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C2E2 and the Autograph Conundrum

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

C2E2 taught me something this year…

You should have seen some of the prices some of these comic book creators were putting on their raw signatures. Some of them were reasonable about it. Some were not. I may love somebody’s work, but I’m not paying $20 for you to scribble your name on a comic book. I’ve got kids, for cryin’ out loud…

Perhaps this is a naive approach, but if I’m ever in a position where people at large want my autograph for something, the most I’m going to charge (if I charge at all) is $1 per item, with all proceeds going to benefit Alzheimer’s research.

Either that, or on a bad day the “Rob Siebert Gets a Sandwich” fund. That’s important too.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace #1 Micro-Review – “…Disintegrated?”

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Star Wars Return of the Jedi Jabba's Palace 1, cover, March 2023, Ryan BrownTITLE: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Jabba’s Palace #1
AUTHOR: Marc Guggenheim
ARTISTS:  Alessandro Miracolo, Dee Cunniffe (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Ryan Brown.
RELEASED: March 29, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

It’s always fun to come back to Jabba’s palace. It’s one of those classic Star Wars locations that rarely disappoints. This issue delivers in that respect, with a story about the protocol droid in Jabba’s palace who we see being tortured in Return of the Jedi.

I always get a kick out of how writers are able to mine story ideas from extras in these now 40-year-old movies. Case in point, this robot that was only on screen for a few seconds.

Tremendous cover by Ryan Brown. The best I’ve seen on a Star Wars book recently.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

An Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 Micro-Review – “Things Are About to Get Weird.”

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Unstoppable Doom Patrol 1, cover, March 2023, Chris Burnham, Nick FilardiTITLE: Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1
AUTHOR: Dennis Culver
ARTISTS: Chris Burnham, Brian Reber (Colorist), Pat Brosseau (Letterer). Cover by Burnham & Nick Filardi.
RELEASED: March 28, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’m always pleased to see Chris Burnham’s name on a book. I’ve got a fondness for him that dates back to his work on Batman. From a quality standpoint, his work here is everything I was hoping for.

There’s a character on the first page of this issue who says, “Things are about to get weird.” I love that as a sort of mission statement for this book. And indeed, there’s plenty of weird stuff going on here.

All that being said, we did not need a gratuitous Batman appearance in this, the first issue. What is this, a Superman book?

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers #106 Micro-Review – A Juggling Act

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 106, cover, March 2023, Taurin ClarkeTITLE: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #106
AUTHOR: Melissa Flores
ARTISTS:  Simone Di Gianfelice, Raul Angulo (Colorist), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by Taurin Clarke.
RELEASED: March 22, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

For a long time now, dating back to before Melissa Flores’ run on the book, these BOOM! Studios MMPR books have been juggling a lot of characters. We’ve got our traditional Rangers and their supporting cast, the Omega Rangers and their supporting cast, the villains, etc. It can get a little overwhelming.

That being said, in this issue there’s a really nice little scene between Tommy and Jason. Just a nice dialogue scene between two characters, with some great emotion at the end. Nicely done.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A TMNT #138 Micro-Review – “Gettin’ Way Too Big For Us”

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TMNT 138, variant cover, March 2023, Kevin Eastman, Sophie CampbellTITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #138
AUTHORS: Sophie Campbell, Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz (Story Consultants)
ARTISTS: Fero Pe, Ronda Pattison (Colorist), Shawn Lee (Letterer). Variant cover by Eastman & Campbell.
RELEASED: March 22, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Raph has a line early in this issue: “This is gettin’ way too big for us, Leo.” That feels like a thesis statement for this Armageddon Game stuff at large. I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier to see a TMNT story wrapping up.

On the plus side, I’m still really enjoying Fero Pe’s work. Ronda Pattison compliments him very well, as she’s done for virtually all the artists she’s worked with on this series. I’m hoping he sticks around post-Armageddon Game.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Miles Morales: Spider-Man #4 Micro-Review – Wrestling with Rabble

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Miles Morales Spider-Man 4, cover, March 2023, Dike Ruan, Alejandro SanchezTITLE: Miles Morales: Spider-Man #4
AUTHOR: Cody Ziglar
ARTISTS:  Federico Vicentini, Bryan Valenza (Colorist), Cory Petit (Letterer). Cover by Dike Ruan & Alejandro Sanchez.
RELEASED: March 15, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I like the costume design for this new villain, Rabble. Cool stuff.

The mentor/student dynamic between Miles and Misty Knight is endearing, and becomes more so as the issues progress. I feel like we don’t see a female mentor and a male student as often as we should.

