#Dark Horse Comics Reviews

[dispatchdcu]

Helen Of Wyndhorn #3 Review

Helen Of Wyndhorn #3 Review #HelenOfWyndhorn #comics #comicbooks #news #art #info #NCBD #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #Amazon #darkhorsecomics #darkhorse

Writer: Tom King Artist: Bilquis Evely Colorist: Matheus Lopes Letterer: Clayton Cowles Cover Artists: Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes; Fábio Moon Publisher: Dark Horse Price: $4.99 Release Date: June 19, 2024 After Thomas Rogers dies, his partner hires an auction house. The dealer admires the framed art adorning one of Christopher Krieger Cole’s books. A recent movie heightened interest in the…

[zagorudan]

New video where I talk about the 12 year period where Dark Horse owned the comic rights for the King of the Monsters. He fights "Ultraman," not-Mechagodzilla and even NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley. I'm so sorry if this is how you found out.

[jaysterg5]

Xenozoic Tales Vol. 1

by Mark Schultz

After the Cataclysm, the Earth has reawakened and the dinosaurs walk the world again. But man still has some artifacts of old civilization - ruined cities, firearms, and mechanical marvels that power the cities and can move him around this new world. But there are still dangers around every corner, and you need a man like Jack Tenrec to keep you safe.

Quite the phenomenon in the late 1980's and early 1990s, this book reprints issues one through six and includes the very first Xenozoic story from Death Rattle #8. The first issues featured two stories each and served to really set up this world. In fact, this entire volume is Schultz world-building and establishing his characters. The world is a different place and much technology has been lost in the 500 years since the Cataclysm. Some people retain the ability to work with machines, but others have degenerated to a hunter/gatherer state. While people still huddle in cities, the interior of the land is very wild and dangerous and hides many unique secrets.

While there are still scientists hoping to bring mankind back to a greater form of civilization, there are also criminals and politicians that only look out for themselves. The more things change, the more they stay the same! The complexities of this new world only offer more issues and more conflict.

Jack Tenrec is a mechanic and a de facto leader in the tribe of the City by the Sea. While he chooses not to be an official member of the government, others look up to him and respect him for his ideals. He warns that people should live in concert with the world, not try to change it for their benefit, but those in power don't often listen until it's too late. Jack's affinity for machines has him living and working in a garage separated from the rest of the city, where he works on his archaic vehicles and converts them to guano power from whatever those ancients used. Cleaner energy for sure!

Jack is introduced to Hannah Dundee, an ambassador and something of a scientist from the distant land of Wasson. She seeks to initiate trade and knowledge exchange between the tribes. She is insatiably curious and headstrong. Just like any woman should be in the post-Cataclysmic world.

There's a lot of commentary in the undertones of the book, and some that's not exactly undertones as well. This book forms a cautionary tale about ecological and political disaster that we can still take to heart almost 35 years later. And all of it is draped in a lot of pulp action and gorgeous line art.

Schultz is in the same category of the Dave Stevens (The Rocketeer), Al Williamson (Flash Gordon), and Milton Cannif (Terry and the Pirates). His art style is gorgeous with detailed lines and a style that borders on the cheesecake. You won't find any ugly women in this series! He takes special care in rendering the animals and dinosaurs as well, and his backgrounds are full of detail and shadow that just draws you into this world. From complex machinery that has a real Jack Kirby feel to the expanses of the Xenozoic world, each panel is a joy to explore. This book is worth your time even if you don't want to read the story. Just page through it and absorb the artwork.

Filled with monsters, machines, and mysteries, Xenozoic Tales is certainly worth a read. Escape the current world for an afternoon and disappear into Mark Schultz's creation. You won't regret it.

[thecomicsnexus]

TMNT X STRANGER THINGS #1-4

July/October 2023

By Cameron Chittock, Fero Pe, Sofie Dodgson, and Rus Wooton.

The gang from Hawkins goes on a field trip to New York, where they discover an invasion of Demo-mousers, and together with the ninja turtles, they'll try to close a portal to the upside down.

SCORE: 9

This could have been a 10 from me, but to be honest, the plot was a little too complicated to follow. I would have preferred one more page of exposition about what happened to the utroms that got left behind.

