Mike Badilla's Comic Reviews

Reviewer For: Comic Bastards Reviews: 31
7.7Avg. Review Rating

8
Britannia (2016) #1

Sep 21, 2016

I enjoyed this book. The art was fantastic, and this is an underused and refreshing time period with a little bit of supernatural thrown in. I will say that overall, and this is a plague to first issues especially, as it was a bit of a slow burn. Not to say that nothing happened, there was violence and sex and all kinds of fun stuff, it just took the very last panel before I saw something that made me really excited. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in either the time period or perhaps if you were into that Spartacus show that was on a while back.

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4
Cannibal #2

Nov 9, 2016

I gave this book a shot based on the cover, as I said. As I started to read the recap page, my hopes for this book started to fade, and by page 10 or so I was no longer interested or impressed. This is a book I'd expect to come out during the huge zombie craze like 2 years ago, and I wouldn't have cared about it then either.

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8
Frostbite #3

Nov 23, 2016

The rest of the book is so exciting, I'm not even going to ruin it. Art on this book: strange. It had times that I really liked it, both the coloring and the art style, but I didn't feel the art overall was level across the book. Sometimes I thought it was ugly and sloppy. The story overall was good. I need to find out more about the whole frostbite thing, as far as if it's some virus or if the guy actually has frostbite, which would be awful. The final part of the book with the big action scene was quite good and enjoyable, the art not letting me down at all. I'm also enjoying the whole story taking place in this snowy setting versus some of the more popular apocalyptic future settings. I'm also a really big fan of Joshua Williamson's book Nailbiter, so you know I'll be back for more.

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4
G.I. Joe: Revolution #1

Nov 16, 2016

I like the idea of GI Joe and the Transformers and Rom all tied into a story, but shape shifting aliens? I just can't make that seem interesting in my head. This book had decent art, pretty consistent throughout the book, minus that cover art (which was terrible). The dialogue and everything seemed good, all of the Joes had their own personality and tone which I liked. I just couldn't get past those fucking aliens. Maybe this is a good series and perhaps it'll flesh itself out later down the road, but I'm leaving this one where I found it.

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6
Hard Case Crime: Peepland #1

Oct 12, 2016

I like this story so far. This is not by any means a new or fresh story, we have seen these tropes before. I happen to enjoy tropes if they're done right, and this one has enough fresh elements to make the story interesting. The art is also enjoyable; bright neon glows from the city signs and dark alleys where who knows what happens keeps me feeling very in the moment and injected into the story. Nice details like the Dead Kennedys shirt also keep me interested. Overall, I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes, and I'm hoping that they can keep the trope/fresh ratio to a good level.

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8
Jackboot & Ironheel #3

Oct 5, 2016

I plan on continuing reviews of this book. I have enjoyed it since the very first issue, and issue 3 shows no sign of slowing down, and instead is adding enough to the story to make me interested in seeing the direction the book continues to take.

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10
Jackboot & Ironheel #4

Nov 16, 2016

Whew. From what I take of this issue, this is the end of this story. This was a good one! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here's the short take: art was good and consistent from beginning to end. Story was great and added more and more through each issue to make me want to come back and see what happened. Ending, albeit sudden, was good and satisfying overall. Hopefully this comes out as a trade, I know I'll pick it up.

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6
M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand: Revolution #1

Sep 28, 2016

I was very surprised with the overall direction this book has taken. I went into it knowing it was a reboot of an old property and had different expectations, mainly that it would be corny and cheesy and not at all serious, but I was mistaken. This book seems to have a very serious tone, and I'm very interested in what will happen next. Supposedly all these “Revolution” titles (Rom, GI Joe, Transformersand more) will become tied into some event, which could be fun too.

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10
Nailbiter #25

Sep 7, 2016

Overall I've truly enjoyed this series from the start. I would love to go on and on, but if you've made it this far in the series, you wouldn't want it ruined anyways. There is no recap page in this book, so if you are just starting on this series and enjoy a goody mystery, go back and pick up the trades.

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10
Nailbiter #26

Nov 2, 2016

The art as always is great. It's not fantastical or heavily detailed or anything, but Mike Henderson knows what to do with this world he's helped create. Everything is just enough art-wise, not too realistic but by no means too slapstick. People look like people, environments look like environments, wounds and chewed off fingers and creepy serial killers look how they all should. The story by Joshua Williamson continues to impress and intrigue, and this is one that I'm going to re-read relatively often. If you like serial killer stories, small town mysteries, cop drama... pick this book up. Volume 5 should be out soon if not available already.

