Ryan Marshall Comic Reviews

It's like the Everything Burrito of what you'd want in an Adventure Time comic, and could possibly be the finest and most algebriac offering of Adventure Time to come out this year so far.

If you were a fan of the TV show chances are you'll possibly enjoy the official continuation of Charmed in the form of a comic. Even if you never watched an episode of the show in your life, Charmed: Season 10 still offers enough to charm new readers with plenty of magic thrown around, and Buffyverse styled comedic relief done Charmed style as a drawcard. Also the pacing of this issue never drags and the action scenes (and there is quite a few) come across nice and fluid.

Something big also happens in this issue, a most devastating fate for one of the main cast who I wont mention. Who can it be? That is for you to find out when you read Charmed Season 10 #4. However the Charmed Ones have encountered being near the end of their lives quite often, so you can never really say never.

Its clear where Pat was going with this and what he was trying to channel through Cole, and I would gladly defend it because on the plus side we get a heartwrenching send-off of a story even if it comes at a cost. Cole finally gets the amazing send-off he deserves in solidarity, and everything leading up to his sacrifice perfectly concluding his characters arc.

As well as this issue stood well alone, it still manages to stir up new developments for Season 10 as it did reveal something about the Old Ones who were thought to be defeated in the first issue.

Season 10 of Charmed just keeps going from strength to strength with each issue and theres also two things in particular you cant miss out on in this fab issue: The magic duel which utilised the Charmed Ones powers very well at The Knox Academy and the appearance of Cole in a flashback.

Also who knew that this issues biggest "lol" moment would come from The Dark Queen just by giving her unrestrained and raw opinionabout how Cindy got as far as she did mainly because Malec has a soft spot for blondes with perky breasts.

Overall there's quite alot that happens in this issue between Hades incurring his wrath against the Dark Horde, Dracula's cryptic predictions on the fate of the Realm War and Cindy's scheming, which all sets up exciting things for the conclusion for it all to come to a big head, and quite possibly literally.

All in all there isn't alot to say about this issue that speaks well for itself without sounding spoilery or getting synopsy, other than hitch a ride on this jumping point and read and discover the greatness for yourself.

There were also some very memorable art panels. In particular the fun panel of the two guys who thought Sela was a flying supermodel, the fencing montage where the tensions between Wulf and Ali break out and the art really nailed the expression and emotion on a certain characters (which wont be mentioned because its spoilery) face that it came to life.

Theres really not much to Beowulf Part 1 except checking in with Wulf and a must-see mini-monster bash between him and Grendel, but one thing for sure is its necessary to develop Wulfs character set towards whatever he may become. Also dont miss out on the inclusion of a neat homage panel of Grendels arm being ripped off, and brief appearance of Adraste.

Kiera also gets some fiery thrilling scenes also and works her magic, clearly shes up to something big which sets things up for the next arc, which already sounds amazing. Right now it seems like a mystery what shes up to, and its only merely hinted at here.

While it doesn't reach the same highs as some of the previous Oz comics, it's still a satisfactory read with inspiring imagery that stays true to the mythos of Oz while giving it the Zenescope twist at the same time.

On the scary scale its not freaky on the level of The Conjuring, but the gut-wrenching blood and gore scenes with the flesh eating spiders were admittedly awesome. Theres not as much fear or suspense as I would have liked. If I was to describe this it would be like a greed driven treasure hunt that backfires, searching for a prized artifact much akin to Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones, with a slight horror twist in that not everyone gets out alive.

Overall this is a less straight-forward story as its more an ambitious one and it shows its full of potential for a long standing story arc, on the same level of Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings. Lastly, the artist Carlos Magno did an excellent job bringing the fantasy of Lantern City to life with the uttermost impeccable detail.

But if there is anything that this issue confirms it is not who is better than who, but that Robyn and Red Riding Hood/Brittany are more effectve together rather than against. The most impressive thing was seeing how intuitive these girls can be teamwork wise in order to tip the odds back in their favour, without the need to say anything to each other and much to a villain like Ivory's disadvantage. Overall this was a nice capper to a solid 2 part arc, which is best read back to back as it plays out like one episode.

If anything of what you have read here has piqued your interest, Id totally recommend this jump on point issue here for new readers to get acquainted with this temperamental archer, Robyn Hood.