The real star of this mini is Fero Pe. Not only these turtles (and cast) look like they jumped right out of the first few years of TMNT, but they also look A LOT like the NECA action figures (the ones based on Peter Laird's designs).

With that mind, I have the suspicion that Fero Pe uses action figures to draw. Because I was looking at one of his covers for the main book, and the turtles looked a lot like the Playmates figures for the 2012 series.

In any case, I would love a Turtles book that looked like this, perhaps an anthology series like Tales (but I assume the name "Tales of the TMNT" will be taken for the foreseeable future). And maybe taking place in the Mirage universe?

The personalities are all on point, and if you are wondering, no this isn't the Mirage universe, but it looks like a spinoff universe from it, that also includes the Stranger Things characters.

As for the gang from Stranger Things, the story clearly takes place between seasons 2 and 3.

Overall, I am happy with the results, it looks good for both universes.

One interesting detail is that April in this story is the one with the perm (based mostly on the cover of TMNT #11), and once again, her ethnicity is a guess game. I am not sure why, as they could have simply made her Afro-Latina for this mini. But in some panels she looks white, and in others she looks more like Donna Summer... this was probably a colorist decision.

Another interesting detail is how the demo-mousers look like Peter Laird's prototype from the 2000s series (the one before the 4kids show).

I wonder if that played any part on this, or if it just came out naturally?

[popculturebuffet]

Monthly Muppet Madness: Survival Street Review: Brought to You by the Letter's F and C for Fuck Captalisim (Comission for WeirdKev27)

Today's review is courtsey of viewers like you.. specifically you. Kevin. Thank you

Hello all you happy people and welcome back to Monthly Muppets Madness, my look at all things muppety. And after last month's adventure with mean green mother's from outer space, we're back to more felty corners of the muppet globe with Surivial Street, a 4 issue mini series from 2022 by the writing team of James Asmus and Jim Fesante with art by Abbylay Kussainov.

Asmus is a longtime comic book writer whose work I have read before with his decent runs on Gambit, Quantum and Woody and All New Inhumans. He also co-wrote the second arc of Robert Kirkman's Thief of Theives. So while not someone I seek out, he's a solid writer.

As you can guess by the title and that awesome cover, Survival Street is a parody of Seasame Street, though heavily on the affectionte side: it's very clear from the writing Asmus really loves the show and it's goals of free education for children who might not have acess to it and teaching love and kindness are core to this book.

That said Survival Street is also over the top as hell. It's messages are as subtle as a brick to the head saying "Corproations Bad' and a lot of the book can come off as

Okay some are.. but most of them probably aren't going to listen to their bullshit being called out in the first place, let alone by muppets. The question is can this book ballance it's over the top satire with it's heart, fairly well thought out characters and comedy? Find out under the cut won't you?

We open with America: A Timeline. In 2025 in this timeline, Jury's out on ours, the Supreme Court voted to make Corporations able to run for public office. Naturally this backfired and soon corprations pulled their money out from other candidates and ran themselves, and by 2028 they've taken over the country, privitazed everything and in our proper oppening scene, invade Salutation Street, our Seasame Street expy and shut it down. It's also clear there's rampant anti-muppet xenophobia in this universe, something that will only grow worse as we cut to present day: 2031, in New Best America TM.

It's in this new corprate hellscape we meet our heroes who are traveling around america in an RV. Driving it is an expy of Gordon, Mr. Burton whose dealing with a checkpoint. As it turns out though roads are now privitazed and upon seeing a family hassled over this, our grover stand-in, Herbert decides to take a more hands on approach

This does save the people there.. but is quickly used as propoganda by the local fox news stand in. Because of a course a corporate hellscape still has fox news, every hellscape needs one or it's just not a hellscape. Their anchor is Irma, our ernie stand in, who spouts out the usual racist drivel but about muppets this time. I do like the touch of having the two headed monster be their right and left wing commentators.

We then ove to the a-plot: Junior, the president is auctoning off detained children of illegal immigrants to the highest bidder in florida, with our heroes sneaking in to stop this via the global warming flooded ocean outside.

I mean a bunch of rich assholes auctoning off children is both plausable and has likely actually happened, but it dosen't make that funny or entertaining. Junior himself is, from saying his assitant asking about his medication he stole from his daughter is a HIPPA violation to how over the top he is and it keeps things from being too GET IT GET IT CAPTALISIM BAD GET IT. It's enoguh to take me out but not enoguh to make me leave.

