Christopher Hitchcock's Comic Reviews

Reviewer For: Outright Geekery Reviews: 23
7.1Avg. Review Rating

9
Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven #1

May 19, 2016

Overall, I highly recommend this book. If you even have a passing interest in wrestling, this will be a pretty fascinating read. Andre the Giant is an interesting guy and this book does him justice. I just wish we could of gotten more from it, and as they say, any book that leaves you wanting more is a good thing.

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6
Citizen Jack #6

Jun 2, 2016

After reading this issue, I'm not sure how much more time I want to invest in this series. The new story elements introduced in this issue just don't hold my attention like they should. Jack's going to be faced against a bunch of new challenges with his presidency, but I've been rooting for Marlinspike to kill Jack from the get-go. So now that Jack's won, I'm left wondering how much longer I'm going to be willing to put up with his dickish behavior.

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3
Clarence: Chicken Phantom OGN #1

May 12, 2016

This is one of those situations where if you like the show, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of this comic, but for me, I don't want to be within a forty mile radius of a television with this show playing on it now. There's no real substance in this story. It's just three dorks going to Summer Camp and towards the end there's a few panels about a chicken ghost. Honestly if you want a good story aimed at young readers that's about a group of kids at summer camp that's located next to a forest with mystical creatures, just read Lumberjanes.

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2
Grizzly Shark #2

May 19, 2016

Even though, I did enjoy this book, I find it very hard to recommend because of how tasteless some of the jokes can get. Some times it crosses that boarder from being tasteless to being down right offensive at times.

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8
Jem and the Holograms #15

Jun 7, 2016

Also Techrat comes back. Techrat's the best. More of him is always a good thing.

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9
Klaus #5

May 13, 2016

While Klaus is still becoming one of my favorite Mini-series and pieces of work by Grant Morrison, Issue #05 is possibly the weakest issue so far. Don't get me wrong, this issue still has absolutely stunning artwork and fantastic story moments, but it's a bit slower paced than previous issues.

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8
Lobster Johnson: Metal Monsters of Midtown #1

May 26, 2016

Asides from that, this is pretty solid. Fun monsters for heroes to fight, an interesting mystery, and lots of great dialogue. If I have one issue with the art, I think The Lobster's costume is a little on the bland side. While the design works when standing next to other characters from the Hellboy universe. On his own The Lobster feels like a generic 1930's dime novel character, but that's pretty much the point of his design in the first place. So really take that bit of criticism with a grain of salt. While not exactly friendly to newcomers to the world of Hellboy, this is still fun enough where I don't think that'll turn too many people off.

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7
Mars Attacks: Occupation #3

May 26, 2016

Although that doesn't make the image of this reveal any less awesome. This series excels had being fun and having a really awesome badass protagonist. Ruby teaming up with a giant murder robot with a brain and eye balls in a glass jar for a head to beat up hulked out Martains with battle axes is by all definitions of the word, "Awesome." Seriously, its stuff like this that makes me love comic books as much as I do.

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8
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (2016) #3

May 13, 2016

Overall, while Issue #03 is a bit on the talkie side, the advancement they make with character development and further insight to Rita's master plan is extremely welcomed. They're going above and beyond to tell a good story here.

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7
Over The Garden Wall #2

Jun 2, 2016

I don't have much to say about this issue. Its fine. Its nowhere near as memorable as the series. I think that comes from choosing to not have Wirt in this comic series. Greg's fine, but the character works best when bouncing off his brother. Its kinda like reading a story about Bert without Ernie. Sure, he can work on his own, but a lot of his charm comes from the pair. It also feels a bit too safe. One of the appealing things about the series was how dangerous the woods were, while in this story, Gerg looks like he's taking a trip into the pages of the Wind in the Willows. I'm sure the second storyline with young woman with missing parents is suppose to fill that gap, but it'd be nice to see the two stories converge at least. Again, its fine.

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10
Pencil Head #4

May 13, 2016

Like all of the other issues, Pencil Head is for those who want to think and examine what they're reading instead of consuming it as another piece of entertainment. While the story is entertaining as hell and it's style of dark humor is hilarious, if you don't want to be challenged to think outside the box, you might want to stick with a cape book. Although, I would suggest waiting for a trade paperback for this one, because I find this series works best when you read it in one go.

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2
Penguins: The Elitest of the Elite #3

May 9, 2016

There's very little in this comic book that's worth mentioning. It's a cash grab aimed at children who don't know any better.

