Corey's Comic Reviews Edition 25 - Review of Local Man #1, Blue Book #1, They're all Terrible #2 and Murderworld: Moon Knight #1

COREY’S COMIC AND MOVIE REVIEW

Welcome back POP ROC’rs for another totally bodacious and utterly delicious week of this little blog of mine. It’s the flavor of the week, the creme de la creme and the piece de resistance. It’s everything you want and need at this very moment in your life! So, sit down, relax and let’s get at it shall we?

Not a ton of exciting news to report over the past week or so. I’ve been dealing with a nagging lower back injury which has mostly kept me sidelined. I’ll tell ya, there is nothing more frustrating than a back injury. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so useless. You can’t walk, can’t stand, it’s hard to even lay down. I’m doing PT, I’ve seen the chiropractor, muscle relaxers, you name it. A little piece of advice. Don’t neglect your core and lift with your legs! I’m telling ya. I used to laugh at this advice too! Don’t be like me and don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

I did catch Cocaine Bear in theaters with my daughter over the past weekend. It was as outrageous and crazy as one would expect with a movie named Cocaine Bear. It’s still crazy to me that it’s loosely based on a true story. If you haven’t heard about this yet or have been living under a rock, it’s about a black bear who ingests a brick of cocaine that has been dropped off an airplane by a drug smuggler. Imagine the simultaneous hilarity and danger that ensues! It’s mostly a dark comedy at it’s heart and it had me laughing out-loud a few times. What took me by surprise was the amount of gore in the movie. It’s not for the weak of heart! If you are looking for some mindless escapism at the theater you can’t miss taking a chance on this film. It has a little bit of everything. Worst case, wait another month or so and rent it when it hits on demand. It has a cool 80’s soundtrack and a solid cast. It also just so happens to have one of Ray Liotta’s final roles before his death in 2022. Rumor on the street is that another production house is currently working on a movie about a Meth Gator! Guess we will see soon enough if that actually comes to fruition. 

COMIC BOOK REVIEWS

This week I had a chance to read Local Man #1, Blue Book #1, They're all Terrible #2 and Murderworld: Moon Knight #1”

Local Man #1

Published by Image

Written by Tim Seeley

Pencils by Tony Fleecs

Rated M for Mature

Available now! 

From the creators of Stray Dogs and Revival comes a tale about a washed up and disavowed superhero trying to dig his way back to relevance but finding himself in the crosshairs of yet another calamity. 

I enjoyed this first issue. It’s more or less a grounded take on what might happen to a superhero who has fallen out of favor and has to learn to live amongst the common people. There is a little humor but for the most part we are left feeling bad for our main character, CrossJack, as he struggles to find some normalcy in his hometown. It almost has a similar tone to how vets were treated when they arrived home from Vietnam but with a modern twist. What makes matters worse is every time he tries to do the right thing or help someone out it turns into a mess. The issue ends with quite a twist as well and one that is probably going to impact our main character quite a bit. Not in a good way. The story itself is very easy to read and the art is solid as well. What’s even cooler is that each issue can be flipped over and there is a short vintage style Image story at the end of the book. This story goes back to CrossJack’s superhero team up days and it has a completely different feel. I highly recommend checking it out! Definitely worth a read. 

BLUE BOOK #1

Published by Darkhorse

Written by James Tynion

Pencils by Michael Avon Oeming & Klaus Johnson

Rated T for Teen

Available now!

Launching out of Tynion’s Tiny Onion imprint, this title is a nonfiction mini-series that retells some of history's most notable and controversial UFO encounters. This issue starts with a well known case from 1961 and a possible abduction of husband and wife Betty and Barney Hill in New Hampshire on their way home from vacation in Montreal. 

As the story unfolds we are following the couple on the night of their abduction which takes up most of the issue. The story is fast paced and the dialogue flows easily amongst the white, black and blue colors. It has an old timey feel as intended to match the times of this encounter and there is definitely a sense of anxiety and dread as the couple finally realize they may be dealing with an alien spacecraft or UFO. Reading this story made me think of Fire in the Sky. A movie released in the early 90’s that was loosely based on another possible alien abduction. The story ends like most issues, leaving us waiting to see what happens in the next issue. Like most anything Tynion writes, I'm excited to read the next issue. Comics are a great way to reintroduce some of these controversial and seemingly fictitious encounters to new readers. If nothing else it forces you to ask that age old question. Are we alone? 

They’re all Terrible #2

Published by Bad Idea

Written by Matt Kindt

Pencils by Ramon Villalobos

Rated M for Mature

Available by pre-order only

The second issue of Bad Idea’s most violent and action packed book yet. (In my opinion). As our group of warriors is pieced together to defend the cloud village the mourners are mounting a massive attack! 

Another fantastic issue full of action, blood and mayhem. I am loving this book thus far. The writing is like a hard slap in the face. Harsh and blunt. The fight scenes are also just brutal and it all unfolds with such ease through the vibrant colors in each panel on the page. Kindt is on top of his game writing this book and the twist that comes at the end was not one I saw coming at all! It made me kind of chuckle in a dark comedic kind of way. Brilliant setup for whatever happens in the next issue. At this time we don’t know when issue #3 will arrive as Bad Idea has only said that it will drop in the next phase of whatever Bad Idea does next. I hope it’s sooner rather than later while the pages of this issue are still burned into my memory. It’s an interesting strategy by Bad Idea as you will have to probably pre-order the next phase of their books again if you want to finish this tale. I’m sure we will hear what is up their sleeve soon enough but for now we will have to wait and see. 

MURDERWORLD: Moon Knight #1

Published by Marvel

Written by Jim Zub & Ray Fawkes

Pencils by Luca Pizzari

Rated T+ for Teen and up!

Available now!

The penultimate one shot in the MurderWorld event finds our final 4 contestants battling to outwit Arcade and outfight his iteration of Moon Knight and be the final contestant standing. Will anyone survive? 

So far this event doesn’t seem like it will have many lasting implications on the Marvel Universe as a whole. There is still one final issue so I suppose that could change but I feel like it’s mostly one of those filler story-lines to get readers through the winter before the next big summer event is teased. That’s not to say it wasn’t fun reading. This issue, much like the others, had plenty of action and dialogue. I’ve thought this idea was kind of fun and unique from the start. It’s basically like Marvel's version of Running Man. Arcade has been an interesting villain and each issue has had some interesting new twists and turns. I’ll be curious to see how it ends when MurderWorld: Game Over is released in March. It seems like Arcade was one step ahead each issue thus far but now it seems like the tide is about to turn. I guess we will see soon enough and I am looking forward to it! 

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK!

The MANDALORIAN - Season 3

Produced by Disney Studios

Directed by various

Rated PG

Available on Disney + March 1st!

If you are a fan of Star Wars and haven’t watched either of the first two seasons of The Mandalorian you are missing out. It’s a rich and rewarding show with excellent storytelling, CGI and acting. It’s been a part of some terrific world building for the Star Wars universe as whole. There has been a lot of fan service in the show as well but not to the extent where they sacrifice the quality just to flash a surprise character on the screen. Every episode builds toward something larger and it’s definitely a series I recommend! 

That’s it for this week! As always, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us your thoughts, comments and questions so we can hear what you think. Oh, and If you haven’t been into POP ROC recently what are you waiting for?? POP in and check this place out! Today! 

Until the next time…….

Corey Newell

“Just a guy who loves comics and stuff”

⁃ Independent blogger, dad, dork, comic nerd and pop culture lover hailing from Spencerport, NY