Tricia Ellis Comic Reviews

Fan of the Card Wars app might not want to miss this because of a code that will net a exclusive card. Fans of Fiona and Cake will definitely be on board for the series' trademark adorable, friendly charm. It's probably worth it for the "Lonely Panda" card from the first few pages " that thing is the cutest. People who haven't bought into Adventure Time already might not find much here to bring them on-board, but it's still a beautiful book that will easily find fans among young and old readers alike.

It's impossible to take this issue on its own without noting that it is nearly the end of the first iteration of Cyclops " the next issue will be drawn by Marvel newcomer Javier Garron, and will also be Rucka's last before John Layman takes over. It remains to be seen whether or not Layman is going to hew closely to the template Rucka has established for the series or if he will put his own spin on the material, but one hopes that the series continues to blend fun and emotional resonance as seamlessly as it has thus far.

Crushes are unrequited, drinks are drunk, dances are danced, and the issue feels more like a pleasant time spent with friends than a means to advance the story. Those friends are lovely friends, though, and as with every issue of this wordy, funny and stylish series, you'll want to revisit the issue over and over again.

There's an awful lot of plot and exposition crammed into this issue that seems like it could have been drawn out a little longer, but there are no shortage of sweet, funny, familiar moments along the way.

Slott and Allred have proven they can handle the heavy stuff just as well as the space-pop romance.Will the conclusion in the next issue finally bring some closure to the Surfer's relationship with Galactus? Probably not, but odds are it'll be a pretty exciting comic.

This issue of Silver Surferis a perfect representationof the Allred-Slott run thus far " funny, touching, visually engagingand thoroughly charming.

Story-wise this isn't anything ground-breaking, but Brisson knows how to keep the reader interested, and with only three more issues in the series, it's unlikely anyone won't want to stick around and see where this leads.

This issue packs in a lot - several characters are fleshed out and mysteries are, if not explained, at least expanded upon, with a few left-field surprises thrown in as well. There are so many factors in play already that the story will likely take years to tease out, and that's a very good thing. Every month this comicgetsstronger, and comic fans who like a little genuine human drama mixed in with their horror adventure stories are doing themselves a disservice if they don't get in on this one early.

This month's installment of James Tynion IV's consistently creepy and captivating The Woods is light on monsters and action but heavy on exposition. Something has been building over every issue since the time-jump that started "year two," and issue 16 ratchets the tension even more while delivering a generous " by The Woods standards " amount of backstory.

Like the other entries in this series, Velvet #7 continues to build on the promise of its central premise while hinting at something more. A few more Arc-7 characters are given greater depth, and while it seems like Velvet's story isn't advancing in this particular issue, it closes with a promise that the next issue will be explosive. This issue ratchets up the tension and the stakes right up until the last page - which, as always, seems to come too soon.

Fans of the series will not be disappointed into see Velvet in full-on spy-stuff action, and, as usual, the ending teases an unexpected next step in the heroine's relentless quest for the truth.