phil Comic Reviews

So with Persona 5 now on the horizon, is this the last were going to see of Persona 4 and the Inaba Investigation team? I certainly hope not, but a part of me cant help but feel a little sad that this just might be the end. Still, Persona 4: Dancing All Night may have undeniable flaws as a rhythm game, but it still managed to hit with me on several levels with its great story and amazing soundtrack.

Even if youre a big fan of the anime or the first game, Afro Samurai 2: The Revenge of Kuma Volume One should be avoided at all costs.

Okay, I should state here that I really like Street Fighter and honestly, this probably isnt going to convert anyone else into a fan. Its a comic full of small nods and little in-jokes that I really enjoyed, while on the surface its a comic about big muscley dudes who beat each other up for no reason. This is one for Street Fighter fans and Im going to score it that way, if youre not a fan then Id pop two points off the number.

Okay, I should state here that I really like Street Fighter and honestly, this probably isnt going to convert anyone else into a fan. Its a comic full of small nods and little in-jokes that I really enjoyed, while on the surface its a comic about big muscley dudes who beat each other up for no reason. This is one for Street Fighter fans and Im going to score it that way, if youre not a fan then Id pop two points off the number.

I found Deadbeats to be a more fun than anything else. Though it draws inspiration from the stories of Lovecraft it is not really a Lovecraft style story. It is really a story of two friends caught up in something thats too much for them to handle and how theyll manage to get out of there mess. If you are looking for a more Lovecraftian story than check out The Lovecraft Anthology series which all three of these creators have also worked on. But if you are looking for a fun story with a Lovecraft twist the Deadbeats is defiantly a good read worth your time.

Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale is not the perfect game. The menus and intro cutscenes are ugly, the supers feel unbalanced and it really could do with some different game types. While I can see how they are trying to differentiate from other fighters, I would have enjoyed the option of playing the game with a more traditional life bar instead of always having to use the super. Still, for every problem I had, this game was tremendous fun. It may not be perfect but it's very good.

Theres not much else to go on. As this is a childrens book, the story is extremely simple and straightforward as you would expect. As a fan of HP Lovecraft I did find this to be a lot of fun, and the fact that it's quite a short read just meant that when I finished I went back to the start and read it again. Id recommend this to anyone who likes Lovecraft and can enjoy the fun and simplicity of a kids storybook. Wheres My Shoggoth? does a good job of capturing the feel of both.

If you are a fan of spy movies or tired of the usual Jedi stories then you should find a lot to like here. It is stories like this that makes you remember why Star Wars is so popular in the first place. It wasnt just about Jedi and the force. It was the potential of an entire universe full of possible adventures.

I tend to find that first issues are tricky things to review. More often than not, you are given a premise that will have the potential to be something excellent if you stick with it. At the same time you can see how it can follow a different path and become something you dont want to read. Idolized falls into this category. I enjoyed this first issue, but from it I can only hope that it manages to keep itself interesting for the rest of the series. Still, there is enough potential in this issue to recommend picking it up.

I think most of Hoax Hunters major flaws are because it was written to be read in small instalments. I also think it would be unfair to judge it too harshly because of it. It is worth keeping in mind that this is a fun comic that shows much potential for the future. I think this is worth a read and a taste of what will hopefully be a good first issue in the future.

Overall I enjoyed Star Wars Jedi Volume 1. While the main story of political turmoil on the planet Telos IV may not knock you off your feet there is enough depth in the characters to make this a good read. As a fan of Star Wars I recommend giving this a shot.

I desperately want to love Lady Mechanika. I think that Joe Benitezs art is amazing, making this one of the prettiest books on the shelf but behind the beautiful visuals you end up with a very mediocre comic. Maybe a couple of years down the line when the series is available as a graphic novel it will be a better paced, more rewarding read but in its current form its a long wait for a slow read with very little forward progress.

