I'm really enjoying this weird era of Hellboy being lost at sea and just chilling with a bunch of probably ghosts and sea monsters. I miss Mike MignolI'm really enjoying this weird era of Hellboy being lost at sea and just chilling with a bunch of probably ghosts and sea monsters. I miss Mike Mignola's art but I really like the old timey style Gary Gianni brings to this world....more
In previous volumes Hellboy has had other B.P.R.D agents to bounce off, but here he's on his own and consequently it all feels like a weird dream. MigIn previous volumes Hellboy has had other B.P.R.D agents to bounce off, but here he's on his own and consequently it all feels like a weird dream. Mignola draws everything here shrouded in mist or shadow so you're never quite sure what you're looking at.
In the afterword Mignola mentions he wrote this during the production of the first Hellboy film and seeing the character deviate from his own visions wanted to put down on paper some elements of the character that the film depicted differently.
That's my review, but I have also been thinking about Hellboy a lot lately due to the new film coming out. I know Guillermo Del Toro's second Hellboy film was basically nothing like the comicbook character, but those movies are responsible for me becoming a fan of the comics so it still really sucks we never got a conclusion to that story.
I hope this third attempt at the character works since Mignola has never seemed happy with any of the films....more
I like the double act of Hellboy and Roger the Homunculus. They have a nice dynamic, like a couple of grizzled old detectives.
This story picks up someI like the double act of Hellboy and Roger the Homunculus. They have a nice dynamic, like a couple of grizzled old detectives.
This story picks up some threads that were dropped in earlier volumes and in many ways it feels like the conclusion of a larger story arc, as well as the beginning of a new one.
As always Mike Mignola's art is amazing, and I'm sad knowing that he eventually moves away from that aspect of Hellboy. Looking forward to what comes next though....more
I really enjoy the little one-off stories set in the Hellboy universe that helps flesh out the character and the world.
Apparently Mignola only wrote "I really enjoy the little one-off stories set in the Hellboy universe that helps flesh out the character and the world.
Apparently Mignola only wrote "Pancakes" as a joking way of saying he was never going to write about young Hellboy but due to the popularity he ended up revisiting the younger version of the character a few times, so it gets extra points for that alone....more
Another fun Elmore Leonard ride with a bunch of interesting characters set in the far off magical land of Florida.
Bob Gibbs, a hard-sentencing, womaniAnother fun Elmore Leonard ride with a bunch of interesting characters set in the far off magical land of Florida.
Bob Gibbs, a hard-sentencing, womanizing judge married to a woman who occasionally channels the spirit of a deceased slave girl.
Kathy Baker, a probation officer who finds herself entangled in a mystery involving Judge Gibbs and an alligator on his porch.
Elvin Crowe, a recently released ex-convict who is on the prowl for his next job.
Dr Tommy, a disgraced drug addled doctor under house arrest.
Also there's an alligator in someone's living room at one point.
It's not my favourite Leonard novel (if only because I've really loved some of the others) but it runs at a fast paced, has compelling characters and an interesting story at the centre of it....more
A solid continuation of the first volume, again I really love the artwork. This works surprisingly well as the bridge between the beginning and end, iA solid continuation of the first volume, again I really love the artwork. This works surprisingly well as the bridge between the beginning and end, it really doesn't just feel like someone grabbed a chunk of the book and extracted it, it's a solid story in itself as it's more of a character piece focusing on Paul and Jessica in the aftermath of the first book. If you're curious about reading this story but intimidated by the length of the novel this is a good compromise....more
Sometimes I just like to pick up a random book hoping that my lack of prior knowledge won't be too much of a detriment to the ongoing story. In this cSometimes I just like to pick up a random book hoping that my lack of prior knowledge won't be too much of a detriment to the ongoing story. In this case there were some characters I wasn't really familiar with but since it's listed as "Volume One" it did enough work to make sure I wasn't entirely lost.
It felt more like the conclusion of a story rather than the beginning of a new one, but it was fine....more
So this is kind of a very gay version of Hellboy. A flamboyant thief gets tangled up in mystical artifacts and otherwordly powers, though he manages tSo this is kind of a very gay version of Hellboy. A flamboyant thief gets tangled up in mystical artifacts and otherwordly powers, though he manages to get through it all with a high level of sass. It's a fun read but the highlight is Travis Moore's amazing art. Sometimes I wish he drew every comic....more
As far as crossovers go, this is a pretty solid one. It helps that it's only crossing over two books which are already pretty closely integrated.
As wiAs far as crossovers go, this is a pretty solid one. It helps that it's only crossing over two books which are already pretty closely integrated.
As with the rest of the series I enjoy seeing various characters from different series interacting, but I wish there was a little more time devoted to the new characters.
I wish there'd been more time devoted to all of the characters in the lead up to this crossover, as this series jumped immediately into a God-killing major story arc. I hope that future issues have a few one-off stand-alone episodes to help flesh out everyone.
Oh yeah so looking at the cover I should have known what I was getting into. I swear the e-book version I bought didn't look as horny.
At the time I diOh yeah so looking at the cover I should have known what I was getting into. I swear the e-book version I bought didn't look as horny.
