Marco Piva Comic Reviews

Once again, read this series. It is even better than it looks. And it looks great.

A great issue with a shocking finale

Even ignoring the amazing art, anyway, Descender is a good series to get into. And this is the first issue in a new story arc " the right one to start. Perfect chance!

To conclude, Descender is a very fine series whose main strengths are the characters" and the art. Admittedly this new issue doesn't exactly inject pace in the story (at least until its final pages), but it helps us get to know better an already interesting character. Still, one to buy!

Things in Descender happen slowly, but the reader can't help paying attention to every detail, so well crafted and depicted. Definitely a series to read.

As always, the highlight of this issue " like any other " is Dustin Nguyen's art. The story is interesting, but the watercolours that illustrate it are something else. You can see, nearly sense the thick paper the artist has used to paint this story on, notice every detail, enjoy every touch. It's something special.

Descender has been a peculiar series from the start, and not only for the extremely original (and wonderful) idea of having everything hand painted. The characters go very often against the stereotypes they should be adhering to while at the same time still playing with them, and now the plot has completely abandoned anything that may have been done before to venture into new territories.

What is Descender? It started like a sweet little story about a child-bot, it moved on to focus on Andy's struggle between his job and his feelings, then it became Quon's story of betrayal and lies, it moved on to the clash between the two TIM units" what now? Follow it and you'll find out!

I'll say this again: Drifter is a complicated series. It's not easy to follow everything that happens in it, and some moments remain unclear and difficult to understand. But reading it is so rewarding in the end"

All in all, then, Drifter is a series worth a reading " a careful, very careful one.

One more piece of the puzzle that is Drifter falls into place. Read this issue, you will" see something happen. Something you will not forget.

In conclusion: Drifter is an extremely interesting but challenging story, and honestly I think that it'd be difficult to start reading it from here " despite the fact that this issue is the beginning of a story arc. In order to try to understand this series, I'd say it's necessary to start from the beginning. The trade paperback collections of the first three arcs -Out of the Night, The Wake and Lit by Fire -are available to purchase: in order to be able to try to understand Drifter, I'd say it'd be extremely useful if not necessary to go back to issue #1(that initially seemed pretty straightforward - little we knew…).

Now, to whom would I suggest to pick up this issue Drifter? At this point, honestly, to nobody. No, I'm not saying that this is not a series worth reading " what I'm actually saying is that starting to read it from the end would spoil the enjoyment and the marvel that Drifter creates. Start from the beginning, and get to issue #16 gradually: you'll probably love it. If you manage not to get frustrated by the haze. Everything will become clear in the end.

Also, if we turn the book upside down, we can read a nice short story by Starkings with art by Tula Lotay, linked to the main story in the issue in a way that I won't anticipate.

Elephantmen gives us a story that doesn't progress the general storyline of the series (as far as we know at the moment) but that will remain in the mind of whoever reads it. This is a really interesting, memorable one-shot that anyone can enjoy even without knowing Ebony's backstory.

As it's obviously challenging to find and read all 72 previous issues of Elephantmen, this #73 could be a decent way to start getting into the series. Yes, it assumes previous knowledge of Hip Flask (and Farrell, and Miki), but those are aspects that will sure become clear in the next few issues to the Elephantmen newbie.

Once again a very interesting issue for this series, and a good one to start if you don't know it as it gives us some details about the past.

A complex story, whose progress is slow and captivating; Four Eyes " Hearts of Fire really is a miniseries worth reading.

Hadrian's Wall is shaping up to be a very interesting science fiction/thriller series. Give it a try!

Hadrian's Wall is - at the end - a murder mystery (although it might not be a murder after all), so it is unadvisable to start reading it from issue #2; but I would suggest to find the first issue and start from there: it's worth it!

Hadrian's Wall is a great mystery series, definitely worth reading: don't miss it!

An extremely interesting noir/thriller, then, a well written and equally well illustrated story really worth reading.

