Mercy Sparx #3 – Review

By Josh Blaylock (Writer), Matt Merhoff (Pencils), and Bill Crabtree (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The first two issues of Mercy Sparx hinted that there may be quite a bit of depth to the new series beyond the slick concept of a devil-girl hunting rogue angels. However, writer Josh Blaylock has so far seemed more interested in letting Matt Merhoff go crazy with drawn out fight scenes as opposed to actually getting to the real meat of what Mercy Sparx is going to be all about. While I have enjoyed the brutal, fairly creative devil-girl vs. rogue angel action, the story needs to move beyond that in order to keep me hooked for the long term. I know the debut mini-series ends next month in order to pave the way for the ongoing. Whether I make the jump to the ongoing will largely depend on how things develop as the mini wraps up.

The Story: A meeting with Pastor Collins leaves Mercy quite upbeat as it seems her task on earth is finally complete. The elation is short lived however as the she-devil learns that her task wasn’t exactly heaven sent. It turns out more is at stake than Mercy could have realized.

What’s Good: I hoped for more story and that’s exactly what Mercy Sparx #3 delivers. The character, world, and series instantly became a lot more interesting upon learning the true nature of Mercy’s job. And while the plot twist isn’t exactly original, the stylish artwork and interesting character design leaves me looking forward to the future of the series. In addition, the twist puts Mercy in quite an interesting position heading into the conclusion of the mini-series/ launch of the ongoing. In other words, it looks as though Mercy Sparx could have a very bright future.

What’s Not So Good: There is quite a bit still up in the air regarding the plot developing through the mini-series. A fairly large amount of questions have yet to be answered and while I’m sure they will be addressed in the future, it makes it difficult to judge how satisfying the mini-series will ultimately end up being. Another negative worth mentioning is how the plot twist is both predictable and quite generic. Sure, the whole idea works and lends itself well to an ongoing, but I hope that there ends up being more to the series in the long run.

Conclusion: Mercy Sparx continues to be a fun series that gets by largely on its cool concept and attractive, stylish visuals. If you’ve liked it so far, I’m sure you will end up liking where the series goes next. In my humble opinion, Mercy Sparx is a keeper.

Grade:  B

-Kyle Posluszny

Mercy Sparx #2 – Review

By Josh Blaylock (Writer), Matt Merhoff (Art), and Eduardo Medeiros (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I really enjoyed the first issue of Mercy Sparx. It featured some incredibly stylish artwork, an interesting lead character, and an intriguing plot. In other words, it’s got potential. Time to find out if the series can begin to make good on that potential.

The Story: Mercy squares off against another muse, this time she’s up against Elysa. As it turns out, word about Mercy and her tactics has gotten around to other fallen angels, so the latest target doesn’t go down quite as easily as the last. Meanwhile, the plot thickens as some more is learned about what forces are behind Mercy’s mission.

What’s Good: Despite being heavy on the action and fairly light on story, the second issue of Mercy Sparx is actually a bit more enjoyable than the first. Though to be honest, I’m not exactly sure why that is. Maybe it’s the inspired gadgets Mercy wields. Maybe it’s that the artwork that looks a bit more polished and, as a result, handles the action scenes a lot better. Maybe it’s that the end of the issue hints at a plot that strikes a chord with me because of how fascinating I find the use (and abuse) of religion. Or maybe it’s because the book is just downright fun. Whatever the case, the Mercy Sparx #2 leaves me hoping the series develops a following large enough to warrant a long, successful run.

What’s Not So Good: While the book definitely leaves me wanting more, it also leaves me slightly unsatisfied. The ending hints that there is a whole lot more story to tell, but if there is, it needs to be paced throughout each individual issue better. I mean I love a good catfight as much as the next guy, especially one filled with fun gadgets and witty banter, but that can only get a series so far. Here’s to hoping that chapter three puts a little more meat on the bone for people to chew on.

