Weekly Comic Reviews - 20 April 2016

Ratings out of 5 stars. Mainstream comics available at Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura).

Star Wars: C-3PO #1

Story: James Robinson

Art: Tony Harris

Star Wars: Poe Dameron

Story: Charles Soule

Art: Phil Noto

Marvel

Star Wars mania continues. The Poe Dameron series is a lead-in to The Force Awakens – how Poe is given a mission by Leia to look for Lor San Tekka, which he did in the beginning of The Force Awakens. Phil Noto is a much sought after Marvel cover artist who is drawing more regularly now for Star Wars comics – he did the Chewbacca series before this. Again, fans will like this since it also features L’ulo, who is friends with Poe’s mother, Shara Bey.

The better comic to read is C-3PO. I’m really surprized how heartfelt this comic is. The last time C-3PO had his own series was in Droids, which was based on the cartoon series. This one-shot special explains why C-3PO has a red arm in The Force Awakens. It reminds us how long 3PO has been around, from The Phantom Menace to A New Hope to The Force Awakens, and explains why he can serve Anakin Skywalker and later Leia without saying anything. Sensitive writing by James Robinson and art by Tony Harris.

(3 stars for Poe; 4 for 3PO)

Fistful of Blood

Story: Kevin Eastman

Art: Simon Bisley

IDW

TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman has done a lot of good – Tundra, Heavy Metal, Words & Pictures Museum. He was also into the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and he was to married Julie Strain. The last TMNT thing he did was Bodycount in 1996 drawn by Simon Bisley. Now he is reunited with Bisley again and doing exclusive work with IDW. Fistful of Blood is a blend of spaghetti Western and horror (vampires and zombies – but why are they hiding their existence in a small town from cops?) Not the strongest story from Eastman or art from Bisley. The figures are rather stiff and reminds me of Frank Miller in recent years, which is not a good thing. The girl with no name shoots first and take no prisoners. Basically it’s Yojimbo, just that the girl doesn’t speak and is very smelly. Let’s hope Lost Angeles, another series he wrote together with Bisley in 2007, which Eastman is drawing, will be better.

(3 stars)

Badger #3

Story: Mike Baron

Art: Val Mayerik

Devil’s Due/1First Comics

I try not review the same comic too often because there are so many new releases every week. But Badger occupies a soft spot. And he is fighting Putin in this issue. Craziness. Badger remains relevant. If Batman and Wolverine push the argument that you must be psychotic to put on a costume and fight up criminals/ bad mutants every night, then Moon Knight and Wolverine show that modern superheroes definitely have mental issues. Newer heroes like Mark Millar’s Huck are probably on the spectrum. Welcome to the new age of superheroes.

(3.5 stars)

B.E.K. Black Eyed Kids #1

Story: Joe Pruett

Art: Szymon Kudranski

AfterShock

When the publisher writes an urban legend comic for his own comic company, it better be good. AfterShock publisher Joe Pruett has not written comics in a while, so he could be a bit rusty here. I expect the creeps and chills and really black eyes with no whites from B.E.K. but it’s slow burn for now. Artist Syzmon Kudranski would need to up his game too. Any B.E.K. sighting in Singapore?

(3 stars)