The Undone

The Undone

Publisher- Mikebooks

Writer- Michael Dolce

Artist-  Soussherps- Drawings Todd Rayner- Colors

The Hook- A man finds he can rewind time for 24 hours and keep his memories. Unfourtionaly there are slight changes in events every time where he can just bet on the Lottery. But it does seem for some Reason Betting on the Stock Markets works. Unfourtionaly he finds other people has the same power, and don’t like a new guy moving in her their turf.

Review-   Some of these stories start with a good idea but they don’t know how to write a multiple part story with it. They blow it all on the idea. But this one manages to match good idea with good character and story pacing. It starts out with the character in a bad place then rewinds. Like the dialogue, and the brisk pace of the story. It a nice what would you do story. Most people may do what the character does. They limited the powers enough where he not a god...or you won’t ask why he doesn’t stop 911 or kill Hiler (Hitler HATES time travelers).  They never really explain why on Stock market doesn’t change. Also since the character is basically cheating the stock market...it hard to root against the other people that cheating. Other then the fact those people seem to be violent sociopaths. But kind of like that. The fact the character not perfect, and somewhat cheating makes him relatable. Because I think a lot of us would use those powers that way.  The bad guys are nice and creepy. Their faceless people who secretly runs things. You wonder how the character will get out of it the art is pretty good. Although sometimes, the character eyes seemed kind of dead. On the Plus sides the facial expression are pretty distinct and so is the different faces. The color muted and fit the tone.  Still it’s a fun read and looking forward to what next.

The Dream Police

The Dream Police issues 1-3

Writer-  written by J. Michael Straczynsk
Artist-  Sid Kotian.
Publisher- Image
https://imagecomics.com/content/view/dream-police-is-a-mysterious-fantasy-series-sure-to-intrigue-readers

The Hook- Dragnet meets the the movie DREAMSCAPE

plot- I discovered the Dream Police a few years back as a one shot. It was under Marvel Icon line and written by Michael Straczynski. It was basically Dragnet in the dream world. Two police, walk around the dreamscape to make sure everyone dreams going ok and no one getting out of line. The make sure the figments (actors) in the dream doing their Job and dreamers don’t mess up the dreamscape too much. It was a nice little one shot, pretty fun. When Image decided to make a sequel...and make it a series I was worried how they going to stretch this concept. Because it seem like a concept that works as a one shot because you don’t have to explain too much. Like for instance do dreamers know about the dream Police? If not why would they look at figments of their imagination with that much authority?  Why would you listen to something that was created by you watching too much David lynch before bed. The story in the series explores on the world and explains a few things. It adds mystery when one of the dreams cops question who they are, why do they do what they do, and disappears and gets replace for doing so. The other cops don’t seem to notice he now has a female partner, till he himself starts dreaming of his old partner. Something Dream cops were never able to do. It also adds in a cool concept of people who create nightmares...a group of being that freak the dream cops out but apparently have a place. The world is pretty interesting. I like that the dream cops but just there to help and really care about the dreamers. They basically there to make sure you don’t go crazy and upset when it fails. Some of the dreams cops themselves not that deep least on the surface. It takes a few comics for you to see personality. There basically BY the book. Also sometime it seems no stakes...since some people can’t die. Not sure they have the) if you die in the dream you die in a real world) thing. So the stakes won’t be super high. That say the mystery slowly adds stakes. It one shot stories, but with a big mystery throughout that builds. I like that type of storytelling sometimes. The arts pretty good but wish they go more wild with it sometimes considering the world they in. I hope they get more creative as time goes on. Some might thing it a little too metaphoric and trippy. But that stuff right up my Alley. If like stuff like inception and Dreamscape, you like this. So far it was a fun ride.

Forgive me father

Forgive me Father

Company – www.thecreatureentertainment.com

Written and Creature by John Ulloa

Art- Ulises Carpentero- Arts and Pencils

       Greg Narvarsa- Colors

The Hook- Taxi Driver with a priest and a non Jail Bait Woman. Or Falling Down with a priest

Plot- This is follows two people. It follows a down on her luck Hooker, and a priest obsessed with her who wants to clean up the town. The type of priest that probably starts his sermons with “On Day a rain will come”.  He starts of as not that insane. He has dreams about the woman but nothing to crazy till later on in the story. It is a death of one of his flock, and the woman’s confession that drives him over the edge. I like that it not a regular revenge story. You’re conflicted about what he doing.  The people he kills may have it coming but him doing it for F up reasons. He ends up causing a lot of fall out for the woman and not really helping her us much as he thinks. Its 3 issues, and then it are done. So you get an ending and nice story with a good flow. The arts pretty nice, very vibrant strong strokes, and have a dark and muddy feel. It fits the story. The story can be clique at times. The Hooker's back story is a bit by the numbers of a downer. But to be fair most really hookers probably have that story. I doubt you get into street walking if your life going GREAT. Although given how hot she is and the age of the internet escort sites, does she have to go that way. But then again the story feel like one of those 80’s/ 70’s revenge flicks. You get the idea the city a hell hole and you feel the despair. So everyone storyline fits. The action scenes pretty tense. B