Conclusion: I highly recommend checking Mercy Sparx out for those of you looking for something you simply can’t get from Marvel or DC. The character is interesting, the artwork is perfect for the tone of the story, and the long-term potential is definitely present. I can’t wait for more Mercy.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Mercy Sparx #1 – Review

By Josh Blaylock (Writer), Matt Merhoff (Artist), and Eduardo Medeiros (Colors)

The Story: Mercy Sparx is a sexy demon from Sheol, a place located between Heaven and Hell. Her once dead-end life now has purpose as she serves as a bounty hunter for Heaven by bringing in rogue angels living among humanity. In this debut, Mercy Sparx is tasked with bringing in the muse Serendipity, currently living on earth as D.J. Dip. It doesn’t exactly go smoothly.

What’s Good: This comic instantly makes a good impression, thanks to the memorable visuals by Matt Merhoff and colorist Eduardo Medeiros. The look seems to inspired by tattoo artwork and it perfectly fits the tone that writer Josh Blaylock seems to be going for. Along with the amazing art, the idea of Mercy Sparx alone, is interesting, having us look forward to the character’s development. While she comes across as fairly one-dimensional in this first issue, it is not difficult to see how her attitude and lot in life could lead to some compelling scenarios. Especially considering the divine powers she is dealing with. With angels, demons, God, and the underworld in play, the story could easily become much more than the sum of its parts. The concept that this book introduces so far could easily become much deeper than your average bounty hunter story.

What’s Not So Good: As stylish and fun as this book is, it does have some flaws that could be damaging in the future if not addressed early on. The most glaring problem is that the bounty hunting action does not flow quite as well as it should, something that could prove distracting if the series winds up being full of action. The other thing I noticed is that Mercy’s bad attitude could easily come off as annoying to some readers. While I have no problem with her tone this early in the series, she will need some added depth in order to become truly endearing. Neither issue I pointed out crippling at this stage of the game, but they are things that should be taken into consideration for the future.

Conclusion: Mercy Sparx #1 is a promising, fun debut for a character loaded with potential. If a sexy, bounty hunting, metal-head of a demon sounds interesting, be sure to pick this one up.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Voltron: A Legend Forged #3 – Review

By Josh Blaylock (story), Julia Bax (pencils), Wes Dzioba (colorist)

The Story: Trapped in the distant past, the team of the Voltron Lion Force are rescued from their primitive capturers by a knight bearing an uncanny resemblance to Voltron, itself. Eventually, Keith and his crew meet with King Altarus, founder of the Voltron Project. Altarus, along with his council, question their newly found guests and eventually grapple with a decision on whether to reveal the secrets of Project Voltron or not.

What’s Good: I’m digging this time traveling storyline. I’ve always wanted to read the real Voltron origin and this is probably as close as I’m going to get. I think this concept could have stood on its own without the Lion Force having to go in the past, but I understand the need to not alienate the audience from the core characters. I also love the Altarus Knights.They’re well designed and a surprisingly good story element – especially when Altarus’ son first shows up on the scene to rescue the Lion Force.

What’s Not So Good: Where is the Vehicle Voltron team?! We got two lousy panels with them last issue and they’re no where to be found this issue. What gives?

Sadly, the art continues to be problematic and amateurish at best. The low production values really diminish the story’s charm and the absence of any inking rob the art of much needed polish. Sorry, but there’s only so much a colorist can do to save a botchy art job. Also, why can’t the interior look as good as the cover(s)? Devil’s Due needs to stop spending tons of dollars on variant artists (there’s four different covers to this issue) and hire an inker and a better penciler for this book. It’s a disservice to the fans.

Lastly, there’s a lot of unneeded dialogue riddled throughout the book. I literally skipped through paragraphs of dialogue because it was either too cliche or too predictable.

