Ari Carr Comic Reviews

"Adventure Time #28″ might be light on story, but North ups the ante with some fantastic character studies and makes a great bridge between the show and the comic, and further demonstrates his writing skills, as he easily writes for any character. Back-up story Jelly Wars, written by Eric M Esquivel is intelligent, moralistic and silly all at the same time, and makes for a great back-up story.

I really enjoyed #36, but I found it's greatest, funniest moment to be in the back-up story, by Heather and Michelle Nunnelly. Their storytelling and artistry is superb, and they show great skill at showing the world of Ooo and it's lesser known characters, as well as a strong understanding of its main characters. The main story from Christopher Hastings and Zachary Sterling is strong on its won, but feels a bit disjointed. However, the comedy and humour is on top form as always.

"Adventure Time Annual #1" is a cute and charming trip through Ooo with our favorite genderbent heroines, and captures the heart of what Adventure Time is: moralistic lessons set against a cute fantasy background.

This is a really great first issue, and fits in fantastically with the show's ever-expanding mythos. It looks like this story will be really big on the Bubbline relationship, which I'm super excited to read about. The writing is on point, with Meredith Gran and Carey Pietsch excellently collaborating to bring a strong first issue with an engaging, character-driven story.

"Adventure Time: Flip Side #5" is a super fun Western adventure which completely flips the genres and typical story of Adventure Time in a great way. In the penultimate issue, Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover amp up the drama in a great way that is complemented by the excellent artwork from Wook Jin Clark and Whitney Cogar.

"Bee & Puppycat" #1 is great for both new and old fans alike, and this tale of magical girls and talking cats (dogs?) is off to an amazing, charming start, and is my new favorite thing!

"Brain Boy: The Men From G.E.S.T.A.L.T.#1″ by Fred Van Lente and Freddie Williams II is an awesome return to form, and kicks off this mini-series with some great action scenes and artwork.

"Bravest Warriors #20″ is the wrapping up of this final storyline that fits neatly in between episodes of the webseries, and delivers the fast and funny style of cartoon weve come to know and love from Pen Ward. Despite not being hugely accessible for new readers, this comic, written by Breehn Burns and Jason Jones is a laugh out loud riot with some of the best lines and creative dialogue. Bravest Warriors? Sign me up!

"Godzilla: Rulers of ESarth #12″ is the next offering of giant monsters from giant IDW, under the watchful writing of Chris Mowry and Matt Frank. Mowry writes a fun, exciting story and Frank draws it with gusto, but it could have used a little more depth.

The art is adorable. There's no other word for it. It's cartoonish and cute, which seems to be a perquisite for Boom Box titles. However, this cuteness is still brought over to the monsters. Yeah, Buckets looks pretty vicious, but at heart, he's just a big overgrown dog" With sharp pointy teeth and red eyes. Trillian Gunn's colouring is excellent. She adds a sense of urgency to the fight scenes, whilst still maintaining a pastel sweet palette. Gunn's use of a rainbow palette is super fun, and I love the way she colours Hadiyah and GW herself.

All criticisms aside, I'm really excited to see where Lantern City goes in the next issue. The climax of this issue is pretty darn exciting, with man becoming monster and if the art keeps up this way, I'll be staying on board. Hopefully #2 will bring more action and drama to the table, which is what #1 lacked somewhat.

Alllen and Laihos artwork is excellent, and each character looks hugely different to the next. The unique character designs work brilliantly within this comic, and the usage of slightly different art styles on each girl makes them stand out even more. Laihos vivid color scheme complements the natural backdrop of the comic, and looks exactly that- natural! However, the best part of the artwork in #2 is the river monster. Part Final Fantasy, part mythological, it looks the right mix of imposing, dangerous, and part of the Lumberjanes world, whilst also being the exact opposite of everything the girls have come to expect. Allens use of thick defining lines set against Laihos colors make everything jump off the page and look dynamic.

Lumberjanes #10 is an exciting journey into new territory for our favourite heroines, and features dinosaurs for two of them, because obviously. Noelle Stevenson and Shannon Watters have crafted the next part of this story with love and gentle care, and their storytelling really pays off, with artist Carolyn Nowak adding the cherry on top of the cake with her cutesy art.

Peanuts #18 is a further selection of America's greatest unsuccess story, lovingly told by a selection of wonderful artists and writers, as well as including a classic Schulz story for luck. If you're a fan of newspaper comic strips, you'll do well to remember they all started with Charlie Brown in Peanuts and pick this book up.

"Powerpuff Girls #9" is an exercise in awesomeness as Troy Little demonstrates how best to do a kid's comic with clever pop culture referencing, as well as modernizing the story. He captures the heart and soul of the Powerpuff Girls, while putting his own unique spin on it, creating a hugely fun, hugely enjoyable book.

For fans of Regular Show, issue #12 is a rollicking ride of '90s nostalgia and hilarity, complete with the usual surreal humor that the fans of the show have come to expect, which is brought to life by the ace creative teams on the book.

"Samurai Jack #8″ is a gorgeous silent one shot from Jim Zub and Andy Suriano, and is jam-packed with awesome action scenes and beautiful art from character designer Suriano.

"Last Broadcast #1″ is the first step in what might just be a hugely engaging conspiracy book, and writer Andre Sirangelo sure knows how to kick off a story. Artist Gabriel Iumazark brings a delicate touch to the story with some beautiful artwork, making Last Broadcast one to watch out for.