Tag Archives: Reviews

Review: A New Dawn

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new dawnIt’s a new day for Star Wars as A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller is released today.  Fans won’t have to wait a month to meet Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla.  But just how good is Miller’s latest foray into the Star Wars universe?  We’re off on an adventure to a remote planet to find out!

Gorse.  Not the best planet in the galaxy to visit but it’s home or at least a place where Kanan Jarrus has a job.  He’s just happy to avoid the Empire’s attention, fly his cargo, and have a couple of drinks at the end of the day.  But there are two newcomers to Gorse will change this: Count Vidian of the Empire and Hera Syndulla, a revolutionary with her own agenda.  Vidian’s plans have the potential to bring more terror and death to the far reaches of the galaxy.  How long can a former Jedi sit back before he must act?

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Review: Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #4

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The unused Clone Wars storyline comes to an end today ad Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #4 by Jeremy Barlow and Juan Frigeri hits comic book stores today.  But will Darth Maul and Mother Talzin’s plan for revenge against Darth Sidious succeed?

This review contains some spoilers for the issue.

Darth Maul returns to Dathomir with Count Dooku, intent on using the Sith’s very life force to give Mother Talzin a physical body once more.  But Darth Sidious is hardly going to let his former apprentice destroy his carefully laid plans.  That can only mean another facedown between Master and former Apprentice!

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Review: The Serpent’s Head

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What happens when a lone hired gun ends up responsible for a trio of children who have lost everything and want revenge?  The Serpent’s Head by Bryan Young is a science-fiction western that asks not only that but so much more in a enjoyable and fun novel that will keep readers turning the page.

The gunslinger known as Twelve comes to the planet of Glycon-Prime looking for work but instead of finding any he stumbles upon Nine Mine City.  It’s your typical frontier town except for one thing: the entire city has been massacred leaving three children as the only survivors.  Twelve soon finds himself caught up in the children’s quest not only for revenge but to rescue Miri, the only other survivor, from the mutant Glicks.

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Review: Rebel Heist #4

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The final piece falls into place today as Rebel Heist #4 by Matt Kindt and Marco Castiello arrives in comic book stores.  It’s Luke Skywalker’s turn to take the spotlight!

Han’s captured, Leia’s captured, and Chewbacca’s captured.  That leaves Luke Skywalker to save the day and the Bothan Imperial spy to narrate the events.  Can he get all three of his friends out of jail and still pull off the mission?

This review contains some spoilers.

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Review: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #6

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serenity 6It’s New Comic Book Day, and Dark Horse seems to release everything at once, so naturally, all our reviews come out at once.  Today, the last installment of Serenity: Leaves on the Wind releases and keeping things spoiler-free, here’s what I have to say:

Aw, comic, no.

I’m not going into the substandard art again, but if there’s been one thing I have enjoyed about this series, it’s been the writing–until now.  And I understand that this comic is setting up for whatever the next Serenity comic mini-series is going to be, but the end of this comic very, very quickly took a turn for both 1) a (second) rehash of an old plotline and 2) a WTF spin on the level of Buffy Season Eight.

If you’ve bought the other five comics in the mini-series, buy this one to complete the set.  But if the next mini-series continues off this arc, rather than telling stories like The Shepherd’s Tale or Better Days, I’d be just a little bit wary of investing money in it.

Review: Serenity #5

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serenity 5Action!  Action action action action action!  For all the set-up in Serenity #4, Serenity #5 is all action, and yes, you will need to go back and read the previous issue to catch up and understand exactly what is happening in this issue, because there is so much action switching between enough perspectives that it takes a read or two to figure things out.

Basically, though, this is where the excrement meets the cooling machinery.  The crew (plus the Operative) has gone to rescue the other River-like girls, only to discover that they’ve been completely brainwashed, leaving River to fight them.  And everything goes nuts here, until the end, when there’s a horrible realization that what’s left of the Browncoat resistance are those left on Serenity–because the Alliance has used all of this as a trap.

