Gotham City Sirens #3 (Batman Reborn) – Review

By Scott Lobdell (Writer) and Guillem March (Art)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: While the art has been fantastic, everything else about Gotham City Sirens has been, at best, average. Maybe writer Scott Lobdell can turn things around a bit..  I’m fairly certain that artist Guillem March will hold up his end of the book. Also, how stylish is that cover?

The Story: Edward Nigma, the man once known as the Riddler, finds himself trying to crack a murder case with the help of the new Batman. Meanwhile, Catwoman and Ivy begin their search for Harley.

What’s Good: For the first time in the short history of Gotham City Sirens, the writing is actually something worth talking about. Scott Lobdell’s tight one-and-done Ed Nigma story/character study is one hell of a fun, satisfying read. From the back and forth narration (and dialogue) from Nigma and Batman, to the intriguing villain with a clever name, nearly everything about Lobdell’s script just simply works extremely well.

From the excellent character work to the detailed settings, Guillem March’s art is, as expected, incredible (though some of the action is a tiny bit hard to follow). His Edward Nigma looks as shady and charismatic as the script makes him out to be, his Batman is appropriately threatening, and his cheesecake stuff is… well… they’re as expected, but always executed in a way that feels anatomically realistic (even if it is gratuitous). In short, Gotham City Sirens continues to be one great looking series. Also, for fans of cool-looking stuff, there’s another Guillem Gotham gargoyle to check out that looks even more badass than the ones featured G.C.S. #1.

What’s Not So Good: Gotham City Sirens #3 is a pretty great comic all around and easily the best issue of the series so far. There’s two major problems though. The first problem is that the titular Sirens are shown on exactly one page. What’s that say about the group of characters the series is based around? The other problem is that the main writer for the series, Paul Dini, has nothing to do with the latest issue of Gotham City Sirens. What’s that say about the writer that’s supposed to be handling the series? My opinion? I think that Lobdell should be given the reigns and Ed Nigma (The Riddler is dead) should be added to the cast permanently.

Conclusion: Even if the whole Gotham City Sirens thing isn’t up your alley, you really should take the time to check out Gotham City Sirens #3. It’s basically a great looking one-shot about a cool character.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Hack/Slash #21 – Review

By Tim Seeley (Writer), Emily Stone (Art), and Mark Englert (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve made no secret about the fact that I’m quite a fan of the Hack/Slash formula. It successfully blends a variety of genres into one extremely satisfying product. One part bloody horror story, one part buddy action comedy, one part grounded drama, and one part supernatural thriller, Hack/Slash somehow manages to work on nearly every level. While the series has hit a few bumps here and there, it always keeps me coming back for more because the basic concept is just so much fun. Simply put, you should be reading Hack/Slash.

The Story: The latest chapter of Hack/Slash sees Cassie’s past catching up with her in a big way. Longtime fans will either love or loathe the surprise returns in one of the more oddball issues of the series. Let me just say that it features one of the more interesting uses of an old lady in a comic book. Yep…

What’s Good: Story-wise, Hack/Slash #21 scores more points with me for what it sets up than for what actually happens. Though that’s not to say it isn’t a fun and entertaining issue. In fact, it might actually be one of the funniest comics I’ve read in quite some time. The bits with the elderly lady, Muffy, are so ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh. Cassie and Vlad even get in on it with some great character moments both humorous and, at times, poignant. Good work Mr. Seeley.

Also worth mentioning is the art team of Emily Stone and Mark Englert. They provide solid visuals throughout the book, with a few extremely stand-out moments. I’ve been a bit hard on Emily Stone in the past (mostly regarding facial consistency and the occasionally sketchy panel), but Hack/Slash #21 features some of her best work. And that work is complimented well by Mark Englert’s effective, quality coloring.

What’s Not So Good: A lot of your enjoyment of the latest Hack/Slash arc will probably rest on what you think of the returning characters. I can easily imagine at least one of them annoying or irritating people, so I can easily imagine his (or her?!) return falling flat. Personally, I think introducing new characters might have been more interesting, but I’m not exactly against how things now stand.

Another not so good thing is that some of Stone’s pencils tend to look a bit sketchy and rough at times. While it doesn’t really distract from the otherwise nice visuals, an extra layer of polish would have helped. I say that especially because Hack/Slash is extremely close to being a consistently good to great looking series as Stone’s solid work continues to improve.

Conclusion: Hack/Slash #21 is a surprisingly funny installment to an extremely entertaining series. While some may find themselves a bit irked by the returns, I believe most will be forgiven by the time they hit the cliffhanger of an ending. I look forward to seeing where Tim Seeley and his creative team take things from this point on.

Grade:  B

-Kyle Posluszny

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

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