Jeff Marsick Comic Reviews

Eduardo Risso's artwork is terrific as always, but its Patricia Mulvihill's colors that make the book feel alternately steamy hot, cool, and spooky.

There is so much to love about this series and it continues with Francavilla applying his pulpy stylings to Aguirre-Sacasa's tense script, this time spotlighting Archie and his dog, Vegas.

Writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa fumbles a little by telling more than showing in this chapter, but Francesco Francavilla's artistic stylings are able to mitigate much of that with a noirish feel. This is going to be amazing in a collected trade edition.

Dan Abnett clearly has big plans ahead for Aquaman and the integration of Atlantis in the dry land world, and while those plans were set into motion last issue, this outing feels like a superficial yet obligatory fisticuffs that were hastened into happening. A slower boil on Manta's revenge with a plan more calculating and involved would have changed his paradigm, but it seems his lot is forever to be predictable in his single-minded purpose. While Aquaman seems to have faltered as a character in this issue, Abnett has seeded enough plot points that perhaps he'll redeem himself in time.

The dialogue seems written with a studio audience in mind, and with Corsair declaring his crew has arrived ""on a mission of love," he's a space pirate as imagined by Nicholas Sparks.

While this issue feels like something of a pause in the action, it can improve if the Gothams are afforded greater purpose and their motivations are better explained. More concentration on Batman will certainly also help this title, especially if they can tone down his nigh-invincibility and reliance on incredible gadgets to save the day. What has always made the Batman titles so interesting was the emphasis on the man behind the mask, and this series can certainly benefit with a return to those roots.

Abnett and Lanning pureed a mixture of original characters, bad dialogue and tired clichs into this lumbering piece of fan-fiction.

This title's been idling on the tarmac for too long, though, and is past due for lift-off.

After a horrendous debut issue, this series can only improve, right? Only minutely, it seems. Chapter two is a chatty issue with the reader playing eavesdrop on several conversations that are talk for talk's sake and don't meaningfully move the plot along.

Based on The Thrilling Adventure Hour stage show-cum-podcast, this paranormal comedy injects fun into the typically dour paradigm that defines tales of poltergeist chasing.

This celebratory quarter-century milestone featuring six short stories does nothing to shake up the status quo.

Arnim Zola's daughter, Jet Black, hates our world. It would take two pages, tops, to sell that, but Rick Remender does it in roughly 12.

Rick Remender's Marvel work is more miss than hit for me, but he fires on all cylinders with this issue, heavy on the mystery, intrigue, and action. If only the X-Men could recruit their members this way.

Apes enthusiasts may need this in their collection, but for me there's nothing compelling or original enough to need another issue.

While the unanswered questions are intriguing enough for me to want to return for the next chapter, the book feels at times like it's trying to find a tone by switching from serious in some places to a little B-movie silly in others. Still, it's a fun book and a great read by a terrific writer and artist combination. If you're reading Saga, then you'll want to add this to your list, too.

This is ComixTribe's first foray into the all-ages market, a book that is very different from their gonzo property of Oxymoron and the dark horror-mystery of And Then Emily Was Gone. It shouldn't be overlooked, though, and I highly recommend it as one of the best books of the year so far.

That disconnect, between the stylistic artwork and mediocre storytelling, continues to be the hurdle this book can't quite surmount. It's okay, but it begs to be great.

Brett Booth's artwork is surprisingly dull and uninspired for most of the issue, except when he's drawing action scenes, which are dazzling and kinetic.

Where this series leads will certainly further define the Flash's relationship with the Speed Force " not to mention what manner of sentient energy comprises the Speed Force " and will probably make Barry regret wanting to be a mentor. In short, there's a lot of narrative ground that The Flash can cover " I just hope that coming issues ratchet up the tension and put more on the line for Barry to be challenged with.

It's difficult to take the oft-trod Frankenstein canon and derive a tale with some semblance of originality, but Mike Mignola does. His monster is eloquent and of conscience, weary from being hunted and harassed around the world for nearly a century and a half.

I had high hopes for paranormal noir with this new Ghost series, but it appears Kelly Sue DeConnick prefers instead to re-tread the titular character with the "who am I and where did I come from" journey of discovery trope.

The issue is pre-Convergence filler and testament to why this series needs a serious revamping.

The bad news is that it's over too fast. Which, actually, is something of a positive since it means that there's a lot here that deserved exploring. The good news is that the finale sets up something bigger and greater for Sela and Samantha, and the portent of the formation of a Justice League Dark for the Grimm Universe, which could be cool. It's not perfect, but it's nonetheless worth picking up to finish out the series.

