Jake Grubman Comic Reviews

HEAD LOPPER #2 is as fun as it gets. Writer/artist Andrew MacLean continues the story of Norgal, the nomadic warrior who just wants to lop some heads. With cartoonishly simple art that fits the straightforward character of the book, HEAD LOPPER #2 is a good read all around.

Becca Rodriguez is an ordinary kid who finds herself in an extraordinary place. After encountering the likes of Ogeode (a wizard, or maybe the monster hiding in your closet) and Goleta (a jacked wizard-slayer with a sweet ride), Becca figures out she's on Weirdworld, a planet away from home. This is a fun, well-written first issue with fantastic art throughout.

One of the worst things that can happen to a narrative is for the premise to tell the whole story. As an example, consider the Transformers series: Kid gets a car, it's a robot, and there are bad robots, too. Hilarity ensues. Fortunately, INVISIBLE REPUBLIC has easily cleared that hurdle with character development and narrative complexity. This continues to be a series to watch.

See larger imageThe Wrong Wrights (Secret Smithsonian Adventures)Schoolmates Dominique, Eric, Josephine, and Ajay are excited about a field trip to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. When they get there, however, they find a very different museum than the one they were expecting. Not only is it much smaller, it's filled with balloons, blimps, and dirigibles, many of them with the same logo: BARRIS AIRSHIPS. Where's the Spirit of St. Louis? Where's the Apollo 11 command module? Where's the Wright Brothers' 1903 flyer? With the help of a museum "fabrications specialist," they travel through time to try and restore the Wright brothers to their well-earned place in history. Along the way they also learn about aerodynamics and other aviation principles from a wise-cracking A.I. named Smitty. But the kids' story doesn't end there-something is amiss in the next stop on their Smithsonian tour, the National Museum of Natural History-so they'll h

Rob Williams and Michael Dowling continue with a strong second installment, with a thus-far captivating story and exceptional artwork. The cast continues to grow, and it's a good one.