When I was a kid I loved magic tricks. But as I've gotten older I find that I can't watch them like I used to. I'm always looking for the reality behind the magic. When you find a good magician, they make you totally forget that you are being willingly tricked and the same is true of art. The twists in this story aren't so much as shocking as they are wondrous. Divinity gets a strong recommendation for being the kind of comic to make your friends jealous of for not being into comics.

Looking back at that time that officer pointed his gun at me I realize how naive I was. That was the moment I became a person of color and I didn't even realize it. Not because I had never looked at my own skin, but, because I had never looked at my skin while also looking down the barrel of a gun. Even then I wanted to believe that this was the type of thing that “just happens to people”. However after I began to tell this story I realized that this was not coincidence that my friends, who were white, were surprised that such a thing could happen. But that my friends who were brown just thought I was lucky. The reasons stories like this are so important isn't because they fill some quota. It is only through the telling of these stories that we come to understand who we are.

Seriously I cant sing the praises of this book any higher. Maybe its just the type of highfalutin meta-wank that guys like me love. But I think it does it so well that I cant help but recommend it to everyone Ive talked to today. Also, as someone who is totally unfamiliar with the backstory (except for a little Googling) I can say this isn't a terrible jumping on point. Its more or less a singular story and while some of the end stuff might confuse you it should be engaging enough that you will want to pick up all the back issues.

All in all I really like this comic and would wholeheartedly recommend it. The only reason I could see someone not liking this comic is that it starts off a little slow and there isnt a lot of dialogue, so if you want snappy character interaction then this isn't the place for you. But if you want to curl up with a good book this Halloween week and get a little scared and a lot impressed, then I suggest picking up a copy of Rasputin.

The art is clean and dynamic. The entire comic is in black and white so it loses points for that, but the panel transitions are crisp and don't waste too much time. The art also manages to capture some poignant images well through some great acting and facial drawing. I felt on the GMO comic that the panel work messed with the borders unnecessarily, but maybe it works fine with the coloring in it which it will be in the actual comic.

Overall I love this comic and I will always love this series. If I had any true critiques its only that it drags a little bit too long. I read the original series through their website and I think that as a full length comic it could actually stand to have a couple pages reduced or possibly be broken down into some smaller stories. But this is a tiny little nitpick on the back of a beast that is both great and fearsome. A tyrannosaurus rex with sweet sunglasses and machineguns for arms that simply can not be stopped.

If this is the type of work that Valiant is going to put out, then it is time to give some of our attention to Valiant. Bloodshot Reborn should be used as a textbook example of how to start a number one issue for a continuing series. It actually feels as welcoming as a new beginning, but also throws you into an established universe that I can't wait to dig my fingernail into.

...you will enjoy reading "Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #1" the first time and the second time thereafter. If youve never read Stray Bullets, nows the best time to start.

It's hard to see where the stories in Island connect thematically but that may be because the first two stories haven't really developed their themes yet.All of the stories are written and drawn by the same person but other than that I don't know if they necessarily belong together. However, overall, I'm happy this kind of comics is coming to America. Anthologies aren't very common and certainly none this size and caliber. For roughly two and a half times the price of a standard comic you get over a hundred pages of interesting art. And for once it seems like we are getting a real comic book, with a bound back and no adds. Yet it still doesn't feel like a graphic novel as well. Whatever it is, it's something that could sit in your bookshelf and make you damn happy you picked it up.

Question for the day: How much does a higher price affect your desire to try a new comic out? Would you try this comic out for double the price if it's got double the content?

Mythic speaks to a certain gut level lust for low brow humor, deliciously gross monsters, and just enough cosmic jargon to make you feel like you aren't a total idiot for loving it. In short, this is the perfect summer comic. Something to stow away with on a hot day and think about monsters, grossness, and what it looks like when a mountain has sex with the sky - because yeah, that's a thing that happens in the word of Mythic. And that's a world I want to read more of.