I cannot say I understood every single hint, reference and nuance in Kill 6 Billion Demons, but one thing I can definitely say: I will read it again. And wait for volume two.

In conclusion, Manifest Destiny is a great adventure series; entertaining, occasionally funny, often scary, sometimes quite" yucky, and always extremely original.

So, in short, Manifest Destiny is a fun adventure series. Additionally, its insights into human nature make it even more interesting.

This series remains very interesting despite a relatively repetitive formula: the men reach a spot, they find an arch, there are monsters, someone dies, someone else is smart enough to kill the monster. But there is so much around this formula that Manifest Destiny is not only good but nearly unmissable. Give it a try!

A very interesting issue, and the next will bring one more story arc to a close " even though, in the fanmail page, we are told that this time the end of this part of the series will be" different. We only need to wait and see.

Manifest Destiny remains a very interesting series with a strong writing and good art; obviously it'd be pointless to start reading the series from this issue, that concludes a story arc: you'd better start from the beginning of the series, or at least of "Sasquatch".

This issue, then, could be a pretty good one to start reading the series. Everything seems quiet and nice, as if everything was finally going right for the expedition… the perfect moment to spring another surprise.

I have the impression that Moonshine will become one of those series (or miniseries? We don't know if it will be limited) people will be talking about in the future. It definitely has all the premises to be an epic story, the characters are very interesting and full of hidden sides to their personalities, and the art is in Risso's usual, very in-your-face style. Don't miss it.

Moonshine goes up a gear in this second issue; clearly there is still much to say about those characters, but already Brian Azzarello throws a lot of stuff on the plate; in order to follow this series properly you'll need to read issue #1, but" well, do.

Moonshine is a really interesting series, one that may even be adding something new to comics " we'll see how it goes on. Meanwhile, tuck in!

Moonshine is a miniseries that does not end with this issue #4 (we don't know how many more issues there will be, but we'll probably get to 6), and a good one it is; do yourself a favour and read it. From the start.

Who is Reborn for, then? Well, it isn't too clear yet, but " from what we could see until now " it seems to be shaping up to be a pretty deep comic, but at the same time something full of action and grand moments. It seems unlikely to be only a "light entertainment" series (the identity of the writer confirms this), but it's likely that it will be enjoyable by most. The glorious art helps support this first impression, that will probably be confirmed in the next issues.

Reborn looks like a series that will give the reader a great experience. After two issues it already is extremely interesting, although it's clear that there is still a lot to be discovered.

It may not be running at full speed yet, but Reborn is definitely a series to follow!

Reborn is a fascinating series. On the surface, it is a nice story of a battle of good versus evil; but there is something else hiding deep inside it, a surprise that we are sure Mark Millar will spring upon us when we are least prepared.

Even if you don't care about pro wrestling (in which case my personal opinion is that you are just wrong, but that is not under discussion here), Ringside is a very interesting crime/thriller series worth following.

Fans of pro wrestling, fans of thriller and noir literature, this story is for you. Get into Ringside.

So, what is Ringside? It is a nice thriller, made even better by the fact that we really don't know what's going to happen; it is an inside view into the most complex, least pleasant side of the pro wrestling world; it is a good comic series.

Ringside seems to be adding more and more storylines to an already rich plate, risking to create confusion (and forcing us to write very long summaries!). I confide that Joe Keatinge will wrap everything up very nicely, but at the moment it's challenging to remember who is doing what. Still, Ringside remains a very entertaining series. Some of the subplots may be missing for a month, but what is there is more than enough to make this an extremely good ride. And the atmosphere of every panel, given by a nervous-looking trait and perfectly chosen colours, adds a lot to the story.

Of course, this being the first issue of the series, there's still much more that has to be said and seen before we can judge Romulus, but it's already clear that this will be an interesting story: already in this number one there are several scenes that suggest that we'll see lots of action, lots of irony but also quite some deep reflections on the state of the world.

Despite the fact that we are still in the early stages of this series, Romulus seems to promise great things. Keep an eye on it!

