Amazing Fantasy as a title is a book that is in a sacred place. Amazing Fantasy launched Spider-Man and its legacy carries on to this day in the aforementioned heros' title "The Amazing Spider-Man". As amazing as spider-man is, I have always wondered what happened to that fantasy angle? well, it seems that Kaare Kyle Andrews has been tackling this angle for the limited series "Amazing Fantasy". The imaginative take on Marvel characters aside, this beautifully rendered story is just a tad loaded for its short length. I found myself having to reread the first two issues in order to follow what exactly has happened. Jumps between the narratives of Captain America, Black Widow, and Spider-man serve to distract than to add to the tapestry. Despite these narrative fumbles the comic is enjoyable and I'm curious where this will be going, I'm further curious as to if there will be other marvel characters in this realm. more

This comic is turning out to be exactly what i wanted about Kang. The nonlinear time jumping work great, at times the pacing is a bit rushed and i wish we got 2 more pages of Kang and Moon Knight. The addition of the first mutant was a big suprise, and i ate it all up. I would say this story is definitely for people who are aquainted to the mythos of kang. There is an attention to detail here that i absolutely love. the easter eggs of mythology of both comics and our history is great. more

Between this and the recent Hellblazer Sandman Universe Entries, DC has found writers and artists that recapture lightning in the bottle. There are few comics that prove difficult for new writers simply for the sake of whats come before. Swamp Thing; once an obscure character from the fringes of DC's multiverse, was reborn in the 1980s into an iconic Monster in the catalogue of characters at DC. thirty years removed from the landmark run by Alan Moore, Stephen Bisette and John Totleben, Swamp Thing has again faced a redefining era.

As this run continues to blow my mind, it is laced with treats for long time swamp thing readers. Additionally, it serves up a fresh new origin and introduces the mythos of the Green in a streamlined fashion. The introduction of POISON IVY blew my mind, seems like something that would have happened in the Moore Run, alas this is amping up to become a fantastic limited series.

The Green is an aspect of the series that makes it stand out from others, akin to the dreaming of The Sandman, and the realm of lost souls that DEADMAN inhabits, The green is a realm unto it self. we are introduced to the green, the mythos behind it, as well as familiar enemies in the form of Woodrue.

I cant help but sense a foreshadowing of Black Orchid, and to be honest it would not surprise me if Jennifer may have a connection to that mantle. The Black Orchids color scheme is prominent in the third and fourth issue so far. we will see where this is going, but i will say that Ram V has written an engaging new take on the jack of the green. Mike Perkins is absolutely phenomenal with his art work in this series so far.

THIS IS A MUST BUY more

Ok we are officially in the groove here, This is a must read for Swamp Thing Fans. There are TONS of interesting easter eggs to the alan moore run throughout this fantastic issue. In regards to the story we see Levi come to terms with his place as a warrior for the green. We also see that he is quick to get past this stage and his opponent the pale wanderer. The Mentions of Sunderland, Holland, and the Banyan trees all hark to the hallmark Moore Run. A panel of a person turned into a tree that was found in the Moore Run, has been referenced here. That panel it references is from "Garden of Earthly Delights" in Swamp Thing Vol.2 Which in turn is Swamp thing in GOTHAM. Lo and Behold we get a Batman cameo in this issue as well and with the reveal of "The Holland Phenomenon" we see a bridged continuity here. Fantastic. more

An interesting genesis to a new Knight of the Green, Levi Kamei. Unlike the majority of Comic Book Reboots that require contrived explanations, The Swamp Thing gives a lot of room for new creators to try new things. The green finds a new host in that of Levi, how this happened is teased but not entirely revealed (props). As familiar as i am with The Swamp Thing, i find this entry both a fresh new take and a continuation of Aesthetics that have come to define this corner of DC comics. Mysterious, Personal, Cerebral, and Horror. The latter half of this issue directly speaks to what swamp thing is , truly, "An Idea". The Swamp thing is in fact NOT Levi Kamei, The Swamp Thing was NOT alec Holland, No, The Swamp Thing is an Elemental. The First Volume of swamp thing outlines this concisely with the spirit of alec holland wandering the afterlife WHILE swampy is in the living world. The two are separate so in that way The Swamp makes way for countless avenues of storytelling. That said I HIGHLY recommend this comic to any Swamp Thing Fan or someone new to big guy. more

I am by no means a "horror-fan", i am however a fan of engaging storytelling. Theres a long lineage of horror and gore in comics. Prior to the Comics' Code, Horror comic publishers were abundant, like EC Comics for example with their anthologies of horror stories. The comic codes' attempts at censorship only pushed these creators of the dark and macabre to work underground. what followed was a period of alternative comics that ignored the comic code authority. what followed? Underground comics full of nudity, drugs, sex, violence, and moral depravation. but why would someone want to read these? because they reflect a world that is VERY much real. Banning the image of a gun or a breast does not remove those things from the world. This is my approach to the genre of horror. Call me picky or pretentious, I watch and analyze even the most benign media. i analyze for substance, intended or unintended. Red Room Follows in the long tradition of absolutely brutal comics that leaves you a little more sketched out on the world.

