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Rapid Reviews for the Week of 1/11/2023

Rapid Reviews for the Week of 1/11/2023

Posted on by Bob Harrison

Welcome to our first Rapid Reviews column of 2023.

This week we have a bunch of middle issues to discuss. While we did include one New Number One and one concluding issue, the middle issues of comic arcs and series are often overlooked.  These books are really well done and definitely belong in your pull list.

Our reviews are spoiler free and focus on the positive aspects of comic storytelling in each issue. You can find all of these books at your Local Comic Shop now or wherever you get your comics.

All Against All #2
Image Comics
Written by Alex Paknadel
Art by Caspar Wijngaard
Colors by Wijngaard
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Art by Wijngaard

The first issue of this comic was excellent. This second issue is better. The sides of the conflict that is rapidly escalating are clearly delineated in this issue. The defining feeling of this issue is the anxiety of the primary narrator B’Tay. Paknadel, Wijngaard, and Otsmane-Elhaou all combine to use their extensive skills to pass that uneasiness and anticipation on to the reader with this extraordinarily tense comic. It is beautiful, terrifying, and sad all at once. This book is a must pull.

Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs #3
Ahoy Comics
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Steve Pugh
Colors by Chris Chuckry
Letters by Rob Steen
Cover Art by Pugh

This is a thoroughly entertaining comic. There are two complementary stories on display, and the techniques used to tell them clearly and effectively are brilliantly executed by Russell and Pugh. The rising tension in the main story has this reader completely engaged in this series. Pugh does wonderful job with high quality visual storytelling and Russell’s socio-economic commentary finds its customary place behind a thin veil in a post-apocalyptic storyline. Well done all around. Continue reading “Rapid Reviews for the Week of 1/11/2023” →

Preview Reviews for the Week of 12/7: All Against All, Hexware, Know Your Station, and Radiant Pink

Preview Reviews for the Week of 12/7: All Against All, Hexware, Know Your Station, and Radiant Pink

Posted on by Bob Harrison

Welcome to the latest installment of Preview Reviews.

This week we have a four good books for you. The beginning of December is loaded with new series releases, and we were able to review these. There are three books from Image Comics, including All Against All #1, Hexware #1, and Radiant Pink #1. We also have a review of Know Your Station #1 from Boom! Studios.

You can find these books at your LCS or wherever you buy books on December 7, 2022.

Also the rest of the #NewNumberOnes for December are here.

All Against All #1
Image Comics
Written by Alex Paknadel
Art by Caspar Wijngaard
Letters by Hassan Ostmane-Elhaou
Cover Art by Wijngaard

Original Solicitation:

Writer ALEX PAKNADEL, artist CASPAR WIJNGAARD, and letterer HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU present a primal vision of humanity gone terribly wrong.

In All Against All, it is the distant future. Earth is long gone, but a race of alien conquerors knows as “the Operators” have preserved its most savage animals in an artificial jungle environment they barely understand.

With no bodies of their own, the Operators move from world to world, harvesting bodies for the organic exosuits they use to wage their endless wars. Ignored and underestimated by his captors is the habitat’s sole human specimen, Helpless.

However, when their efforts to find and harvest an apex predator intensify, he gives them far more than they bargained for.

PCS Review:

I love this book. It is set in the far future, and that can be difficult to pull off, but Paknadel and Wijngaard do it masterfully. This book is filled with a danger that the plot makes evident from the get go, and Wijngaard imbues the feel of an unstable existence in every pen and brush stroke. Character and technologic designs are critically important to the establishment of the this alien cast and are wonderfully done. Hassan Otsamane-Elhaou is one of the best letterers out there, and his design and execution for this project are spectacular. Continue reading “Preview Reviews for the Week of 12/7: All Against All, Hexware, Know Your Station, and Radiant Pink” →