Here is today's Guest Review by
Shadowhawk from
Shadowhawk's Shade,
The Founding Fields, and
Just Beyond Infinity, for Dark Horse Comics'; Star Wars #4, Image Comics'; Lazarus #2, and Dynamite's; Red Sonja #1. I have also added my rating after each review. If you have any questions about my rating or want to discuss anything just leave me a comment.
Star Wars #7
Princess Leia takes the Rebels’ secret mission to the next level! Playing it safe has gotten them nowhere, and they are running out of resources and time. What’s the fastest way to get inside info on the Empire? Have your top pilots get themselves captured!
Ryan Kelly, the artist from Brian Wood’s Local series, joins the Star Wars team!
Preview
The Empire is Watching...
Issue #7 begins rather interestingly with Acting Moff Birra Seah, who has been assigned by Vader to oversee the construction of the new Death Star in his absence. The Emperor himself arrives and takes her to task for Vader’s absence, all of which results in a secondary interesting situation, in which we learn that the Force is indeed strong with her. This is a very promising subplot, and I’m certain that the pay-off will be unexpected, as is most often the case with Force sensitives in Vader’s employ.
From the raw condescension of the Emperor aboard the new Death Star, we move on to Tattooine, where Luke has returned with a recovering Leia to bury his dead uncle and aunt and mark his remembrance. This was a really touching moment, and possibly the best such in the entire series so far. It marks a really small, really personal and really special moment for Luke, something I’m actually keen on seeing more of in the series, and not just from his perspective either. Wedge Antilles too has some big baggage in his past, and I’d love for Brian Wood to explore that somehow. Would certainly spice things up!
The rest of the issue is taken up with more subterfuge and more escapist heroics as Han Solo tries to blast his way off Coruscant and Leia takes off a very personal mission. It was a great way to end the issue, much like last time. Given some of the action-packed endings for all the previous issues, this marked a really nice change of pace and I welcomed it.
Read the rest of Shadowhawk's review on Here
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 2/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 3.7 - (Buy Star Wars #7) SAVE 10%
Lazarus #2 - Family, Part Two
"FAMILY," Part TwoThe Carlyle Family has been attacked by their enemies to the south, and Forever's father suspects a conspiracy amongst his children. To root it out, he sends Forever into the arms of the enemy, Family Morray.
Preview
Two
Greg Rucka’s first foray into this title was an excellent comic that I highly enjoyed to the point that I wish I could go forward in time and read the next five issues back-to-back. That’s the kind of excitement I felt upon reading issue #1. The world that he’s created here, is a fully-fledged world with some unique rules of existence and traditions of behaviour, giving the series a very grand but still modest outlook.
All the drama that can be found in this book, whether political intrigue or family infighting, is portrayed really well, with Rucka hitting the story beats with just the right mix of awesome and “must read more”. And Michael Lark’s pencils, with Santiago Arcas’ colours, are just as great. There are so many subtle tones that can be found in the book, giving it a really rich feel in terms of context and the narrative itself.
All of it creates a situation where things are ready to boil over after a certain point is reached. There is a ton of repressed feelings from several characters, and the outpouring of those repressed feelings is something that is at the heart of this series.
Most of all, it is the protagonist Forever Carlyle who impresses the most. Even though we are only three issues into this brand-new series, I can’t help but feel that Rucka’s characterisation is spot-on, and that he really, really gets how to write a self-empowered and strong female character without having to descend into objectification. Throughout the two issues, Forever is always prominent and a lot of the events in both issues surround her, whether or not she is in the scenes he questions.
Read the rest of Shadowhawk's review on Here
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 3/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 3/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 5/5
Verdict - 4.1 - (Buy Lazarus #2) SAVE 20%
Red Sonja #1 - She-devil with a Sword
THIS IS IT. Red Sonja gets a fresh new attitude by the dream team of writer GAIL SIMONE (Batgirl, Birds of Prey) and artist WALTER GEOVANI (Prophecy, Witchblade), on the book they were born to create. Sonja pays back a blood debt owed to the one man who has gained her respect, even if it means leading a doomed army to their certain deaths! This thrilling new series features covers by the top female artists in the industry, including Nicola Scott, Colleen Doran, Jenny Frison, Fiona Staples, Amanda Conner and more. You do NOT want to miss this re-introduction the She-devil with a Sword!
Preview
A New Beginning
Red Sonja #1 is an issue I’ve been looking forward to ever since Dynamite announced the news all the way at this year’s Emerald City Con in March. As a fan of both the writer and the character, this was extremely good news for me. Anyone who follows my blog and my reviews knows that I hold Gail to be one of the top writers in the industry. I covered my appreciation of her work most recently in my “Gail Simone, Dark Horse, Tomb Raider” post. And Red Sonja, I’ve been a fan of the character ever since I read the first two Red Sonja Omnibuses from Dynamite. I saw the ill-fated movie as well last year, and while it was quite a disappointment in a lot of ways, I still enjoyed watching Red Sonja. There are a lot of things that can be said about Red Sonja, both good and bad, but it can’t be denied that Red Sonja has inspired numerous authors over the years into creating characters who emulate the same characteristics as her.
That’s the kind of legacy that Red Sonja has brought to the world of fiction. She is a pulp icon as much as someone like Vampirella or Conan or John Carter or anyone else.
Coming into Red Sonja #1 I was looking for a comic that would take a step away from the usual action-adventure with loads of badassery and do something different. This is the style of comics that I’ve come to expect from Gail Simone and I wanted her to do something similar for Sonja. And she does, in spades.
Read the rest of Shadowhawk's review on Here
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 5/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 5/5
Verdict - 4.7 - (Buy Red Sonja #1) SAVE 10%
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