Once a self-published gem, it's nice to see this book get the mainstream attention from IDW it deserves.

Furiosa is in the title, so if you're looking for enlightenment about how she lost her arm, why she is considered Immortan Joe's fiercest warrior, or see her in butt-kicking action... you'll need to look elsewhere, because she serves this prequel issue as little more than ornamentation in the shadows.

Artist David Marquez shines as a storyteller, and with Justin Ponsor's colors and Cory Petit's lettering working so symbiotically, the beauty of the visuals almost make up for a mediocre series finale.

Motter's artwork is gorgeous and creative, reminiscent of Darwyn Cooke, with a neo-noir-retro sensibility that results in a Golden Age meets Blade Runner feel. The blend of negative space and creative light and shadow effects into the traditional comic look make this a feast for the eyes, all perfectly inked by Hamid Bahrami. Everything works, from the over-stated lettering to the flat color palette to the terrific dialogue.

It's a terrific issue that I would have rated higher if it hadn't been undone by the too-perfect ending.

I miss the days of yore when the Suicide Squad was a compelling team, when I was led by the heart of the story to actually care for these disreputable DCU denizens. It's only two issues in, but already this book needs new leadership, both on the creative side as well as in the actual story. More, though, it needs an editor, someone who sees the Suicide Squad as the rightful - and in several ways, better - DCU response to Marvel’s Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers. Because right now, this title lacks a purpose or a need to exist.

If you're a Marv Wolfman fan (and really, who isn't?), do yourself a favor and skip this wandering collection of scenes masquerading as a story. Go back and read the original Night Force and forget this version ever existed.

It's a standout in the historical comic genre.

ComixTribe puts out terrific titles and Joe Mulvey's enthusiasm for creating comic books really comes out in Scam. If you're looking for something unique and worthy of Big Hollywood treatment, I highly recommend Scam.

Although Nick Spencer writes good dialogue, too much of it reads as talk for the sake of talking; more emphasis should have been placed on story. Luke Ross's artwork is fine, if inconsistent (close-ups are not his strong suit), but is hindered by Matthew Wilson's dark colors that often obfuscate details and separations. Not great, not awful, but needs a purpose.

Shanghai Red is simply fantastic comic storytelling.

The artwork is stunning in black and white, and this series continues to be not just a great pulpy adventure story, but excellence in comic book storytelling.

The watercolored art from Tyler Jenkins, with nary a clean line in the entire book, lends a quintessential noirish tone to the story that also serves as a visual echo of what Teddy is going through internally. This is brilliant work.

I'm all for villains headlining a title, but when they're cartoonish and without redeeming quality as this iteration of Squadron Supreme is, it's hard to become invested.

Artwork alone can't drive an issue or a series, however, and this title is in serious need of a new writer and editorial team.""

Megalomaniacal Tony Stark has evolved Extremis to turn San Francisco into a "crime-free zone," which rhymes with "police state." Not only is the public unbelievably adoring while ignoring his Putin-esque machinations, but Superior Iron Man's problem is a lack of meaningful conflict.

It's an entertaining book, a decent way to spend 20 minutes of downtime, but I was expecting something more original here than this desperate take on superheroes.

Joshua Hale Fialkov masterfully weaves a web of mystery, but it's Joe Infurnari's haunting panels that really set the tone in Oni's remastering of the first five chapters of the digital-only series.

With a mounting body count and no memory of what he's done, writer Jai Nitz throws his lead character off the deep end, delivering a terrific and suspenseful noir. Even better is the artwork by Greg Smallwood that is something of a Sean Murphy/David Aja hybrid.

The finale of the series ends pretty much how it all started, with a whimper.

The best $3.99 you could spend this week, this comic seems like homage to 1980s John Carpenter actioners.

Still, those are minor quibbles on a unique title from a company whose name is quickly becoming synonymous with "buy on sight."

It's Fargo meets The Wire, and I defy you not to read it and be hooked.

From Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin, this is not some fanfic homage by a talented creative team. Set in Barcelona, it immediately establishes itself as a vital companion to the titular behemoth because it's the first time in TWD that we are afforded a global perspective of the undead epidemic.

Triggerman #1 is a beautiful book, with an enigmatic protagonist caught in the web of someone else's game. This first issue delivers on several levels, and it portends well for future series from Titan's Hard Case imprint.

The intimation of a much grander scale to the story begs a forgiveness of an issue that doesn't really do much, but I'm hoping it finds another gear in the second issue.

First issues should tantalize and entice with something fresh before leaving me agog for the next issue. That doesn't happen here, with this new team feeling less purposefully assembled and more Garanimal-ed together out of the What if? slush pile.