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8
Rivers of London: Night Witches #3

May 26, 2016

This is my first exposure to the Rivers of London series and I have to admit, I'm really interested in checking out the original novels. It is really cool that the original author of the series is also writing this comic series, so if the books are anywhere near as intriguing as this series has been, I'm sure I'll like it quite a bit. Although with that being said, because I'm not familiar with the source material, there was a scene in this issue where I felt a bit lost and that was when May is talking to a woman who wears a white mask. The woman in the white mask has been in previous issue, but I've never really understood who she was and what her deal is. Outside of that, I'm finding this series is a interesting gateway into this little universe.

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7
Samurai: The Isle With No Name #3

May 9, 2016

Overall, Issue 03 is the strongest issue in this run. Great fight scenes and background work, but the story has questionable content and too many subplots that don't really leave much of an overall impact. If you've been following this series, it's worth continuing and I'm interested to see the climax this arc has in store.

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5
Sonic the Hedgehog #281

May 13, 2016

While this is still in the middle of the "Sonic Unleashed" storyline, this issue is an ok-ish jumping on point since it's the beginning of an arc within the arc. While I'm not sure of Dulcy the Dragon's staying power, I'm interested to see where the arc is going.

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9.5
Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems #2

May 12, 2016

One of the issues I had with the previous run of the Steven Universe comic series was how it focused on the goofier side of the series, but with this Crystal Gems mini-series, we're finally getting a comic book that focuses on what makes the show great in the first place, good storytelling with lovable characters. If you aren't a fan of the show and want to get an idea of why people like it so much, pick up this mini-series.

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10
Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems #3

Jun 2, 2016

This has been a fantastic mini-series that fan of Steven Universe should not miss. The art continues to be excellent, perfectly capturing the show's style and charm. Also Lars is also attacked by the Glass Ghost and any story that has Lars getting hurt gets a ten out of ten from me. Because Lars is the worst and he deserves every horrible thing that happens to him. No really, Lars is the worst. I know we're suppose to hate Yellow Diamond right now, but really Lars is the real villain of Steven Universe and Sadie deserves better. Lars is a jerk. Wait, what was I talking about? Oh right, this series is awesome and you should buy it.

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6
The Adventures of Puss in Boots #2

May 24, 2016

While I liked the first story, the second story is so terrible and off-putting it makes this impossible to recommend. "Damage Control" is a strong story on how being a hero is more than just beating up the bad guy, but "The Pickled Piper of San Lorenzo" is one of those kids books that talks down to their intended audience like they're a bunch of morons who don't know the difference between right and wrong. This issue is kinda like a box of chocolates. You'll have some that are filled with delicious cherries and peanut butter, but there are also chocolates in the box filled with expired pickle juice.

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10
The Maxx: Maxximized #31

May 10, 2016

The Maxx always seems to fall into that category of "Love it or Hate it" but when it comes to issues like this, I believe it's hard to deny that the writing and art aren't some of the best that comics have to offer.

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6
The Rocketeer At War #3

May 10, 2016

Although like in previous issue, the highlight of the comic is the short story written by Lisa Morton at the end. In Part 3 of "The Rivet Gang" story, Cliffy and Betty discover the hideout of the gang and we get to learn the Rivet Gang's backstory and why they have turned to a life of crime. It's a brilliant short story, that provides great dialogue, incredibly interesting characters with some of the best motivates I've read before, fun chase scenes and it's a good read. Honestly at this point, the comic portion was actually about the Rivet Gang and their story, this series would of gotten a five out of five from me with a full buying recommendation, but the comic portion's generically bland performance pulls it down to being mediocre at best.

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7
The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane #1

Jun 7, 2016

Outside of that, this is honestly a pretty good issue for newcomers to the Shadow. It does decedent job of displaying Shadow's abilities and who the characters are. As a jumping on point, this book does a serviceable job. Plus the art style is fun. The book goes for a film noir style with a lot of monochrome colors and read being the one primary color that pops from the page. While long time fans will be left wanting more, I suggest if you are interested in reading a story with this character for the first time, this might be a good story to follow.

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10
Twilight Zone / The Shadow #2

May 9, 2016

The story is a great exploration into who The Shadow is as a character and what's the difference between delivering justice to "The weak" and the real bad guys. It's a fantastic look at a character and I'm excited to read the next chapter and see just how far down does this rabbit hole go.

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6
Xena: Warrior Princess #2

May 9, 2016

The art style is fine. The fight in the beginning does a good job of mixing up combat between the new characters and each new character's design is distinct and fits with the general look of Xena's universe. After that it's mostly talking heads in a forrest at night. This isn't bad in anyway, it just doesn't give much for the reader to look at. I'm curious to see where the story will be going now that we've got a new team of characters, but this issue isn't going to hook new readers.

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