Regan Lorie Comic Reviews

I could not be more excited to see new issues of Archie Horror's top titles on store shelves (or not due to selling out, as the case may be and often is), and as usual both Sabrina and Afterlife were worth every second of the long wait. Let's hope these long breaks don't become a thing for either series, but admittedly either way I (and all the other hungry Archie fans out there) will be right here, ready and waiting for what happens next.

This is a fun read, despite a somewhat thin story driven almost solely by in-jokes"basically an excuse to send the Riverdale gang to all the places Joey Ramone sings about and place them in historic settings of punk-rock legend (Max's, the Chelsea Hotel).

Every single component of this series fits with the next to ensure its success, and the end result is a comic you just cant put down. Its certainly the most intriguing zombie series Ive encountered since Crossed, with far more potential for ongoing story arcs without boring the shit out of you or spiraling into redundancy. Again, if you arent reading this yet, you have plenty of time before May to get up to speed on these first four issues…so DO IT. NOW.

Soule and Browne clearly work well together, and Curse Words, as I fully expected, is further evidence of this. Its funny, its original, its smart. Its got magic, wizards, and something called a hogtaur. (Nothing says party time like mythical creatures looking to carry out a hit. Shit, it worked for Star Wars.) So on the quest for your next good time in forty pages or less, give Curse Words a holler.

Like all of Cates and Shaws collaborative efforts, this series is worth keeping on your radar, and shows tremendous promise of what is to come. Even though weve just met, I can tell already that the comics world has never seen a god quite like Emmett Quinlan. So buckle up, folks; sounds like were in for a helluva ride…a ride…into GOD COUNTRY.

There isnt much more I can say without giving away way more than Id like. If you want something a little grittier, more real and intense than the usual comic fare, I urge you to read this book, and trust youll love it as much as I did.

Loose Ends is a spunky crime-romance caper that, on the surface, may sound like many that have come before it, yet somehow it retains a certain freshness and an earnest grit all its own. Most definitely worth checking out for those who prefer romantic stories with an occasional right to the jaw.

With beautiful art and taut, no-nonsense storytelling, Mechanism is one Ill be adding to my pulls for sure.In roughly thirty pages were given just enough background on everyone and everything involved (the arrival of the geckos, the resurrection of Protos and the role of other automated mechanized protectors like him in society), and somehow, despite all that its premiere issue divulges, dystopia-philes like myself can count on being left with enough burning questions to want to come back for the next installment.

Whether the film will be as exciting, aesthetically or otherwise, remains to be seen. In the meantime, the latest comic adventures of the New Suicide Squad are off to a solid start on Seeley and Ferreyra's watch.

A slick, action-packed stunner of a crazy origin story, this comic truly has it all: explosive face-offs, black humor to spare, villains you love to hate, a plot full of twists and secrets, and at its center, a mysterious modern-day Robin Hood (of sorts) with a taste for true vengeance.

The premiere issue of Starks' series serves more to set the stage and introduce its main characters and concept than to linger too long with details or reasons why. For now, the hobo drama and dust-ups are so much fun that a reader would likely be content to set any questions aside for later; however, as fun as they are I do find myself hoping there is a point to them that is eventually revealed, and that the violence (however cartoonish) isn't just thrown in to drive home the point that this is a comic.

Thumbs up for Surgeon X, an extremely well-executed cautionary/medical/superhero/sci-fi nightmare. Robin Cook would approve, and would likely have written it himself if he wrote comics. Intelligent, thought-provoking and paranoia-inducing.

This is a great-looking book and an engrossing read, for fans not only of the Top Cow Universe but of any classic horror or sci-fi comic. If anyone gets that the dystopian sci-fi market is a bit saturated and that these stories seem kind of obvious in this day and age, it's me; yet this one holds up with its classic take on the fall of modernity. Definitely deserving of that Talent Hunt win.

All in all, Hickman and Coker have succeeded here, combining fantasy, style and crime-story noir with a slightly surreal, Christopher Nolan edge. Sometimes there are those comics that make you work a bit harder for the story and dig a bit deeper for clues rather than spoon-feed everything to you; this is such a comic, and the payoff to come so far seems quite promising.

There's not much else I can say except this: If you like mystery comics or scary books but don't read this series, start. If you do read it and don't have this issue, get it immediately. Collectively, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina remains a timeless instant classic, one for the annals of contemporary horror.

A visually sumptuous indictment of fame, ambition and desire, The Forevers is a winner on all counts; I do hope the next issue exercises just a little more reckless abandon and kicks things into overdrive on the black magic tip, but things are certainly off to a stellar start.

If a scary story with a sad and sympathetic bent is what you seek, I highly recommend checking this one out.

To put the Twilight Zone name on this book seems like an attempt to upsell a lesser product to fans who deserve much better. I desperately wanted to like it"or at least to not hate it"and no offense to all involved, but it left far, far too much to be desired and just did not live up to Rod Serling standards, period. Pass.

Throwaways #2 failed at being more interesting than the previous issue, which as I mentioned before was only semi-intriguing in that it made you ponder the ultimate significance (read: point) of all the bits and pieces of information given. Its characters are pretty unsympathetic as well, not because theyre evil degenerates or anything-well, actually, I take that back; aside from any characteristics directly pertaining to the storyline, we dont really know what they are, as its characterizations lack any sort of depth. I just could not bring myself to care about these people or what happens to them. A frustrating read.