Romulus is first of all an adventure series, full of battles and fights, with Ashlar being pretty much a modern day ninja, but it also hides an interesting reflection on the modern world, on society, on today. It's a series, then, that can be read on at least two levels (more if we focus on the characters' personal stories and feelings), thrilling and fascinating.

Jokes aside, this is a very peculiar series, interesting and convoluted, with art to match. Give it a try but remember" The Discipline is definitely NSFW!

So, this seriesis a complex puzzle (with a certain number of sex scenes thrown in), and the satisfaction in solving is great. An interesting series, but not one made for people who like to read their comics in ten minutes then put them aside.

A solid conclusion to a complex story arc

If you like noir and thriller with good, mysterious characters, The Fuse is the series for you. Probably, however, you won't like it if you care much about perfect artwork in a comic.

Despite this, anyway, The Fuse is a great series. Deep, interesting, involving. Give it a try, you will not regret it. Guaranteed.

Still, a fantastic read. And believe me, you won't even notice the flaws in the art after a while " it is that interesting.

The Fuse is a great thriller, a fantastic ride through the investigations and the minds of the loneliest Homicide Squad agents in the universe (Klem and Ralph, that is), stuck on a fuse-shaped space station orbiting Earth. Really a series worth reading.

As thrillers go, The Fuse is one of the best around. Nail-biting, full of twists and turns, and there seems to be no way out for the main characters. Actually, we have the weird suspicion that next issue will conclude not only this story arc but the whole series. Still, Antony Johnston has surprised us already, so there may very well be a solution" and a way for him to carry on. If it comes to that, this is The Fuse, not "Klem & Ralph", isn't it?

For now, anyway, the only thing we can do is to advise you to go back and read it all " from the start. It will be worth it.

If anyone wants to get into They're Not Like Us, now is the right moment: it's the start of a new story arc, and the author is giving us quite some elements to help the reader understand what's going on in the story. It will never be like having started from the beginning (which is what I'd suggest you to do if you wish to get into this series), but at least you won't be completely lost.

Thief of Thieves is back, then, with an arc that " from what we can understand from this issue " will probably be extremely interesting and entertaining. It seems well worth a try.

This issue is an easy, entertaining, adrenalin-filled read, that transitions towards" well, I won't tell you, you need to read it to find out!

The "Gold Rush" story arc will be concluded next month; after having read what happens at the end of the present issue, I'm really curious to see what's in store for Redmond and their asociates"

Thief of Thieves is an exciting ride, and I would advise every fan of action and adventure to give it a read. Obviously, not starting from the last issue in a story arc" at least get back to the start of this one.

Think Tank is an entertaining and at the same time profound read, a story that can be read on several levels without losing any of its depth. Definitely something for everyone " as long as they have a strong stomach. And no, I'm not referring to any "splatter" scene.

So, in conclusion: Think Tank is not exactly the easiest and most relaxing of reads, not due to its complexity but because the topics it touches on are incredibly sensitive. But it is a great series.

In Wayward, in this issue like in any other, you will find pretty much anything you are looking for in a comic book. Buy it, read it.

In 2015, I had defined Wayward the best ongoing series published by Image Comics (at least amongst those I have read). In 2016, my extremely high expectations about it are not being disappointed. Don't miss it; this issue is a good place to pick it up (there is a pretty good summary of what happened in the past, too).

This is a transitional issue, but there still are several astonishing reveals" and a few nice surprises. It's definitely worth a read. Like all other issues of Wayward.

I don't think I really need to write much more to suggest that Wayward is a series that needs to be read. Actually, if there is only one comic series you have the time for, I'd advise you to consider choosing Wayward.

Wayward is a very pleasant series, very entertaining without ever being dull or excessively simplified; history, mythology and of course Jim Zub's own creations merge seamlessly in a fascinating story, with great characters.

Wayward, then. As I just called it "one of my favourite series", well" I can't do anything if not suggest you to read it!