But Malcolm Reynolds has one thing he has left to do–and that’s to save Zoe.  And he’s going to do whatever it takes.

Art – cue my normal complaints and my normal WOW about the cover.  Writing – not up to its usual standards here, but that’s because this is action action OMG all the action.  Still, comic writers are responsible, in part, for laying out the pages and the panels and what’s happening in them, and this was the first time I really wasn’t all that impressed.  Still, overall, it’s a good story, and I’m not sure how all the ends are going to get tied up in one issue next month.

Review: The Star Wars #8

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All good things must come to an end and thus so does The Star Wars this week.  Issue #8 hits comic store shelves today as J.W. Rinzler and Mike Mayhew bring this excellent alternative universe to its close.

It’s a race against the Empire as Annikin Starkiller infiltrates the Space Fortress to rescue Queen Leia.  Meanwhile, General Luke Skywalker is leading an army of newly trained wookiees in an aerial starfighter against the deadly battle-station.  Annikin, never one for stealth, has already been spotted by Darth Vader and Prince Valorum who are more than happy to deal with the Jedi…

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Review: Serenity #4

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serenity4It’s that time again – Serenity #4 is out today, and the continuing tribulations of our heroes get ever worse.

My complaints about the art continue–I won’t repeat them again.

As far as the writing goes, this is not as good as previous issues–it’s transitional–our characters are having to get from here to there, and that’s understandable.  It’s not particularly engaging, though there are certainly a couple of moments that will make you flip back a page to make sure that you did just see what you saw.

That said–I’m almost certain that you’re going to need this issue to get the next one.  This one has left readers on one hell of a cliff-hanger–a couple, actually–so even if this one issue isn’t as fantastic as the others, you’re going to want to pick it up anyway.

Review: The Star Wars #7

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The comic adaptation of George Lucas’s original screenplay is back!  The Star Wars #7 by Jonathan Rinzler and Mike Mayhew hits comic stores everywhere today.  Will General Skywalker succeed in keeping the royal heirs to Aquillae safe from the Empire’s grasp?

Crash landings are the name of the game when it came to Yavin.  Luke Skywalker and Han Solo leave the two young princes in the care of an anthropologist named Owen Lars and set out to find Princess Leia (who has been captured by slave trappers) and Annikin Skywalker (who has been declared some sort of god by the wookiees.)  Even with their new allies, our heroes are in for a tough battle if they’re going to rescue Leia from the clutches of the Empire and Darth Vader.

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Review: Serenity #3

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serenity 3I feel like I’m starting to become a broken record.  Great writing, beautiful cover….really, really crappy art.

Let me go back a second.  I think Georges Jeanty can produce nice art–and anyone who opens this comic and takes a look at the last page will see what I mean.  But I’m remembering what Christina Strain (who colored Spiderman loves Mary Jane) told me once–in comic books, you have to be at least two out of three: you have to be nice, you have to be good, and you have to be fast.  My guess is that Jeanty is a really nice person and he’s really fast–if you want him to be really good, he has to slow down.  Like I said, the last page is very well done, but the rest?  Not so much.

There are a couple of surprises in the writing here.  It’s less so with the plot–it’s a bit predictable.  Zoe’s been captured, and River’s been delving into her own brain for more Alliance secrets that might help them out.  The predictability isn’t what River finds, but where Mal turns for help.

One point in this comic really surprised me, though.  Readers of issue #2 know that Jubal Early had found his way back to the ship.  But Kaylee’s method of dealing with Early took me aback a bit.  We all know that Miranda changed everyone on the entire crew, but for some reason, I think, I always believed that Kaylee’s innocence remained essentially intact. To see Kaylee take a turn toward the cynical and bitter shows, better than anything else, just how serious matters are, and it’s enough to leave Firefly fans more than just a little apprehensive about where the story’s going to go next.