So our ABC team break in and we properly meet them all as they make their way through. And since the comic has really fun intro captions for each of them...

Their leader, Bert stand in and the one holding the brain cell

Kind to a fault and mostly a "master of disguise" because he's the only human they have.

Like Burton we've seen him before. Explosives expert with a short fuse. ANd god I love that gag: it's so damn dark and it should not work but it does.

Our Cookie Monster with traces of Zoey given the pigtails. I also thought Elmo but we'll meet our equilvent for him in isue 3. Kind, good at inflitration but struggling with staying clean.

Our big bird, a good strong boy whose basically big bird if he was a grown man and could also suplex you.

Their tech guy and oscar the grouch.

Our heroes begin their plan once they get it: THey found about this thanks to a fellow muppet calling for help, so now their inside they can excute the plan: Gurgle and their inside man will use card scanners that burton stole and rigged to steal all the money from the auction, explaning how they keep funded when public funding no longer exists. Hippy resuces the prisoners using his massive strength to free the kids and his kindness to help calmly guide them out, and Herbert.. nearly snaps and kills everyone and everything in his path after finding out these bastards are using the children for their organs. Thankfully Birdie is able to calm him down in one of my faviorite jokes of the mini

It's what makes this work: while the satire is about as subtle as a chainsaw through your front door wielded by a screaming goat man, the muppets in the thick of it.. still ACT like muppets on seasame street. They still have the same kindness and sensiblities.. it's just tempered into bloody action by being the only source of hope and freedom in a dystopian hellscape.

Birdie and Tony set up signal jammers so they can hyjack the procedings.. only to find out that Irma is here, gladly promoting this shit show like any republican. Birdie is naturally just the slightest bit livid her ex is promoting child organ farming but she soon has bigger issues.... desert is being served early.. and ice cream is present.

And with that Gurgle is exactly no days sober of ice cream and shit officallly hit the fan. On the bright side Shit is our word of the day. So at least there's that. Anyways our heroes are soon outgunned and out manned, with Birdie barely saving gurgle by tearing herself open and using her string to sew her up, but the two are soon cornered and Birdie does the whole save yourself i'll hold them back routine. Thankfully , Herbet dosen't listen well and when , as seen in the panels above, told not to go out loud.. he didn't listen. He rigged the place with explosives, blows up the wall holding out the water real good and floods the bitch. Our heroes valantly escape, but not before Hippy beats the every loving shit out of Junior, showing he may be nice but he has limits.

Birdie however makes a late exit as she and Irma have some words, with Birdie hyjacking her limo. So Birdie, needing some answers... asks irma a very important question

I love this page.. mostly for making Irma a more complex villian. She could easily jsut be "birdies very obvious ex who sold out"... but you see she's just someone who got broken by the fact that nothing they did mattered. She's still not a good person: she still sold out muppetkind for her own profit and is still bad.. but it's more intresting to hav ea reason why she ended up the sack of shit she is instead of just, as Birdie wondered, always having been like this.

Birdie isn't swayed and goes on with the rest of our heroes.

Issue 2. I love the structure of this series as the first three issues are all made so they can be read done in one for the most part. Ther'es a cliffhanger at the end of issue 3 but it's nice when a comic makes good use of the isdsue by issue format. Issue 4 ties it all together well, but it's still essentailly three connected stories that lead up to one big finish.

Anyways issue 2 begins with our heroes hiding in a church under a hail of gunfire: Burton and the RV are halfway across town, and it dosen't look good. We flash back to how they got there and find out WHERE they are: Hollow Point, a company town ran by the WRA, the NRA's legally distinct cousin. Yup this is a gun rights issue, with the town having become a conceal and carry paradise where people can just.. have gun duels to decide whatever and Charlton heston is naturally given an honrary statue.. and Clint Eastwood an expy in Cain Westwood.

The head of the WRA is present and naturally gives a gun to a baby.. and the satire works a BIT better this issue as frankly.. none of it's exagerated. The NRA GENUINELY want this, they genuinely talk about crying "lib tears". Clint Eastwood is an advocate for them. Their extremists probably would argue the right ot carry begins at conception. I"m not saying ALL gun owners or even nra members are this fucked, I have a friend who owns guns and keeps them in a safe, locked up where no child can get to it. But the NRA as an orginzation sure as hell is.

