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

G.I. Joe: America’s Elite #35 – Review

By Mark Powers (script), Mike Bear, Mike Shoyket, Pat Quinn (art), and Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors)

It’s probably a little too late to start reading G.I. Joe: America’s Elite (the series is ending next month), but as I always say, better late than never! Issue #35 is part 11 (of 12) of the “World War III” story line that’s been touted as one of the best Joe stories ever told. Since I’m only familiar with the early issues Marvel put out in the 1980s, there’s not much for me to compare it to (unless you count the TV show, which I’ve seen countless times).

One thing I’ve noticed is how mature this story is. It’s G.I. Joe all grown up, and the war they’ve been fighting with Cobra feels like there’s a lot at stake. The preface is Cobra’s been starting skirmishes around the globe to weaken all the superpowers’ armies. With global defenses spread thin, Cobra Commander unveils a maniacal plan to detonate nukes in Antarctica and the Amazon, creating an ecological catastrophe on a global scale. With Joe forces in disarray, a last ditch effort is hatched to push the remaining forces into the heart of Cobra’s facilities to shut down its communications and higher level technology, while smaller Joe teams go to disarm the nukes.

It’s a wonderful concept that carries a lot of urgency – it’s just too bad I’ll have to wait for the Omnibus to come out to read what I missed. As a stand alone issue, I think I came in at the wrong time. There’s absolutely no character building going on here – and there shouldn’t be! This is the climax of the battle, and everything comes to a head. There’s so many battles taking place concurrently that I found myself getting confused a couple of times. And I’m not sure how regular readers will feel about this, but I thought things wrapped up a little too conveniently and quickly. From what I’ve gathered, Cobra has been very smart thus far, and suddenly, it’s all fallen apart.

The art serves the issue well. I was able to make out most of the Joes by their trademarked designs, though there were a few characters I’ve never heard of before. The storytelling is excellent – the team goes to work producing 22 pages of non-stop action with little cohesion lost. The only thing that feels a bit off is the coloring, which feels a bit rough around the edges at times. But for the most part, the overcoloring and use of “blooming” gives the book a nice “anime” look to it.

I may have come on to this title a bit too late, but I had fun with what I was given. Cobra Commander’s got one more trick up his sleeve and I’m anxious to see what it is. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes