Archives 2020

In West of Dead players work to remove the many outlaws from Purgatory, Wyoming by any means necessary.

West of Dead is the brainchild of Raw Fury, a studio known for “indie titles” with some cool concepts and a flair for the unique. You play as the deceased William Mason. Typically I play games with the volume low but when you have someone with real acting talent like Ron Pearlman then you need to turn that shit right up!

Mason’s character design was clearly inspired by Marvel’s Ghost Rider but with a wild west twist. Controls are easy to pick up, even without following the tutorial, and fit the world dynamically. The visuals were one of the best things about this game. It feels surreal, like the world is twisted by you rejecting the afterlife in search of punishing the outlaws. Tension is built up quickly as you step into each room to discover treasures, weapons or more often enemies who can use their own paranormal soldiers to fight you. You can easily pick it up and play it for hours or just a few short levels.

With smooth visuals, controls and game play that are appealing to players of all types it will bring you back wanting more.

Behold the creator of dreams! He who both inspires and terrorizes you in the night. Heed the lessons from The Dreaming: Waking Hours, chapter 2, verses 1-32!

This is the word according to G. Willow Wilson.
As envisioned by the less than extensively experienced Nick Robles.

The official plot:

“New mother Lindy is trapped in the Dreaming, and the lovestruck nightmare Ruin is loose in the real world. Dream must put this situation right-but to do so, he’ll have to travel into the Black Chest where he keeps his most dangerous nightmares…and pull the answers right from the mouth of the unimaginable Endless Teeth!”

DC Black Label

Meanwhile, back in the Dreamcave! Actually, I’m glad to see Dream engaging in this personally. He’s the best part of the Dreaming, and was sorely missed in the last Dreaming series.

My Impressions:

• Most folks will not get the Shakespeare connection…which is a shame. It really does make this story better. Without it, Lindy’s sub-plot is likely going to be fairly boring.
• Great use of varying art styles in the same book. I especially liked the painted settings inside the Box of Nightmares.
• New Nightmares!!!! I’ve been dying to see more ever since the Corinthian.
• Is my nostalgia showing?

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Dream (Morpheus)
• Lucien the Librarian
• Ruin
• Jophiel
• Lindy
• Heather After

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

The Dreaming: Waking hours is really establishing itself as a continuation of the original Sandman series from the early 90’s. Definitely something stronger than a “spiritual successor.” Fans of the original really should give this new series a shot. If you somehow missed it, fear not, it’s being adapted into a Netflix series. Let us hope that it remains true to the original source material!

Blasphemy! Carving up the body of a god is nigh unforgivable! Witness the damning of a whole crew in We Only Find Them When They’re Dead, chapter 1, verses 1-32!

This is the scripture according to the “Immortal” Al Ewing!
As immortalized by Simone Di Meo!

The official plot:

“On the edge of space where humanity is harvesting the corpses of giant alien gods to survive. * No one has ever seen a living god, but Captain Malik is obsessed with being the first. * Captain Malik and the crew of the Vihaan II harvest the only resources that matter from the giant corpses of alien gods found on the edge of human space. While other autopsy ships race to salvage the meat, minerals, and metals that sustain the human race, Malik sees an opportunity to finally break free from this system. * But Malik’s obsession with the gods will push his crew into the darkest reaches of space, bringing them face to face with a threat unlike anything they’ve ever imagined – unless the rogue agent on their trail can stop them first…”

BOOM!

Now that’s just a LITTLE embellishment for the one issue that’s been printed. We may not get to all of this stuff in issue #1, but things do seem to be going this way.

My Impressions:

• Interesting concept, harvesting giant bodies for resources. (I heard eye jelly was going for big bucks!) Throw in the competition with other salvagers over armor or certain body parts and you’ve got a great backdrop.
• Artwork and Style: There is no two ways about it…there is a LOT going in in this space. Bright, bold and one of the most dynamic uses of irregular panels I’ve seen. It felt like watching an anime.
• Will I be coming back: Totally, the premise and the teased character development has me hooked. We all know that first issues tend to get more care than later issues, but Ewing has a good reputation, so I’m hopeful.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Georges Malik (Captain)
• Ella Hauer (Coroner)
• Alice Wirth (Quartermaster)
• Jason Hauer (Engineer)
• Paula Richter (Officer on Duty)

Bottom Line: 4 Stars!

When I read the solicitation for We Only Find Them When They’re Dead, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. What was a god? Why was it dead? Why were they harvesting it? The actual book delivered quite well. Semi-dystopian future. Abundant resources literally showing up out of nowhere. To top it off, there are already hints of murder, revenge and ambition. Yeah, I’m in!

Be sober-minded; be watchful! Your adversary prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour! Guard your soul as we discuss Joker / Harley: Criminal Sanity, chapter 5, verses 1-32!

These are their chronicles as witnessed by the talented Kami Garcia.
Translated from the word by Jason Badower.

The official plot:

“Dr. Harley Quinn has confronted horrific crime scenes created by a serial murderer who treats his work as high art. But when she is confronted by the killer himself, her life takes a drastic turn. Will she be able to return to the status quo, and simply help the GCPD to catch this killer? Or will the encounter change her forever?”

