pinch of the supernatural all wrapped up in a Father-Son bonding experience through their shared career as cat burglers. It’s hard to tell where this book is going because so much is happening, however it’s all clear and well plotted, I wasn’t lost or confused once. There are a few panels of gross out art, but it only happens maybe three times. I think it’s asking some cool questions; who are the good guys, what is family, what value does modern society have? I’m excited to see where this goes, I’m adding it to my subscription list, so I don’t miss an issue. 8 B&Es out of 10
“Tommy Gun Wizards” Dark Horse: This is shaping up to be a fun alternate history, Follow Eliot Ness and his Untouchables track down Al Capone and stop him from selling Magic! They’ve combined the mundane and supernatural wonderfully, so that this true crime story is familiar and thoroughly fresh. If you’re a fan of true crime, alternate history, or modernity mixed-in-magic, then this book is for you. I’ll be checking the second issue for sure. 7 licks out of 10
And here for the first time I’m presenting an honorable mention
“Monsters” Marvel: This is a fun book with great art! It’s got a short story but it’s more like a bestiary. Most pages are devoted to a different monster in Marvel comics. On the left is a beautiful rendition by various artists and on the right is an anatomical sketch with pertinent info like height, weight, acid sacs, special weapons, and unique abilities. I hope Marvel does more stuff like this, let’s get some books about Aliens, Cosmic beings, and inventions!
See You Around the Shop!
–Ed |
This Week at Fantasium: Conan 2099 #1, D&D Rick & Morty Book Set, & Star Trek Picard Countdown #1
This week at Fantasium: 2099 Alpha, Annihilation Scourge #1, & D&D Eberron