Review – Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1

Story by Dan Abnett, Kyle Higgins, Danny Fingeroth

Art by Le Beau Underwood, Andrea Di Vito, Juanan Ramirez, Mike Manley

Colours by Chris Sotomayor, Sebastian Cheng, Erick Arciniega

Letters by Travis Lanham

Cover by Inhyuk Lee

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Release Date: 14th April 2021
Introduction

2021 marks the 30th anniversary of Darkhawk’s 1991 debut in Darkhawk 1, a title that ran for 50 issues while the character himself had stints alongside the New Warriors, Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

This is a tribute issue and a hope of things to come! From early 90s action to post-Annihilation plot and finally closing the arc. The issue is way too short, to be honest, but let’s head back to the 90s, find our alien amulet and transmute into DARKHAWK!
Stories/Writing
Review - Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1

Giving us a past, present and future(ish) look at the 90s character that defied the odds and joins Marvel’s teams. During the issue, Chris Powell (Darkhawk) taps into the DATASONG of the amulet and the three stories flow from this lament.

The first story, titled “Cry of the City,” is handled by the original Darkhawk creative team of writer Danny Fingeroth and artist Mike Manley, with colours by Chris Sotomayor. It follows Darkhawk as he follows criminal mastermind Phillipe Bazin, before facing off against Savage Steel. Written by the original team of Fingeroth and Manley it plays to the fans!

In the second “Long Way From Home,” Powell is wandering a random planet and stumbles into an alien bar. In ten short pages, we get a neat, tidy standalone story showing off Darkhawk in a story with familiar alien baddies . It sits the most comfortable of the three stories and writer Dan Abnett teams up with Andrea Di Vito to draw these pages

The final very short five-page story “Last Flight” is a short sombre finale and prelude in one. Finished wearing the amulet, Powell fills the Datasong with his memories to hope the next wearer learns from his mistakes. It’s both a moving and sad chapter to a fan favourite character. Writer Kyle Higgins and artist Juanan Ramírez fill the space with both hopelessness and hope at the same time.
Artwork
Review - Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1

The three vignettes are designed well and fans will recognise the first splash page from issue 1 as a tribute to the style and writing of early 90s comics. De Vito and Ramírez though show their talent in the final 15 pages of the comic. It’s beautiful, desolate and action-packed with modern imagery and panelling.

It’s amazing to show this action next to this more realistic artwork and shows you just how far comics have come in 30 short years! We are now as far from the 90s as the 90s was from the late 50s and early 60s artwork!
Review - Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1
Overall Thoughts

This is a quick 12-minute read but worth it as it hints at things to come for both Marvel and Darkhawk. For fans of the hero, it’s a must-buy, but and for others, it’s a good sedge way into a character that fans love but many mainstream fans may not have heard of. If all else fails many will buy it for the stunning Lee cover that collectors will snap up and seal into CGC plastic for eternity!

If you enjoyed our Review of Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1 then leave a comment or rating below.

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Review – Teen Titans Academy #1

Writer: Tim Sheridan

Penciller: Rafa Sandoval

Inker: Jordi Tarragona

Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez

INTRODUCTION:

Six of the original Teen Titans team members have reunited in order to teach a new generation of teens at the Roy Harper Titans Academy! Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Donna Troy are sharing their skills that they learned while growing up as Titans to show new superpowered teens how to be heroes. But with the lingering mystery of who is parading around as Red X, Nightwing and the rest of the team are uncertain how to approach this specific topic.
Review - Teen Titans Academy #1

STORY:

Throughout this first issue, the six original Titans introduce themselves as teachers and show the students what their time at the Academy will be like. As they welcome in a wide variety of super powered kids, we learn about the abilities and draw to the large cast of new characters being brought up by the original heroes. Characters like tech-genius Gorilla Gregg and the EMP powered hotshot named Brick stick out as fun new ideas while others like cylindrical shapeshifter named “Tooby” will assumedly be more fleshed out as future issues release. The most shocking inclusion however, is that of previously established DC alter-ego to Shazam, the young Billy Batson. Batson is the only previously known character of these new Titans and he is barely in the issue, but his inclusion is very shocking. Issue one encapsulates the first day of school feeling by showing the new kids moving in and getting introduction lectures from Titans as friendships and cliques begin to form.
Review - Teen Titans Academy #1

The intrigue to this story mainly comes in 2 different forms. The first of which is seeing the original Teen Titans members interact and embark on a new journey of teaching new kids that were in the same spot as them years ago. The second is that of seeing all these new characters being introduced and getting to learn more about their powers and personalities. These two things are mainly tied together by the intrigue of the mysterious Red X. This character is one deeply rooted in the Titans past while at the same time very ominously a large part of these new Titans’ future.
Review - Teen Titans Academy #1

Throughout the book, we see a lot of charming moments of the original Titans together again. As a big Titans fan, seeing them come together in teaching/leadership positions is a real treat. Also, seeing the current Teen Titans team as upperclassmen being out in the field is really cool. It gives fans of these new characters something to look forward to as they go through their enrollment and honors the older teens that have served as superheroes before the school was made.

