Continued…
-Tomb Raider #1. Series. Dark Horse Comics. Script by Gail Simone. Art by Nicolas Daniel Selma. No rating- personally suggest teen. $3.50.
I didn’t do much gaming last year. Or this year either. But one of the titles I was not going to miss was the Tomb Raider reboot. Short version of a review: One of my childhood mainstays got an amazing upgrade.
So I’m a bit disappointed when it comes to this first issue from Dark Horse. In some ways it’s a nice fan service to pick up shortly after where the game left off. But really it is just kind of boring and pretty much a standard first issue. But with most first issues, you want the reader to pick up the next issue. With this, I really didn’t.
The one real positive I take away from this is the art. I’ve never seen any of Nicolas Daniel Selma’s work before this, but I enjoyed it here. The colors are nice and vibrant as well.
-Jupiter’s Legacy #4. Series. Image Comics. Written by Mark Miller. Art by Frank Quitely. Rated M/ Mature. $2.99.
I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of Mark Millar works, but I have really been enjoying his series Jupiter’s Legacy. It’s an alternate origins of supers and how we and they interact. Millar has wasted no time getting down to the nitty gritty in the first three chapters either.
This fourth chapter takes place several years after the game-changing events that take place in the third, in non-spoiler terms. This is probably the weakest chapter so far from Millar. Which is disappointing since Millar has taken a very lazy approach to releasing this title. Sometimes it is bi-monthly. Sometimes… whenever.
But for $2.99 for Frank Quitely’s beautiful and detailed art is a bargain, especially if you are into this series. If not, I’d encourage finding some copies, as I still find this one of the most interesting series out at the moment. Plus, who knows when the next one comes out?
-Starlight #1. Series. Image Comics. Written by Mark Millar. Art by Goran Parlov. Rated M/ Mature. $2.99.
Maybe this somewhat newish series from Millar can explain a bit why it takes him forever to publish Jupiter’s Galaxy. Starlight is what Millar touts as the beginning of his “expanded Millarworld universe”.
Starlight is the tale of Duke Mcqueen, who forty years ago via wormhole became the saviour of the universe. Fast-forward to the present and Duke is a recent widower with some life questions. But it looks like the universe needs saving again and Duke is the man for the job.
There is not much originality here. Millar crafts a story that has been done before. A washed-up old man with a flaky and uncaring family. It’s like The Incredibles and Gran Torino had a child. But somehow Millar makes you ignore all that and makes an intriguing, albeit short, first issue. I am mostly unfamiliar with Goran Parlov’s work but really enjoyed it. He has a mobius-esque landscapes with lovely pastel-tinted colors.
Ya’ got my attention again, Mark.
-Silver Surfer #1. Series. Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott. Art by Mike & Laura Allred. Rated T+ (teen). $3.99.
I will go anywhere Mike Allred takes me. If that means hitchin’ a ride with Silver Surfer, so be it.
I’m a bit rusty on the SS back story, but I knew enough to understand where this first issue picks up. Basically, Surfer was once Norrin Radd who turned into the Surfer when he begins helping Galactus consume planets. When he comes to Earth, The Fantastic Four helps him find his humanity and turns against Galactus.
Knowing that short bio is beneficial when picking this up, as it takes place sometime after. It’s a pretty standard first issue, but what really makes it worth picking up is the Allreds art. The colors and energy of the art takes some of the sting out of the four-dollar price tag. Worth picking up #2 (which comes out tomorrow) just to see where this goes.
And that’s about it for now. I also picked up Image’s first issue of Deadly Class, which came out in January. Wasn’t anything interesting really. A lot of borrowed, unoriginal ideas pasted together in one book. See you again in May, especially on Free Comic Book Day, May third. Keep reading, ya ginchy people.
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