Nish's Notepad: Naruto 599 (Review + Spoilers!)

Naruto 599: Obito Uchiha

(  うちはオビト, Uchiha Obito )

Author: Masashi Kishimoto
Arc: Shinobi World War Arc
Volume: Uncategorised

Comic Review : Aghori #01 and #02 (Wayfarer Special!)

I think something short-circuited in my brain just now...

Like you dear reader, I've seen the previews, I've heard the rumours and scoured the facebook groups and people I know for anything I could on this new series and found little beyond what the folks at Holy Cow Entertainment put out there. They played this one close to the chest and now I can see why. This is a very a well-executed and bold new step from Indian creators, the art alone elevates this to a new level of amazing and the production values are impeccable.

(NOTE : Check out some of the preview pages we've got for you here!!)

Series writer Ram V is a very new face on the Indian comic scene and with the aid of his collaborators in this project - that I know for a fact came about amazingly fast (for more history on all this, check out our earlier interviews and coverage, all linked at the end of this review!) - may well be one of the most promising I've come across so far.

Week In Review : All-Star Western #12 + America's Got Powers #3 + Web of Spider-Man #129.1

Hey folks! Another new week, another bunch of new comics for you! This week we got a trio that covers some excellent titles from the Big-3! Enjoy!- Waiting-for-the-weekend Akshay

All-Star Western #12 (DC)

Story : Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray

Art : Moritat

(Reviewed by Anant Sagar)

Ah, Jonah Hex! What new madness have you brought before us.

All-Star western takes place primarily in Gotham City back in the days of the wild wild west. Not the Will Smith movie. With our heroes (of sorts) Hex and Dr. Arkham captured and chained, we wonder what in God’s name is going on. Their “guest-star” this time, a crazy young lady by the name of Tallulah Black, has managed to escape the chains our friends are caught in and ends up saving their backsides all by herself. And boy is she violent! Chops of heads with an axe, throws knives, shoots bad guy brains out - damn this girl is nuts. She’s also tappin' Jonah!! Not much about Jonah Hex in this issue, seems to be very backstory driven about his meeting with Wayne (yes, Batman’s ancestor). But apart from the little bit of action with the crazy chick, this issue kind of bored me.

Art’s ok, story is ok. Re-readability was just not there for me.

SCORE : 5 / 10

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises - KnightQuest: The Crusade - Detective Comics and Robin

DECIPHERING DC

Hello and welcome one and all to yet another edition of Deciphering DC. Today, we continue with our look at one of the modern Bat epics, arguably THE modern Bat epic, the Knights Trilogy. While Knightfall chronicled the breaking of an exhausted Bruce Wayne at the hands of Bane, KnightQuest, the second part of the trilogy examines Gotham City without Bruce Wayne as Batman.

Are Reboots worth the RISK? (Part 1 of 2)

Due to poor health, I spend a lot of time reading articles on comics, reading comics and going through reader responses to current trends in the comic industry. Along with writing comics, illustrating them and with a completed graphic novel before an international publishing house (my fingers are tired from crossing that I might get that much needed boost-to-my-ego and finally arrive upon the comic scene - you can cross your fingers as well. I need all the luck I can get. And also, I could do with a little less idiocy in my life), I am weary with how the Comic Industry is going to keep being relevant while rehashing the same characters in a new costume, only slightly changed, and  in a different team etc.

Now let me make myself very clear here before anyone starts to have a go at me for being an upstart, or if you're a little less polite, an idiot.

I LOVE COMIC BOOKS!

I do. Comics were my first love. They were an escape and several thousands of dollars were spent buying them as a collector and as a fan.

AvX Recap (#0-9) : Series In Review

AVENGERS vs X-MEN recap #0-9

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Jonothan Hickman and Matt Fraction

Art: Frank Cho, John Romita Jr, Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert

Published by Marvel Comics

Article by Stewart Loud

The X-men and Avengers have declared war on each other and the world as we know it is under threat of total destruction by an all powerful cosmic threat. It's a Marvel event, alright!

The Plot:

The Phoenix is returning. The X-men know it's coming and they know it's intended host is Hope Summers. Despite all the death, destruction and mess it usually causes, the X-men, in particular Cyclops, have decided this is a wonderful thing that could possibly bring back all the mutants again so the world can return to being the ultra dangerous and chaotic place it used to be, where any halfwit or psychotic murderer can be born with the powers to murder more people than they ever could have hoped for otherwise, before most of them were de-powered during House Of M.