Out of thew set of characters, the main focus seems to be on the hotheaded ginger named Brick. Brick seems to have energy blast related power that includes electromagnetic pulses, but comes across as one of the much more powerful kids. He seems to have quickly grabbed the attention of Donna Troy who is greatly interested in his capabilities and seems to specifically have a fascination with the Red X. As the first day winds down, we see this Red X discussion come to its’ head as someone gifts Nightwing the original Red X mask that he wore years ago during his birthday celebration, warranting a speech. And the loss of this mask later on is what leaves this issue off on a dramatic note.

ART:

The artwork throughout is very good overall, as the powers displayed and action within are done very dynamically. I will say that Brick does look very similarly to another student that shows up late, the only difference being their hair color. I don’t think these two are supposed to be related, so the similarity may prove to be more confusing as the series continues. Characters like Stitch and Gorilla Gregg are drawn very well in a more detailed way that their characters warrant without looking out of place in the rest of the artwork. Some of the artwork within is good enough to warrant them being made into a poster, such as Nightwing’s birthday party and the upperclassmen fighting as Teen Titans. Overall, I’m looking forward to seeing this art style benefit the series as we get more issues.

IN CONCLUSION:

There are a few nitpicks I do have with this issue. Some small things that don’t come anywhere near ruining the issue, but still come across as very strange. The first of these things is Starfire’s eyes. This is something I didn’t notice on the first read through, but once I looked into her eyes I could never unsee it. Her eyes are completely white and comes across as blank windows into her soul. It comes across as a mistake that was forgotten rather than a stylistic choice. There are other artistically unique depictions within that make sense as artistic differences such as Nightwing’s unusual thickness as well as Cyborg’s fully silver depiction, but this specific Starfire change is borderline unsettling. Starfire also seems to be strangely into the Red X mask, alluding that she is attracted to it and its allure when having a personal conversation with Nightwing. Lastly, it’s kind of strange for Donna to exclaim to her student that she is gonna “kick his $#&”, which makes me a bit curious as to how Sheridan is going to handle the female characters of this series. I know these are small things, but I couldn’t go without at least bringing them up.

Issue #1 of Teen Titans Academy does a very good job overall at setting up storylines and intrigue for the future of the series. It is clear that the allure of Red X is the main hook of the book’s narrative currently. And as long as the new teens and their dynamics with other heroes are better developed and established before this Red X storyline comes to an end, this series should do well at broadening the scope of the Teen Titans series. With something as unique and new to the Titans as this, the shake up in premise could go either way, so this first arc is going to be an important one for the series.

What did you think of our Review of Teen Titans Academy #1? Let us know by leaving a comment!

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Writer: Peter Milligan

Artist: Leandro Fernandez

Publisher: Image Comics

Published: October 2016
Introduction

BGCP’s review of superhot comic duo MILLIGAN and FERNÁNDEZ’s controversial collected TPB of sex and metamorphosis. When a frustrated Manhattan wife, Melissa Peake, allows herself to be seduced by a mysterious stranger, she is drawn into an ancient war between The Discipline and the creatures known as The Stalkers… and must discover the hitherto unimagined potential within herself to survive. But what is the cost? Whatever you’ve heard about it, won’t prepare you for…THE DISCIPLINE. Collects Image Comics THE DISCIPLINE #1-6.
BGCP Reviews: Milligan’s The Discipline:
Story and Writing

Mellisa Drake is bored but her dreams are an erotic and forbidden fantasy! Milligan starts the story at 11 to build tension and like the protagonist spends most of the book teasing the audience with glimpses and flashes of what is to come. The world of the The Discipline and The Stalkers two ancient enemies caught in an eternal battle with sex, violence and seduction at it’s core.

The collected six issues follow Mellissa’s descent into a world where pain and pleasure lead to transformation and satisfaction. This imagery of slaughtered cattle is shown and repeated several times to show how the Discipline actual treat their disciples. As a reader, you are frustrated, excited and titillated with the mature scenes. Intercourse is used as an act of transmogrification, where flesh is changed and pain intensifies pleasure.

If you are used to the Beano, Bunty or My Little Pony this is not for you!! Any fans of Barker’s The Hell-bound Heart will delight in this series and if your auntie has finished reading the Fifty Shades series then this will make a delightful Christmas present!

When interviewed by Image Comics Milligan said:

“In a story like this, where a character is going to be dragged into some weird and dark places, it’s important that we have a solid grounding in reality, that we see the place where she starts from so we can appreciate the weirdness and difference of the world she begins to occupy.“
Image comics: March 2016 (all rights reserved)

BGCP Reviews: Milligan’s The Discipline:
Artwork

Fernandez co-created THE DISCIPLINE with Peter Milligan and it shows! He’s invested in every page and image and the mature themes are extreme but not pornographic. Erotic images are not shown to denigrate and both men and women are equally shown ensuring that this not at either expense. He’s done books like Wolverine: Coyote Crossing with Greg Rucka and Northlanders: The Plague Widow with Brian Wood. He’s drawn complete books from Garth Ennis’s Punisher MAX run and many other popular characters like Deadpool, Avengers, New Mutants, and Hulk.

