Category Reviews

Earth 2 #1

When DC relaunched its line of comics in September 2011, noticeably absent were any titles featuring the classic JSA characters of Golden Age infamy. Even still, at a DC panel at Fan Expo 2011 in Toronto, Canada, it was acknowledged that before long fans of classic versions of Green Lantern, Flash and Superman would get their fill. After many months of anticipation, fans of the characters received the first issue of Earth 2 #1 last week as it thundered onto store shelves and into our loving hands.
Read MoreEarth 2 #1

Legion Unleashed #1

Where many superhero comics featuring Canadian characters fail is the inclusion of a given character's nationality not necessarily as a fundamental component of the story, but rather as a gimmick to dress the story up to encourage national interest. This is hardly the case with Evans' Canadian superhero title, Legion Unleashed, as we find the opposite to be true as band of Canadian heroes of varying cultural backgrounds come together to tackle contemporary threats to national security while coming face-to-face with the country's greatest myths and legends.
Read MoreLegion Unleashed #1

Avengers vs. X-Men #1

Similarly to film, summers tend to lend themselves to huge blockbuster story lines in comics. With seven years of planning behind it, Marvel's 2012 foray pits the Avengers against the X-Men. The Hope-centric plot brings together the world's greatest heroes and places them on opposing sides; one fights to save the world, the other to preserve its very existence.
Read MoreAvengers vs. X-Men #1

The New Deadwardians #1

The horror genre in comics can easily be divided into two categories. In one group we have stories which are formulaic, largely unoriginal and don't really offer anything to the medium. Contrarily, there are comic horror stories which push the storytelling possibilities of the medium and take it new places or adapt it to new environments. Fan favourite writer Dan Abnett hopes to provide the latter over the course of his new eight-part series through DC's Vertigo imprint with his horror tale, The New Deadwardians.
Read MoreThe New Deadwardians #1

The Savage Hawkman #7

Hawkman is one of DC's more notable characters that has never quite caught on with comic fans beyond its core base. Most recently Carter Hall figured into the company's Brightest Day maxi-series, before mostly fading to obscurity prior to the "New 52" relaunch in Sept. 2011. Prior to its first issue, the series was touted as featuring Hawkman in a more violent comic with a vicious tone unseen in previous iterations.
Read MoreThe Savage Hawkman #7

Friends With Boys

A graphic novel offered serially online and in print by Faith Erin Hicks, a wonderfully talented Canadian cartoonist. [quote]A coming-of-age tale with a spooky twist! Maggie McKay hardly knows what to do with herself. After an idyllic childhood of homeschooling…

Read MoreFriends With Boys

Avengers vs. X-Men #0

Since her birth in the Alaskan cold in the 2007 X-Men crossover Messiah Complex, Hope Summers has been the central figure in all mutant related stories. From her role in the latest Cable series which lead to her return to the present during Second Coming, Hope has been an integral player in Marvel's plans for the X-books, destined to either save the mutant race from extinction or to destroy the world. That wasn't even the beginning of the complete story mind you, as the planning for this crossover stretches as far back as the 2005 mini-series House of M which resulted in the mutant gene being wiped out by the Scarlet Witch.
Read MoreAvengers vs. X-Men #0

The Shark King

After being enthralled with Night Fisher I was anxious to read R. Kikuo Johnson’s next comic endeavour The Shark King. [quote]From the islands of Hawaii comes the electrifying tale of Nanaue, who has to balance his yearning for Dad’s guidance…

Read MoreThe Shark King

Rebel Blood #1

Considering the overwhelming popularity of zombies due in large part to the successes of the Walking Dead comic and television series, it's difficult to revolutionize the horror genre. Even with that in mind, that's what co-plotters Alex Link and Riley Rossmo have attempted to do with their creator-owned series, entitled Rebel Blood.
Read MoreRebel Blood #1

Wonder Woman #7

Wonder Woman has traditionally been a character unlike most within the mainstream superhero genre of comics. Where the heroes themselves are commonly viewed as gods in the metaphorical sense, Wonder Woman literally lives among them, standing beside the likes of Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Athena and Ares. Yet without a true antagonism the character's books has always felt a little hollow outside the Justice League books.
Read MoreWonder Woman #7

Luz Sees The Light

As I roamed the aisles of March’s Toronto Comicon I came across Claudia Dávila promoting her recent work Luz Sees The Light, a graphic novel with a strong environmental message for young people. [quote]Change is in the air. Power outages are…

Read MoreLuz Sees The Light