DC Black Label

This is not the Harley Quinn that you know. This is the hard nosed profiler working with the GCPD to investigate the Joker’s crimes. She’s tough and determined…there’s no way that the Joker is ever going to shake her. I hope…

My Impressions:

• Black Label worthy material. This Joker isn’t crazy. He presents as calm, cool, artistic and scarier than any other Joker I’ve seen.
• Beautiful artistry. Realistic, unexaggerated expression. Stark contrast of color with black and white.
• Is it worth the magazine format? Oh, hell yes it is!

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Harley Quinn
• Joker
• James Gordon

Bottom Line: 5 Stars!

This is the most realistic take on the Harley/Joker relationship I’ve ever seen. Harley is one tough woman, bent on proving herself as a profiler for the GCPD. Joker is one of the coldest serial killers there is. This, their first meeting, doesn’t disappoint and doesn’t fall into the therapist falls for her patient trope. [Editor’s Note: this is essentially an alternate timeline where Harley is helping the police, or we will find out in the end that this isn’t really the joker, only a copycat. Time will tell on this one.] There’s still time though…we’re only halfway through the series.

Brothers and Sisters! There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, who intend to devour us in our sleep! Heed then, the warnings of Wolverine, chapter 5, verses 1-32!

This is the story as scribed by Benjamin Percy!
Given life on the page by Viktor Bogdanović!

The official plot:

“In the snowbound darkness of the north, Wolverine is the prisoner of Dracula. By forming an unlikely alliance, Logan fights back. Stakes, claws, tricked-out snowmobiles and wintry mayhem await you.”

Marvel Comics

Wolverine versus vampires…so yeah, Marvel’s description is on point. Meaning there’s not much of a plot…but it’s violent and pretty, so I bought it anyway.

My Impressions:

• Growl, snarl, snikt, stab! Nuff said!
• Sorry Mr. Silvestri, I think Bogdanovic has elevated himself to my favorite Wolverine artist. There is no doubt that bold expressions and confident lines set a great tone for a book that’s basically “The Lost Boys” with a twist.
• Crossover Dependency: Thankfully, none. Thus far the Wolverine title has kept itself mostly separate from the mega X-Men behemoth. Feel free to jump in any time.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Wolverine (Logan / James Howlett)
• Omega Red (Arkady Gregorivich Rossovich)
• Dracula (Vlad Tepes | Marvel)
• Final page Fortnite crossover

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Pissed off Wolverine…you’ve got to love this! Good, bloody, wholesome violence. With vampires. There’s even a throwaway reason for them to have come after our favorite Canadian. Don’t you dare pretend you wanted some drama from this title!

My friends! We have two lessons before us to choose from today: an eye-for-an-eye, or turn-the-other-cheek! Witness our sister Kate Pryde’s dilemma in the book of Marauders, chapter 12, verses 1-32!

This is the word according to “I’d rather be writing Deadpool” Gerry Duggan!
Corroborated visually by “I also have a thing for Deadpool” Matteo Lolli!

The official plot:

“RED RECKONING! The Black King removed the Red Queen from the board…what move will the White Queen make?”

Marvel Comics

Does this solicitation feel like an afterthought to anyone else? It’s like they didn’t even try to make it sound interesting. (Full disclosure: It’s not)

My Impressions:

• Marvel/Duggan spend 10 issues building on the fact that Kate is actively rejected by Krakoa. Turns out she just needed to be rebooted.
• The whole issue is visually off-putting. I mean, it’s a party…why are some of these folks wearing their battle gear, while Kate is in a party dress?
• Crossover Dependency: You’ll need a passing understanding of the overall X-men paradigm.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Black King (Sebastian Shaw)
• Bishop (Lucas Bishop)
• White Queen (Emma Frost)
• Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner)
• Storm (Ororo Munroe)
• Katherine ‘Kitty’ Pryde
• Magik (Illyana Rasputin)
• Prestige (Rachael Grey)
• Wolverine (Logan/James Howlett)

Bottom Line: 2 Stars!

I want to like Marauders. It started as an interesting concept of a team to swoop up all those folks that, for whatever reason, couldn’t use Krakoan gates. Basically an X-men search and rescue! Unfortunately this title just seems to wander around doing next to nothing. I believe we’ve had something like two missions in 10 issues? Kate and her crew deserve better.

Epic Games brings us Superliminal, a first person game where you can impose your perspective on the world around you.

Have you ever woken up in a facility that is testing you physically and mentally? In Superliminal this is exactly what is happening. Unlike the real world where an item doesn’t change size only your perspective of it does, this game is about making the size of objects work for the puzzle of the room. Right off the bat the puzzle solutions are not completely apparent but with a little patience solutions become quite clear.

I have never played a game like this where by picking up an object and moving away from it you make it physically larger just by releasing it. Conceptually it’s a bit difficult to wrap your head around but after you learn the controls it is apparent how ingenious it really is. Look at the image above for example. The doorway on the right is full sized and respectively those items are huge, but they didn’t start that way. Each item was sitting on a small tray and a box and by manipulating your views of them changed their sizes.

