Tag Andworld Design

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #4 Micro-Review – The Wild and the Woke

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

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

Once Upon a Time a the End of the World 4, cover, February 2023, Mike Del MundoTITLE: Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #4
AUTHOR:  Jason Aaron
ARTISTS: Alexandre Tefenkgi, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), AndWorld Design (Letters). Cover by Mike Del Mundo. 
RELEASED: February 22, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We get a better sense of who our bad guys are in this issue. They give out merit badges for things like masculinity, religious intolerance, and golf. Our heroes are also referred to at one point as “the wild and the woke.” Which, come to think of it, could have been the title of this series. Either way, “woke” us such a buzzword nowadays that this is bound to irk some conservative readers.

Color me aghast.

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

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #3 Micro-Review – The Evolving Dynamic

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.***

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World 3, cover, January 2023, Alexandre TefenkgiTITLE: Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #3
AUTHOR: Jason Aaron
ARTISTS: Alexandre Tefenkgi, Nick Dragotta, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Rico Renzi (Colorist), AndWorld Design (Letters). Cover by Mike Del Mundo.
RELEASED: January 25, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Between a full-frontal shot of old-man Maceo, and some well-placed F-bombs, this almost felt like an issue of Saga. Not necessarily in a bad way, though.

The most interesting thing about this book continues to be the evolving dynamic between Mezzy and Maceo. How they contrast, how they influence each other, etc. Thus far, the series has been at its strongest when it’s just the two of them. It’ll be interesting to see how that changes, or doesn’t change, as the story continues to expand.

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

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #2 Micro-Review – A Spark of Sweet Humanity

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.***

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World 2, cover, December 2022, Mike Del MundoTITLE: Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #2
AUTHOR: Jason Aaron
ARTISTS: Alexandre Tefenkgi, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), AndWorld Design (Letters). Cover by Mike Del Mundo.
RELEASED: December 28, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The most endearing part of Once Upon a Time at the End of the World thus far has been watching Mezzy, our hardened, no-nonsense survivalist extraordinaire, gradually warm up to her new companion Maceo. More than anything, it’s that spark of sweet humanity that has made these last two issues work so well.

Jason Aaron also uses this issue as a chance to fill in some of Mezzy’s backstory, as well as the larger world of the book. His ability to keep those storytelling plates spinning at the same time is commendable.

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

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #1 Micro-Review – A Quality Recipe

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.***

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World 1, cover, November 2022, Mike Del MundoTITLE: Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #1
AUTHOR: Jason Aaron
ARTISTS: Alexandre Tefenkgi, Nick Dragotta, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Rico Renzi (Colorist), AndWorld Design (Letterer). Cover by Mike Del Mundo.

RELEASED: November 23, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

What we have here is Jason Aaron’s answer to the post-apocalyptic YA romance novel.  And thus far, it’s a pretty good one.

We’re in a world that’s been ravaged presumably by climate change and pollution. Our only two characters are a pair of young people meeting for the first time. One is quirky and endearing, the other is quiet and deadly. We’ve also got art that’s fun, interesting, and versatile in terms of its ability to do action, comedy, and drama. All of this makes for a recipe for a good series. This is one to watch.

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

A Dark Spaces: Wildfire #2 Micro-Review – Belief and Grit

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.***

Dark Spaces Wildfire 2, cover, 2022, Hayden ShermanTITLE: Dark Spaces: Wildfire #2
AUTHOR: Scott Snyder
ARTISTS: Hayden Sherman, Ronda Pattison (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters)
RELEASED: August 17, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Thus far, Dark Spaces: Wildfire has done a good job of making me believe. I believe that these female inmate firefighters are a tight-knight surrogate family. I believe they know the ins and outs of a fire. And I believe in what’s at stake for them.

