Rory Wilding Comic Reviews

Although you don't have an instant idea about what the story actually is until that reveal at the very end, this first volume of Asadora! is a wonderful character-driven piece of historical fiction.

Asadora!'s greatest strength is the human story that moves from tragedy to explore new waters.

Although the next volume will most likely be the first confrontation with the Kaiju, there is still a lot to like about this volume thanks to Naoki Urasawa's artwork and characterization.

In the end Naoki Urasawa is still playing the long game with the central mystery, which is very frustrating, though there is still enough to like about this volume that hopefully the next installment will really deliver.

This one-shot is a funny and touching character study about an innocent monster who is an instant favorite.

Although the world-building can be heavy-handed, Ask for Mercy puts a fun fantasy spin on history, presented in gorgeously surreal artwork.

Following the disappointment of My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, the dynamic duo of Brubaker and Phillips improve their game with a crime-based examination of an industry that isn't just about the heroics.

Concluding with a rushed ending that does a lot while setting a potential fourth volume, the long-awaited return of Batman: Earth One is ultimately not worth the wait as it juggles too much and achieves so little.

An excellent start for the One More Day series, as Tom King and Mitch Gerads deliver a compelling psychological thriller about one of the greatest villains the Dark Knight has confronted.

Despite the somewhat upsetting subject matter, Boy's Abyss is a compelling if bleak exploration of small-town life that will be interesting to unravel in subsequent volumes.

I never even played CLUE when I was a kid, but I certainly had fun with what Dash does with the premise, such as applying black comedy wrinkles about motivation and morality.

With so much zombie content out there a lot of it is bound to be similar, and sadly Crueler Than Dead falls into such a pitfall.

Tom King pokes fun at both the Bat-mythos and his reinterpretation of Looney Tunes, presenting a darkly comic crime-ridden tale.

Stunning work from an artistic standpoint, but the emotionally cold narrative doesn't work wonders, even with its well-worn sci-fi premise.

Alex Ross uses today's tools to tell his own version of a classic Fantastic Four story. Full Circle is an essential read for those who are fans of the artist, as well as Marvel's First Family.

Although this is dramatically inert compared to the future works that this inspired, Fist of the North Star remains an important and well-crafted battle manga that wears its own influences proudly.

Forever Home doesn't reinvent the wheel in terms of the haunted house narrative, but it'sa fun, heartwarming tale about the understanding of others and the significance of a home.

The story may be all too familiar, but Masaaki Ninomiya does enough to create an unsettling atmosphere and a compelling mystery that makes you excited to see where Gannibal goes.

Although Chainsaw Man remains as entertaining as it is popular, Tatsuki Fujimoto is at his best with the one-shot format as Goodbye, Eri is a masterful coming-of-age story that plays with reality and fantasy through its discussion of filmmaking.

The VerdictIn twelve issues, Christopher Sebela can be long-winded as he juggles two narratives, but when he focuses on the disgraced former Olympian climbing the snow-filled danger of Mount Everest, stunningly illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa, that's where High Crimes succeeds.

Tatsuki Fujimoto is all about coming-of-age narratives but is able to put a new spin with each new title, whether it is about a literal chainsaw man, or in the case of Look Back, a powerful examination of what it means to be young and ambitious.

For those who have been on board with the depressing tone you've come to expect from Inio Asano, you may feel disappointed over the shallowness of Mujina Into the Deep, whose mashing doesn't quite come together as Asano would have hoped.

Although Mark Millar isn't reinventing himself, let alone this supervillain concept from 2010, but Nemesis: Reloaded has enough grit and dazzling visuals to want to see where this creation will go in future installments.

'Olympia' is a fun meta-spin on the superhero genre that never loses its personal touch.

Although there is so much more that the creators could have achieved through its characters and worldbuilding, Outer Lands does enough with its strong premise that makes it an enjoyable read.

Abigail Jill Harding succeeds as both artist and writer with the masterful debut issue of Parliament of Rooks, a multi-faceted narrative that will be exciting to see unravel in the coming months.

While there aren't any big revelations at this point, Parliament of Rooks succeeds in its exploration of its main character, trying to balance romance and monsters.

Three issues in, Parliament of Rooks continues to be one of the most thrilling, original titles in comics today, from the incredible monochrome art to the ever-growing horror influences.

As the story approaches its climax, the penultimate issue of Parliament of Rooks delivers answers, as well as a stunning horror spectacle.

As a parliament of rooks flies towards the full moon, thus concludes an incredible series from writer and illustrator Abigail Jill Harding, who compiles a number of influences ranging from Gothic romance, dark fantasy and various forms of horror into a unique visual experience.

In five issues, Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard present a masterpiece that celebrates and dissects comics through the legacy of one of the greatest titles in the medium. Far from merely a carbon copy of Watchmen, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt uses its ideas and techniques to craft its own narrative that is meta, potent and trippy.

Although I wish the book was longer and some elements were fleshed out more, 'Primer' does plenty right as a coming-of-age superhero narrative that explores a literally colorful array of superpowers.

Ito's tale of a hell star may have a chilling presence, along with quality art, but Remina is frustratingly lacking in substance.

With the previous volume expertly crafting the world-building and the central family drama, this volume doesn't pay as much attention with a desire to rush into the action. That said, Seven Secrets is still a fun, exciting read where revelations are huge and creates enough excitement for what comes next.

It's a bad year for Snake Eyes, who on his own isn't that exciting in the movies or in the comics. The latter is apparent in the blandness that is 'Snake Eyes: Deadgame'.

As always with these collections, some stories are better than others, but Sneeze overall is a fun departure from Naoki Urasawa's more dramatic works.

Three years in the making, Spectators is worth the wait as it is a multi-faceted epic that ranges from sci-fi, the afterlife and an examination on humanity at its self-destructive and raunchiest.

Like many of these early short story collections by manga creators, 17-21 feels like a preview for what Tatsuki Fujimoto will eventually do, but the stories themselves have enough to enjoy on their own merits.

Like the previous volume, '22-26' feels like a preview for what Tatsuki Fujimoto will eventually do, but does feature better stories that are varied through art and themes.

A fun crime/fantasy miniseries that is visually striking, whilst being thematically driven by great characters wrestling with their own identity.

The intriguing premise and solid artwork are not enough to save the storytelling issues from Tsutomu Nihei's latest manga.

In under a hundred pages, Ingrid Chabbert and Carole Maurel create a masterpiece about heartbreak that also explores love and reconstruction in a way that is truly heartwarming.

As the first of the DC Icons novels to be converted as a comic book, Warbringer is an okay adventure that tells Wonder Woman's well-established origin in the confines of a YA narrative.