The summer issue of the Vertigo Quarterly is here! It's MAGENTA, the hot pink sky in your sweltering summer, bringing together comics' most talented writers and artists - both established and new - for an anthology only VERTIGO could deliver.
The largest detraction from "Magenta" is perhaps its price point, which might not feel worth all these small stories. Some readers might prefer to wait until the trade, but I'm personally enjoying the heck out of this series. Read Full Review
Magenta is even more contradicting than Cyan. Magenta is being alive, its being dead. Its being strong, its being weak. Its opening and closing, ending and beginning. The take-away is that Vertigo has simply created such a complex comic book. They've curated some of the best short fiction and illustrations weve seen in a while, making our heads snap back and forth between statementand style, leaving us full of and empty for all the feels. Read Full Review
This volume has stories that speak to everyone at different levels. If you have trouble with non-traditional superhero art or some [debatable] unresolved endings, then this anthology might not be for you. However, multiple art styles, from clean and classic to photo realism to more of a European flare constantly change the mood and can help new comic readers see what a variety of voices are available for sampling in the comics world. Read Full Review
Like any collection containing such a wide array of diversity in its storytelling, art, tone, etc. some of these comics are bound to fall flat for any reader. The value in Vertigo Quarterly, like any high quality anthology, does not come from having a collection of stories that will appeal to all readers. It comes from having a collection of comics that will expose readers to the diversity of the medium and, even if they are not all enjoyed, will expand the horizons of those reading them. Read Full Review
For one-shot shorts from mostly unfamiliar names, it's a worthwhile read, and certainly they're different offerings from the other publishers'. Read Full Review
Vertigo Quarterly: Magenta (Published by Vertigo Comics; Review by Forrest C. Helvie; 'Rama Rating: 6 out of 10): Although the "ideas" behind each of the nine short stories in this anthology hold a lot of potential, the content varies widely in terms of the execution of the storytelling in both the written and visual storytelling aspects. The standouts were easily Jody Houser and Nathan Fox's brilliant "Adrift," which tells the story of a Barbie-like doll coaching its owner's sister through the loss of her grandmother, and Ryan Lindsay and Tommy Lee Edwards' boxing noir story "Gloves" that feels similar to how Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli might have envisioned Battlin' Jack Murdock's revenge on his murderers. Other stories, however, were less successful due to unpolished artwork that did not convey story (plot or character emotion) in a clear manner or they were over-designed to a point where the panels felt static. While the Read Full Review
Be the first to rate this issue!
Click the 'Rate/Write A Review' link above to get started.