Week In Review : Archer and Armstrong #1 + Deadpool #59 + Idolized #1 + Pathfinder #1

Another week gone by and a lovely new load of comics coming your way!We've been busy getting the new avatar of Comic Addicts ready for you so only a few new reviews this week, but we've picked some awesome ones - 3 shiny new #1's for starters! So enjoy and stick around, loads more comic goodness to be had with Comic Addicts.- Already-craving-the-weekend Akshay

Archer and Armstrong #1 (Valiant)

Story : Fred Van Lente

Art : Clayton Henry

(Reviewed by Akshay Dhar)

The world is wiped clean, a new one arise - secret sects, immortals, a spiritual quest, mythos, clever religiosity, fighting. Yeah, this issue has a lot going for it.

Tells the story of a deadly young warrior named Obidiah Archer, trained in multiple martial arts – but looks to be barely out of his teens – who is a religious zealot, trained since childhood by his parents (who are heads of a quasi-religious/christian-y cult/sect) to be a warrior with a mission. And then he is sent out into the REAL world – for the first time in his life. His first “friend” is a familiar looking fellow named Armstrong who drinks and bounces at a bar where Archer... creates some ruckus. And then things start to get crazier and a wee bit scarier – for Archer anyway.

Nicely written out with a sufficient amount of character development and a good mix of plot building, action and a hint of humour, the issue was a joy to read and I was sad to see it finish.

Holy Cow presents "Aghori" : EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW!! (Part 2!)

Promo art - a character study (clickable!)

The Aghori is back!

Yes folks, welcome to our follow up to last weeks most-excellent preview pages from issue #0 of the exciting and much-talked-about series.

This week we are excited to bring you the second half of this tantalizing teaser chapter from this promising new series from creators Vivek Goel and Ram V. who have got the Indian comic community buzzing since the first images were released.

What is he? Demon fighter? Hero? Rogue? Mystic? Human? … and what is his mission?

We all have to wait a while still to know the answers to all this and more, but this short story has been a great glimpse into the kind of stories and art that we can expect to see from the series.

So without any further, here is the end of the beginning as this chapter wraps up just as the #1 issue is poised to hit the shelves! With special commentary from the creators themselves, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises - Knightfall Vol 2: Who Rules the Night!

Writers : Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant

Artists : Mike Manley, Jim Aparo, Bret Blevins, Graham Nolan, Klaus Janson

Collects : Batman 498-500, Detective Comics 664-666, Batman: Shadow of the Bat 16-18, Showcase '93 7 and 8

Published by DC Comics

While the new volume of Knightfall collects the whole Knightfall saga in one volume, I prefer to stick with the older volume partition while reviewing, because both the volumes are different beasts.

Nish's Notepad: Naruto 597 (Review + Spoilers!)

Naruto 597: The Secret of the Space–Time Ninjutsu

(時空間忍術の秘密, Jikūkan Ninjutsu no Himitsu)

Author: Masashi Kishimoto
Arc: Shinobi World War Arc
Volume: Uncategorised

Holy Cow presents "Aghori" : EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW!!

Teaser cover image

Greetings comic fiends and fellow fans! 

Thanks to the amazing folks over at the creative power-house that is Holy Cow Entertainment (HCE), we have an extra, EXTRA special treat for you. 

Not all that long back we had a special, exclusive interview with Ram V., the writer for the very-in-the-news series titled "Aghori" which is being teased as one of the intended flag-ship books/characters in the Holy Cow universe of comics. 

Now, we have something more and even better : the first four full pages of the Aghori #0 with commentary from both Ram and Vivek Goel on the development of the series as well as insights into the creation of this first glimpse into the world of Aghori, before the highly anticipated launch of the series itself!

And so, keep reading for all the latest Aghori awesomeness! (And remember - CLICK TO SEE EACH PAGE IN IT'S FULL GLORY!)

Week In Review : Hawkeye #1 + Infected #1 + The First X-Men #1

Three more #1's folks! This week has been choc-full of new-comic goodness and we've got some doozies here for you today! The hotly anticipated Hawkeye and First X-Men as well as IDW's new offering. Enjoy!
- Always-helpful Akshay

Hawkeye #1 (Marvel)

Story : Matt Fraction

Art : David Aja (linework), Matt Holingsworth (colors)

(Reviewed by Anubhav Dasgupta)

Marvel is winning.

I can’t believe I typed that. I’m a harcore DC guy and I typed “Marvel is winning.”