Our heroes try using this dueling strategy to call the WRA chairman's bluff.. but he turns it on them: since their basically challenging the law itself witht heir duel they've challenged the orginzation.. which means it's 5 muppets against a whole damn town armed to the teeth.

We then get a flashback to Herbert's childhood on M'Na N'Nam, part of the snufflpogaos islands. A muppet paradise.. until a shady buisness man shows up offering a partnership for a chemical they can find on the island.

I'm going to go ahead and cover all of this now for simplicties sake as the flashback's only two parts: Years later their leader.. has shown her true colors, fully selling out to ethe corpration and the mine as it's poinsing her people and end sup casuing an explosin.. and rather than help , the company pulls out, leaving the villiage to die in fire and Herbert forced to immigrate, barely scraping by thanks to racisim until he got the job on Salutation Street.. only to find out later his parents died on the island. It's a well done story too as horrible things like this happened all the time and without the hyper exagerated satire... it's something entirely real and entirley painful: a culture exploited and destroyed by greedy white assholery.

Back in the present the fight continues, as our heroes are held down. Thankfully Hippy and Gurgle make a distraction and do one of my faviorite manuvers: having the smaller characteer on the bigger characters shoulder. Mostly for this one scene from x-factor

Sadly Flint Westwood decides to join the party.. as does anamatronic charlton heston, so our heroes are soon on the backfoot... but not before Tony is able to complete his plan, hyjacking their cars and easily taking down the mob since, naturally their cars are also mad max murder mobiles. As for the head of the HRA himself.. well given he's sorta the lead this issue.. Herbet takes care of him personally.

He then challenges the man to a duel, though Birdie IS able to talk him down from shooting the man on live tv... but not from killing him as he shoots out the camera and impliclity finished the job offscreen.

But that leaves a vacum.. and Westwood is promoted to the job.. and given the job to hunt down our heroes. More on that later

So issue 3 introduces us to Milo, our Elmo expy. He's rich and like irma is working in the corprate hellscape. Unlike her though he's still in kids television , still talks to the others even if things are understandibly tense with most of them, and while reluctant to their request has a good reason for both taking the seemingly easier route and being reluctnat to help.

It's a scene I love a lot. Milo comes off at first like a smug asshole.. but then it's clear beneath that is someone who GENUINELY values what he's doing. It's a reminder of how important children's intertainment is... and how important it is that when you have the power to do something good and necessary, you do it, regardless of the risk.

Our heroes go to rescue the kids, who are fire fire fighters and make a good entrance enough, coming in in a garbage made recycled buggy, saving them.. but soon our party is left trecking through the wild fire. THey got in thanks to milo's friends, but it was one way. So while Gurgle finds an ice cream truck, the kids tell their tale: turns out in this dystopian hellhole future they outlawed abortion.... keep in mind this comic launched just two months after Roe V Wade was overturned, so the timing is eerie as hell. The kid they talk two's mother didn't want her born into this hellscape, got arrested for it and she got sold to corproations using her as a proxy for their crimes. The fact any of this sounds like it could become actual law at some point should spoeak to how horrifying it is. While this book isn't subtle, and it's a weakness.. it's strength is that Asmus goes just a TOUCH beyond what we have now after the first issue. The first issue is plausable, but a bit over the top. With the nra having a whole lawless western town or children being sold into slavery to work off corprate crimes... it's a lot more plausable given how fucked our legal system is and it makes it that much easier to buy.

Our heroes naturally wepp at this waking nightmare, so it's a good thing they get distracted.. the bad thing is that it's by Gurgle, trying to save her from more fire. Birdie gets horribly injured in the process and needs help NOW.

Things.. look bad as they hit a corprate checkpoint, by the same monsters that turned off the water the fire kids were using, and there's no hope of escape or out shooting them. This causes the team to break down playing the blame game.. which is bad enough.. until HIPPY of all people breaks.

