Rory Wilding's Comic Reviews

Reviewer For: AIPT Reviews: 35
8.1Avg. Review Rating

10
Fantastic Four: Full Circle (2022) OGN

Sep 6, 2022

Alex Ross uses today's tools to tell his own version of a classic Fantastic Four story. Full Circle is an essential read for those who are fans of the artist, as well as Marvel's First Family.

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10
Goodbye Eri OGN

Jun 27, 2023

Although Chainsaw Man remains as entertaining as it is popular, Tatsuki Fujimoto is at his best with the one-shot format as Goodbye, Eri is a masterful coming-of-age story that plays with reality and fantasy through its discussion of filmmaking.

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10
Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt (2019) #1

Jan 7, 2020

In five issues, Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard present a masterpiece that celebrates and dissects comics through the legacy of one of the greatest titles in the medium. Far from merely a carbon copy of Watchmen, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt uses its ideas and techniques to craft its own narrative that is meta, potent and trippy.

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10
Waves #1

May 6, 2019

In under a hundred pages, Ingrid Chabbert and Carole Maurel create a masterpiece about heartbreak that also explores love and reconstruction in a way that is truly heartwarming.

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9.5
Ask for Mercy: Ask for Budgie #1

May 7, 2019

This one-shot is a funny and touching character study about an innocent monster who is an instant favorite.

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9.5
Batman: One Bad Day (2022): The Riddler #1

Aug 16, 2022

An excellent start for the One More Day series, as Tom King and Mitch Gerads deliver a compelling psychological thriller about one of the greatest villains the Dark Knight has confronted.

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9.5
DC / Looney Tunes: Batman/Elmer Fudd #1

Jun 28, 2017

Tom King pokes fun at both the Bat-mythos and his reinterpretation of Looney Tunes, presenting a darkly comic crime-ridden tale.

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9.5
Look Back (2022) OGN

Sep 20, 2022

Tatsuki Fujimoto is all about coming-of-age narratives but is able to put a new spin with each new title, whether it is about a literal chainsaw man, or in the case of Look Back, a powerful examination of what it means to be young and ambitious.

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10
Parliament of Rooks (2023) #1

Nov 14, 2023

Abigail Jill Harding succeeds as both artist and writer with the masterful debut issue of Parliament of Rooks, a multi-faceted narrative that will be exciting to see unravel in the coming months.

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9.5
Parliament of Rooks (2023) #2

Dec 12, 2023

While there aren't any big revelations at this point, Parliament of Rooks succeeds in its exploration of its main character, trying to balance romance and monsters.

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9.5
Parliament of Rooks (2023) #3

Jan 16, 2024

Three issues in, Parliament of Rooks continues to be one of the most thrilling, original titles in comics today, from the incredible monochrome art to the ever-growing horror influences.

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9
Parliament of Rooks (2023) #4

Feb 13, 2024

As the story approaches its climax, the penultimate issue of Parliament of Rooks delivers answers, as well as a stunning horror spectacle.

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9
Forever Home OGN

Feb 16, 2021

Forever Home doesn't reinvent the wheel in terms of the haunted house narrative, but it'sa fun, heartwarming tale about the understanding of others and the significance of a home.

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8.5
Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 17–21

Jan 17, 2023

Like many of these early short story collections by manga creators, 17-21 feels like a preview for what Tatsuki Fujimoto will eventually do, but the stories themselves have enough to enjoy on their own merits.

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9
Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 22-26

Apr 18, 2023

Like the previous volume, '22-26' feels like a preview for what Tatsuki Fujimoto will eventually do, but does feature better stories that are varied through art and themes.

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9
Asadora! #1

Jan 20, 2021

Although you don't have an instant idea about what the story actually is until that reveal at the very end, this first volume of Asadora! is a wonderful character-driven piece of historical fiction.

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9
Asadora! #2

Apr 19, 2021

Asadora!'s greatest strength is the human story that moves from tragedy to explore new waters.