The Robyn Hood ongoing manages to unify endearing elements from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel as well as CW's Arrow all together, squared off with a dose of the perils of reality. If you still haven't checked out Zenescope's woman under the green hood, then here's some great news for you because this is another jump on point issue to join Team Robyn.

Overall there was a nice even balance and structure with this issue. It wasnt overly busy with plot points shooting like Robyns arrows left, right and center. Something that has felt to have been out of place in previous issues were the inclusion of breakaway scenes involving The Cabal, in the past they may have been there to plant seeds and stir mystery and intrigue but they didnt make any sense until the brilliant epilogue. We do see what they are intending to unleash. The Cabal still continue to be cryptic as they always been with their covert illuminati vibe, but their storyline is showing signs of starting to pay off. Also seeing two powerful figures in the Grimm universe are in league with The Cabal just generates even more interest, who they are is far too good to spoil.

Its been a long time coming for Robyn to finally make moves towards confronting her nemesis The Cabal, all signs have been pointing to it since The Priest arc. While it is imminent its going to happen, it does become a case of a confrontation interrupted. Eventhough Robyn does get very close, this issue mainly covers tracking the villains and its all a cunning, cruel and exciting set-up that will make you want or need to read the next long-awaited issue.

What I really liked most about The Plague Part 2 was Robyns ability to think on her feet. How she can manage to even the odds to do whats necessary never ceases to amaze. It was almost a triumphant moment when she shown she could play The Cabal at their own game on her own. The character exchanges between her, the leader of the Cabal and Malec were so well written you could feel how tense it was. Also loved the little cameos from Brittany, Liesel and Sela's voicemail. One thing Im hoping for Robyns final showdown with The Cabal is she brings a couple of her friends along for an old fashioned Realm Knight team up.

There are also two new reveals with one of them we find out the name of Robyn and Marians detective agency, and something about Peter the Librarians connection to Brandon from The Cabal. And of course we wont give the answers away here.

Usually most of Steves project is matched with stunning traditional painted/mixed media artwork, which can either overpower the narrative or enhance it. But Christopher Mitten who has collaborated before with Steve on Criminal Macabre totally nails it with his solid and gritty line work which never feels loose. The spacey backgrounds and textures also were simply beautiful and help embellish Christophers line art, taking this book to another level.

All in all this was a very unified self-contained issue. It did a great job in merging a classic mythology with the modern human world and technology, but you always knew this is Ericas story. The transitions between the exposition scenes and the present day ones also flowed very nicely and never felt offbeat. Also the art was also completely wonderful, especially with Ursula and her expressions and the Octopus was very cool. Though this may feel like a nice quiet issue, the volume raises towards the end to a level with urgency.

One thing that cannot be faulted however is the art. Now that is something magnificent about this book so far without a doubt. Loved the way the Sea Witchs expressions were depicted perfectly and how they could go from sharp to relaxed seamlessly panel to panel.Whether the next few issues will bring us a tidal wave, slow and steady theres still promise that this version of The Little Mermaid may still break out of her seashell.

This may be Matt Hawkins best work to date, and hes already got an impressive track record with Aphrodite IX (Top Cow) and Think Tank (Image) on his resume. Co-creator and artist Rahsan Ekedal matches the greatness of Matts writing with his simple but style sequential art and gives the visuals a light vibrant tone. Speaking of which what grabbed me about the art was Rahsans style evoked the bold and graphic style reminiscent of Jamie McKelvie who is one of my favourite artists, demonstrated in the masterpiece Suburban Glamour.

This may be Matt Hawkins best work to date, and hes already got an impressive track record with Aphrodite IX (Top Cow) and Think Tank (Image) on his resume. Co-creator and artist Rahsan Ekedal matches the greatness of Matts writing with his simple but style sequential art and gives the visuals a light vibrant tone. Speaking of which what grabbed me about the art was Rahsans style evoked the bold and graphic style reminiscent of Jamie McKelvie who is one of my favourite artists, demonstrated in the masterpiece Suburban Glamour.

For a collaborative project this didnt suffer at all from too many writers syndrome. Each anthology story managed to cohesively connect to one another, and flowed like it was just one big story as it should be.

This new minimalist series acts as a love letter of sorts, and if you like Crime Road movies like Badlands and True Romance, outcast inspired tales like Pump Up The Volume and Heathers or character driven adventure comics like Love & Rockets and Stray Bullets, then We Can Never Go Home could belong in your wheelhouse.