If you are looking for a puzzle game that is not only brilliant but thought provoking as well this game is a must. Many rooms will have you scratching your head and when you finally figure them out you will be disappointed it took so long to figure out. Do you have the patience to make it to the end?

“I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am Mutant!” Heed the lessons from the book of New Mutants, chapter 12, verses 1-32!

This is the word according to the erratic Ed Brisson.
As envisioned by the forgettable Marco Failla.

The official plot:

“The human world never seems to tire of lashing out at Krakoa. The NEW MUTANTS have their ways of striking back.”

Marvel Comicsl

If you count a failed attempt to make people feel sad as striking back, yeah, this is the perfect description.

My Impressions:

• Doxing Bad: Sorry Marvel, you haven’t built this subject up enough in the sub-plot arena for it to carry a full issue. Ultimately that means your message is lost.
• Bad Judgement: If you’re going for an emotional issue…why would you use Glob? The guy has no face. No face means no facial expression!
• Great artwork: Not so much. I really felt that this was cartooned out. I couldn’t help but think of some comic strip dad with a pencil behind his ear.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Anole (Victor Borkowski)
• Glob Herman (Robert Herman)
• Mirage (Danielle ‘Dani’ Moonstar)
• Magik (Illyana Rasputin)
• Trinary
• Joseph Canning

Bottom Line: 1 Star!

New Mutants has struggled to find an identity since the House of X event, flip flopping between multiple line-ups, which detracts from its potential. As the youngest team, this title should be full of drama and angst. The attempts are there with relevant subject matter. Unfortunately, Marvel just is NOT pulling it off. The sad isn’t sad, the angry isn’t angry and that means the boring IS boring.

Evil plants of all kinds will grow on many worlds! Their leaves will not wither, and if you heed not your own common sense, they will eat you! Don’t believe me…see Justice League, chapter 52, verses 1-32!

This is the word of Jeff Loveness. As envisioned by Robson Rocha. If you’re thinking “Who??” you are forgiven. I did too.

The official plot:

“For the first time, the Justice League explores the planet of the Black Mercy’s origin. One flower is enough to incapacitate even the strongest hero, but with an entire planet full of them, the Justice League must steel their minds or else succumb to the withering effects of the great tree at the core. With Batman unable to cope, can Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green Lantern survive the horrors of their souls?”

DC Comics

They should have just called this one…”Batman’s origins redone for the 5 millionth time.” Oh, and as per the new normal, Wonder Woman saves the day.

My Impressions:

• Regime Change: Wonder Woman really appears to be taking on the “Leader” role…they should just make it official.
• Visuals: Good with an occasional touch of great.
• The real “bad”: DC is really bad at the whole “team” thing. They either try to give every member something to do, essentially under using all of them, or focus too much on just one member…like Batman in this issue. It’s seriously bad. Superman or Green Lantern could have legit burned this thing down from a mile in the air, problem solved. Instead, they have to be sidelined so Batman can have an internal struggle that he KNOWS isn’t real.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Green Lantern (John Stewart)
• Flash (Barry Allen)
• Batman (Bruce Wayne)
• Wonder Woman (Diana)
• Superman (Kal-El / Clark Kent)

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Why do I stick around? I’m a fan of these guys separately…and quite honestly I’m afraid I’ll miss something cool. Also, it’s not a bad story…its just been done before. Given all that, I feel they need to fix how they handle the team soon, or I just may bail.

They who dabble in the black arts, shall surely be slain by their own creation! So sayeth the book of Inkblot, chapter 1, verses 1-52!

This is the word of…well both Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd. As envisioned by…Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd??? What is this the Beatles? Please pick a lane and stay in it!

The official plot:

“This new ONGOING SERIES follows a powerful sorceress attempting to correct her greatest mistake—the creation of a magical cat that can travel through time, space, and reality. The cat threatens to unravel the fabric of the universe, doesn’t care, and just won’t listen!”

Image Comics

The jury is out on the “powerful sorceress” description. I think “accidental” might be more apt. Labeling the cat as her mistake is also a bit harsh, all she was doing was taking a nap. The parts about the cat feel accurate.

My Impressions:

• Physical Fitness: This girl is running everywhere, all the time!
• Magic Fitness: Spilled ink bringing animals into existence? Seems a bit unstable to me.
• Caveat Emptor – I feel like I was duped. I thought that the cat would be a bit more purposeful about what it was doing. Like a wizard’s familiar.
• My daughter says I was not duped…she was expecting EXACTLTY this. Since I have more comics than her, we will use my opinion!

Notable Appearances/Events:

• The Seeker
• A black cat

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Without a doubt I came off a bit harsh about this title. Inkblot isn’t bad, it just isn’t what I expected. I get a very Songs for the Dead vibe. For the record, I’m sticking it out a bit longer. The book starts by laying the groundwork for a sprawling magical world, so the potential is really high. I can adjust to the cat not being anything special.