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10
Nailbiter #27

Dec 7, 2016

This book has so many huge turns and things happening in LITERALLY every issue, it's so exciting to read and I won't spoil the end. As always: art is great, story is phenomenal. I can't tell if the series is reaching an end anytime soon, but this will be one I revisit quite often.

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8
Ninjak (2015) #20

Oct 19, 2016

The inclusion of a recap page is basically my favorite thing though, and should be included in every comic, as it is a grand way of getting just enough of a back story as to not feel lost if your first issue is far along in the series. Overall I'll say that I like the art, the dialogue, the story is heading in a fun and interesting and very new direction from anything I've read in a while, so I'll continue reading it.

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8
Rise of the Black Flame #1

Sep 7, 2016

This book has me very interested. Stories like this can always hook me in so long as they're done right. I will ding it a little for giving me that "I've read this before" feeling, though. Not that there's not enough new stuff here to make it different, but it's still not a completely original story by any stretch. Here's hoping that's just the first issue.

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8
Rise of the Black Flame #2

Oct 5, 2016

I'm still not blown away by anything this book has to offer, but I will keep reading. I think that the writers have some more surprises awaiting.

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10
Rumble #14

Sep 21, 2016

I would recommend this book to anyone. This has really motivated me to go back and catch up on issues. Go check this book out; everyone should give it a shot. It's a different story than you've read before, and I firmly believe it has something for everyone.

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10
Seven to Eternity #2

Oct 26, 2016

I'll be coming back for more. I don't know if this is a mini or an ongoing, but it's one of the best books I've read in a long time. Go read it!

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10
Seven to Eternity #3

Nov 30, 2016

Another great issue. Let's start with art: fantastic. All these different races and creatures and settings are beautifully done. Bad guys, good guys, the pipers especially are all very unique and fun to see and experience as this book goes on. The story is great as well. Remender does seem to be chock full of stories. This story is so unique that I never feel like it's boring or relying too much on tropes to be fun. I'm really looking forward to the next issue.

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4
Skybourne #2

Oct 26, 2016

Ugh. I try to keep my reviews longer, but this book is wearing me out quickly. Was the woman from the flashback his sister, or his wife? We can assume all day that it's probably his wife, but why put that right after we talk about his sister, and before we even know he ever had a wife? Bad placement. The art is good. It has a very "computer made art" feel to it, a little too clean and sterile, but not bad. Everything looks nice and bright. The dialogue is entertaining at times, particularly the back and forth between Thomas and the priest when he first shows up in the monastery, but the story is just boring. That may be because it's book two. This does seem to be a very unique and untold story, and it's probably just a slow burn, but every page left me caring less and less about what happens next. I initially chose to review this book because I'd heard it had something to do with King Arthur, and I'm always down for some Arthurian legends, but this is like if James Bond were an immorta

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10
Space Battle Lunchtime #6

Nov 9, 2016

Well this is certainly interesting! An intergalactic cooking competition where the loser is eaten, lesbian love in space, all drawn in a pleasing art style somewhat reminiscent of Adventure Time? Great! A little short, yes, but great. The art was fantastic, everything was very warm and colorful and funny to look at. The art was consistently good throughout the book, always an important factor. The story, as I already commented on, is a real breath of fresh air. Everything is so light and fun, but still intriguing and original to the point where I was looking forward to seeing what happened next. Even though I recapped the whole book in this review, it is totally worth a read. Give this a try if you need something different, I know I'll be back for more.

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8
Space Battle Lunchtime #7

Dec 7, 2016

The next part is a part that would only make sense if you'd read the first few issues, which I have not yet. Although it may not seem like it by my inability to remember characters names, I really enjoy this book. It's very funny, the writing is very well thought out and you can really feel the emotion within all the dialogue. The book is also very well drawn, the art is almost reminiscent of early Adventure Time. I look forward to seeing what comes next for these two girls and the fate of Space Battle Lunchtime.

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10
Tank Girl: Gold #1

Sep 28, 2016

Sorry to gush so much, but I just haven't enjoyed or laughed at a comic this much in a long time. I've found a brand new IP to enjoy, and if you like comedy in your comics, fun and creative art as well as a fresh story that will NOT head in a direction you could guess, give this a read.

