Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for. Given the lack of new comics, expect this weekly update to begin featuring comics that we think you’ll enjoy while you can’t get anything new to read – only new to you.
These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.
Logan
Eat the Rich #1 (BOOM!)- Really rich people are really fucked up. That’s the thesis of Eat the Rich #1, a horror story of manners from Sarah Gailey and Pius Bak. Gailey transitions from prose to comics with great ease focusing on Joey, the middle class girlfriend of Astor, a scion of a wealthy family whose beach house has two dining rooms just for parties. Astor tries to bond with Astor’s little brother’s nanny, Petal, but she immediately installs class boundaries. (And by the end of the comic, you’ll know why.) Colorist Roman Titov gives everything a garish glow, and Bak’s art is unsettling with lots of close-up’s on Joey as she deals with Astor’s friend Bumper pumping down at a groundskeeper’s retirement party. My one knock on this comic is that some of the older men’s faces look super similar, and it was hard to tell them apart in a pivotal. However, with the growing income gap in the United States, this is a creepy, yet slightly cathartic read. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gates, Bezos, and Zuck got around and sacrificed “the poors”. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy
Marauders #23 (Marvel)– Wow, this was a cringy read. After a promising first page from Gerry Duggan, Ivan Fiorelli, and Rain Beredo of Emma Frost experiencing the lost of Marauder and her pharmaceutical empire, Marauders #23 descends into weird Irish stereotypes, misuses of AAVE, and Jumbo Carnation curb stomping Irish and/or Russian gangsters while shouting phrases from Drag Show. (Ok, that last one was so bad, it was almost good.) While it’s nice to see Banshee in action, this Irish escapade had very optional side quest vibes while slightly redeeming itself as Tempo slowly moves on her journey from terrorist to Marauder(?). The actual moving the big picture stuff comes towards the end as the Stepford Cuckoos psychically manipulate Wilhelmina Kensington and make anti-mutant Brits punch themselves in the face. Duggan can definitely be a pretty funny writer at times, and Fiorelli’s cartoony is a fit for the tone of those scenes. All in all, unless you’re collecting every Jumbo Carnation appearance, this comic is worth skipping. Overall: 6.1 Verdict: Pass
Way of X #5 (Marvel)– Si Spurrier, Bob Quinn, and Java Tartaglia wrap up of Way of X in style as ideas and actions literally clash, and Legion and Nightcrawler figure out the truth about Onslaught. Way of X #5 truly exposes the fragility of Krakoan society as what starts as a kind of intellectual exercise turns into Mars’ moon Phobos literally falling from the sky. Spurrier and Quinn give each of Way of X’s disparate cast members (Nightcrawler, Legion, Fabian Cortez, Lost) a moment to grow or have a revelation, or in Professor X’s case keep doing the same old bullshit. Way of X is a disaster movie, a morality play, and is anything but boring as the threat of Onslaught escalates in an effective way. Also, there’s a double page splash from Bob Quinn that is utterly gorgeous while capture a pivotal moment in Nightcrawler’s arc. Definitely, bring on Onslaught Revelation! Overall: 8.9 Verdict: Buy
Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle #1 (Marvel)– Quick disclaimer: the Warhammer 40K I’ve been exposed to is the Marvel comics, some Wiki reading, going into a Games Workshop once in grade school, and chats with Brett. That being said, Warhammer 40K: Sisters of Battle #1 is a solid blend of medieval religious warfare, cool space shit, and a little bit of chaos. Torunn Gronbekk and Edgar Salazar have the elite Sororitas on a kind of Saving Private Ryan rescue mission while the Imperium tries to take over a planet rich in promethium. (It’s like U.S. foreign policy in regards to oil, but more heavy metal.) Salazar excels at blocking out the combat scenes, and like Jacen Burrows’ art in the previous Warhammer 40K, there’s a real 2000 AD influence to his work. However, what I’m most intrigued about is this series’ protagonist who makes one hell of an impression towards the end of the comic. Overall: 7.5 Verdict: Read
Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!
Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).
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