His style is beautiful, ugly, raw and exciting and you’ll find you self going back a page to make sure that you’ve got everything from his pages. The colour palette is deliberately pale with muted tones highlighting the intense subject matter. The splashes or blood and flesh jump out the panel and the page at the reader.

He’s also not fallen into the trap of buxom beauties with death-defying breasts and Marie Antionette waists. Woman are real, poses are normal and for those excited by sexual imagery the books will increase your heartrate!
Interview with Fernandez

Speaking the Image Comics in March 2016 Fernandez explains his style and how the cover art was developed:

Image Comics: Your attention to both fashion and acting is front and centre in THE DISCIPLINE. On top of that, sometimes you drape someone’s face or profile in shadow, obscuring their emotions. How do you decide when to put something on full display and when to pull back?

LEANDRO FERNANDEZ: Well…contradictory to what you say, I think silhouettes are very moving. It’s true, the faces are obscured, and we don’t have a clear view of their emotions, their expressions. But this moves the storytelling into the right context: when we follow the story, we might understand what or how the character feels, and the silhouette might suggest it without necessarily showing it.

My point is, when we “complete” what we don’t clearly see with our imagination, we will see it anyway, with an even bigger strength. It’s a resource I like to use in storytelling, making the reader complete what isn’t shown completely. Sometimes it’s better to hide than to show. On the other side, I find the silhouettes very strong. I use them many times and I think they are very powerful, and above all very emotional.

Image Comics: The cover design for THE DISCIPLINE is cool, with one dominant colour and a black background giving the covers a cohesive feel. How do you approach creating covers? Do you prefer them to depict specific scenes from the comic, or something more moody and general?

LEANDRO FERNANDEZ: I used to plan the covers to tell something we will find inside the book. When I was only a reader, I liked that fact, because I had a glimpse of what the book had inside. But after the years I have spent working on this, and the natural evolution of comics and entertainment, the way images work have changed in that way. The audience expects something different from that side.

It’s natural we will see images that tell us something about the story, give us some concept of it, but not a finished piece, an exact moment of the story. It can be a comic, or even a movie poster or a tv series promotional shot. The challenge for these new images we are creating is to tell the general idea of what the book is about. It’s interesting, I find it like a different side of the storytelling.
Image Comics: March 2016 (all rights reserved)

Review - The Discipline
Overall thoughts

So final warning this is mature and is not for everyone’s taste or reading. For older readers who enjoy strong content with sexual imagery and BDSM themes, this is a fresh and intriguing take on the classic initiate that explores their likes and desires with a dangerous stranger genre!

I cautiously recommend this to our stronger stomached followers. If your previous reads include Barker, King or Koontz you’ll love The Discipline. Don’t forget to leave a comment or rating or our Review of The Discipline

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Review – Mighty Morphin #6

Written by: Ryan Parrott

Artist/Colours: Marco Renna, Walter Baiamonte

Covers: InHyuk Lee, Eleonora Carlini, Peach Momoko

Published by: Boom Studios (under licence from Hasbro)

Available: 14th April 2021
Introduction

From Boom Studios comes the stunning 6th issue of the new Mighty Morphin team. This fresh take on the classic 90s team is fun, vibrant and refreshing to read! With a standard three-act 28 page comic splitting the action between 10,000 years ago, outside the barrier and then finally inside!

Currently, Power Rangers is celebrating 28 continuous years on the air. Making it one of the longest-running kids’ live-action series in television history with nearly 900 episodes aired to date. Created by Haim Saban and launched in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the franchise celebrates its 28th season on stations.
Story

Still reeling from the revelation of the New Green Ranger’s true identity, the New Mighty Morphin team must join with former Ranger Grace Sterling to save Angel Grove from a new threat tied to Zordon’s surprising past. But nothing could prepare the Rangers for the two people who stand in their way…

Parrott has taken lots of the well known and beloved elements of the MMPR franchise and putting his own spin on it. I’m loving the Zordon flashbacks from 10,000 years ago when he was the chief guardian and his ongoing tension with Zartus. This tension is mirrored in the current team after the problems with Matt and Grace are leading to trust issues.
Momoko Variant
Artwork/Visuals

Artist Marco Renna and colourist Walter Baiamonte are having fun in this issue with bold colours and a mix of full panel pages kept to ramp excitement and classic smaller 6-9 panel setups for conversations. Bright recognisable art will delight everyone from older readers from the 90s era up to new kids that have been following on TV and the past five issues!

MIGHTY MORPHIN 6 features main cover art by acclaimed illustrator InHyuk Lee (Seven Secrets), and variant covers by Eleonora Carlini (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Peach Momoko (Something is Killing the Children).
Virgin Variant
Overall Thoughts

I would not start the issue of have not caught up as we are in the middle of multiple plot points at this stage. If all the previous are sold out buy the digital versions to give yourself a chance to get up to speed!

Print copies of MIGHTY MORPHIN #6 are scheduled to be available on April 14 2021. From local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.

Have a sneak preview of the first few pages from our friends at Boom Studios!!

What do you think of our Review of Mighty Morphin #6?

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