The stakes for this story are also nice and high, with the tension, again, amping up as the issues progress. I’m not as familiar with Miles’ adventures in the main Marvel Universe, as opposed to the Ultimate Universe. But he’s definitely in good hands right now.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Nemesis: Reloaded #3 Micro-Review – The Emerging Pattern

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Nemesis Reloaded 3, cover, March 2023, Jorge JimenezTITLE: Nemesis: Reloaded #3
AUTHOR: Mark Millar
ARTISTS:  Jorge Jimenez, Giovanna Niro (Colorist), Clem Robins (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 15, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a pattern emerging here: Just when you think Millar is going to make the Nemesis character sympathetic, he somehow makes him as despicable as ever. Two words: Sexual blackmail.

In the absence of Steve McNiven, who drew the first book, I’m wondering if Jorge Jimenez was intentionally sought out for this book because of his association with DC’s ongoing Batman title. “What if Batman was the Joker?” and all that.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A TMNT: The Last Ronin – Lost Years #2 Micro-Review – Onyx, the Anxious Turtle

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TMNT The Last Ronin Lost Years 2, wraparound variant cover, March 2023, Kevin EastmanTITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Lost Years #2
AUTHORS: Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz
ARTISTS: SL Gallant, Ben Bishop, Eastman, Maria Keane (Inker), Luis Delgado (Colorist), Shawn Lee (Letterer). Variant wraparound cover by Eatman & Bishop.
RELEASED: March 15, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Onyx, one of the new little kid Ninja Turtles, gets really anxious over a spilled cup of water in this issue. It kind of stole my heart.

I can be particular about the way the Turtles are drawn. I get picky about the shape of their heads, the bandana-to-head ratio, that sort of thing. With that in mind, I really enjoy SL Gallant’s take on the Turtles. I’d love to see more TMNT work from him.

I’m still waiting to hear why April and Casey Marie mutated these four new Ninja Turtles. Just saying…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Superman: Lost #1 Micro-Review – It’s Not a Superman Story Unless…

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Superman Lost 1, cover, March 2023, Carlo PagulayanTITLE: Superman: Lost #1
AUTHORS: Christopher Priest, Carlo Pagulayan
ARTISTS:  Pagulayan, Jason Paz (Inker), Jeromy Cox (Colorist), Willie Schubert (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 14, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Apparently the current policy at DC is that it’s not really a Superman story unless Batman shows up. *sigh*

Though, to be fair, the entire Justice League is part of this story. So at least this Batman appearance is somewhat called for. And Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz, fresh off their work on Star Wars, draw a beautiful Justice League accompanied by Jeromy Cox’s colors. But hopefully going forward this will be a story primarily about the Man of Steel.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Catching Up With The Mandalorian – “Chapter 15: The Believer”

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

The Mandalorian, Season 2, posterSERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S2:E7 – “Chapter 15: The Believer”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Bill Burr, Richard Brake, Gina Carano, Temuera Morrison
WRITER: Jon Favreau
DIRECTOR:  Rick Famuyiwa
PREMIERE DATE:  December 11, 2020
SYNOPSIS: The Mandalorian and his allies recruit Migs Mayfeld in their quest to save Grogu.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!**

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We’ve got Bill Burr back as Migs Mayfeld. I was thrilled to see his image at the end of last episode, as “The Prisoner” might very well be my favorite season one episode. I’m hopeful this is an indicator we’ll be checking in with this character every season. Why the hell not? Bill Burr is awesome. Having the Mayfeld character see Mando’s face, as he does in this episode, is a great way to bond them together for such purposes.

You know who else from “The Prisoner” I’d like to check in on? X’ian, the purple twi’lek from that episode. She made it seem like she and Mando had a romantic history. I’d like to know more about that.

It feels a little weird in this episode and the next one that a character as important as Boba Fett is essentially relegated to being the driver. I mean, I guess somebody’s got to do it. But still.

I’m still not used to seeing vehicles on wheels in Star Wars. I wonder why they didn’t make those tanks into hovercraft…

Mayfeld’s skeptical dialogue about the New Republic vs. the Empire, the Mandalorians, etc., seems tailor-made for Bill Burr. It’s not funny, but it’s on brand for his type of humor.

The music during the chase sequence was really good, as most of the music on this show is. As always, my hat’s off to Ludwig Göransson.

I’ve always wondered to what extent, if any, the toymakers are involved in the creative process for Star Wars projects. These new Imperial trooper costumes feel like they were created with new toys in mind.

Mayfeld and Valin Hess talk about “Operation Cinder.” That’s a nice reference to the events of the Star Wars: Battlefront II video game.

Richard Brake makes a great Imperial officer. Tremendous casting.

Mando calling back to Moff Gideon’s dialogue from “Redemption” about how “He means more to me than you will ever know.” was a nice touch. Nice continuity.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.