This.. destroyed me. Up to this point Hippy had been the unbreakable optimis they needed.. but now .. we see that beneath his sunshine is a lot of regret, a lot of doing this because he had nothing else and feeling what thier doing.. simply isn't enough. But Mr. Burton's message is right.. and it's the messasge the book goes for: things are bad, they will probably get worse.. but we can't just give up and do nothing. As a wise vampire once said "If nothing we do matters, all that matters is what we do". And to prove that point.. an old friend drops in to help

So the asholes are left to die, Milo implicitly adopts the kids having them play in his pool and Birdie wants to see them all.. only Gurgle's missing, having left in Milo's tesla. Because of course he has a tesla. Gurgle's gone.. and she's gone to the enemy

I was nervous going into this one when I first read it. The fact is this book while optimistic is still fairly dark so while I felt our heroes MIGHT win, they could just as easily loose or barely get away.

They could... but instead we get something way better.

Though to start things aren't looking great: Rufus, head of F News, is talking to a bunch of other corprate overlords including Elon Musk, suprising no one. THeir not happy that his propoganda machine isn't keeping the puppets from having an impact: Junior is facing public backlash for his child selling, the babies carrying firearms bill has been blocked.. this needs to stop. So the network cranks up i'ts proogranda, with anti-muppet racisim rising and a a puppet child attacked by some other kids. When one human girl tries to help him she gets maced.. thankfully

Things still aren't great: Birdie's recovering and Faux News trots out Gurgle.. and somehow makes a valid point, making them somehow have a point abovfe the actual fox news: apparently Gurgle used to be called "Sundae Fiend". While she says "it was a diffrent time" being remidned of it clearly bothers her.. while Rufus wants more answers: where. are. your friends.

And it seems he got them as we see a heavily armed WRA troops, with junior and westwood along for the ride and livestreaming the whole debalce. Turns out the Muppets main hq is a Salutation Station theme park. Not disneyland as Senator Disney does not want to be associated iwth muppet terrorists... again. That was their joke by the way, great stuff. Also means we might meet kermit and friends counterparts if this ever gets a sequel.

What follows.. is one of the most awesome cilmaxes to an arc i've seen in a comic. Turns out... our heroes were ready for them: they aren't the ones trapped... the WRA are. Not only that for once it's entirely legal: since Salutation Street is it' sown corpration, the park is soverign terriotiry and they entered illegally. So after all their racist, anti-immigraint retoric.. their the ones who are the actual invaders.. and are soon wiped out with rides, from a cyclotron type thing spinning some to oblivion.

To the recyling troll melting a bunch of mooks with acid and recyling Charlton Hestron into scrao abd cumilating in a one on one brawl between Bernie and Westwood which ends with Bernie killing the motherfucker via rollercoaster

The moment after it is easily my faviorite of the whole book though, with Bernie confronting the mooks left

It's a reminder that while Bernie is the quickest to kill among them, easily.. he's still a kind, good person. Just one who will cap your ass when necessary.

Faux News TRIES to use Gugle to get the narrtive under contorl.. but as you likely guessed by now, she too was part of the plan

I fucking love this issue for the setup: you EXPECT it to be our heroes darkest hour and them to barely make it out or Gurgle to at least still be a traitor.. instead? It was a plan the whole time: Gurgle finally kicked her addiction after last issue, our heroes easily take out their enemies with the home field advantage and to cap it off, we get one hell of a chekovs gun: earlier we saw mascot suits... so Birdie sends junior out, his mouth taped up in one with the recording to talk. THey shoot him down thinking hie's hippie.. and thus the presiden't sson whose also the president I guess is dead, everyone involved int he raid is entirley to blame and our heroes just got free publiclity showing THIER not the bad guys here. We wrap up as Irma flees to her dressing room... only to find a letter from birdie

And that's survivial street. It's heavy handed.. but damn if it isn't good. The jokes present land, the action is beautifully drawn and the characters are compelling. It takes what COULD'VE been a lazy joke premise, and fills it with heart and character, deconstructing PARTS of seasame street.. while at the same time remaining true to it's spirit. It's out in trade from darkhorse if your intrested, I HIGHLY recommend picking it up. And hopefully we'll see more of it again some day. But for now, we got something specil here and i"m glad I got to share it with you all.

