Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Renaldo's Reviews: Conan, Massive, Star Wars, Creep, Dancer and MORE!

Dancer #4 –
Issue 3 left us with a predicament where the main character decides to go all out to rescue his lover from his clone, who has a vendetta and wants to exact terrible revenge…for an unknown reason. It reminds me a lot about Phone Booth…no main or real, tangible reasoning…just action. It’s a frenetic pace but I’d like to know by know why things and clones are going about their duties in this manner. The CIA comes in, so to speak, to incur the wrath of this despotic clone…and while the protagonist’s death wish seems a bit far-fetched and not heartfelt as the writer intended, it’s safe to say Nathan Edmondson has the chops to cook up a better script next issue with Nic Klein remaining consistent on the pencils. There’s hope left here…it’s just taking a bit long to process. (6/10)
 
Hoax Hunters #2 –
This title is really on thin ice as the group finds itself meshed into the wrong corners of a cult bent on demonic rapture and well…more freaky creatures. There’s little to no character development and a rushed and murky feel to the plot. A little time could be taken to flesh out some backdrop and insight into the hunters but Mike Morecci and Steve Seeley somehow stick to an underwhelming advent for each issue. Axel Medellin’s art is spunky but doesn’t suit this title so I need a drastic change of translating this story if I’m to stay in. (5/10)
 
Creep #0 –
John Arcudi’s story tackling an average teen suicide is well-drawn out with a lot of emotional and gut-wrenching investment of realism into the tale. It hits home as it’s an issue we see everyday. Oxel is hired by a grieving mother to investigate and while Oxel has his own personal problems, his past ties and curiousity into a setting he once knew draws him into the scene of the suicide…and he struggles with how attached he should be to the case. It’s an endearing and dramatic tale that’s perfectly fit for a cold night and a cup of coffee…I don’t say that often…and with John Case’s rough yet touching sense of pragmatism in his pencils, this book definitely has the makings of a winner. (10/10)
 
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: Spiral #1 –
John Miller’s intriguing tale of an old Sith tribe that fell and avoided perishing on a desolate planet by unifying with humans to form a society that’s a bit derelict and contradictory to Sith standards…yet some contemporary new-age form of the Dark Lords. Andrea Mutti’s pencils are elegant enough to paint the tale of two youngsters on different sides of the lightsaber as they stowaway on an exploratory mission to find and prove themselves to the Sith hierarchy in the modern era. Caste comes into play as the theme here but all politics and cavorting are quickly wiped aside as the yougnsters’ dalliances are thwarted by an interesting final page that does not beckon well for the origins and history of this society. Not bad at all. (8/10)
 
Conan: The Barbarian #7 –
While Brian Wood throws in the least action here, it’s a welcomed respite as Conan and Belit return to Cimmeria to meet a constant bickering, ridicule and toil…at the hands of Conan’s mother. She proves eloquent yet cold and harsh…and makes Belit look like a walk in the park. The intimidation factor is quite high here but it’s all put to bed as we see Conan’s lands ravaged by an impersonator. His love and requests of endearment from Belit add a lot of humanity to the story as their chemistry and love is felt more than ever…amid his bitchy mother. Harsh but true. Conan’s quest to find this impersonator looks daunting but with Cloonan’s amazing art back…you can’t go wrong with this series. It’s that brilliant. (10/10)
 
It Girl #1 –
Mike Norton’s art…top-notch here. Jaime Rich’s story…not so much. It’s hard to keep abreast or should I say interested as it’s just too nonchalant and trippy even for my tastes. It Girl finds herself linked with past acquaintances and dispenses altruism and quirkiness at almost all junctures, but her exuberance and annoying nature gets wrapped up in pretty boring story seeds, monotone plot threads…and a cast that seems so scientific yet so dull and dreary. There’s little to keep me personally invested. (4/10)
 
No Place Like Home # 4 –
This spin on Oz’s weird creatures comes even more horrific here as Dee finds her world rocked by the scariest flying monkey ever. Angelo Tirotto’s story pans out like ‘It’ meets ‘Jeepers Creatures’…and Richard Jordan’s definitely impressing with his illustrations of stark horror and grave tension. This book is better by the issue as we see past ties and future seeds sown in darkness while said monkey hatches a demonic plot. The mystery here is most powerful in its anonymity and I can’t wait for the next issue. (10/10)
 
The Massive #3 –
Brian Wood’s plots Callum Israel’s search for the title-ship and it’s intricate and pure intelligence. Kristian Donaldson’s art compliments Wood’s scrit well while Dave Stewart’s coloring job remains the usual top-class stuff. While I advise this story as a TPB, it can’t be dispelled how powerful and interesting the tale unwinds here. It’s boring at times but it unravels with components of drama and intrigue. Can’t ask for much more in a book of shrewd class, right? (8/10)

The Strain #7 -
God awful. Ignore this...I'm dropping.

Star Wars Knight Errant: Escape - gonna read now as a TPB...it wasnt that good also...too crappy for me :(

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