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10
Tank Girl: Gold #2

Nov 30, 2016

This book is so hard to recap into a review. There is so much going on, so many jokes and funny things drawn in to every panel, but I don't mind. If anything I hope this review sparked enough interest in you that you're willing to go pick it up and read it yourself. The art is fantastic and every panel is so well done. The story is very entertaining and I never know what will happen next. Go check this out!

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10
Tank Girl: Gold #3

Dec 21, 2016

The rest of the book goes off in a weird direction, as the past few issues have, and I'm not sure I totally understand what happened without a re-read. All I know is that the story is great, the art is awesome, and you should read this.

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6
The Adventures of Miru #2

Sep 14, 2016

Overall I would say that if you enjoy fantasy books with a little bit of everything thrown in topped with pretty decent art, give The Adventures of Miru a try. Don't expect anything too groundbreaking, and especially don't expect this dragon to look like any dragon you're imagining right now. Do, however, expect a fun adventure tale with an unusual cast of characters.

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8
The Killer Inside Me #3

Nov 23, 2016

We'll stop there, only to leave you, the reader, some surprises. Yes I know, this would've been a much better review if I had read the last two issues. That's on me. I chose this book not knowing it was a five part series. Here's my take; the art was very good. Not good in the sense of it's super detailed or anything like that, just good in that it is very fitting to the time period, it looks like how comics looked back then, which I always enjoy when reading stories like this. The story is great, even with me not knowing the last few issues, but then I am always a fan of a story like this. I'm going to go back and read the last few and hopefully pick this book up if it's released in a trade. If you like noir or serial killer stories based back in the day, check this book out.

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6
The Sheriff Of Babylon #10

Sep 7, 2016

Ultimately this book was a struggle as there was no recap page, which lead me to be confused during the entire book. The art was enjoyable and fitting, and the story seems like it could be great, but I'll wait for the trades to find out.

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8
Tomb Raider (2016) #8

Sep 21, 2016

The story and dialogue is all good. I will admit that I'm not at all current on this book, but this book has made me more motivated to go back and read what came before. I'll say that even if I wasn't a fan of the games, this book is fun and exciting enough for me to be interested in. It's nothing groundbreaking, but a good adventure book with a brave heroine is always fun to me.

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4
Tomb Raider (2016) #9

Oct 19, 2016

Story wise, I wasn't impressed either. How long will this whole hunt for Sam go on? I like the idea that she is possessed by this ancient god, and that she was the only one able to be this whole time as she is somehow related to Himiko. I get it. My biggest problem isn't even this hunt so far as it's just all so utterly boring. I don't care about this long conversation between Lara and the university professor. I don't care who the people are that attacked Lara at the end. This book didn't do anything to inject any kind of interest into a new reader, but instead offered up a bland-wich with a side of sigh-der.

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4
Voltron: Legendary Defender #1

Sep 14, 2016

Overall I was just not impressed. Maybe it's because I was never a Voltron fan, but I get the impression that this is simply a book pumped out there for younger readers to profit off of the resurgence of this series. I would avoid unless you're a diehard fan of Voltron.

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6
Wonder Woman (2016) #7

Sep 28, 2016

The story, however, was not all that interesting, and I don't think it was because I jumped in on issue 7. Everyone knows the story of sacrificing the virgins to an ancient god in order to awaken him and blah blah. This story seemed particularly 90's with the inclusion of the animal-men, which I thought was equally as corny then as now. I feel like if you're going to rehash a story that's so trope-y like this that you need to have a lot of tricks or surprises up your sleeve, which I don't get the impression this series has. If you're a big fan of WW or animal people, get this book. If you're not a fan, at least give it a flip through to see the art.

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6
Wonder Woman (2016) #8

Oct 12, 2016

I don't know what's going on, who these people are or where the story is going. Wonder Woman wasn't in this book, and she is my main drive for why I picked this book. I understand that clearly they're building some backstory and what not, which is cool, I get that. Even the doctor was cool in the sense that she kind of had that whole Tomb Raider thing going for her. The art was good, but inconsistent. Even from the first page, for example, the teacher's face looked gross and somehow unnatural, while everyone else looked fine. The colors were good, things like the doctor's boots and her motorcycle looked visually good. The story and dialogue were your typical Indiana Jones type story just with amazons included, so we'll just have to see where they're headed. I wasn't really pumped with the last issue. I'm more hopeful with this issue, but I need it to get better for me to hang on.

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