Bob Chamberlain Comic Reviews

Don't let the title scare you. This is the perfect time to join the party.

Dark Horse's Conan the Barbarian has been consistently well put-together since its inception and has really delivered Conan the way he was originally intended to be. While this issue is definitely not an optimal jumping-on point, the coming issues promise to be exactly that.

If you're like me and tend to stay away from the big-two's seemingly endless supply of "gimmick" stories, give Daredevil #22 a try. It's a great introduction to the "Superior" Spider-Man and has gotten me to consider expanding my Marvel pull-list. That is a BIG deal, trust me.

Mark Waid continues to shine in what is shaping up to join Frank Miller's and Brian Michael Bendis' runs as all-time classic Daredevil tales. I honestly can't come up with a single weak spot in his presentation. Any single comic issue could potentially be someone's first experience with the medium and Waid understands this. He always presents a bit of exposition explaining Daredevil's abilities and back story, but he inserts it organically into the plot in a way that's nearly invisible. I imagine that it's exhausting to come up with a way to do this month in and month out, but he does it and he does it well. Chris Samnee's art is a great complement to Waid's script. Daredevil moves gracefully across the page, the cityscapes are well rendered and his skill at facial expression hammers home an incredible amount of emotion and heart.

FX has ordered a pilot for a television series of The Strain and I highly recommend you experience the story in one of the printed forms before it airs. While I can't really recommend the comic version above the original novel, the comic is an acceptable substitute.

Ben Oliver's art is easy on the eyes. He is a talented artist, to be sure, but even pretty imagery couldn't add any substance to this quick and lightweight story. For me, one of the most important elements to the Masters of the Universe, err, universe, is its bright and varied color palette. The colors in this book were just, dull. The coloring isn't poorly executed, but the fact that the story followed two characters around one location severely limited the opportunity to vary the coloring from page to page. The cover, however has a really cool design and is worth the price if you're a He-Man fan. I'm on-board for future DC Masters of the Universe comics, but I really hope that we get more stories that resemble steak dinners, because this bite-sized issue left me decidedly unsatisfied.

This issue will not change your life, and it isn't the single, greatest Star Wars experience you will ever get lost in, but it is a promise. The tone and deep understanding of what makes Star Wars so Star Wars will undoubtedly lead to an exciting run of comics that will hopefully remain uninterrupted by Disney's acquisition of the license. The potential here is not for a mere casual jaunt into the galaxy far, far away, but a classic Star Wars tour de FORCE. (drops the microphone and walks off of the stage)

I can't stress this enough. If you've been a fan for as long as you can remember, add this book to your pull-list and track down the last seventeen issues in whatever format suits you. You will be rewarded for your loyalty with fantastic storytelling and the utmost respect for your (now adult) reading level. Cowabunga, thirty-somethings.

This book has managed to completely reignite my love of this franchise and is quickly becoming my favorite monthly read. If you've ever been a fan, this comic is a gift. Do yourself a favor and accept it.

If you are a fan of pulp novels, or action/adventure stories, there is a lot to enjoy in this new series by one of comicdom's fastest rising stars.