Conclusion: Admittedly, this is one of those books where the concept is better than the execution. Still, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was entertained by the story. What’s important is that the spirit of Voltron is perfectly captured in this series and there’s a strong sense that Josh Blaylock genuinely cares about the material. I just think he needs a story editor who will throw down the hammer and make him clean things up a bit.

Grade: C+

– J. Montes

Mercy Sparx #0 – Capsule Review

By Josh Blaylock (Writer), Matt Merhoff (Pencils), Eduardo Medeiros (Colors), and Sean Dove (Design)

I’m quite a few weeks late on this one on account of the difficulty I had locating a copy, but it definitely deserves a mention. This zero issue introduces the world to Mercy Sparx, a sexy punk-rock she-demon living in Sheol, a city located somewhere between purgatory, heaven, and hell. She’s living a dead end life, has a bad attitude, and is not entirely sure she even cares anymore at this point. Some, not all, of that changes when a burly demon in a pin-stripe suit interrupts her at a bar to deliver a message from heaven.

While Mercy Sparx as a character feels fairly familiar, the book feels surprisingly fresh thanks to some clever writing and extremely attractive artwork. Josh Blaylock hits just the right tone for a story about a character like Mercy and some lines give me a feeling that the series will end up aiming higher than one might initially expect given the premise. As for the art, the absolutely fantastic character designs are made even better by some vibrant color work. The look calls to mind some classic pin-up and tattoo designs, definitely a good thing that makes this one stand out from the pack.

At only 99 cents, you really can’t go wrong in checking out the premiere of Mercy Sparx. I enjoyed the hell out of it and I’m fairly certain you will to. The October debut can’t come soon enough. (Grade: B+)

-Kyle Posluszny

Voltron: A Legend Forged #1 – Review

By Josh Blaylock (writer), Mike Bear (art)

I’m a fan of Voltron. As a kid it was one of my favorite shows and when Image Comics/Devil’s Due resurrected the franchise in 2003 I was all aboard for some fun nostalgia. The funny thing is the comic series was maybe just a little bit too true to the Voltron spirit. Like the show, the characters were paper thin, the plots silly, and the dialogue awful. Needless to say, I stopped buying the book after the third issue. Fast forward four years and we’ve got Devil’s Due ready to take another crack at the franchise.

Cautiously optimistic was my attitude going into this and much to my surprise, the story actually delivers. I’m probably one of the few Voltron fans out there who prefers the Vehicle Force to the Lion Force, and in this issue we get both squadrons. I’m actually really impressed with how writer Josh Blaylock manages to get both teams in the same book without making it feel forced. Granted, the story is nothing that will garner awards, but its straying from the typical Voltron formula is something most fans will appreciate. The dialogue, on the other hand, is quite spotty. At times, the conversations flow naturally, and other times it left me scratching my head or rolling my eyes. “How did they know we were here? Damn security leaks,” is probably the worst bit of dialogue I’ve read in a comic all year. Mr. Blaylock needs a better editor (or one that’ll speak his or her mind).

Even worse is the art by Mike Bear. His art does nothing but hurt the book while also proving once again that Devil’s Due needs to spend some money and hire some inking talent. Save for the opening pages, every panel that follows feels amateurish in composition. I’m sorry, but there’s only so much a colorist can do to cover up for an awful penciling job and it’s very apparent here. Also, the battles out in space are truly atrocious. This is the kind of space battle art I would draw on lined binder paper in elementary school. The ships have no sense of depth or dimension, the scenes lack drama, and the ship designs are utterly generic.

Despite the enormous amount of grievances, I remain a supporter of this book. Why? Because it’s a more grown up Voltron story, and one that I’m actually interested in seeing finished. The art may not have any semblance of Japanese anime, but that’s okay. The characters, for the most part, are easily identifiable and the story actually dares to push the Voltron mythos into new territory. If Blaylock can tighten up his dialogue and maybe hire a new artist, this book could thrive as a strong offering. Until then, it remains strictly average and I remain cautiously optimistic. (Grade: C)

– J. Montes