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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 1, 2022 8:42:35 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKS!Where real readers write real, honest reviews!  What did you pick up this week? |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 2, 2022 17:02:32 GMT -5
Monkey Prince #1Written by Gene Luen Yang Art by Bernard Chang Summary: Being the son of two henchmen for hire has given Marcus a lot of anxiety and plenty to fear but things are about to change.
Plot: I loved Gene Luen Yang ever since he did Superman Smashes the Klan so the idea of him mixing traditional Chinese folklore and Mythology with the DCU seemed like a fantastic match to me. Inspired heavily by Wu Chen'en's Journey to the West, Yang's Monkey Prince is a real bright spot of joy in the otherwise bleak landscape of current superhero comics and although it does suffer a little bit from being a fairly typical origin story with those predictable story beats but there's more than enough there to make it a fun read. To start with I really loved that Marcus' parents were freelance henchmen that hop from villain to villain, I've always loved the idea of "henching" as a profession in comics and the way Yang tied that into Marcus' personality was really great; who wouldn't have a little ptsd after seeing their mild mannered dad get beat up by Batman? On top of that the infusion of the Chinese folklore from Journey to the West really makes this a unique book and although it's only introduced at the end of the issue I'm hoping we see even more of that as the story progresses.
Art:Bernard Chang’s work is always a joy to see but his style is really a perfect match for Yang’s story. I love the panel lay outs in the action scenes and Chang’s ability to convey emotions is just stunning. From the sudden shock on Marcus’s face when he first sees Batman and the look of dread in Marcus when he sees bats after having moved away from Gotham, to the pure adrenaline rush in the eyes of the Monkey King as he flies off every emotion is just so perfectly captured and portrayed on the page that you just can't help but feel emotionally involved. Yang and Chang really provide the perfect one-two punch here in story and art and I can't wait to see what they get up to next!
Grade:9/10 |
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Post by majestic on Feb 3, 2022 12:57:51 GMT -5
Geiger 80 Page Giant.
In the first story Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch debut the immortal mercenary Redcoat and reveal his connection to the American Revolution and the Unknown War of 2030. I would consider this story Redcoat #0. The series will be coming later this year. I'm intrigued by the story and the character. It isn't revealed how he becomes immortal. Hitch's art is stellar especially his scenes set during the American Revolution. I will be getting this when it comes out. Below is the variant cover featuring Redcoat by Hitch.
Then there are 8 short stories about the Warlords of Las Vegas: Bonnie Borden. Goldbeard. Mr. Karloff. And others by Peter Tomasi, Sterling Gates, Kelley Jones and other creators. Plus the origin of Geiger's two-headed dog, Barney by Johns and Frank. These all vary in quality and honestly most are only worthy of a being a back up story. I don't see any of these characters getting a series. There is also a timeline from 1776-2050 that highlights events Johns will expand on in future mini series set in this universe.
Last is a preview of Johns & Frank next series set in the Geiger universe Junkyard Joe. Basically Joe is an advanced robot created to be a soldier in the Vietnam War who still survives into the time period after the Unknown War of 2030. Most of the Geiger stories take place in 2050. Not sure about this one yet. It comes out in the summer.
Overall Johns hasn't invented anything "new". He takes classic story ideas (like an immortal warrior or a robot soldier) and puts his own spin on them to tell stories. It's not earth shattering but it is entertaining. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 3, 2022 19:10:32 GMT -5
N #3Written by Chip Zdarsky Art by Jacob Phillips Summary: When a serial killer starts stalking the crime families of New York it's up to Newburn to end the killer before the families' end him.
Plot: In the span of just two dozen pages Zdarsky once again delivers another fast paced done in one mystery that is fun from start to finish. In a time when writers just can't seem to help themselves and always feel the need to make every story some big twelve part "event" it's really refreshing that so far each of these three issues has been a tightly paced story that was wrapped up by issue's end. While the previous entries have been tightly woven this latest issue really takes the cake as it delivers a story that obviously spans a few weeks with multiple murders committed by the serial killer but it still zooms along to its conclusion at the end...and all with out feeling rushed in the least. True, it's not a fair play mystery as Newburn rarely lets on what clues led him to the conclusions he makes and the plot pulls away every time he starts to see such clues so there's no way the reader can figure it out along the way but the characters and setting mostly make up for that cheat.
Art: I really love the setting that Phillips delivers with his art, the city feels real and alive and there's a real sense of scope to the buildings of New York City that surround the characters in a way that you just don't get in your typical superhero books set in NYC like Spider-Man.
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2022 22:50:16 GMT -5
Monkey Prince #1Written by Gene Luen Yang Art by Bernard Chang Summary: Being the son of two henchmen for hire has given Marcus a lot of anxiety and plenty to fear but things are about to change.