There’s a certain grit to the artwork here that I find endearing. It’s fitting too, as these characters all have a certain grit to them. I suppose that’s what a combination of prison and fire will do to you…

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

An Aquamen #6 Micro-Review – Go Figure…

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.***

Aquamen 6, cover, 2022, Travis MooreTITLE: Aquamen #6
AUTHORS: Brandon Thomas, Chuck Brown
ARTISTS: Max Raynor, Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters). Cover by Travis Moore & Lucas.
RELEASED: July 26, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Go figure. They create an Aquamen title starring Arthur Curry and Jackson Hyde, only for Arthur to die (supposedly) in the pages of another book.

The cover for this issue makes it seem like it’s about the fall-out from what happens in “The Death of the Justice League.” In truth, that reaction only gets a few pages. The vast majority of the book is essentially business as usual. That’s fine for regular Aquamen readers. Not so much for Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths readers hoping to jump on.

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

A Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1 Micro-Review – Intrigue, Potential, and Untold Stories

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

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

Dark Spaces Wildfire 1, cover, 2022, Hayden ShermanTITLE: Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1
AUTHOR: Scott Snyder
ARTISTS: Hayden Sherman, Ronda Pattison (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters)
RELEASED: July 20, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I get the sense that inmate female firefighters don’t have their stories told very often. So it’s pretty cool of this crew to focus on them, even in a fictional setting.

I haven’t seen much of Rescue Me. But I’m getting the sense Dark Spaces: Wildfire is going to be like Rescue Me meets Orange is the New Black, with some Ocean’s Eleven thrown in. And if that’s the case, there’s a lot of intrigue and potential here. This first issue does it’s job well, which is to say it draws the reader in and gets them invested in the characters. Particularly our lead.

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

A Nightwing #88 Micro-Review – Subtly Provocative

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.***

Nightwing 88, 2022, variant cover, Jamal CampbellTITLE: Nightwing #88
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letterer). Variant cover by Jamal Campbell.

RELEASED: January 18, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Both my wife and my local comic shop guy did a double take when they saw this cover. This isn’t an overtly sexy image. But it’s subtly provocative. It’s certainly eye catching, which I suppose is the point.

We get the Flash, Starfire, and the rest of the Titans in this issue, and Superman is advertised for next issue. So we’re heavy on guest stars for a couple months. But for Nightwing I don’t mind that as much, as he’s got such an open heart, and has so many connections across the DC Universe.

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

An Aquaman: The Becoming #3 Micro-Review – The Road to Aquamen

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.***

TITLE: Aquaman: The Becoming #3
AUTHOR: Brandon Thomas
ARTISTS: Scott Koblish, Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker), Adriano Lucas & Alex Guimaraes (Colorists), Andworld Design (Letters). Cover by David Talaski.
RELEASED: November 16, 2021

So now we know we’re building to an Aquamen ongoing series. That’s a little disappointing for yours truly. I was hoping they were doing something similar to Superman: Son of Kal-El, where the classic hero steps aside so the younger hero takes over. That would give Jackson a nice spotlight for himself. But apparently it’s not to be.

The Atlantis vs. Xebel political side of things isn’t really doing it for me. The more this story zeroes in on its main hero, the better.

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

An Aquaman: The Becoming #2 Micro-Review – Starring…Mera?

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Aquaman The Becoming 2, cover, 2021, David TalaskiTITLE: Aquaman: The Becoming #2
AUTHOR: Brandon Thomas
ARTISTS: Diego Olortegui, Skylar Patridge, Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker), Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters). Cover by David Talaski.
RELEASED: October 26, 2021

Not much happens with Jackson here. In fact, this is actually more of a Mera centered issue. I’m not sure how I feel about that, as this is supposed to be Jackson’s “becoming” after all. Plus, we’ve only got six issues to work with.

As an on-boarding point for the Jackson Hyde character, what we’ve gotten so far works well in terms of establishing who he is, where he comes from, what his status quo is, his supporting characters, etc. I just wish we’d gotten to spent a little more time with him.

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