This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 2, 2014.

Saga, Vol. 1

By Brian K. Vaughan (Writer) & Fiona Staples (Artist) – Image Comics – October 23, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

While it's definitely not the first story dealing with star-crossed lovers (almost literally in this case, as it involves a romance between soldiers on opposite sides of a genocidal moon/planet war), Saga handles this high concept trope in an action-packed, engaging way.

Furthermore, Saga very skillfully blends the core family drama with grand scale space opera. This series has super science, magic, robots with CRT TV heads, lie-detecting mercenary cats, living tree rockets, and more aliens than the Star Wars cantina scene. This isn't “by engineers, for engineers” hard SF, it's “wouldn't it be cool if...?” space opera. Vast, with a barrage of cool stuff on every page. And the artwork is some of the most beautiful I've seen in comics.

The characters are ridiculously appealing. For a pair of aliens, central couple Alana and Marko feel like real people, with all the foibles that entails. They're resourceful, brave, and admirably devoted to each other, but can also be dense, stubborn, or petty. I won't spoil it, but the inspiration for Alana's initial interest in Marko (revealed in Volume 2) is funny and seemingly trivial, but also authentic-feeling. Alana and Marko talk to each other like a real couple, not like an idealized Romeo & Juliet, and as a new parent I found it easy to relate with their interactions involving their baby daughter.

Saga feels like a SF comic for adults. Not because of the sex, violence, and profanity (although it has all of these, in detail), but because it's uncommonly smart and mature. It avoids treating its aliens like mono-cultures, with members of the same alien species look and act differently, rather than being more or less interchangeable. There are different ethnicities, body types, and sexual preferences represented within the same alien species. The characters have different points of view, and even the antagonists are usually treated with sympathy and nuance.

Highly recommended for comics and/or space fantasy fans, and new parents.

★★★★★

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #ScienceFiction #ImageComics #Saga

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on February 23, 2019.

Valen the Outcast Vol. 2: Death Eternal

By Michael Alan Nelson (Writer) & Matteo Scalera (Artist) – BOOM! Studios – December 11, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

I wasn’t expecting this series to end so quickly, but the end result was satisfying. The story had a fast pace throughout and plenty of action.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #DarkFantasy #Grimdark #SwordAndSorcery #ValenTheOutcast

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on February 23, 2019.

Valen the Outcast Vol. 1: Abomination

By Michael Alan Nelson (Writer) & Matteo Scalera (Artist) – BOOM! Studios – December 1, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

While marketed as sword & sorcery, so far this comic feels a bit closer to the grimdark sub-genre a la Joe Abercrombie (with a bit of early Berserk) rather than Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

Category quibbling aside, this series is off to a good start. The premise is simple but effective: an undead king named Valen shakes off a necromancer’s control and seeks revenge. He’s joined in this task by two slightly unreliable companions: a witch/swordswoman named Zjanna and drunkard rogue Cordovan.

The story moves at a brisk pace with no wasted verbiage or lengthy info dumps, and the world building is of the “show, don’t tell” variety. I look forward to reading future volumes and would recommend it to fans of dark fantasy.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #DarkFantasy #Grimdark #SwordAndSorcery #ValenTheOutcast

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 20, 2014.

Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery

By Kurtis J. Wiebe (Writer) & Roc Upchurch (Artist) – Image Comics – March 26, 2014

Review by Robin Marx

I picked this up after reading a Tor.com review, and I'm glad I did, as this is probably the most entertaining fantasy comic I've read in quite some time.

Rat Queens chronicles the misadventures of four mercenary women. Their party matches a fairly standard D&D party composition: dwarf fighter, elf mage, human cleric, and “smidgen” (hobbit/halfling) thief, but each character has a twist. The dwarf fighter rebelled against her clan by shaving off her beard, for example, and the cleric is likewise an outcast, an atheist having turned her back on the squid-worshiping cult that trained her. Their setting is likewise familiar to role playing gamers, basically a carousing spot and base of operations for adventurers, where the mayor hands out quests and the captain of the guard is constantly having to mediate disputes between (frequently drunk) mercenaries and the local townsfolk.

