Reed Hinckley-Barnes Comic Reviews

"Black Panther" #1 lives up to the promise of a new volume, taking the series in an exciting and completely different direction.

"Justice League" #1 is a fantastic first issue and great start to what looks like it might be the next great super hero epic.

"The Seeds" #1 is dense but rewarding. The artwork by David Aja is fantastic, and as whole this issue is comic book storytelling of the highest caliber.

A very exciting first issue from some truly talented creators.

"Bitter Root" #1 is a great first issue, tackling racism and the supernatural, and looking fantastic while doing it.

"Captain America" #1 explores the character's "Secret Empire" status quo to great effect, asking important questions about who Steve Rogers is and what he stands for.

Final Verdict: 9.0 " As is tradition, "Daredevil" #1 begins by tearing Matt Murdock's life apart and does so with a great amount of both style and substance.

"Days of Hate" #6 shows once again why this series is one of the most compelling books being sold today.

"Days of Hate" #12 finds hope in the darkness, giving readers a reason to keep fighting, and looks fantastic doing it.

A great continuation of a fun debut

"The New World" #1 features stunning artwork and a world that the reader can become fully immersed in.

"Dark Nights: Metal" #6 is an insane finale to a crazy series, and an absolute blast to read.

"Survival Fetish" #1 is the exciting, sparse, elegant debut issue.

"Dark Ark" #6 gives some insight into the backstory of its main character, keeping the series interesting and moving it forward.

Rob Guillory continues to create an exciting, character focused series with "Farmhand" #4.

Final Verdict: 8.5 " "Oblivion Song" #1 is an exciting debut. An issue full of action, while still dealing with some heavy, personal topics.

"Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt" is a successor to "Watchmen," but at the same time, not afraid to take its own path.

With character interactions front and center, "Runaways" #7 feels like hanging out with old friends in the best way possible.

While not as seamlessly pulled from the full graphic novel as the first chapter, "The Spider King" #2 still continues the excellence that was on display in the first issue.

"Vinegar Teeth" #1 is an exciting debut, both funny and disgusting in equal measure.

Halfway through it's series, "The Wild Storm" #12 has a number of its plot lines come to an exciting and explosive head.

"The Wild Storm" #17 is another great chapter in this ever evolving series.

Despite some flaws in the script, Spencer and Ottley's "Amazing Spider-Man" #1 is an exciting start to a new era of Spider-Man.

"American Carnage" #2 continues to impress, giving a tense look at the series main villain.

"Bonehead" #2 takes the time to explain its world, but not at the expense of it's fun action sequences.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" #2 continues to be a ton of fun, while starting to show how it will be different from the original series.

A fun conclusion to the 'Loki: Sorcerer Supreme' arc, and a good set up for the series as it goes forward.

"Euthanauts" #2 achieves the promise of the first issue, and if you were on the fence, is definitely worth continuing.

Final Verdict: 8.0 " "Guardians of the Galaxy" #1 hits the perfect tone for cosmic Marvel and leaves the reader excited for more.

Final Verdict: 8.0 " Donny Cates and Travel Foreman create a mystery that leaves the reader excited to read on in "Marvel Knights 20th"

Final Verdict: 8.0 " Even with the return of the main book, "Marvel Two-in-One" continues to be a great character study of the Fantastic Four, two characters at a time.

"The Batman Who Laughs" #1 is great continuation of Scott Snyder's Batman, and an engaging, moody story in its own right.

"West Coast Avengers" #1 is funny, action packed team book that is definitely worth checking out.

"Young Justice" #1 sees Bendis and Gleason at their best, making a joyful, exciting first issue.

While the new cast of characters is interesting, "Nightwing" #36 still leaves a few too many questions.

"Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man" #299 spends most of its time setting up for the next issue, but is a very good time nonetheless.

"The Prisoner" #2 dives into the mind of its main character as the series really gets started.

A fun continuation of 'Loki: Sorcerer Supreme' even if it feels like this arc might end up being a bit fleeting.

"Captain America" #2 is a strong continuation of the series, but doesn't pack quite as much of a punch as the first issue.

Final Verdict: 7.5 " While the story is still a bit shallow, the plot and characters are fun enough, and the art beautiful enough, that "Made Men" #5 is still worth reading.

"Shadow Roads" #1 combines supernatural westerns with an exploration of race in this fun debut issue.

"Skyward" continues to be a thrilling series, though the characters seem a bit underdeveloped.

"VS" continues to be a beautiful book, but insight into its main character is a little lacking.

"Action Comics" #1001 is a fun superhero story that captures the character of Superman.

The new creative team bring a fun energy to '8 Years Later' and though not much happens in this first issue, the character dynamics seem interesting enough to hope that in future issues, we can see a little bit more of the family as a whole.

"Avengers" #1 has a bit of inconsistency trying to figure out what it wants to be, but at it's heart this seems like the start of a great new era.

"Brilliant Trash" #6 is a small, character focused series of vignettes that works well as a both an ending and a beginning.

