Chris Lear Comic Reviews

Just in case I haven't been clear (and I mean this in all seriousness), I can't underscore how much fun I had reading Bravest Warrior #12. It was an absolute blast. It doesn't try to give itself a bloated sense of self-importance or a new gimmick or issue to bathe itself in a forced sense of relevancy. Bravest Warriors is enjoyable storytelling at its most pure.

All things considered, it is an absolute blast with some great twists on familiar tropes. There are also some promising characters, most especially and ironically enough, Fury Shark. If I had to ask how much killing is going to happen over the next few issues, there would be one possible answer: lots.

If you are looking for something to remind you of how much fun comics can be, Conan Red Sonja #1 hits the spot like a warm bowl of aurochs stew washed down with a great big horn of mead.

Descender #1 could have been twice as expensive and still feel like you got it for half its worth.Only a silly person would not drop $2.99 on an extra-sized, debut issue as expansive and personal as this.

Divergence #1 is a solid cross-section of everything modern DC has to offer from it's biggest titles.

Groo: Friends and Foes #1 in no way pretends to be something it's not and I am thankful for it. It is a beautifully-cartooned, smartly-written, lighthearted and enjoyable adventure book that also happens to be very, very hilarious. You would not do wrong by placing $3.99 in Dark Horse's hands when you go buy your comic books.

Hunger #1 is a comic that does not forget that comics are meant to be awesome. If you are looking for a book about well-adjusted adults discussing the finer points of Plato's forms over a plate of finely-prepared prosciutto, you will be horrendously disappointed. There is punching and space and aliens and fast food and teenagers and starships and things that eat worlds. For everyone else, you life will have suddenly become a bit more awesome. :)

I'm not yet entirely sure what the titular 'it' is, but whatever it is, I can't wait to look through my classy spectacles to see where this goes. There is a robot train, and I have hopped aboard.

I still think it was a great deal of fun and I want more. Because if I can see more of what happened in that first double-page spread, I will send DC my money right now.

Ninjak #1 isn't terribly deep, but it's pretty frickin' awesome.*Not kidding.

Saga #25 is a wonderful piece that expertly gives recap, sets up the arc plot, develops the characters involved, surprises you with teases of things to come, and does what Saga does and RUINS YOU IN THE FEELS two pages after I laughed so hard, I needed to take a moment to realize how brilliantly written a joke was.

This is an absolutely phenomenal book. At no point does the sex or the amount seem gratuitous in any way. Each panel of each page develops character and furthers the story. Just because a story is about sex in no way gives it a free pass. At the end of the semester, Sex Criminals #1 passes with flying colours.

Sexcastle is the God-given send-up of 80's action movies we never knew we wanted this badly.

Star Wars #7 is a gorgeous piece of character-driven storytelling. Wood's dialogue and captions are poignant and purposeful; always saying what they need to in the best way they could be said. Kelly draws everything with the room it needs to breathe, making sure it paces well. There were no sequences I found anywhere in this issue where any of its panels could have used more or less space. There is also plenty of Star Destroyer eye candy and a half-smile-swagger, money shot of Han Solo as he attempts his escape from Coruscant. The entire team does a phenomenal job at keeping the huge, sweeping scale of an intergalactic war constantly in frame while telling a story about the people that are fighting it. Excellent work.

If these two do something long-form in the future, I would read it on the promise presented here alone. But promise alone does not a perfect product make.

After having two planets fail her (one because it exploded, the other because people suck), Kara is finally beginning to realize the strength she has within herself. Supergirl #22 is a solid, one-two, storytelling punch both written and visually that ever-so-well depicts the beginning of a young woman's journey to self-discovery. I'm a sucker for solid character development. This has it.

This is a book you should put your support behind. Tell all your friends. Buy it in bulk. I will be following this wonderful independent piece of glory every step of the way. I am excited to see where it goes.

Written and drawn by Geof Darrow (Hard Boiled) with colours by Dave Stewart (just about everything), The Shaolin Cowboy #1 begins with two of the most glorious pages of prose covering more story than most comics could hope to in their entire runs. Jokes about Obamacare, twerking, and breakfast cereal abound. I bet you never thought you'd see Obamacare, twerking, and breakfast cereal used in the same sentence.

Boys and girls, get in on the ground floor. We have a new Saga on our hands.

They're Not Like Us is the punk rock of comic books. Bravo.

Valhalla Mad #1 by Joe Casey and Paul Maybury is a comic that starts with incredible promise and does nothing with it, like that gifted friend you had in high school that ended up managing a McDonald's because he didn't want to try very hard.