Kristian Solberg Comic Reviews

Adventure Time: Ice King #1 takes our titular character on an interesting adventure, which fits his character quite well. The writing does a good job at expanding on the traits and personality of a well-beloved character, while the art makes you feel well at home in his story. The decision to allocate the majority of resources to the Ice King makes the story feel focused and on-point, however this might make it a bit hard for people that aren't familiar with Adventure Time to get as much enjoyment from this comic as fans of the show/comics. The first issue does show a lot of potential for the next issues, and it will be interesting to follow this story as it progresses. - See more at: http://capelesscrusader.org/adventure-time-ice-king-1-review/#sthash.FAr01Zmy.dpuf

The ongoing "I Am Gotham" arc continues to offer a creative insight into Gotham's dark protector. It presents Bruce as a weathered warrior, a tired soul, painfully aware of where his chosen path will lead him and those who follow him. His newest cohorts are introduced as a last hope to save the city, though knowing the darkness that lurks in Gotham's underbelly, it's likely to be a lot more complicated than what it seems on the surface.

Broken World is built on a great concept, but it squanders a lot of its potential in search of what may be a more unorthodox story. The tale that could have, and maybe should have, been told seems a distant memory, and what you are left with is a comic that is neither groundbreaking, nor all that challenging. It had a chance to deal with a lot of themes and questions that few comics dare go near, but rather than face them head on it goes for an ending that sets up an entirely different story. Whether that story will pay off is something the later issues will have to answer, but for now it is safe to say that Broken World seems like a missed opportunity to challenge the reader with a truly confronting question: who gets to choose?

Grumpy Cat and Pokey #1 pretty much continues the formula that was established in the earlier series. Pokey is the lovable, optimistic oaf, and is complemented well by Grumpy Cat's witty, sarcastic personality. The three stories included in the issue are entertaining as a whole, though the first story does stumble a bit along the way. The artwork is good for the most part, with a few standout moments in the last story. Well worth a read for fans of witty and sarcastic humor.

With Grumpy Cat and Pokey #2 the creative team have found a near perfect balance between story, jokes and visuals. It's a fun comic to read, with visually pleasing artwork across all three stories and several amusing references for an older audience to enjoy. There's some slight repetition in story structure, but it's a minor issue that more detracts from the concept than the issue itself. As a kid's comic, you can't really get much better than this.

Despite all its faults, Indestructible: Stingray #1 is a solid opening that lays a lot of the foundation for an interesting world, and the hopes of worthwhile characters to populate this world with. There's a lot of potential in this story, and if first time scribe Jeff Marsick can overcome his initial struggles to create a complex team of interesting personalities, he has a good enough structure in place from this issue to make Indestructible: Stingray a quality comic in the months to follow.

Jonesy #1 balances teenage angst with love scorn cynicism quite well. It presents us with a character that is engaging, and places her in a story that is quite interesting. The comic's main plot about a young girl that has the powers of Cupid is a clever selling point, and the first issue executes this element well. The first third of the issue does struggle to remain captivating, but once the Cupid element gets introduced the issue never stops being entertaining.

King's Road #1 manages to expand an already engaging story without losing focus on what makes this comic interesting. It is a perfect blend of fantasy and realism, making it just adventurous enough for fans of goblins and trolls, while giving those a bit less enthused by such creatures a powerful story of betrayal to progress the story. The art is amazing all the way through, to the point where a panel of our heroes descending on a mysterious portal while trapped on a roller coaster is just as visually pleasing as seeing a character's glee as he holds a mythical knife in his hands for the first time. The amazing mixture of captivating art, fascinating world building, and a powerful narrative, makes this a must-buy for any fan of good story-telling.

Spiral #1 approaches a well-known genre from a fresh angle. Focusing on how two families on opposite sides of the law are handling a generational shift is an interesting take, and the issue attempts to build a legacy that stretches far beyond the events of this single issue. While the writing feels cluttered at times, and leans far too heavily on exposition to progress its story, the art manages to balance the reader's impression of the comic well. It'll be interesting to see where the second issue in this series takes things, but hopefully it slows down a bit, allowing its countless story threads to develop further in subsequent issues.

The Black Hood #6 completes its task rather effectively. It needed to make whatever events took place before this issue tangible for new readers, while simultaneously presenting a story that would make both new and old readers interested in reading future issues of the series. It offers the reader a plot that is easy to comprehend, it executes it well and gives the reader plenty of background for Greg as our main focal point, showing us why he is an interesting protagonist worthy of our attention, while giving us just enough of a twist to be interested in future issues to see where the story might go from here.

Overall, The first issue of The Hangman is a strong debut for the series. It has fantastic art by Felix Ruiz, which feels gritty and almost realistic. The colours and lettering by Kelly Fitzpatrick and Rachel Deering respectively, adds life to the world our characters live in. The writing by Frank Tieri is quite by-the-numbers for most of the issue, which means that there are elements that feel cliche and uninspired, but the characterisation is quite fleshed out and they all feel rather believable. On top of that, an unexpected ending offers a lot of potential for the future of this series, and could see The Hangman become a interesting story of supernatural horror crimefighting able add another story of lore to the world.

Overall, The Legend of Wonder Woman #1 introduces the reader to a story with a lot of potential. Learning about the origin of Princess Diana/Wonder Woman is interesting, and there are plenty of story threads that the remaining eight issues in the mini-series can focus on. The first issue by itself struggles to stand out as anything more than a jumping stone for later events. There is nothing within this issue that captures the reader's attention beyond the potential it holds for later events. However, if the subsequent issues can find a slightly better balance between exposition and plot progression, this series can be a worthwhile journey into Wonder Woman's early development as a character.

Tomb Raider #1 does a lot of things right. It is instantly engaging, has a strong narrative, terrific artwork, and a suspenseful ending that builds tension towards the next issue. It manages to introduce Lara Croft in a way that makes her a fascinating character, without making her a stereotype of her own franchise. While the issue does not offer any major action set pieces, it does a good job at sustaining a mainly dialogue driven narrative. It accomplishes its task of laying the foundation for future issues well, and it will be interesting to see where the story progresses from here.