Now, I don’t know a lot about Hawkeye beyond what I’ve read since the Heroic Age. I wasn’t really a fan until I read last year’s Hawkeye & Mockingbird by Jim McCann, which was amazing fun. But this one… it’s textbook. It’s brilliant. It’s so good that it makes making brilliant comics look easy.

This comic doesn’t have any epic fights between super-powered heroes or alien invasions or another stupid plot involving the Phoenix, rather it’s a human story. It’s what happens when Hawkeye isn’t 'Avengering'. It’s what Clint Barton does when he isn’t hanging around with Tony Stark or Steve Rogers.

Week In Review : Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #1 + Harvest #1 + Think Tank #1

Welcome to another new week of comics and to start things off we have a trio of fantastic new #1's that we think you will really enjoy!

So what are you waiting for? Read on!

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #1 (Marvel)

Story : Cullen Bunn

Art : Dalibor Talajic (art) and Lee Loughridge (colours)

(Reviewed by Anant Sagar)

Yes true believers, you read that correctly. Deadpool kills the marvel universe.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Deadpool finally lost it and went all out against everyone? What would happen to Wade? Would he kill or be killed? A DP vs FF face-off - who would survive?

All such questions are now answered.

The issue begins with the Watcher telling us of the death of the Fantastic Four. Deadpool kills them all. Gets his head blown off by Sue Richards, grows it back (Yes, this is a “what if” and he has his healing factor here!) and kills her too.

Now as we continue, we find out that DP was actually brainwashed, or that a minute super villain by the name of Psycho Man tried to brainwash him. But the results were somewhat different than what was expected. Psycho Man’s plan was to brainwash Earths super villains to make an army for himself.

JUDGE DREDD: Day of Chaos (Comic Review)

2000AD #1743 - The start of Days of Chaos.

JUDGE DREDD: Day of Chaos (from 2000AD.)




When I was a kid, around 9-10yrs old, my friend who lived directly across the street from us was a huge fan of the British weekly comic series. The two of us at such an early age began a love of a genre in entertainment that I wasn't even aware that I was in love with: Science Fiction. Sure we had our favourite TV shows like Knight Rider, Star Trek and Automan, but they were to us just the normal thing to watch.

My friend Regan was in love with the ABC Warriors which was a series that ran in 2000AD. He made sure he got every single issue of the weekly and so in turn I got to read it and for free. We had our own gang of two called the 'ABC Warriors', with out own clubhouse which his father and the two of us built. That was some 30 years ago.

Week In Review : American Vampire #29 + Justice League Dark #11 + The Goon #40

American Vampire #29 (Vertigo)

Story : Scott Snyder

Art : Rafael Albuquerque

(Reviewed by Anirudh Singh)

Skinner Sweet is back. The monster from the old wild west returns to doing what he does best. Hunting down the old breed of vampires. And this time he is doing it for Uncle Sam. Partnering up with his old crush/protege Pearl Jones. The two of them are set loose in Hollywood to undertake their own witchhunt. While the government tries to sniff out the communists, the two of them are here to bring to light any incidents of Vampires being hidden among the rich, affluent movie magnates.

Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones always have such wonderful chemistry together that its a wonder most issues in the series arent centred about them. Skinner's character is pretty much what drew a lot of people to this series, including me. He acts as a perfect foil to the good hearted Pearl. Add to this the fact that we know the European breed of Bloodsuckers indeed have something up their sleeve (thanks to Lord of Nightmares) and this story becomes doubly interesting.

Week In Review : B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth Exorcism #2 + Debris #1 + Star Wars Blood Ties Boba Fett Is Dead #4

B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth Exorcism #2 (of 2) (Dark Horse)

Story : Mike Mignola and Cameron Stewart

Art : Cameron Stewart

(Reviewed by Anirudh Singh)

The best part about a two comic story arc. Is that it has to be sharp and slickly done. You wont find useless filler villains, or feints and counter feints. There isnt any room for them. What you would expect is direct storyline, no holds barred. And that is exactly what you get. In spades.

Exorcism, deals with one of the many secrets of BPRD. One of the many tangents in this Hell on Earth where the agency interfered without even know what it was interfering in. And must now bear the price. An ancient Demon of great power and potency was imprisoned on this Earth. Its time of freedom now at hand, BPRD Agent Ashley Strode will venture into realms best left untouched to complete her mission.

A wonderful throwback to the old spooky Hellboy storylines, this comic works wonderfully. The artwork is just plain awesome, and the writing as always top notch. If you are looking for a good