[superpoweredfancast]

Critical Role: Tales of Exandria – Artagan #3 Review

Critical Role: Tales of Exandria – Artagan #3 Dark Horse Comics Written by Sam Maggs and the Cast of Critical Role Art by Aviv Or Colors by Cris Peter Letters by Ariana Maher The Rundown: Artagan’s trial takes a dramatic and theatrical turn. As Artagan’s trial continues, the next witness decides to tell his story. A story that reveals the root of Artagan’s long held hatred of the theater…

[tailsrevane]

[comic review] prometheus: fire and stone: omega (2015)

writer: kelly sue deconnick artist: agustin alessio

this extra long (44-page) one-shot concludes the crossover, and the first thing that jumped out at me is wow the art is amazing in this one. not that the art is bad in any of the other parts of this crossover, but they really pulled out all the stops for this one.

they also finally made me like the asshole who abandoned everyone in prometheus: fire and stone, which i know they were trying to do with his redemption arc when he was the protagonist in predator: fire and stone but it just didn’t get me there. but the leader of the survivors decides to use him as bait to get the predator to join them on their mission by putting him in peril, leading to the following exchange:

AND THEN IT WORKS???

he just totally skewers the xenomorphs that were gonna flay his human pet like a badass, and just… this dumbass has a yautja boyfriend!! i love it.

while that one certainly takes the cake, there’s just so many other awesome character interactions in this. like earlier, that same idiot asks, “why does everyone always tell me to shut up?” and one of the lesbians goes into mean lesbian mode and snaps back, “because you never do.” and later, the android/engineer hybrid guy is giving the dumbass a hard time for being a liar and a coward, and he snaps back, “you’re not even human!” to which he replies, “and i grow more delighted by that with each passing day.”

there isn’t a ton of action in this one, but it does effectively wrap up the story in a way that brings all the surviving characters together, lets us know where they’re at, and leaves things nicely set up for a sequel, which is about what i thought it was trying to do. and it got me to the point where i do genuinely like all the characters and am interested in seeing more of them. so i think it accomplished what it set out to do quite well, with the great art and dialogue as an added bonus.

a-rank

[hellomuller]

Excited to share the news that the publication design helloMuller created for the special edition of Jeff Lemire’s bestselling graphic novel Mazebook received an honourable mention in the 2023 Creative Review Annual Awards design category, and is included in this year's Awards Annual! Thank you judges!  https://www.creativereview.co.uk/dark-horse-direct-mazebook-editorial/

[booksofdelight]

Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys is Getting a Comic Book Adaptation

Fantasy author Neil Gaiman's novel Anansi Boys is getting a comic book adaptation!

We are all living in Neil Gaiman’s world as his book Anansi Boys is getting a comic book adaptation by Dark Horse. The Anansi Boys comic will launch in June with a limited eight issue series. It will be adapted by Writer Marc Bernardin and Shawn Martinbrough doing the art. Chris Sotomayor, a colorist and Jim Campbell, a letterer, will also be on the comic’s creative team. The debut issue main…

[galacticrambler]

Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures Phase III # 2 | Comic Review

Daniel Jose Older is back again with Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures Phase III # 2, and it’s a grand time. Through Phase I, II, and III, Older has managed to tell captivating stories in the “all ages” book while pulling no punches. The book picks up following on # 1’s reveal that not only was Lula Talisola alive, but she was acting as a warlord on another planet! When we got that reveal,…

[dispatchdcu]

Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #3 Review

Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow #3 Review #UsagiYojimbothecrow #UsagiYojimbo #darkhorsecomicreviews #comicbooks #news #darkhorse #art #info #NCBD #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #Amazon

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai Colorist: Hi-Fi Colour Design Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Emi Fujii; Derek Chew; Mitsuhiro Arita Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $4.99 Release Date: June 12, 2024 Inuyoshi captured Yukichi. The vicious leader doesn’t want competition from Gen, Stray Dog, and Usagi as his bounty hunters track the bandit Jimmu. Inuyoshi will kill Yukichi unless Usagi and…

[mediamatinees]

“Behind this mask is an idea. And ideas are bulletproof.”

My review of “V For Vendetta” is coming out today!

[jaysterg5]

Xenozoic Tales Vol 2

By Mark Schultz

Jack Tenrec's life is in danger. But who's behind the attempts on his life and why?