Volume 1 serves mostly to introduce the characters and set up a conspiracy that looks to drive the plot for at least the next story arc or so, so it might feel a little slight to some, but I found it to be a fun, fast read. Sensitive readers might be put off by the gore and profanity, but in most cases both are used to humorous effect. In addition to the humor, I also liked how diverse the cast of characters was. People of various colors and shapes and orientations show up without it coming off as ostentatious pandering to the folks concerned by the common lack of representation of social minorities in the media.

I prefer reading comics in collected format rather than as single issues, but this is one series that tempts me to switch. I look forward to the Rat Queens' future adventures.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #ImageComics #RatQueens

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 11, 2021.

Peepland

By Christa Faust (Writer), Gary Phillips (Writer, Artist), Andrea Camerini (Artist) – Titan Comics – August 1, 2017

Review by Robin Marx

Set in the seedy pre-gentrification Times Square of 1986, Peepland tells the story of peep show booth girls, pornographers, punks, and other outcasts who become unwitting witnesses to a murder committed by a rich kid with a connected father.

I’ve read a half dozen entries in the Hard Case Crime line of graphic novels and this is the best one so far. The art is consistently high quality throughout, and Christa Faust’s neo-noir prose is always a treat. In an afterword, Faust mentions that the feel and some of the characters are based on her own experiences working peep show booths in 80s Time Square, and the story does benefit from authenticity and the humanity with which the misfit characters are treated.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #CrimeFiction #TitanComics #HardCaseCrime #Peepland #ChristaFaust

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 21, 2012.

The Boys, Volume 1: The Name of the Game

By Garth Ennis (Writer), Darick Robertson (Artist) – Dynamite Entertainment – April 21, 2008

Review by Robin Marx

This comic exists in a similar sort of realm as Alan Moore's Watchmen. Superheroes exist, and they are flawed human beings. Sometimes extremely so. When young Scotsman Hughie's girlfriend is carelessly and callously killed by a Flash-like superhero, he gradually becomes involved with a CIA-sponsored anti-superhero group known only as “The Boys.” Who watches the Watchmen? The Boys.

This being a Garth Ennis comic, there's quite a bit of gore and depravity. DC also dropped this series fairly on in its run for its relentlessly negative take on superheroes, but you'd think they'd know what they were getting into. Some bits are over the top, but I have no problem rolling with it. I see the Ennis name on the cover and adjust my expectations accordingly, but there are always some people who get upset by gratuitous sex and violence, so if that's not your thing, this comic book will also not be your thing.

The artwork is excellent. The only distracting thing is that Hughie's appearance is based on actor Simon Pegg. This decision was made before he became the international star he is today, and is acknowledged in the book's introduction, but it's still a little strange.

This first volume is a little slow moving, as Ennis takes his time introducing the characters and their motivations. The series is headed in a very interesting direction, however, and I'm eager to see what happens next.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Superheroes #TheBoys #GarthEnnis

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 31, 2012.

Witchblade Origins, Volume 1

By Various – Image – Top Cow – April 22, 2009

Review by Robin Marx

Collecting the first eight issues of the Witchblade comic in a convenient format, this graphic novel is likely to please existing fans. However, as a newcomer to Witchblade I found the artwork dated and uneven, characterization slight, and the plot clunky.

Witchblade, or at least the beginning collected here, seems very much like a product of its time. In the early '90s, Image Comics and its Top Cow imprint were finding their footing, darker heroes like Spawn were big, and artists like Rob Liefeld (hugely influential then, now a target of derision) received mainstream media attention. Witchblade became a significant part of the creator-owned boom and enjoyed a great deal of popularity. However, Witchblade shares a lot of the unfortunate quirks of comics from this era.

The artwork is a mixed bag. The late Michael Turner apparently started as a background artist, and the scenery on display here is well done. His character artwork is less consistent, however. His women tend to be somewhat aesthetically pleasing, until you notice the weirdly mannerist elongation of their legs and waists. His male characters are what I'd call “'90s badass”: with rippling muscles, bulky shoulders, surfer haircuts, and a tendency to stand with their faces partially concealed by dramatic shadows. When you can see them, the guys' faces are invariably covered in tons of inexplicable fine lines (not hatching, just lines), an artistic quirk that seems to have been borrowed from Liefeld.