The world of Ed Piskor's Red Room is a dark and twisted reflection on our own world. Stylistically Piskor makes great use of traditional comic-making techniques of the 1980s underground. The art is vivid, an effect perhaps from a combination of Duo-Tone, Zip-atone, Duo-Shade and a plethora of other tools. Each issue of the series will be standalone, so it doesn't matter if you get issue 1 or 2 or 3, you can jump right in. Red Room uses technology of today as a major plot element adding a lot of depth to the realism felt in these pages.

The Dark web is a thing we hear about on the news, or on documentaries. some of us have set aside some time to peek our head into it. Personally i have gone on there to just see what it was, and of course the dark implications immediately settle in. The stories of Red Rooms have long existed in american culture. even the story itself refers to Snuff Films as the predecessor to web cam murder shows.

the gore and violence that pops up throughout the story is intense, and horrific. Personally i had to read this comic in breaks, due to the sheer volume of depravity. Lines of dialogue stick to your brain and when you wonder why this is happening, a story beat changes. Do not expect a typical story or a typical slash fest. this story is a dark twisted take on the dark web and all the crime that takes place behind masked Ips.
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Hailstone is a story that blends horror and the aesthetics of the western into one cohesive beast. centered on a town in 19th century america, an armies factory is in the town and for a frame of reference we are told that the civil war is currently taking place. A series of missing people has left the towns people searching for answers. The Sheriff of the town, being the beacon on stability faces his own crisis. That being, his inability to solve the mysteries, his own shortcomings and fears of the past. we see the sheriff in his only moments of being alone, he is seen sobbing. What is it that this man has seen out there in the woods? The army that is stationed in this small town, is reluctant to help the towns people or the sheriff. The excuse being that simply the army and its men are for the war effort exclusively. The only thing is , the snow has made roads out of the city inaccessible, the army couldn't go if they wanted. the sheriff is left with no choice but to go with a group of the towns folk to search themselves. The artwork in hailstone is dynamic and versatile, it can go from placid tones for mood, to vibrant lighting shifts for emotion. We see the use of color to foreshadow and accentuate, since the story is in the snowy season, a kind of negative space is used in the coloring and it makes for a very kinetic read. more

A Far out story from the far out minds of Mike & Laura Allred. for X-Ray Robot is the most recent output from Mike & Laura Allred. Anyone familiar with The Allreds' Work will be familiar with Their approach, and that approach is amplified here in X-Ray Robot. We are introduced to a cool world that blends of sci-fi and psychedelia. the story is a heady one, involving alternate realities and mind bending scientific riffs. The story follows scientists as they begin to prepare for an experiment where they will send an individual into another dimension. after the initial experiment, he begins to have visions. visions of the apocalypse and death, and apparently while in another dimension, he gained an ability to see more than us. He can see what was once hidden from the average person. I feel a nostalgic effect towards this story at this point as it is reminiscent of the more cerebral comics of the late 80s and early 90s. An accident happens, sending our protagonist into an alternate reality, arriving he has a panic. The world is suddenly unfamiliar. what begins as an experiment involving one mr max wilding, we are introduced to another max wilding whose inside of a robotic body; the x-ray robot. As an origin story this is a far-out psychedelic experience and introduction, leaving one to wonder just where this story will go. It reminds me of the more headier Sci-fi comics of the past, as well as the aforementioned experimental comics of the 90s. There is a retro-futuristic touch that Mike Allred has to his work and the coloring by Laura is always complimentary to that same aesthetic. This is a fun read that is definitely not a one and done, you can read this three times and pick up on more odd moments. more

the first entry into vertigo's Fables is an imaginative story that pulls from the long continuity of Fairy Tales and Folk Lore. We are introduced to a cast of characters who all reflect their folk tale counterpart, the central of which is one B. Wolf. In the tradition of noir detective, the Big Bad Wolf is given the role of classic Pulp Noir. At its heart this story is about the big bad wolf, and his work at solving a murder. Throughout the investigation we are introduced to Snow White, Bluebeard, Jack of the beanstalk fame, and even a flying monkey from Oz. These entities from the world of myth and fairytale inhabit a section of the real world. This story is a combination of Magic Realism, Detective Noir, and Low-Fantasy. The blending is never too forced, and it feels natural. even when we see the magical creatures that are abound we never lose a sense of finality. Early on, we get a sense of life-or-death stakes with the apparent murder of Snow Whites' sister Rose Red. Her murder scene is gruesome, bloody, and when B wolf arrives at the scene of the crime he inspects the scene in silence. On the wall written in blood "No more Happily Ever Afters". Scrawled on the wall of the murder scene is a direct message to us, the readers. It tells us that unlike the fairytales we are used to, in this story people die. That level of realism makes this more than a mere revisiting of the fables of old, this is an examination and deconstruction of long held archetypes found in folktales. The Big Bad Wolf is our protagonist, and immediately we are thrown into a familiar yet subverted world of icons. no longer a man-eater in a grandmothers dress, we follow the detective through the dark corners of Fable town. It is that aspect that immediately drew me in, If the big bad wolf can be a good man in this world, there is no telling what other surprises await. Bill Willingham has crafted a complex world of iconoclasm and with the vibrant and lively art, Lan Medina has brought this Modern Fairy Tale to life. more