As I mentioned before, I love this comic and I love this volume. While it would be nice to see how the main story is progressing, I think the series works best when it tells the fantastically weird, silly, haunting, touching and funny stories like the stories presented in this volume. One complaint I do have is that Im really not a fan of Richard Corben's art and there is quite a bit of it here. Apart from that I really cant recommend this book enough, and if you havent already, I highly recommend picking up the other ten volumes too.

Overall this issue doesnt feel as new and exciting as the beginning of the first series but it does seem to want to bring it into new directions. Im interested to see where it will bring me and if you are a fan of the first series I recommend hopping into this one too.

This is actually a pretty good collection, you get a lot of story for your money and it shows how cool James Bond really was back in the sixties. Unfortunately there are better ways to experience these stories, if you are interested in how James Bond was before he became the subject of every spy parody then read the novels but if you are a big fan of James Bond this is a great piece to add to your collection even if its more of a curiosity piece.

All in all I was disappointed with the second issue of Lady Mechanika. I didnt feel like the story had moved on enough to be satisfying or enough had happened in the issue to keep me entertained. Also old clichs and sloppy story telling pulled me right out of the experience. I love both issue 0 and issue 1 and I still think that the overall story will be something everyone will want to read. If you too enjoyed the first issue and are looking forward to what is coming next then pick this up, just dont expect it to reach the same level of action and mystery as the first issue.

I really enjoyed this series as it was on going (the previous issues scored 8, 8 and 9 respectably) so maybe when it came to this one I was expecting a bit too much and maybe for the same reasons I'm going a little too hard on it. Still I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

After all that I do still think that this is a comic that I would recommend. I didn't quite understand it but I have to admit that I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the second issue, all the time hoping that it will open the world out a bit more.

If you haven't read any of the issues then there is not much point jumping in now, but if you do get an opportunity to pick up the first two issues along with this one then I say go for it. With only one issue left (I think) I can't wait for issue 4.

As I mentioned above Charles Soule has done a good job of answering enough questions without giving too much away, just enough to keep me interested and looking forward to the next issue. If you missed the first issue then this is not the one to jump in on, what I would recommend is going back and picking it up and while you are doing that you should pick up issue two right along with it.

Check out the preview http://comicbuzz.com/lady-mechanika-1-preview

Over all I really enjoyed this comic. As I mentioned above mysteries with a supernatural twist are me all over and add in great art you get an outstanding first issue and leaves me waiting for more. My opinion Pick this up and give it read.

While the over arching story may be something good this first issue sadly failed to hook me in.

Uncanny #526 does a good job of showing the multiple story lines and where they are going leaving much to get excited about while certain issues with art bring it down a peg.

The first issue had established multiple villains and a destination for the new team to explore, now at the end of issue 3 we seem no closer to it. At the rate this is going I would not be very surprised if this is still the case at the end of issue 4. Also the banter which I enjoyed so much in New Avengers again feels forced and out of place which I found to be a huge disappointment. As a whole this issue works better then issue 2 but I can't help the feeling that it is still just spinning its wheels.

I think what brings this issue down the most is probably my expectations, after Green lantern #50 six months ago I was expecting Green Lantern Corp to do something similar adding to the mythos of the GL history and the like. What we got was a perfectly fine middle issue of an arc already in progress and if you have been following it so far this is pretty enjoyable.

This is an issue that does exactly what it needs to do, it drives the story forward while giving you an action packed good time. If you didn't read the first issue I think it would be a good time to pick both it and issue 2 up.

If you have been following the goings on in both Ult. Spidey and Ult. Enemy there is much to like here though, at this point the story could really go anywhere and the potential exists for this to be something really good.

The last 3 years have produced the most consistently good issues of Spider-man in decades wiping away and bad taste left over from the event that was necessary to create them. With an ark like this that addresses it directly I couldn't help but have some negative feelings left from before and I think that this leaves One Moment In Time facing an uphill battle. All that said I really enjoyed this issue, though I would have been happy for them to ignore OMD and just continue with great stories it probably needed to be addressed eventually. Filling out a full 42 pages I can't help recommend picking up this issue and giving it a chance.