Overall Im giving the comic a high recommendation with the caveat that this isn't a good comic, its simply a fun comic and if you want to take a trip back in time, then pick up, Weird Love #1 tomorrow. It's on my pull list.

All in all, this comic gets a recommendation but I will say that if you haven't been following the series, this is the farthest thing you can come to for a jumping on point. But in terms of straight action it's one of the best comics I've read in a while.

Overall Casanova Acedia is a pretty good comic. I feel Ive probably been a little too hard on it and I didnt even mention the secondary story that comes at the end (which is frankly much more interesting than the original story). I think if youve never read Fraction before then this probably isnt the best place to start and if you have read him before then dont expect anything as immediately engaging as Hawkeye or Sex Criminals. But we have to face it, even a mid-level Fraction book is worth the price of admission these days. Lets just hope the next one does something a little more new.

The fear of being buried alive is a tale which attracts readers because it asks us to be put in the place of the dead. To empathize with how alone and trapped they must feel. So, if you dare, pull a blanket over your head, light up a flashlight and try not to make a sound when you pick up Edgar Allen Poe's: The Premature Burial by Image next week.

All in all it gets a recommendation. If you have followed the other two comics in the series it's a pretty dang good conclusion to the first story arc. And while the writing can be clichd Kelly Sue DeCennick is a talented writer, and I have faith the stories will pick up as we continue to investigate the past of this interesting character.

At the end of the day I kind of feel like this comic is trying to have its cake and eat it, too. It's silly and stupid - the hologram activates because, a storm must have turned me back on - but also trying to be real teenage drama-type stuff about speakers and who sets them up. There are lots of feelings there and Im not sure if this combination actually works. I still recommend it as a comic but be aware that Jem is fantastic but this comic book is only okay.

Overall Jem and the Holograms is finding its footing. I think it's actually going to be a hot comic but it's important to remember that they are aiming specifically for young adult audience. This isn't something that is going to have a crazy amount of widespread appeal and that's okay. I'll miss the schlock of the original show but I think rebooting is the smart way to go.

It's a violent comic but it's not ultra-violent. It's a funny comic but it's not hilarious. It's got character moments but none of the characters are that deep. I'm still not really sure what the comic is trying to do. Lady Killer gets a recommendation for strong art and a fun premise but ultimately it's a bit of a reminder that comics really need to focus on getting a single story out.

All in all I really liked this comic. I can't say it was the most strange or out there comic and for the most part it played the first issue pretty safe. However the team really knows what they are doing as far as building up an interesting concept for a mystery story and I'm curious to see what comes next.

All in all it gets a warm recommendation but not without a few flaws. I'm still excited about the Original Sin event and I'm curious how the whole mystery is going to play out. I hope in the future they embrace the cosmic roots and step away from the noir stuff because it's played out and I'm not sure it works in this context. I'm especially curious to see how this diverse group of players affects the larger universe.

Certainly I will pick up the next issue just to see what this powerful creative duo will do next. If nothing else it's worth it just to see a "mature" book that actually translates to mature in its story telling form rather than obscene violence. Although not that this book couldn't use some obscene violence, I mean come on, it is Warren Ellis, after all.

All in all Deep State #1 isnt a bad book. It isnt a book I would advise against. Hell, I'll even buy the second issue. But ultimately I cant give it too high of a score; it's not ambitious enough to be noteworthy and not well executed enough to power through its own cliches. However I know enough about conspiracy theories to know that everything is not always what it seems at first glance.

All in all, the comic is good but its not anything I can get really passionate about. It has a well-rounded main character and a nice tone but if I had any complaint its just that I dont feel much compelled to read the next comic. Im curious what the drug is and where it came from but I cant imagine that its going to turn out to be anything that interesting. And I couldnt care less about where the betrayal story arc is going. Its not something you will necessarily regret buying but its only okay for me.