Plot: I loved Gene Luen Yang ever since he did Superman Smashes the Klan so the idea of him mixing traditional Chinese folklore and Mythology with the DCU seemed like a fantastic match to me. Inspired heavily by Wu Chen'en's Journey to the West, Yang's Monkey Prince is a real bright spot of joy in the otherwise bleak landscape of current superhero comics and although it does suffer a little bit from being a fairly typical origin story with those predictable story beats but there's more than enough there to make it a fun read. To start with I really loved that Marcus' parents were freelance henchmen that hop from villain to villain, I've always loved the idea of "henching" as a profession in comics and the way Yang tied that into Marcus' personality was really great; who wouldn't have a little ptsd after seeing their mild mannered dad get beat up by Batman? On top of that the infusion of the Chinese folklore from Journey to the West really makes this a unique book and although it's only introduced at the end of the issue I'm hoping we see even more of that as the story progresses.
Art:Bernard Chang’s work is always a joy to see but his style is really a perfect match for Yang’s story. I love the panel lay outs in the action scenes and Chang’s ability to convey emotions is just stunning. From the sudden shock on Marcus’s face when he first sees Batman and the look of dread in Marcus when he sees bats after having moved away from Gotham, to the pure adrenaline rush in the eyes of the Monkey King as he flies off every emotion is just so perfectly captured and portrayed on the page that you just can't help but feel emotionally involved. Yang and Chang really provide the perfect one-two punch here in story and art and I can't wait to see what they get up to next!
Grade:9/10 This sounded like one of the most promising projects from the Big Two in years when I first heard about it. I'm happy that your review adds more fuel to my anticipation (I'm trade-waiting). |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 4, 2022 8:30:50 GMT -5
Monkey Prince #1Written by Gene Luen Yang Art by Bernard Chang Summary: Being the son of two henchmen for hire has given Marcus a lot of anxiety and plenty to fear but things are about to change.
Plot: I loved Gene Luen Yang ever since he did Superman Smashes the Klan so the idea of him mixing traditional Chinese folklore and Mythology with the DCU seemed like a fantastic match to me. Inspired heavily by Wu Chen'en's Journey to the West, Yang's Monkey Prince is a real bright spot of joy in the otherwise bleak landscape of current superhero comics and although it does suffer a little bit from being a fairly typical origin story with those predictable story beats but there's more than enough there to make it a fun read. To start with I really loved that Marcus' parents were freelance henchmen that hop from villain to villain, I've always loved the idea of "henching" as a profession in comics and the way Yang tied that into Marcus' personality was really great; who wouldn't have a little ptsd after seeing their mild mannered dad get beat up by Batman? On top of that the infusion of the Chinese folklore from Journey to the West really makes this a unique book and although it's only introduced at the end of the issue I'm hoping we see even more of that as the story progresses.
Art:Bernard Chang’s work is always a joy to see but his style is really a perfect match for Yang’s story. I love the panel lay outs in the action scenes and Chang’s ability to convey emotions is just stunning. From the sudden shock on Marcus’s face when he first sees Batman and the look of dread in Marcus when he sees bats after having moved away from Gotham, to the pure adrenaline rush in the eyes of the Monkey King as he flies off every emotion is just so perfectly captured and portrayed on the page that you just can't help but feel emotionally involved. Yang and Chang really provide the perfect one-two punch here in story and art and I can't wait to see what they get up to next!
Grade:9/10 This sounded like one of the most promising projects from the Big Two in years when I first heard about it. I'm happy that your review adds more fuel to my anticipation (I'm trade-waiting). It certainly has a lot of promise, and Yang has yet to leave me hanging yet. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 4, 2022 22:29:56 GMT -5
I enjoyed Monkey Prince, it was pretty fun, and Yang is a great writer. I hope he leans more into the Mythology though.
Some quick hits (from last week and this week):
Action Comics #1039 : I'm really digging this Warworld story... it was my favorite of the Future State stuff, and it continues to tell a new, different story with Superman. It's looking like Natasha Irons is going to continue to play a key role as well, which makes me happy. The Martian Manhunter backups have been good as well.
Dark Knights of Steel #4 : Flashback time... we get a bit of world origin, and it's alot better than the last couple issues have been.... Alexander Luthor as the Joker with a Green Lantern ring was pretty nuts. Best issue in a while
Frontiersman #5 : First time I was disappointed with this title... just a big fight, and the back page seems to indicate this was the end of the initial story line, which makes no sense at all. Hopefully next issue will pick back up
Robin #10 : Damian is literally a passenger as we get a flashback to the origins of the Lazarus Pit and the Demon. I'm wondering if they just have this one story? I was hoping they'd move on, but doesn't look like it.
Devil's Reign #3 : Kinda was hoping this would not be a reprise of Civil War, but so far that's all they've done. I'm hoping the do something more with the politics aspect.
Cowboy Bebop #1 : I was curious.. seems like this is more about the abortive live action show than the original.. the art is pretty cool, but definitely not the right vibe.
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Post by DubipR on Feb 4, 2022 22:34:53 GMT -5
Pick of the Week
Cross Over #11
Donny Cates' super meta comic story gets weirder and more fantastical with each issue and this one was off the scale.
I do recommend reading this series. It's really well done. I won't spoil anything.
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