Inkblot #1, Series Premier

Inkblot

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.

Inkblot
If ink is going to react like this, why would you ever store it together?

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!
Inkblot
Well…if nothing else, “Fairy farts” is keeping it PG.

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.

Die #13, “The Great Game” part 3

Die

Disciples of the polyhedron! Attend carefully to my words, for today we will learn much from the book of Die, chapter 13, verses 1-32!

This is the scripture according to Kieron Gillen. (Awesome name, right?!)
As envisioned by Stephanie Hans. (Wicked covers!!)

The official plot:

““THE GREAT GAME,” Part Three “War isn’t a game” seems obvious. Let one of DIE’s most aggressive masters explain: i) why that isn’t true ii) that war being a game only makes it worse. Can our heroes save the world? Can they save anything?”

Image Comics

Ugh…no one cares about “saving” the world of Die! We want to know how people from the real world were sucked into it! Why did they change? Where did the magic dice come from? (If you pay attention…some of that is in this issue!)

Die
You carry a flamberge and thought there WOULDN’T be a fight?!?!

My Impressions:

  • On H.G. Wells and war games: Unless they are building him up to play a bigger role down the line, this was pointless.
  • The revelation about Die: A machine world that is going to combine with our world…in 2020 no less! Oh hell yeah!
  • The self-fulfilling prophecy/time-loop: Well of course it is!
Die
Isabelle on offense? Nice!

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Ash the Dictator
  • Chuck the Fool
  • Matt the Grief Knight
  • Angela the Neo
  • Isabelle the Godbinder
  • Sol the Grandmaster
  • H.G. Wells

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

I’m not going to sugarcoat it, this comic ALWAYS comes with a few head scratching moments. (Like…why did they split the party?) However, that doesn’t detract from the story as a whole, and who doesn’t like a little mystery? This particular issue finally answers some of the questions we’ve had since issue #1, and the wait does seem worth it.