Gears of War #1 – Review

By Joshua Ortega (Writer), Liam Sharp (Artist), and Johnny Rench (Colorist)

The Story: Taking place roughly two months after the end of the first Gears of War game, hero Marcus Fenix and a new recruit, Jace, are out on patrol searching for any survivors of a brutal Locust attack. They find a few, one a familiar face, and kill quite a few Locusts along the way.

What’s Good: How well the creative team nails the feel of the Xbox 360 game. The art, dialogue, and story all do a wonderful job of using the atmosphere and characters to great effect. If you’re looking for a story about tough guys killing monsters using excessive violence, you can’t do much better than this. As a fan of the game, I couldn’t be more satisfied.

What’s Not So Good: As you probably guessed, this isn’t exactly the deepest comic on the stands. The characters are your generic military tough guys, the violence may be too much for some to handle, and the comic never really rises above its videogame roots. Also, the storyline is written assuming that you have played the game at some point, so those unfamiliar with Gears may find themselves wondering about certain references.

On the technical side, the dark coloring muddies up and confuses a scene or two, but this is only a slight annoyance in an otherwise good looking book.

Conclusion: Action junkies and Gears fans should really take the time to check out this comic. It faithfully translates everything that made the game such a success into an enjoyable, visually impressive book. A mindless, yet pleasant surprise in every way.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

War Heroes #2 (of 6) – Review

By Mark Millar (Writer), Tony Harris (Art), Cliff Rathburn (Inks), and J.D. Mettler (Colors)

Two issues into War Heroes and I still have no idea what to think. On one hand it’s entertaining, shocking, and loaded with potential. On the other, it lacks memorable characters, tries far too hard to be “mature” (whatever that really means), and feels as though it’s being rushed through in order to fit neatly inside a six book mini-series.

This second issue covers all the bases for a stereotypical military boot camp story, with super-power pills altering the training exercises a bit. There are the shaky new recruits discovering what it’s like to be super-powered, a foul-mouthed drill instructor, a fight scene against a hardened veteran, and the expected bad apples of the bunch that are looking to make money by deserting after being given the pills. It all feels very familiar, almost generic, but it is also undeniably entertaining and shockingly hilarious at times (I bet you any money you won’t see it coming). I guess the best way to sum it up is that it is a Mark Millar book in the vein of Kick-Ass or The Ultimates. You should have a good idea what you are getting into just by seeing his name and the “Mature Readers” warning on the cover.

If you are a fan of Mark Millar’s writing style, then you will enjoy what he is doing in War Heroes. That said, I consider myself to be a fan, yet found myself rolling my eyes more than a few times at the “mature” elements of the story. His character work is also lacking, more noticeable now that as I write this review, I can’t really seem recall a single stand out character. I know what’s going on in the story and like where it is headed, but I just consider it to be character driven in any way.

As for the artwork, while not necessarily my style, it is quite attractive. The action flows well and everything has a fairly cinematic feel to it. My biggest complaint regarding the artwork is that almost all of the characters look almost completely interchangeable. Couple that with Millar’s indistinct characterization and you have a story with events that seem to lack a driving character force.

Overall I had a lot of fun with this chapter of War Heroes, but it is far from perfect. There needs to be some character development and fast or else the inevitable conflict will wind up feeling quite shallow. (Grade: C)

-Kyle Posluszny

A Second Opinion

Note to self: NEVER read another issue of War Heroes while on the train ride home. I know the book has a Mature warning label on the front (albeit a small one), but when I shown why, I slammed the book shut and looked embarrassingly at the old lady sitting next to me. Luckily, I live in a town (San Francisco) where stuff like this is more accepted than not. If you read this book, you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve got a phobia of the male genitalia, this book isn’t for you. I think this scene is meant to be shockingly funny, but it’s so overtly thrown in just to be shocking that it totally deflates (no pun intended) the intent.

I agree with most of Kyle’s points. The characters are completely forgettable – part of this is the Tony Harris’ fault, the other is Mark Millar’s for not giving them enough personality. So yes, this book is being kept more afloat on its concept/plot than the characters. But the last few pages, in true Millar fashion, are shocking – and that’s enough to make me want to come back next month. Oh, and the dull color palette by J.D. Mettler is awful. Not a fan. (Grade: B-)

Sky Doll #1 – Review

By Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa (Story, Art & Colors)

Sky Doll #1 is the first release from Marvel’s new partnership with French publisher Soleil and it leaves me wondering exactly what kind of audience Marvel hopes to reach with this series. I had heard of this critically acclaimed series a while back and, while the first issue gives me the feeling that it deserves the praise, I could easily see Sky Doll becoming a lightning rod for controversy if the mainstream media got wind of it. Allow me to explain what I mean a bit before getting into the review, as I hope it will give everything I write a bit more clarity.

