Review: Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Vol. 1

Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Vol. 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read through a bunch of reviews of this book that didn't think to highly of it. Admittedly, it isn't as action filled as other superhero comics, but those are a dime a dozen. I'm glad that this book ended up being something different because it takes a chance on appealing to a different audience and I think it works wonderfully.

First off, this book opens with the Black Panther returning to a broken Wakanda. It's not literally broken; instead it is broken in spirit. The people have lost faith in their leader after several incursions from outside forces. Various warlords are seeking to take control of different parts of the nation and the common people are cracking. How can this nation be brought whole again and what will the Black Panther's role be in it?

I've never read a Black Panther story before so I didn't really have any expectations on what this book would be. This gives a good history of Wakanda and the Black Panther, and I enjoyed the political aspects of it as well. There are a couple of outlaws that are working to help the people without actively acting against the country's leadership (so far). I liked the characters despite not being familiar with most of them beforehand.

The art is fantastic. There are some really gorgeous sections. I could easily see this being the favorite part of many readers. There are some sections of the book that are kind of dry. This volume aims to set the scene for the hero in many ways and prep for future events. I think it succeeds and I am looking forward to reading the next volume.

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Review: Harbinger, Volume 4: Perfect Day

Harbinger, Volume 4: Perfect Day by Joshua Dysart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a great follow-up to Harbinger Wars. After getting their butts handed to them, the Renegades get a chance to relax and be kids. Given the nature of these books, it can be easy to forget that these are young people that haven't had a chance to figure out their place in the world. A lot of the events in this story capitalize on the fact that they are struggling with finding themselves.

Here are some of the things I particularly enjoyed about this book. Kris Hathaway. Her part of the story is great. We get to see more of Pete Stanchek and Toyo Harada. These characters are perfect foils for each other. Animalia and her cartoon animal projections are quite fun. Torquehalla. Despite the excessive machismo, it actually made me appreciate Torque as a character much more. He is portrayed as a bit of a dumb brute and this book tries to show some more depth to him.

Overall I liked the art. The things that stick with me were really great, specifically the cartoon animals, Torquehalla, and some of the stuff at the end of the first chapter. I feel like this book would be better appreciated on a second reading because of how it is set up.

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Review: Lucifer, Volume 1: Cold Heaven

Lucifer, Volume 1: Cold Heaven by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since this book is bound to draw comparisons to Mike Carey's Lucifer series, so I will start out by saying that it is not as good. That doesn't mean this one is bad by any means though. It takes the ideas and characters from that series and builds on them.

Lucifer is back and God is dead. All signs point to Lucifer as the culprit, so he sets out to clear his name along with Gabriel. Things are compounded by a mysterious wound in Lucifer's side that won't close. This gives him motivation to return that makes it so this story doesn't disregard the way the previous series left off.

I like the way the characters are portrayed. Black does a decent job capturing the smarminess and intelligence of Lucifer. Where the book tends to shine is capitalizing on the setting. It pulls in some recognizable characters like Cain and Abel and Mazikeen. The story pulls in some familiar settings like the land of Dreaming. This allows the art to stand out too. There are some really wonderful sequences that could only take place in such a realm.

This book will probably appeal to readers interested in getting into the setting for the first time, rather than fans of the previous series. It does a lot of work to establish who the characters are and their place in the world. After setting the stage in volume one, I am looking forward to picking up the second volume to see where it takes things.

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Review: New Avengers, Vol. 1: Breakout

New Avengers, Vol. 1: Breakout by Brian Michael Bendis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Avengers have disbanded. This book explores the idea of what happens in the Marvel universe when the Avengers are gone and settles on the concept that a group of heroes will naturally come together. This time, it gives us the New Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman, and Wolverine.

The big thing I liked about this book is the massive breakout of supervillains from Ryker Island. This actually filled in some holes from a few other Marvel books I've read recently. Electro has never been a favorite villain, but his role in this book is done well. And this New Avengers team comes together in a way that is mostly natural. Each of the heroes acts in a way that I would expect from them. Bendis does a great job bringing these characters together.

It sort of fell apart when the group heads to the Savage Land. This part of the story isn't told poorly, but it seemed unnecessary. It does introduce some good ideas for the series. I thought the art was fantastic. Marvel does a great job of nabbing some of the best artists around. There are definitely better titles out there. I found this one enjoyable though and full of potential.

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Review: From the Dead

From the Dead by Warren Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ellis' take on Moon Knight is quite wonderful. This book really captures both the in your face nature of Moon Knight and the sheer insanity of Marc Spector, the man behind the mask.

This volume is made up of a series of loosely connected short stories. I don't recall an overarching storyline that you might get in other comic volumes. It doesn't really matter because each of these stories can stand on their own just fine. Some of the stories pull in more supernatural elements, which work well for with the character but aren't always used. Moon Knight also tries to play well with the NYPD. I liked these interactions. It gives Moon Knight a supporting cast that he turns to as it suits his need.

I loved the art. One thing that I think this volume brings to the character is the full on white suit that he wears from time to time. The visual element this brings to the book is great. And that is another thing this book does fantastically. Besides the white suit and his traditional costume, there are a couple other variations that look awesome. These also serve as a way to explore the character's psyche without spelling it out.

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The Walking Dead, Vol. 2 Review

The Walking Dead, Volume Two: Miles Behind Us. Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn. 2004. Image Comics. 136 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Volume two gives us a nice change as the group moves away from the outskirts of Atlanta and we begin to see more of this new world. There are two major locations: a sub-division and the farm.

I like that this deals with the encounter at the end of volume one between Rick and Shane in a couple of ways. It gives some physical reactions, e.g. the move away from the former campsite, and emotional reactions from a lot of the party. These give us a believable world within this fantastic environment and really builds the characters in some nice ways.

There are a couple additions to this main group, as well as a few losses. I like the growth this gives the book. Despite all the odds this group continues to survive, but is looking for something more permanent. This is a theme that comes up again and again in this volume. It does a nice job of giving motivation to the characters beyond mere survival.

The art is just as good as the first volume. It can be a bit of an acquired taste though. Two things of note about this book/the series in general. First, it is quite wordy. This isn't a bad thing since it is all dialogue between the characters. Second, there are a few inconsistencies with some minor story elements. It's not a detriment to the story that is being told at this point. Otherwise, this is a great character driven book that sets the hook for the next volume.

Faith and the Future Force Review

Faith and the Future Force. Jody Houser, Stephen Segovia, and Barry Kitson. 2017. Valiant Entertainment. 112 pages.

Rating: 3/5

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really like Faith and most of the Valiant comics in general. This one didn't really work for me though because it felt kind of rushed. It does include some of the humor and references that I would expect from the featured characters though.

The main plotline in this book is that there is a killer robot from an alternate timeline that wants to destroy the Valiant universe. Neela, who was introduced in the Ivar, Timewalker series, reaches out to Faith for help in stopping the robot. This mixture works well because they are both kind of sci-fi nerds, one by choice and one by circumstance. There isn't a ton of characterization, which is what I tend to respond to in books.

The plot on this one felt more like a traditional superhero comic book than I'm used to getting from Valiant. Although the idea of a malicious robot bent on killing everything isn't new, the creators put a decent spin on it that leads to a satisfying ending. There is some repetition in the story as they work through how to defeat the robot. It's fun to see the ever increasing cast of characters that are brought in to fight this threat.

I liked the art though. The characters are drawn really well. There are visual cues that add some humor to the book that would be lost in another format, so I appreciate that they used the medium in a good way. The way it is designed sort of reminds me of Groundhog Day. I want to see more from these characters, but there needs to be some more substance.