At the time I didn't realise it was basically just a gay version of those straight romance novels with a shirtless dude on the cover targeted towards middle aged women until I was a good quarter of the way in.
It doesn't seem fair to rate it poorly because I'm clearly not the target audience, something that amuses me more than anything else....more
If you liked Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese" or "Boxers & Saints" this should appeal to you too.
Valentina Tran used to love Valentine's Day, If you liked Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese" or "Boxers & Saints" this should appeal to you too.
Valentina Tran used to love Valentine's Day, the holiday she was named after until an unfortunate event causes her to question that love.
The book follows her on her journey to find true love or seemingly die alone, all the while facing challenges around fitting in and finding her place in the world.
It's a nice book with some great art by LeUyen Pham, and while the ending doesn't come as surprise it's still a nice journey....more
Although this is seemingly part of a larger ongoing storyline, Bendis does a good job of making this all make sense as a stand-alone story.
Although atAlthough this is seemingly part of a larger ongoing storyline, Bendis does a good job of making this all make sense as a stand-alone story.
Although at times Logan feels a bit more like a caricature of Wolverine than anything else, it's still a pretty fun continuation of the character....more
My second Elmore Leonard book felt like it was going to be your standard "husband gets blackmailed while having an affair" thriller, except of course My second Elmore Leonard book felt like it was going to be your standard "husband gets blackmailed while having an affair" thriller, except of course it's anything but standard.
Almost immediately the protagonist Harry Mitchell does the opposite of most fictional characters in that he stops to think about things logically rather than immediately panicking and making things worse.
Mitchell reminds me of Richard Stark's Parker with his cool, determined methods in figuring out what's going on and trying to find a way to solve it. I really liked the relationship with his wife Barbara since it's a complete contrast to how he deals with the blackmailers. He keeps making all these assumptions about her without ever bothering to ask.
It's a really tight plot, and despite how familiar it seems at first it takes things in directions I wasn't expecting....more
I haven't read the original novel in about twenty years so I can't speak on how accurate this is, but it is pretty close to the recent movie version, I haven't read the original novel in about twenty years so I can't speak on how accurate this is, but it is pretty close to the recent movie version, so there's that. Since it was adapted by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert I assume it's pretty faithful.
The artwork is really clean and I like the character designs, although I find the more science fiction elements a little disappointing (the Ornithopter for example) when compared to the concept art from Jodorowsky's Dune or the 2021 film.
This is part 1 of 3 but it works quite well as a stand-alone story, although obviously leaving things on a fairly major cliffhanger....more
Over the last few years I've stopped reading all of the ongoing DC/Marvel storylines for various reasons, so I had a great time reading this as it's mOver the last few years I've stopped reading all of the ongoing DC/Marvel storylines for various reasons, so I had a great time reading this as it's more or less stand-alone. It's supposedly part of the current continuity but since it's set at a time where Dick Grayson was still Robin there's not a lot of backstory to bog things down. I'm sure eventually this will also suffer from crossing over with multiple other books but for right now it's nice to be reminded why I was always a DC boy growing up.
The story really focuses on the friendship between Batman and Superman which I've always found more interesting than when they're fighting. It also has the non-jerkass version of Batman that reminds me a lot of The Animated Series. I've never really been into the Doom Patrol but they have some fun moments here too.
I love Dan Mora's artwork, it suits this early era Batman/Superman/Robin mashup.
Overall it's a great introduction to the characters and their dynamic without having to worry about decades of continuity....more
This is a nice continuation of the first volume, Jin has been kidnapped so his sister Kaya ventures across the land to rescue him. We get some nice baThis is a nice continuation of the first volume, Jin has been kidnapped so his sister Kaya ventures across the land to rescue him. We get some nice backstory on their relationship as well as learning how Kaya got that rad arms of hers.
The story itself continues on in that classic coming of age fantasy way, but it's really the art style that keeps me engaged. ...more
I love the dynamic between Worf and Spock. It works surprisingly well and it's one combination I wish we'd seen on screen.
So this is the "darker" sideI love the dynamic between Worf and Spock. It works surprisingly well and it's one combination I wish we'd seen on screen.
So this is the "darker" side of this new Star Trek series, gathering together a bunch of misfits led by Worf. Some of the characters I'm a little hesitant around.... do we really need Lore? It's like Brent Spiner demands as much screentime in these comics as he got in the movies.
Aside from that, it's nice seeing the Defiant again (sorry I find the Theseus ugly as hell), as well as some of the other characters. The story itself will make little sense without having read "Star Trek Godshock" first, but if you enjoyed that you should also like this one....more
This is a cute middle-aged kids book about a thoughtful, considerate Squire who is constantly overshadowed by his boss Sir Kelton who bumbles headfirsThis is a cute middle-aged kids book about a thoughtful, considerate Squire who is constantly overshadowed by his boss Sir Kelton who bumbles headfirst into every adventure. It's a shtick I've seen many times before in things like Inspector Gadget but the artwork is cute and it has a nice charm to it.
So while it isn't the most unique idea the artwork is appropriately cartoony and the characters are likable enough to keep the reader entertained....more
Loading...