Under a colorful, futuristic, cartoon aesthetic, Sky Doll is, at its core, a pointed criticism of religion, sexual taboos, and society. To be honest, I could probably write pages and pages about the themes and imagery found in this first volume alone, but for simplicity’s sake let me just make clear that this is not a comic for kids, the easily offended, the very religious, or those uncomfortable with (possibly gratuitous) nudity or violence. This work just feels out of place amongst the rest of the Marvel lineup, though by no means do I consider that to be a bad thing. It’s just that Sky Doll is something very unique, very controversial, and, in some ways, groundbreaking both for it’s overall storyline as well as it’s interesting mix of both subtle and blatant dialogue/imagery. I highly recommend this series for anyone with an open mind, while at the same time I urge readers to be ready for something quite a bit different than anything you’ve read before. Now, on to the review…

Sky Doll tells the story of a doll named Noa who discovers that she is quite a bit different from all the other dolls. The “dolls” in question are bought and sold for various tasks or for sexual pleasure, and Noa decides that she’s had enough of life as it is and aims to prove that she is more than just a thing to be used. She stows away, in hopes of a better life, on a ship being used by Roy and Jahu, two emissaries of Papess Lodovica, the religious leader/icon of the city. In addition to the story of Noa and Roy, Sky Doll #1 also introduces us to the fanatical religious climate that permeates through all aspects of the society. Religion is politics, politics is religion, and the media exists to further the ideology through public displays of power like miracles and, what looks like, sacrifice. This is a very radical, possibly oppressive society and the book does not shy away from pointing out the dark side of religious devotion. There are hints throughout the book that Noa truly is much more than her label as a doll and it will be interesting to see how this is developed into what I can only imagine will be a challenge to the society as a whole.

The artwork in Sky Doll is something people will either love or hate. I thought the art was fantastic, as the colorful, vibrant, futuristic world really comes to life thanks to the almost Disney-like style and color palette. This book is extremely eye-catching, though I caution parents again that this is not a kids book, as the character designs are quite risqué, suggestive poses are common, and nudity is quite frequent. I could see someone arguing that the cartoony characters and world do not fit the grim, controversial subject matter, but I don’t think anyone could argue that this book is dull, boring, or uninteresting from a visual standpoint.

As I’ve mentioned before, the world of Sky Doll truly feels both alive and fully realized. The dialogue is realistic, the fanaticism is both understandable and disturbing, and the religious politics on display help to set the stage for Noa’s story and the world she lives in. The realistic, emotional, and, at times, deep, dialogue created memorable characters and relationships that I actually want to see develop. I especially enjoyed both the connection between Roy and Noa and the tension filled friendship of emissaries Roy and Jahu. This was just a strong read all around thanks to the combination of strong characters and a fully realized setting.

Overall, I cannot recommend Sky Doll #1 enough. This was an incredibly strong debut for the Soleil/Marvel partnership and I can only hope that this level of quality continues. I recommend Sky Doll for anyone looking for something unique and something that can be read a bit deeper than your average comic book. The world, the characters, and the art come together in a way that makes me think this series can really be something special. Pick this one up if it sounds even the least bit interesting to you. (Grade: A+)

-Kyle Posluszny

A Second Opinion

This comic was originally published in the U.S. in Heavy Metal magazine as a special issue. It’s not your typical Marvel comic, so I applaud them for taking the risk and exposing this book to a larger audience.

Like Kyle said in his review, if mainstream media discovers this comic there will be lots of controversies (and sold out copies). It’s not a kiddie book. Lots of sexual innuendos and religion, which usually don’t go together, can be found in several occasions and I’m sure this book will offend many, many Christians.

Personally, I enjoyed this first issue. It’s a fresh original story and a nice getaway from current superhero comics. The art style is funny, cartoon like, and vivid. I’m definitely looking forward to the next issue. (Grade: B+)

-Daniel Yanez

A Third Opinion

What Kyle fails to remember is that Sky Doll is part of Marvel’s MAX imprint. If you take that into consideration, you’ll find that this series perfectly fits in with Marvel’s adult line of comics and is definitely one worth showcasing.

Sky Doll is thought provoking, charming, and a wonder to behold. Marvel is to be commended for bringing this series to the North American market. Hopefully it’ll garner the audience it so rightfully deserves. I’m not sure if it’ll get any kind of backlash from the media or right wing groups, but knowing Marvel’s marketing team, I’m sure they’ve got something brewing to sell more copies.

Despite my accolades for the book, I personally don’t find it to be anything original. Its story very much reminds me of concepts touched upon by Macross Plus, A.I., and Blade Runner. You could even throw in Pinocchio in there if you wanted. Whatever the case, this book is worth checking out. It’s the perfect marriage of story and art. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes

SKY DOLL #1 GIVEAWAY!!!
We have one copy of Sky Doll #1 to give away to a lucky winner. If you’ll like to be included in the giveaway, just post a comment below naming your favorite comic of the month. The contest will be open for roughly a week and winners will be chosen from a random integer generator. Winners will be emailed, and will have 72 hours to respond or be disqualified.