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 reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.
These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.
Logan
WildC.A.T.s #3 (DC Comics) – WildC.A.T.s #3 begins and ends with an exciting splash page, and Matthew Rosenberg and Stephen Segovia focus on action in this issue as the Wildcats face off against the newly minted Seven Soldiers of Victory (Not the Grant Morrison or classic one ; more like the Wish.com/ Authority) and one a covert mission to rescue a kid whose death could lead to a Crisis level event. Rosenberg really puts the Wildcats on the shit-end of the stick in this issue, which fits their new role as the Halo Corporation’s sacrificial lambs and dirty workers while the Seven Soldiers get the headlines and good life. Segovia’s skill at page architecture ramps up the team’s mission from routine to impossible as they get holed up in a building, and their only salvation is a character being teleported in from a subplot who can’t fly a chopper. The tenseness of the main plot really helped to start to bond with the team beyond just Zealot with Ladytron’s deadpan quips about bloodstream nanites making her especially endearing. WildCATS is definitely a throwback to the Extreme 90s and the wide screen 00s, but with modern, bleeding edge visual storytelling from Stephen Segovia and smart writing and straightforward plotting from Matthew Rosenberg. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy
Danger Street #2 (DC Comics/DC Black Label) – Tom King, Jorge Fornes, and Dave Stewart continue to link together obscure DC characters in the apocalyptic murder mystery Danger Street #2. King’s (by way of Dr. Fate’s helmet) storybook-style narration gives the comic a good flow and connects some of the seemingly disparate threads. Some of the most powerful scenes in the issue are the Danger Street Dingbats coming to terms with losing their own and the futility of hope as their cop friend struggles to find a lead on the murder. The stuff with the Green Team and Jack Ryder is pretty standard satire of ultracapitalism, but I love that Stewart uses similar flame colors for the Green Team’s murder basement, the exploding ship, and Darkseid’s realm. Yes, Darkseid still continues to appear in the title and shares a hug that makes you know the world is really coming to an end. This isn’t my favorite comic right now, but Fornes’ layouts and use of close-up’s in emotional scenes are really effective, and I continue to be a sucker for books that dig deeper into the motivations of B and C list characters. Overall: 7.9 Verdict: Buy
Know Your Station #2 (BOOM! Studios) – Know Your Station is a class-conscious murder mystery in space from Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas, Rebecca Nalty, and Cardinal Rae. In this issue, protagonist Elise (A security liaison for a bunch of rich corporate people living in space) tries to find out who killed one of the passengers and her cop partner. This seems straightforward, but Gailey and Kangas make the story compelling by having her dealing with withdrawal symptoms from a psychedelic drug called Blue with the help of the onboard AI St Brigid, who is totally the best character. Rae’s wobbling letters and Nalty’s trippy palette are a standout in this issue and do a great job of simulating her struggles with sobriety and losing time. It’s a visual experience that can only be done in comic and is nicely by suspense and good interactions between Elise and this issue’s red herring Marin, an executive who she has a connection with. Overall 8.8 Verdict: Buy
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 (**).
Source: Graphic Policy