"Brother Nash" #1 is a bit uneven, but in the parts where it works, it's a well-done book.

"Bully Wars" is a lot of fun, and worth checking out for younger audiences.

This issue does a good job of wrapping up story lines, and starting to bring this too short series to a close.

In its final issue, "Mech Cadet Yu" doesn't quite stick the landing but is still able to provide a very enjoyable ride.

While "Old Man Hawkeye" #1 captures the environment of the original series, as a prequel it still has a lot to do to prove it is a story worth telling.

"Stronghold" #1 doesn't entirely come together, but it's strong premise hopefully foreshadow better things to come.

"What If? X-Men" is a great idea with a slightly flawed execution.

"The Beautiful Death" #5 stumbles a little in its plot, but gorgeous visuals and pacing are able to make up for it.

"Batman: Sins of the Father" #1 is a good comic with the caveat that you'll be missing quite a bit without having played the games it's attached to.

"Beyonders" #4 is a fun, though not entirely successful romp that works best when it's focused on its two lead characters.

When "Judge Dredd: Toxic" #1 works, it's an interesting satire. But the issue takes far too long to get going.

"Justice League Odyssey" #1 never quite comes together, an idea and team that is much more exciting than its execution.

Final Verdict: 6.5 " "Legion" #1 is a well made book, and a good introduction to the character, but is missing some of the weirdness one might want out of the title.

"Submerged" #1 is a fun debut that draws the reader in, despite some hiccups in the sequential story telling.

"Thanos Annual" #1 is a mixed bag of short stories, but one that has a couple of great highlights.

While the action in "The Ballad of Sang" #5 is fun, the story ends up falling a little flat.

While the art is beautiful, if you go into "The Family Trade" expecting anything other than a light bit of intrigue and adventure, you're bound to be a bit disappointed.

"The Immortal Men" #1 is a slow start to a series that, after this issue, loses its biggest creative name.

"Barbarella" #9 is a fun science fiction story that is somewhat lacking in depth.

While the water color style artwork is beautiful, the plot of "Black Badge" #1 has too many holes and not enough character work to fill them.

While the art of "Black Cloud" #8 is magical, it's story continues to be confusing and difficult.

Final Verdict: 6.0 " Pacing issues and some strange story choices make "Dead Life" #1 a bit of a rough first issue.

When it embraces what it is, "Elsewhere" #6 is a fun, if somewhat light adventure. But when it tries for genuine emotion, the story falls flat.

The best parts of "Falcon" are being shoved aside in service of a standard super hero story.

"The Magic Order" #6 has Mark Millar falling into some of his worst tendencies, leaving Oliver Coipel's without a compelling story to back it up.

"Pumpkinhead" #1 doesn't do enough to pull in readers, and the artwork ends up being a bit too inconsistent.

While there might be a good idea underneath the odd storytelling choices, "Breakneck" #1 just ends up feeling a bit too sloppy.

"Hungry Ghosts" #3 has good visuals, but it's stories aren't able to follow through on their promise.

"Nightwing" #43 isn't bad, it's just kind of boring.

Man #300 is a disappointing anniversary issue, missing a lot of what has made the book work in this run.

"Betrothed" #1 ends up a jumble of influences, never managing to rise to the example set by the stories it is influenced by.

While the artwork is well done, "Death of Love" #1 has far too many its jokes fall flat.

"The Beef" #1 is a strange mix of subject matters and tones, and none of it ever quite fits together.

Too many clichs and not enough answers to recommend this to anyone other than die hard sword and sorcery fans.

With its first issue, "Man Without Fear" #1 doesn't present a compelling reason for this miniseries to exist.

While the art is enjoyable, "SuperMansion" #2 relies on outdated stereotypes for jokes that don't land.

Because of this, the end result of "Glass Town" is that it falls a bit flat. It's interesting to learn about Glass Town, but in the end the book feels more like learning about a story than actually experiencing the story for yourself. For those whose only experience with the Bronts was reading Jane Eyre for school, this might not be the most engaging experience. But, if you're already interested in the Bront's, and would like to learn more about their juvenilia, "Glass Town" is a beautiful experience that will let you experience, in part, the imaginary world that the Bront siblings created together.

Over all, "Pilu and the Woods" is a book I would recommend to almost anyone. From middle grade readers, to anyone that wants to see an almost perfectly constructed book, "Pilu of the Woods" works. If you love comics, this is a book that is worth checking out.

But, aside from some strange lettering choices, "The Chancellor and the Citadel" is a beautiful story. It tackles darkness, with the Chancellors past, and her efforts to control her power. But it also includes moments of love, tenderness, and affection that are rendered more genuinely here that I've seen in a very long time. Frantz has created a stunning debut graphic novel. She creates a lush, full world, that isn't afraid to keep some things a mystery. She tackles difficult subjects in a nuanced way, while still creating something fit for children. "The Chancellor and the Citadel" is a uniquely stunning debut graphic novel, and one that is definitely worth seeking out.