Kodoja Terror Mountain Showdown 1-2

Kodoja Terror Mountain Showdown

Written and Drawn by- Foster and Smith

Publisher- Kodoja.com

The Hook- A big budget Godzilla type monster movies with explosions and destruction.  It has what you love, monsters punching things till it explodes. It a nod to monster movies of old accept sense it’s a comic you don’t have to worry about budget It follows the conspiracy of how this creature was created and the people who have to fight it and cover up how it was created

The art style if pretty cartoony but fits it. It basically comes off as your ultimate comic book if you were a kid hyped up on soda and coco puffs. Something you would draw on your notebook but then someone came along and added a good to plot to it. Not say it much plots other then destruction. It is nice seeing the political fallout of what this would cause. Seeing the strategy section of taking down the monsters (and the frustration when it doesn’t work) adds tension.  The mystery of how this thing was created is pretty nice. That said, I don’t know if you get an explanation why the military thought creating a giant monster was a good idea...other then it awesome. The designs are pretty cool. It in black and white and monster looks huge. The artist leave on the lines and some smudges.. So it looks raw and there always a lot going on screen. That said the art style may leave much to be desire to some people. For instance some character doesn’t have pupils which may take people out of it. And the art style may be too messy for some. Also as I said there a plot but don’t expect a huge amount. Sense you follow behind the scene and lot of people doing investigation it no real development of anyone on the ground attacking the monster. You don’t care much about who the monster eating. In fact you root for them to eat them...since as I said it looks awesome. But that may be the attention. All in All its pretty good fun. B

Shawn Atkinson Bombshells Inc

Shawn Atkinson Bombshells Inc

Written by- Shawn Atkinson

Drawn by Shawn Atkinson

Publisher- Power Smith Studios

The Hook- Think Hero’s for hire with two women instead of men. Takes place in a world where the government made Superheroes. These two women were the first, but as the government advance the formula and made more advance metahumans. This made these women look like beta maxes, with breast...absolete and assign to desk jobs. These women decided to then stop working for the government and become bounty hunter, Bodyguard, and anything else that makes ends meet

One thing that stands out is the art. It is pretty cartoony but not to much so.  It makes all the character seem unique and stand out. My pets peeve in art is characters that look to much the same. This was namely bad during the early image era where EVERYONE LOOKED like Cable. Faces are very hard to make different namely with women. This because artist are afraid to add lines to their face out of fear, of making them look Manish or old. One way around this is to give them big, or multiple color hair. Another way is to make their design and shape different enough where if you saw them in shadow you can still tell who they are. This comic does both of that and it add in some different faces. It has 2 characters 1 black and one white. The white one is a big busty Blond Amazon with big muscles named Casey. They manage not to make her look Manish during this by the way.  The other one a slim...less busty black girl with a huge afro puff and funky dress style Named Sienna. She looks like she could be Luke cage daughter. The black girl uses gun and flight. The white girl uses super strength and heighten durability. This makes the character visual stand out and their type of dress look different. Although it make there disguised silly.  Like dressing as a cheerleader wont hide you if you’re a big muscle bound Amazon. But, that goes with the campy nature at times story. The exaggerated faces give even the background character some personality.

The dialogue is a bit old school and so it some of the story. Although that on purpose. For some that may be a bit to old school. It is like reading a 60-70’s era comics at time. The story pretty breezy. They give you are you need to know about the world pretty quickly. You get to know the character personality in a first few pages and you have a pretty good idea what the story arc going to be about in the last page. The characters manage to avoid the cliques. For instance the black character never raise her fist at say “Racism..the only problem I CANT out fly”. The women dress pretty normally but still sexy and they don’t hit you with GIRL POWER that much. It can be corny at times but pretty Fun.

B

Epic

Epic-

Writer/artist- Anthony Marques

Ferano Ruiz

Bob Hardin

Fabio Redivo

Publisher- www.epicsanthology.com

The Hook- an Anthology series with short stories in each book. Drawn and written in a sometimes old school style. The Book dedicated to Jack Kirby with some of the same sensibilities of the old works.  Going over multiple Genera

This one has 4 stories. First one is a simple a soldier in a Jet pack fighting invading Russians in the late 50’s. The second is about a scientist who owes money to Loan sharks and his Robot. The third is about a lady street racer. The 4^th is a noir mystery about a detective investigating a murder. Each has different arts styles. The third has the most different run with a rough art style. The art on this is pretty good going from Goofy, to rough pants of a 60’s, Warhol’ish pop art style. All the stories drawn by the person that writes it. Some are better artist then they are writers. Sense some of the plots at time just a place to show off their art. And it really good art though. Some are too short, and it really makes you wish they expand on some more. Namely when you know all of these stories are probably one shots and this won’t be retraced. The first story is quick and to the point. Not much story to it. It is just a guy in a Rocket fighting in a city where Russians took over. There are Blimps exploding and the whole Jazz. It is basically just an action scene.  I mean I like seeing evil communist get punch as much as the next Rocky 4 fan, but it more an appetizer then a meal of a story. The second one actually does have plot that works well with the short structure. It has a nice origin story about a guy who soul gets put into a robot. It has a nice middle, beginning and end in a short amount of time. The third is basically those old rebel Teens with fast cars movies in the 60’s. The art pretty rough but that the style it going for. Not the style I like but can’t really say it’s bad either... 4^th one is a good detective story with nice pacing.  If you don’t like some of these, it a good chance you least like one of them.