Matt Carter Comic Reviews

With Anti-Hero, Faerber, Stockman, and Little come to the table with a freshly complex take on an overcrowded genre, and IDW's collected version is a great way to experience the book. Not without its flaws, the end result is still a satisfying story worthy of attention.

Smaller publishers like Boom! rely on licensed properties to subsidize their publisher-owned releases, which is why you see so many of them on the market. When a licensed property has a strong, or even cult, following, all they need to do is throw a well-known, talented creative team behind it, and the book will sell. What makes Bill & Ted an odd choice is that it never really had that sort of appeal beyond its initial shelf life. That's not to say that injecting some fresh life into the franchise isn't possible, but it's a tough job that Lynch and Gaylord don't deliver on.

Ironically, in a series that will inevitably be about learning to function as a unit, what really makes Cluster work is that the book feels like a team effort. Brisson, Couciero, and Garland work well together, and that is what makes the book so damn readable. While not exactly groundbreaking all the time, it's a well done comic in which each moving part supports the whole, making future issues worth taking a look at.

One part Office Space, one part Terminator, and a little bit of Breaking Bad, and you more or less end up with D4VE. It's a story about figuring out where you fit in after your old life has been rendered obsolete, settling for less, and hungering for more. Despite stumbling towards the end of the first issue, it's a good book with a lot of room for growth and excitement as we learn more about D4VE and the world he lives in.

As recent events have demonstrated, and much like cartoons in the 80's, the comics industry in the new millennium is still by and large a boys' game. There have been improvements, of course, but the fact remains that the vast majority of creators and characters are white guys. In a letter to readers at the end of the comic (and in multiple interviews leading up to its release), Thompson states that she sees Jem as the "epitome" of the modern woman and wants her book to exemplify that for a new audience. With a movie set to come out in 2015 and IDW's prior success with licensed 80's cartoon properties, Thompson and Campbell have a golden opportunity to do just that if they can find the book's identity and recognize its potential. If the biggest conflict The Holograms face in issue two is a battle of the bands"this issue's villain was nothing more than stage fright"then unfortunately there won't be much reason to keep reading.

John Carter is arguably the sci-fi world's original "good looking white guy who is the universe's only hope," which in 2015, is a ridiculous notion in and of itself. With even the slightest bit of self awareness, this John Carter: Warlord of Mars special could've been a brilliant 40 page joke on that fact, but somehow I don't think that's what Dynamite, Napton, and Rodolfo were aiming for. Instead, the only thing "special" about it is how irritatingly mediocre it is.

So far, the Dynamite/King reissue series, which have included fan favorites and classics such as Flash Gordon and The Phantom, have made for some quality comics. Featuring some of the most long-lived characters in comics, the line seems dedicated to putting a fresh and exciting spin on some very old characters, as the Jungle Jim being introduced currently is far more complex and interesting than his predecessor, who was little more than a Caucasian hunter in South Asia. In that tradition, while certainly not perfect, JUNGLE JIM #1 continues that tradition and the character deserves a closer look.

Prince Valiant #1 is an impressive comic and a fun read. By the end of the story, so much has happened, so quickly, yet it feels like the adventure hasn't even begun, which"based on the structure of the story"is exactly what the book strives for. It's difficult to pin down where this adventure is headed, but that's the most enjoyable part about it.

Placing legacy characters like Vampirella (who debuted in 1969 for Warren Publishing) in an unfamiliar era or setting in order to revitalize their image and popularity level is nothing new. When it works, the result is a fresh and exciting take on an aging character that can really make for some good comics. When it doesn't, the result is a trite time-waster, and there's already plenty of that on the shelves. Legenderry: Vampirella is an unfortunate example of the latter rather than the former.

All of that said, with an easy to follow premise and a well set up "jumping on" point, Dresden Files: Down Town reads like an airport crime novel, and that's not necessarily a put down or a turn off here. Some comics, like many movies or television shows, are meant to be fun, predictable, and easily digested. Dresden falls under that category. Again, the book isn't revolutionizing the landscape of comics plot-wise, but that doesn't seem to be the point here. It's a high-concept, hard-boiled "whodunnit" mystery, shrouded in the occult, and it's a fun read despite some pitfalls.

Adapting a series that was made for the moving image is no easy task, and while not reinventing the wheel, Rahner and Menna give the reader a fresh and unique perspective on the old premise of "if you could do anything differently, what would it be?" It's not perfect, but it's a relatable and intriguing story with enough emotion behind it to make up for a few minor pitfalls.

That Transformers keeps getting revisited in various forms of media is evidence of how a good idea, in the hands of the right creative team, can transcend its initial concept. To that effect, Transformers: Primacy is a fresh and revitalizing take on a franchise that has managed to survive for more than two decades. While it stands on its own as a great story and a fun read, reading the prior two volumes would only stand to make the story more satisfying.