That's kind of the weird thing about this comic. It feels caught between too many worlds. On one end it seems like it wants to pay homage to the literary classic Mary Shelly penned and so it delves into the philosophical end. But then it also kind of wants to be reminiscent of the more "schlocky" horror films and so you've got a woman running around with her breasts out for a large chunk of the comic. And then on the third hand of this monster of a monster story, it kind of wants to do its own thing so there is no use of the word "Frankenstein" in a comic titledMadame Frankenstein,so I'm not sure where it wants to go. But I will say on an ending note that I did actually quite like the book and want to read the next one. Its low score is mostly just a reflection of the fact that not much happens in the comic and some readers might be a little disappointed after they read it.

All in all this comic kind of reminds me ofAxe Cop ()and if you follow my recommendations you might think it would be right up my alley. But the funny thing is thatAxe Copactually has more of a cohesive storyline than this thing does. I mean its hard to criticize something that is so obviously not taking itself seriously and normally I would let it play the just for fun card all night. But the fact is this isnt some silly webcomic, this is a thirty page, FOUR dollar comic and thats probably the biggest problem with it. There is nothing wrong with it as a silly comic but for how long it is and how little it manages to do with that length, you realize you are cutting out a more fulfilling, real comic. That makes it hard to recommend. But then the art is really, really good.

Overall I cant say that I didn't like The Empty #1 and its not going to walk away without a recommendation. Probably the biggest reason that Im being so hard on this issue is that it seems to be taking for granted that youll want to read the next issue for the story to actually start. In my mind first issues should be a vertical slice, a little story demonstrating everything the comic series has to offer. For $3.50 I dont think its too much to ask for a story with a beginning, middle and end, or something close to it. Overall I would say that if the artist seems to expect you to buy the trade, then wait for the trade.

All in all its a good piece but a little too mordant for my taste. I imagine if I knew more about the motivations I could have liked it more but I just felt like I was reading a serial killer revenge fantasy. I dont mean that as a slight on Larime Taylor, Im sure she is well adjusted but the whole thing felt like less of a story and more of a fantasy. A large part of what makes psychotic murders interesting in stories is their motivations but that highlighted in this comic so I cant speak to that. I can only speak to the efficiency with which she killed, which felt like the actual focus. It was sufficient.

Reading through this review I realize how bad this review sounds. And I want to be clear that this is not a bad comic. The reason why I seem so focused on the bad is just because there isnt really any good to grab onto. There arent any standout characters who are either bad-ass enough to like or funny enough to admire. There arent any actions scenes clever enough to show off. There isnt even any artwork that I find particularly inspired. The only thing that keeps me excited about this is that its a four issue story from one of the best writers in the business and I assume if he has put this out its going to pay off. Right now though, Im still waiting.

At the beginning of the review I said that only if I were in the same room would I understand what was going on in this comic, but, honestly I feel even if the author was right there sitting in front of me I still wouldn't get it. Because I dont think he wants me to get it. Doing something avant garde always allows you to bat criticisms away because the plebeians dont get it. But Ive always felt that it's easy to do your own thing, write your own story the way you want. Whats hard is making a connection through your artwork, making a connection across time and space and personal beliefs is the ultimate success of any artwork. The only way I could recommend Intersect #1 is if you are truly the type of person to which the phrase stream of conscious sounds appealing. If you are willing to go along with a writer just to see what happens then maybe Intersect will pan out for you. Personally I wont be along for the ride.

Its possible that if you havent watched Orphan Black that you might enjoy this comic but if you havent watched Orphan Black, Id prefer to just recommend watching Orphan Black. For fans of the show, theres nothing new here this first issue.

I knew I was going to hate this comic the minute I saw it, but what surprised me is how funny I ended up finding it. I mean it's dumb, misogynistic, and completely vapid. But for a first comic rebooting this series you know everything you need to know. We don't know anything about character, the plot, the setting, or the motivation of anyone involved, but we know there are "hot chicks and lots of action." I can't recommend buying this comic, but I will say with the right lens of humor this comic is flat out hilarious how bad it is. I mean am I allowed to have my cheesecake and eat it too? The degree to which I recommend this comic can best be summed by how funny you find this scene because I laughed out loud.