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9
Asadora! #3

Aug 17, 2021

Although the next volume will most likely be the first confrontation with the Kaiju, there is still a lot to like about this volume thanks to Naoki Urasawa's artwork and characterization.

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7
Asadora! #4

Oct 19, 2021

In the end Naoki Urasawa is still playing the long game with the central mystery, which is very frustrating, though there is still enough to like about this volume that hopefully the next installment will really deliver.

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8.5
Boy's Abyss #1

Apr 25, 2023

Despite the somewhat upsetting subject matter, Boy's Abyss is a compelling if bleak exploration of small-town life that will be interesting to unravel in subsequent volumes.

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8.5
Fist of the North Star #1

Jun 14, 2021

Although this is dramatically inert compared to the future works that this inspired, Fist of the North Star remains an important and well-crafted battle manga that wears its own influences proudly.

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8.5
Gannibal (2024) #1

Mar 26, 2024

The story may be all too familiar, but Masaaki Ninomiya does enough to create an unsettling atmosphere and a compelling mystery that makes you excited to see where Gannibal goes.

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8.5
Primer (2020) OGN

Jun 24, 2020

Although I wish the book was longer and some elements were fleshed out more, 'Primer' does plenty right as a coming-of-age superhero narrative that explores a literally colorful array of superpowers.

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8
Ask for Mercy (2023) #1

Apr 20, 2023

Although the world-building can be heavy-handed, Ask for Mercy puts a fun fantasy spin on history, presented in gorgeously surreal artwork.

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8
Clue: Candlestick #1

Jan 28, 2020

I never even played CLUE when I was a kid, but I certainly had fun with what Dash does with the premise, such as applying black comedy wrinkles about motivation and morality.

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8
Sneeze: Naoki Urasawa Story Collection OGN

Oct 19, 2020

As always with these collections, some stories are better than others, but Sneeze overall is a fun departure from Naoki Urasawa's more dramatic works.

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8
The Girl In The Bay #1

Aug 29, 2019

A fun crime/fantasy miniseries that is visually striking, whilst being thematically driven by great characters wrestling with their own identity.

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7
High Crimes #1

Feb 19, 2019

The VerdictIn twelve issues, Christopher Sebela can be long-winded as he juggles two narratives, but when he focuses on the disgraced former Olympian climbing the snow-filled danger of Mount Everest, stunningly illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa, that's where High Crimes succeeds.

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7
Nemesis: Reloaded review #1

Jul 13, 2023

Although Mark Millar isn't reinventing himself, let alone this supervillain concept from 2010, but Nemesis: Reloaded has enough grit and dazzling visuals to want to see where this creation will go in future installments.

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6
Wonder Woman: Warbringer OGN

Jan 7, 2020

As the first of the DC Icons novels to be converted as a comic book, Warbringer is an okay adventure that tells Wonder Woman's well-established origin in the confines of a YA narrative.

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5
Batman: Earth One #3

Jun 14, 2021

Concluding with a rushed ending that does a lot while setting a potential fourth volume, the long-awaited return of Batman: Earth One is ultimately not worth the wait as it juggles too much and achieves so little.

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4.5
Snake Eyes: Deadgame review #1

Dec 7, 2021

It's a bad year for Snake Eyes, who on his own isn't that exciting in the movies or in the comics. The latter is apparent in the blandness that is 'Snake Eyes: Deadgame'.

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4
Crueler Than Dead #1

Sep 29, 2021

With so much zombie content out there a lot of it is bound to be similar, and sadly Crueler Than Dead falls into such a pitfall.

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4
Dega (2023) OGN

Jan 10, 2023

Stunning work from an artistic standpoint, but the emotionally cold narrative doesn't work wonders, even with its well-worn sci-fi premise.

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4
Remina OGN

Dec 14, 2020

Ito's tale of a hell star may have a chilling presence, along with quality art, but Remina is frustratingly lacking in substance.

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