The story deepens in this volume of Schultz's epic series. But I'll warn you up front, you're in for a permanent cliffhanger at the end of this one! So far, Mark Schultz has yet to create or release an issue #15 in this series, so everything has been in limbo since 1996. There are always rumors swirling that there will be an original graphic novel or something that will wrap up the story, but so far there's nothing on the horizon.

The story really gets moving in this collection. Jack's role, along with all of the Old Bloods, is further defined and we get to see how important those old mechanics are to the new world. Hannah gets a more in depth back story and additional mystery about who she is and where she really comes from. And the whole world grows as the story changes venue to the lands of Wassom and how that tribe deals with surviving in the New World. Lots of interesting hooks for the future, but we only get to see a trifling of Schultz's ideas.

Most of the themes from the first volume are continued here. Thoughts on the environment, polution, man's invasion of nature, and the role politics plays in all of it feature heavily. Only once in a while is it heavy-handed, but much of it is just part of the story where the readers can extrapolate things back into the real world.

The artwork remains stunning and alone is enough reason to seek out this collection. From intense action panels to broad seascapes to a little cheesecake here and there, every page is a marvel. Heroic poses abound and the animals themselves are majestic and beautiful. The details make every panel pull you into this world and get lost completely. Schultz's love for the characters and material comes through with every stroke of the pen.

If you are a fan of this style pulp adventure, you owe it to yourself to read this book, if not own it so you can revisit it over and over again. It's definitely a series I'll return to sooner than later!

[thecomicsnexus]

USAGI YOJIMBO: SENSO #1-6

2014 - 2015

BY STAN SAKAI AND TOM LUTH

20 years in the future of Usagi Yojimbo, the Shogun is finally in the endgame against Lord Hikiji. But everything turns for the worse as a new enemy hits the battlefield.

SCORE: 10

If someone told me that one of the best Usagi Yojimbo stories would be inspired by War of the Worlds, aliens included, I would probably think something was a little off. And something is a little off, but the results are so outstanding that I am just impressed.

The mini-series works as a possible ending for the legend of Usagi Yojimbo, it shows us the end of many characters and even a resolution to some of the long-lasting plots of the saga.

The first issue alone was super engaging, with the many battlefield sequences and the horror of the alien invasion.

One impressive detail about these issues is the way the covers were designed, with the hidden part of the wrap-around having a big reveal about that issue. It's just beautifully done.

Now, by the end of this story... well... you are going to need to jump to the spoiler section.

As I was saying... the whole story has the Usagi lineage at its heart. It's already very clear from the first issue that the whole cast is trying to protect Jotaro from dying. And some of them do die, like Gen.

It was also very satisfying to see the proper end of Lord Hikiji, not at the alien's hands (tentacles?), but at Lord's Hebi's.

The reveal that Jotaro has known Miyamoto was his father for a while and didn't want him to know so that it wouldn't be a burden to him, was a very bittersweet moment. But this moment is what actually guarantees the existence of Space Usagi. And speaking of which...

Now that was an impressive ending. Also fitting that for a character that was so unoriginally named, he decided to also name his son Jotaro.

But here is the key to the whole thing. This story was narrated by Space Usagi. In that regard, the sci-fi elements make a lot more sense. After all, no one really knows how Miyamoto really died.

This is a great ending for this story, as it doesn't really remove the stakes from the regular series.

Now, I am reviewing Senso because of Wherewhen, and that story took place just before Senso (in fact, it is the origin for the turtle tank). What I take from this is that at least the battle against Lord Hijiki really happened. In that way, Senso could still be an "elseworld."

Having said that, I still don't know how the turtles could end up in the same universe as Miyamoto by traveling back in time. I guess some questions are better left unanswered.

[roguerebels]

The High Republic Adventures: Quest of the Jedi Review!

Azlin Rell searches the archives of the past to find clues about the disappearance of two Jedi on Dalna and rumors of the Path of the Open Hand behind everything! Check out Sal's review! #StarWarsComics #TheHighRepublic

Azlin Rell searches the archives of the past to find clues about the disappearance of two Jedi on Dalna and rumors of the Path of the Open Hand behind everything. Quest of the Jedi is a sweet one-shot comic with all kinds of Jedi awesomeness! Claudia Gray writes a wonderful Jedi adventure to a wild world, strong in the Force. The art by Fico Ossio is brilliant and energetic. I love the light and…