Well folks, as promised, we have part 2 of this week's comic reviews for your pleasure and we hope you like the titles we've chosen. As always, if there are any series' at all that you would like to see reviewed as they release - all you have to do is ask!
Fantastic Four #603
Story:
Jonathan Hickman
Art:
Barry Kitson
(Review
by Akshay Dhar)
I've never been the biggest fan of Fantastic Four comics beyond the
early years under Kirby and Lee, a few good ones here and there but
rarely have I consistently enjoyed what is otherwise one of the most
landmark, unique and iconic team books in comics. Until Hickman. From
now on when it comes to the FF there is the era B.H. (before Hickman)
and A.H. as far as I'm concerned and if you've been following his
work from his takeover through the launch of the ongoing FF (a.k.a
Future Foundation) and the recent relaunch of Fantastic Four, then
you know exactly what I mean.
Not a story-heavy issue, this is just part of the final moments of
what Hickman has been building for quite a while now with the
multi-Reed storyline, the time and space travelling Richards'
children all growed-up and all the other little bits that have been
weaving around – not to mention the death and VERY recent return
(with style I might add!) of Johnny Storm, a.k.a, the Human Torch. We
get some funky science, deadly cosmic weapons, Galactus kicking arse
and laying the smack-down, Negative Zone armies now ruled by Johnny,
lost kids and twists still forming as others unravel and this is a
relatively simple issue for what has been a great time with a book
(now two books if you include this and FF both). Barry Kitson does a
fantastic job on the art and the massive scale action scenes play out
really well while never getting in the way of the story, a nice
balance.
Hickman has accomplished something amazing, he has made me care about
this book and this team again – I liken his run on the FF to Dan
Slott on Spiderman and Jason Aaron on Wolverine, its like Marvel has
hit the ultimate jackpot and found the writer most ideally suited and
personally passionate and path-making and breaking writers for these
series. If you aren't reading these two books, you really should be!
SCORE
: 8 / 10
Witchblade / Red Sonja #1
Story: Doug Wagner
Art: Cezar Razek
(Review by
Mayank Khurana)
When two companies get their top
selling characters together for a cross-over, this is how it
typically goes: heroes meet, there is a misunderstanding, they fight
and then unite against a common foe. The story usually has no impact
on either of the heroes own continuity and is relegated to the bowels
of forgotten realms.
So how does this meeting of the
comic-doms two fiercest femme fatales go? Well, the jury is still out
on the final verdict, but the prognosis is good.
Doug Wagner solves the dilemma of our
central characters existing in two different eras by narrating two
parallel stories. One in the present with Sara Pezzini (Witchblade)
and one in the past with Red Sonja. The comic in fact, begins with
some amazing visuals of Red Sonja fighting monsters and then cuts to
Sara investigating an unusual murder crime scene. I doubt I'd be
spoiling much if I tell you that during the course of the story Sonja
meets another bearer of the Witchblade and mercifully there is no
misunderstanding and they do not fight! Hellaujah. So far so good,
one comic trope avoided. But soon thereafter, an ancient evil awakens
(not again!) and this is where the first issue closes itself.
Doug is playing his cards close to his
chest and we do not know how the story in the past is going to
overlap with the present (though you can almost guess). We do not
know whether “our” Witchblade (Sara) would actually meet Red
Sonja or whether the cross-over will be between the other wielder in
Red Sonja's era and Sonja. Will there be time travel? Will there be
transfer of souls or will Doug manage to avoid all comic cliche's and
make this cross-over a worthy comic to read? The story is fast paced
and has made me curious enough to want to come back for the second
issue, which I guess is the objective of a first issue.
I haven't spoken about the art much
because it is understood if you are taking on art duties for
characters like Red Sonja and Witchblade, you better be able to draw
like hell! and Cezar Razek does not disappoint at all. Looking
forward to seeing him on other books after this one.
SCORE : 7 / 10
Prophet #22
Story:
Brandon Graham
Art:
Simon Roy
(Review
by Akshay Dhar)
Just to clear the air for those that might not know this – Prophet
#22 is in actuality issue #2 of the series relaunched by Image
Comics. Originally this was a series by Rob Leifeld about a man who
awakes from over-long hibernation in a dark future and was created
during the mindless and dark age of comics we call the 90's but
recently there has been a move to re-imagine the basic concepts with
people who actually HAVE talent and the result is this, a book
written and drawn by a fantastic creative team who have taken a
pretty dumb comic and turned it into one of the most interesting new
books I've read in a while.
Brandon Graham is a bit of a personal favourite with his work on his
own series King City, but I've never seen him outside of that really
and I was surprised he had taken this on. But there is nothing quite
like being surprised and then surprised again and thats exactly what
happens here!
We follow the adventures of human soldier John Prophet who has awoken
from a sleep chamber of some kind into one of the most bizarre but
endlessly fascinating futures I've ever seen in any medium and finds
that while he has slightly overslept and the world is much changed
from what he knew – in sometimes shocking ways – the mission he
was given (that we know nothing about) remains real. In the first
issue he met his contact and after an... interesting exchange he has
found the mission parameters and this issue sees him travelling and
adapting to this strange, strange new world and trying to survive the
dangers all around him, even if sometimes he brings it on himself.
The art style and design by Simon Roy is some of the most awesome I
have ever seen and complements the mood that Graham is creating
almost perfectly. Truly this book is another feather in Image's cap
and makes me actually look forward to the Glory and Bloodstrike (an
old guilty pleasure) being relaunches as well.
If you like science fiction, the bizarre and something just a little
off the beaten track that really gets under your skin – check this
book out!
SCORE
: 9 / 10
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