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.
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Wolverine and Kitty Pryde #1 (Marvel) – Chris Claremont pens a sequel to the excellent 1984 Kitty Pryde and Wolverine miniseries that transformed her from Sprite to Shadowcat and from a Chicago suburban brat to a badass ninja. But she still has a little of the brat in her in the opening issue of Wolverine and Kitty Pryde, which features extended fight and training scenes, a reminder that Kitty Pryde’s dad and Professor X fought together in some war, and a truly trippy ending. My favorite part of the comic was Damian Couceiro‘s art that channels the explosive cartooning that John Romita Jr. and a young Frank Miller did during that era. It definitely feels like a lost relic from 1985 with much less overwrought caption boxes. Overall: 7.4 Verdict: Read
We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us (Image) – Trying to escape from Agent Rook with the help of her dead father’s robots, Annaliese starts to come into her own as a badass in We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #2. Matthew Rosenberg‘s henchman banter game is on point, and Stefano Landini and Jason Wordie turn in colorful explosions and fun panel layouts like a 12 panel grid of a meeting between supervillains with each baddie occupying 25% of the page. Desperation and confusion are recurring themes for this comic, but thankfully not for the reading experience as Annaliese starts to piece together the situation she’s stuck in. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy
Godzilla vs. Spider-Man (Marvel) – Joe Kelly, Nick Bradshaw, and Rachelle Rosenberg go back to the 80s as a black symbiote suit-wearing Spider-Man fights Godzilla and a love triangle between Mary-Jane and Black Cat. Kelly takes a quip a minute approach to scripting, and editor Nick Lowe tags in with notes mocking how convoluted Marvel continuity has gotten in the past four decades. But beneath the humor and Bradshaw’s epic renditions of the King of Monsters consumed by a Venom symbiote, Kelly has a good understanding of Godzilla as a protector of Earth from external threats like Venom and Knull. Also, his Peter Parker is the perfect hapless dork. Godzilla vs. Spider-Man has some epic fight sequences and is a perfect throwback comic even leaning less on guest stars than previous Godzilla vs. installments. Overall: 8.2 Verdict: Buy
Lost Fantasy #1 (Image) – Lost Fantasy is a new conspiracy-tinged fantasy series from Curt Pires and Luca Casalanguida. The first issue plays all the Chosen One beats in a slice of life setting before overturning the apple cart and setting up a dark, mysterious future. It strikes the right balance between action and worldbuilding with Pires and Casalanguida creating a proper alternate history world. As an added bonus, there’s a backup from Rockwell White, Pires, and Alex Diotto continuing the story of the “Indigo Children” that features interesting riffs on the Superman origin story and rhythmic grid layouts. It definitely made me want to go back and read the Indigo Children trade paperback. Overall: 8.6 Verdict: Buy
Godzilla vs Los Angeles (IDW) – The King of Monsters heads to the City of Angels in Godzilla vs Los Angeles, which is a showcase of the different cartooning styles of Angeleno creators. The first story in Godzilla vs Los Angeles, “Eye in the Sky” is an ode to heroic journalists from writer/artist Gabriel Hardman. Two traffic reporters whose job is being fazed out by drones take advantage to do some actual journalism, and Hardman is game to follow their dangerous journey shooting a Godzilla attack from a variety of angles. Hardman uses sharp, sudden panels to build tension as one of the protagonists starts shooting Godzilla from his iPhone on the kaiju’s back, and it ends up being a heightened homage to some of the bravest folks period. Featuring colorful cartooning from Nicole Goux and a witty script from Jordan Morris, “The Big Break” is a love letter to the very touristy, yet very L.A. studio tour complete with bad puns and annoying corporate mascots. I love the interplay between the script that the main character delivers for the tour and her very sad inner captions. However, “The Big Break” takes a fun turn once Godzilla gets involved and features some fancy driving and layout work from Goux ending with a tribute to a very family friendly film franchise. The third story in Godzilla vs. Los Angeles is a humorous history lesson about the subway system in L.A. from cartoonist Dave Baker, which would make a great place to hide from Godzilla and other kaiju although some Angelenos will take their chances and stay in their cars. I really enjoyed this story as a public transit enthusiast, and Baker’s writing style is accessible and humorous to go with his art that falls more on the cartoonish side of things. Godzilla vs Los Angeles concludes with J. Gonzo, Scott Hanna, and Heather Breckel‘s “Godzil-LA”, which is kind of the people’s tokusatsu history of L.A. as graffiti artists and film craftspeople from different L.A. neighborhood band together to take out the kaiju. “Godzil-LA” is a vibrant finisher to a comic that shows the tenacity and vitality of Los Angeles to withstand kaiju attacks in the ficitional world and wildfires in the real world. Overall: 9.1 Verdict: Buy
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