Corey's Comic and Other Pop Culture Reviews Edition 27
/COREY’S COMIC BLOG, ETC.
27TH EDITION
Welcome back frequent fliers for another zippy and zany week of reviews, mild mischief and blatantly forward jibber jabber. If you want reviews, recommendations and life advice you’ve come to the right place. Probably.
Spring has Sprung! It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon as I'm pulling together this week's blog. My family and I met some friends at Kettle Ridge Farms in Victor this morning for their annual Maple Weekend. We had pancakes and sausage with fresh warm maple syrup. Followed with some maple glazed donuts and washed it all down with a hot coffee and a beer tasting. It’s such a great feeling to get back outside with friends and family and feel the hot sun on our backs. Laughing, talking and just enjoying some fresh air. It almost felt like 2019! Thankfully the world continues to move forward from COVID. Festival, concert and Con dates are starting to pop up. The Ringling Brothers Circus even made the news recently that it will be back making the rounds again this year after a long hiatus, albeit, without any animals. Another sign of the ever changing times but not a result of the virus. There is plenty to look forward to as what little snow that accumulated continues to melt away and the geese make their way back to our northern shores.
Speaking of events, the much lauded ITHACON will be returning on April 22nd and April 23rd for their 46th time in what looks to be an awesome weekend of comics, panels, cosplay etc. Ed Catto, professor at Ithaca and one of the early developers of Reeds Pop’s New York Comic-Con continues to help make this event a rare treat in the Finger Lakes region. With Ed’s assistance the Con is now run by the students at Ithaca college and The Comic Book Club of Ithaca. This is a can’t miss event! Add it to your calendar today!!
COMIC BOOK REVIEW
“This week I had a chance to read Predator #1, The Forged #1, Clear #1 and All Night and Every Day #1”
PREDATOR #1
Published by Marvel
Written by Ed Brisson
Pencils by Netho Diaz
Rated M for Mature
Available now!
Predator is back with Marvel after the property has changed hands a few times over the years. Writer Ed Brisson handles the story this time around putting us on a distant planet within what appears to be a game reserve where a bunch of strangers are fighting to stay alive.
Predator #1 starts off a lot like the movie Predators in which a group of strangers are dropped on a remote planet as part of what appears to be a Predator training grounds and game preserve. The wrinkle being humans are not the only species being hunted. There is more on this planet besides the Predators to deal with. It would also appear the Predators have been capturing and holding their prey captive for a number of different years via some type of technology that allows them to awaken all of the competitors as if they all had time traveled to this specific planet. That’s a unique plot device in that this has not been done in the movies. What makes this first issue strong is the non-stop action and gore that you would expect from this series. From the first page to the last it’s a challenge to stay alive and while Brisson quickly sets the tone and plot the real damage is done through Diaz’s pencils as the visceral carnage reigns from one panel to the next in true 80’s Predator glory.
CLEAR #1
Published by Dark Horse
Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils by Francis Manapul
Rated M for Mature
Available now!
Originally released as a COMIXOLOGY only title. A brave new vision from acclaimed writer Scott Snyder takes us to a future world where we no longer live in our own reality as it is but through the eyes of filters implanted in our brain as a means of viewing reality however one chooses. It’s a bleak look at our future and how technology will shape it from the ruins of the past.
This first issue was a great introduction to this new world and what it has to offer. It plays almost as one part Fifth Element and another part Total Recall with a little Judge Dredd mixed in. If you are a fan of any of those movies you will love this! The writing is great as it always is with Snyder. He weaves together a delightful tapestry of intrigue, action, mood and character depth. It’s further enhanced by Manapul’s pencils. The art is rich and detailed and this new world comes to life in each panel. It’s really a great start to what was a promising new series when it landed on COMIXOLOGY a couple years back. If you are into futuristic stories about survival and technological warfare this is the book for you! It’s a tightly knit package and one that delivers in almost every way.
THE FORGED #1
Published by Image
Written by Greg Rucka & Eric Trautmann
Pencils by Mike Henderson
Rated M for Mature
Available now!
A new prestige format sci-fi series from the mind of Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann. A fult tilt, action packed sexy romp into space with a cast of anti-heroes and monsters that will make you crawl under the covers with a flashlight. Debuting a special unit of ass-kicking, female powered mech soldiers who are sent on a routine mission but find out it’s not the simple mission they thought it was when the shit hits the fan!
This was a fun read and a fairly long one at that. As intended (and clearly presented on the cover) this book is an adrenaline soaked action packed roller coaster ride through space and it doesn’t really let up. There doesn’t seem to be a ton of plot details at this point as the action takes the front stage but we at least know there is going to be a big drawn out battle with some type of aliens or monsters right around the corner. While Rucka and Trautmann set up a little background with our main characters the main focus here is a mission that they are being sent on. The side story going on makes us think it won’t go as planned. The art is solid and colorful and the action in every panel works well to keep pace with the quick fire dialogue. The oversized format of this first issue lends well to the action as well. Everything is large in this book. If you are into action packed space battles with a little mischief and quirky characters this is the book for you!
ALL NIGHT AND EVERY DAY #1
Published by Aftershock
Written by Ray Fawkes
Pencils by Andrea Frittella
Rated M for Mature
Available now!
A One-shot horror drama from the mind of Ray Fawkes. What happens when you enter a normal house party and end up in a mysterious time- vortex where each door opens up a new place in a new time with no way to ever exit or return? Sometimes our lives don’t end up exactly how we hoped and it takes a collision of life altering events to make you see the light.
This was a great read. It has an almost Black Mirror or Twilight Zone quality to it. A missing fiance, a girl mourning the loss and having trouble moving on with her life. A twisted party with some friends that turns into a literal nightmare but finds her back with her lost love. The realization that she’s wasted a year of her life and maybe it was fate all along that he didn’t show up to walk down the aisle that day. Without ruining the story this just had a really good setup, hook and payoff. The writing was easy to follow and quickly paced. It was matched with a soft palate of dream-like colors and sequences that worked perfectly in the scope of the story. There are a couple interesting twists but it’s all tightly wrapped up by the end of the book. By the end it almost feels like a sort of fable telling a story that might seem a little unrealistic but that can parallel aspects of our relationships and the emotions they evoke in our everyday lives. Definitely worth a read!
MOVIE RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK
Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley
Rated PG-13
In theaters on March 31st
If you have been into POP ROC recently or seen us post on social media we’ve been hosting a regular meet-up for D&D and other role playing games. It’s been very popular and if you are into role playing, etc. you should definitely check our calendar and stop in for one of these play dates! This new movie obviously based on the greatest selling role playing game in history is looking like a real winner. The trailer looks to have all the elements of your normal D&D campaign including a gelatinous cube and a Mimic! It has a great cast, tons of action and enough humor to instantly sell me on this movie as a fun time at the theater. So far, critics seem to agree! Do you plan on seeing this one in the theaters?
BUY OF THE WEEK!
Comic book fan? McFarlane toys fan? POP ROC currently has these popular Page Punchers in stock and on sale for $5.00! Grab them while you can and before they sell out. We have a few different figures in stock! Great little idea for the Easter basket!
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That’s it for this week folks! Don’t miss our next blog in two weeks when we’re back at it with more of the same fun, can’t miss reviews and timely recommendations.
Until 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