Raissa Devereux Comic Reviews

Titan Comics have done the Fourth Doctor proud on every level. I look forward to the next limited series with "my doctor."

Mulp:Sceptre of the Sun #4 will be getting its US & Worldwide release via DIAMOND on November, 15th 2017, and is now available to pre-order via the Diamond Code: SEP171705.

All in all, the issue alternates between serviceable and sublime heading into the conclusion.

The final issue was anticlimactic.

Jesus Hervas' art was marvelous throughout. However, I loved the unapologetic Egyptian Gothic sequence within Belial's tomb and Belial's awakening rampage, because there's a mummy!

Jesus Hervas' art captured the various story beats perfectly. I really loved the panels depicting Belial hurling himself through the window, followed by our intrepid heroes. I also applauded the sequences depicting the internal battle in hypnotized Ethan's mind. My favorite panels, though, were in the flashback to Ancient Egypt. As with the introduction of Belial's tomb in the first issue, I appreciated that Hervas committed, giving fans exactly what they expected to see.

The art by Jesus Hervas and coloring by Jason Wordie were superb throughout. I was particularly impressed by the single panel depicting Amunet on page 17 and the panels depicting Belial and Amunet on page 19. Hervas and Wordie turned the night and the sunrise into the perfect foils for the characters.

With this issue, I was left wanting more in both good and bad ways. I'm looking forward to seeing how this comics strengths and weaknesses are addressed in the future.

Apart from the bits of world and literary mythology, though, my favorite plot points were the introduction of a female werewolf and the return of Sir Malcolm, albeit in spectral form. I'm really looking forward to the next issue.

All in all, Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #2.7 was a solid chapter, setting up next month's sure to be an exciting issue.

Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #2.8 was the best issue of the series to date. Moreover, I'll reiterate what I wrote when I began reviewing the Penny Dreadful comic. John Logan's assertion that the story was complete with Vanessa Ives' death was utter hogwash. The television series' end was simply one more case of production issues trumping narrative.

Readers will have to wait until the next issue to see how things progress. King leaves us with a brilliantly retro cliffhanger involving Victor Frankenstein and a train.

All in all, Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #2.11 is engaging and occasionally sumptuous entertainment. It leaves readers in want of the next installment.

Unfortunately, with the exception of a few bloody sequences, artist Jesus Hervas really didn't have much to do in this issue, as the story involved a lot of talking heads. The issue was actually surprisingly static for an epic finale.

In short, while issue #1 is a solid start, Spurrier should be careful going forward. Otherwise, his POV character Mary could turn into an insufferably self-aware exposition machine.

All in all, The Shadow/Batman #1 was a solid start. I'm looking forward to seeing if Batman can find the keyword and if The Shadow knows.

All in all, this installment got from A to B with some good bits and pieces, but I'm hoping for a more riveting story going forward.

All in all, though, The Shadow/Batman #3 was the best issue so far. The pieces are in place for an extremely macabre chess game. I hope the structural problems will be addressed in future installments.

The Shadow/Batman #4 retread old ground with tired levels of deconstruction. Damien is the only character maintaining forward momentum.

All in all, The Shadow/Batman #5 did more place setting. Hopefully, readers will get the pay off soon.

In conclusion, I'd like to request less post-modern character deconstruction in stories with The Shadow and Batman going forward. I'm a fan of old-school pulp storytelling. I find efforts to add psychological layers usually come off as pretentious.

So far, I don't feel as connected to this iteration of Torchwood as I do to the Big Finish audios. I hope that changes.

Torchwood: World Without End #3 vast improvement over the previous issue. The characters weren't just killing time with exposition. Readers got actual mysteries.

With Torchwood: World Without End #4, John Barrowman and Carole Barrowman do an excellent job of wrapping up the first arc. Looking back, these first four issues have all been a giant exposition dump. I'm okay with that given what the Barrowmans have actually set up. I'm glad readers finally get a glimpse of the bigger picture in regards to Sir James, Lady Karina, and the Navigators.

Artist Neil Edwards was a marvelous addition to the team. He rendered the characters and environments perfectly. My favorite sequences were the fight scene between Jack and John and the antagonists shenanigans in the Arctic Circle. Indeed, the Arctic Circle base and the entrance to it could have been an homage to Thunderbirds. The Hood would have been proud!

While not as thrilling as previous installments, Torchwood: Station Zero #2 did leave me wanting more and formulating theories until next month.

Torchwood: Station Zero #3 was the strongest issue to date. My only quibble is with Titan's official synopsis for this installment as seen above. In their efforts to obscure plot elements in this chapter, the PR team referenced characters who don't physically appear in the issue. Hopefully, Titan can figure out a more effective synopsis strategy going forward.

I do have two questions heading into Volume Three. First, what will happen to any new hybrid Vervoids? Second, will the true nature of The Committee be discussed in the comic or left strictly for the Big Finish audios. Whatever the answers, I look forward to the next arc in this Torchwood saga.

In terms of the larger Torchwood story, I'm glad this issue helped clarify events in Big Finish's Aliens Among Us, as Big Finish and Titan are working in concert. I'd misinterpreted a few things. Gwen's storyline wasn't what I thought it was, and I'm curious as to what her dynamic with Sladen will be. From what little I've seen of Sladen, I hope she continues in the Big Finish audios as well.

All in all, Torchwood: The Culling #3.2 was a solid issue, but I'm more interested in the psychological fall out that readers will get as the story unfolds.

I'm concerned about this arc only having one more installment in it. I hope I'm having misgivings about nothing and that Carole Barrowman and John Barrowman have enough room left to wrap up the immediate storylines properly. I realize that Torchwood is an ongoing comic, but a rushed final issue for this arc could hamper storytelling in the next.

Torchwood: The Culling #3.4 provided a solid, if somewhat rushed, close to this arc.

All in all, it was a great start. I hope Jaime gets to visit Paradise Island before the story concludes.

The first two installments of Wonder Woman '77 Meets The Bionic Woman were almost everything I've wanted as a fan of both shows. The only missing element is Max the Bionic Dog " the only other male Diana would fall in love with.

I mentioned in my previous review that Max, The Bionic Dog, was the only missing character. Writer Andy Mangels gave Max his entrance in Wonder Woman '77 Meets The Bionic Woman #3. It was love at first sight for him and Diana, and now, the duo will be a trio going forward.

There were two awesome character beats between Jaime and Diana, moreover. The first was when Jaime acknowledged that the two women had three Steves between them. The second was when Jaime questioned the Amazons belief in the ancient gods and Diana lyrically conveyed their world view, concluding ""Our very lives are stories, for others to tell when we're not here to tell them ourselves."

With all that, Mangels didn't make it easy for our heroines. They were greatly overmatched, and it will likely take a heavy sacrifice to end the fray in the final chapter. Is it July yet?

As ever, Judit Tondora's art was perfect. The single panel on page 5 encapsulated her efforts. It was a tableau lyrically entitled "Different Flowers From The Same Garden." It depicted Diana and Jaime in their full Amazonian garb leaping together above the fierce battle for Paradise Island. They had become the sisters fans always knew them to be.