John Constantine is brought back to life in this fantastic one-shot story that reintroduces the character for the modern world. The story that simon spurrier lays out "feels" very in the spirit of the original Vertigo Hellblazer. Which is a good thing. For all the pros' of the recent iterations of the foul mouthed brit, the grit has been missing. This is not a knock on the past entries as much as its a statements towards the heart of this story.

Off the bat, we are familiarized with constantine's recurring problem of losing those who are closest to him in horrible ways. Chas, The long-time taxi drive for constantine has long been the sole survivor of constantine's many friends. usually dragged along and against his will most of the time, Chas is generally pulled out for comic relief. Instead this series opens with a clear message that chas' time is most definitely up.
Chas sacrifices himself and we are shown a vignette of the multiverse and the essential resetting of things. We are introduced to an Older Constantine, far older. this is a fascinating addition, as constantine is unique among comic character in that he ages in real time. Meaning in his debut year of 1987, theres an issue of him celebrating his 35th birthday. 5 years later an issue references his 40th birthday. in 2021 he would be in his 60s, thus The older constantine we see in this issue is presumably the same constantine from the vertigo continuity. this is an addition that is both a wink to the the audience and stands to show the attention to detail. in many ways, this comic does a fantastic way of being a jumping in point for fans of the series , old and new.
The kicker in this issue is the revelation that Chas (in the restarted continuity) is dying of cancer. Confused John is hurt and asks how could this happen? Chas never smoked. this is the gut punch, Chas responds with "no but, You Did". Constantine once again faces another lost friend, because of his own actions.

Prior to the introduction of the Overarching title of "Sandman Universe", The world of Dream and the Endless had been a Pillar To DC's legacy in the comic medium. with this new designated line of comics, Hellblazer flourishes and stands out amongst the pack as a unique and fresh take on John Constantine. more

Demon Days is a fresh take on the mythos of Marvels' X-Men. Peach Momoko crafts a unique world for the mutants, providing the story and art for this fantastic first issue. The story framing of a mystical mountain serves to establish the otherworldly scale of this tale set in Japan. Peach Momoko's lush watercolor work provides beautiful colors and gives a milieu to this issue that is reminiscent of Anime studios of the 80s and 70s. In japan the tradition of mangaka invokes the spirit of a creator handling both script and art. Momokos' approach to the american comic is fresh, unpretentious, and i cannot get enough of it.
The story opens with a problem in a small Japanese village, an Oni. Oni are Japanese demons, and we see this ogre like creature face off against a young girl named tsuki. it is not until later we are told the identity of the Oni, with its only piece of dialogue. "Smash". Hulk - or- hulkramu is a fun homage all in all. Tsukis' identity in regards to her marvel universe proxy, has yet to be revealed, but this aspect is one of the many reasons why this story draws you in.
After an introduction to Tsuki and Hulkmaru, we are introduced to two more of Momokos' reimagined Mutant-kind.
Psylocke is reimagined as a traveler named "Sai", a nod to her main continuity namesake. Her wolf companion is named logan, an obviously homage to the one and only wolverine. The fun with this story is two fold, the story serves as its own stand alone tale. If you had never read x-men, this would be a story you can pick up and read. that is note worthy. additionally while reading this story you find yourself reading closely to find the identity of these characters.
this story reaches its 3rd act with a showdown against a Venom spirit that has taken over a local shrine. The reimagined venom as a snake demon is a dark, dominating figure and is a clear homage to orichimaru of Japanese mythology. The reimagined characters are all fun and some might require a closer look, such a Jubilee, who is named Juju. Her namesake is made clear with the release of a fireworks diversion in the final showdown with venom.
The Mutant occupied corner of the massive marvel universe is accustom to stylized approaches. Allowing artists to watermark a run with their signature style is a risky move. Between Fan reactions, critics, and the bottom line, taking big risks with properties takes a lot of faith on the part of the company. This collaboration with Peach Momoko is a fantastic match and beneficial to both parties. Peach Momoko is sure to be a powerful force in american comics following this limited series, and marvels universe just got a hell of a lot more enriched. more