Reid Carter Comic Reviews

Longtime fans of the Buffyverse will find a lot to like here. Angel and Faith Season 10 #20 has a lot to recommend, but its pacing and art issues leave it feeling a little flat. It does, however, manage to be both traditional and fresh, which is really what you would hope for in a continuation of a universe with this rich of a mythology.

Not much of an improvement over the difficulties of previews issues, Angel & Faith Season 10 #21 still struggles with a lot of its current arc's demons.

While the issue lacks some of the power and drama of some of the series' best moments, BtVS Season 10 #21 lays down an interesting set of threads, leaving just enough questions dangling to promise some satisfying developments for the remainder of this season.

There's something beautifully vulgar " emphasis on beautiful, double emphasis on vulgar " about D4VE. Though it might sometimes inch past the number of acceptable fart jokes per page, D4VE earns its potty mouth with strong characterization and a whole lot of heart.

Peter Krause's work is as bold and expressive as ever, harkening back to the style that made Waid's Irredeemable so memorable. Add in the best use of Twitter in a comic so far this year, and the end result is a smart, compelling book that continues to stand up with the best of Waid's work.

After an intriguing opening issue, Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez deliver a good, if uneven, second act.

Jonesy #1 is a strong start for the series, and though the finale doesn't set up much of an overarching storyline, its strong focal character and unapologetic whimsy have me looking forward to the next issue.

There's nothing new under the sun (or so the saying goes), but King's Road #1 takes being generic to the extreme. Not much feels new about this first issue, which offers 48 pages of the same story I've read multiple times before.

As an opening salvo, Snow Blind #1 is both satisfying and enticing, and if the rest of the series can deliver on its out-of-the-gate promises then Masters' creation could stand alongside the best of the best.

If issue one set the bar high, Snow Blind #2 jumps over it with aplomb, and as the series moves into its second half all you can wonder is whether Masters and Jenkins can stick the landing.

If this is the calm before the storm this issue might be redeemed, but as it stands Snow Blind #3 is the weak link of a so far stellar series. Here's hoping it returns to form next month.

There's a moment toward the end of this issue where the team comes together, back-to-back, ready to defend one another from an onslaught of mousers. This is when the series is at its best: a family, watching each other's backs and kicking tons of butt. Unfortunately, the rest of the issue is a bit of a slog.

If there's one thing The Woods has always succeeded with, it's ramping up tension, even if the explosion at the end of all the build-up doesn't necessarily deliver on promises. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case for The Woods #18. Right away it gives the sense that change is imminent, and that it'll be a sinister change at that. As the New London crowd and Maria's regime make way for the leadership of Taisho's people, everyone seems on edge but no one seems to know why.

Gorgeous, horrific art from Michael Dialynas and Josan Gonzalez is the perfect complement for the narrative. The stark difference between the mundane flashbacks and the chaos of The Woods' planet has long been an element of the series, but as the planet's long simmering threats explode into violence it only makes the mundanity that much more affecting. Panel after panel is striking and vicious, and if the series can keep up this level of quality, the finale could make what has already been a strong series into one that's legendary.

For the final moment of this installment of The Woods, however, this issue feels a bit more "with a whisper" than "with a bang," not so much a let down as it is slightly underwhelming.