The story is fairly clumsy, and manages to be both minimal and confusing at the same time. “Tough cop” (they call her a tough cop, but she didn't seem to be especially tough, nor much of a cop) Sara Pezzini acquires the mystical Witchblade gauntlet, attracting the interest of buff tycoon Ken Irons, who wants to further some vague scheme. Irons' '90s badass henchman Ian Nottingham (who dresses like Lestat and carries a katana) has a few run-ins with Pezzini, and there are hints that he may not be entirely loyal to his boss. There's a final showdown, and the eighth issue concludes. In addition to this, there are subplots about Pezzini's neighbor—a orphan fashion model who becomes involved with “edgy” bondage aficionados—and a Scientology-like organization that Irons is associated with. Neither of these subplots pay off in the issues collected here. There's also a lot of muddled exposition about the Witchblade's origins and capabilities.

The characters are pretty flat, and none of the emotional moments are very convincing. This is true of many comics, but the better series are able to make up for that deficiency with their action scenes. Unfortunately, many of the fight scenes in Witchblade are difficult to follow. There were multiple occasions where it was impossible to determine whether the titular weapon's tendrils were lashing out and spearing someone, or snapping back from them. As the title suggests, the Witchblade plays a fairly important role in the story, so this is a bit of a drawback.

Many comics get off to a rough start, and it's entirely possible that the art became more polished over time, the storytelling refined, and the characters endowed with more depth. Based on what I've seen here, however, I'm not particularly compelled to seek out subsequent volumes. If you already enjoy Witchblade, this is a satisfying collection. If you're not familiar with the comic, however, the '90s quirks and lack of substance may lead to disappointment.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Superheroes #UrbanFantasy #WitchbladeOrigins #Witchblade

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 11, 2011.

Solomon Kane Volume 2: Death's Black Riders

By Various – Dark Horse Books – October 19, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

Much like the first, this second volume in Dark Horse's original comic adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories was a mixed bag.

The Mario Guevara artwork is strong, and the Mike Mignola cover is eye-catching, but the story side is a little weak. Most of the volume is a much-expanded adaptation of a brief REH story fragment. A comic rendition of “Rattle of Bones” (one of my favorite Solomon Kane stories) is incorporated into the middle of the Death's Black Riders tale, but it felt rushed, making an already concise yarn into a “blink and you'll miss it” affair.

This volume closes with a short called “All the Damned Souls at Sea,” but the ugly caricature-style Guy Davis artwork ruins what could be an otherwise interesting story.

The characterization of Solomon Kane wasn't bad, and his visual portrayal is quite similar to what I envision when reading the original stories, but I would've liked to have seen more of the seething hatred driving Kane in his battle against evil. There are hints of it, which suggests that the writers do understand the character, but I want more.

While I may seem rather critical, this seems like a series still finding its footing, and the comic's crew do more things right than wrong. I look forward to future volumes.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #SwordAndSorcery #SolomonKane #TheChroniclesOfSolomonKane

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 9, 2014.

Marvel 1602

By Neil Gaiman (Writer), Andy Kubert (Artist), Richard Isanove (Artist) – Marvel Universe – February 9, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

Written by Neil Gaiman, this interesting miniseries introduces a world where familiar Marvel characters (Doctor Strange, Nick Fury, several X-Men) are reimagined and placed in a historical setting.

The plot itself was mostly standard fare—time-travel has led to a disruption that threatens to destroy the universe—but it was very interesting to see the Elizabethan depictions of the characters. Part of this was the fun of catching the various references to modern day characters—some more subtle than others—but much of the appeal was seeing how the various characters were interpreted. Nicholas Fury as Queen Elizabeth's spymaster and the monastic X-men worked particularly well, but the Peter Parker and Bruce Banner equivalents (at least in this series; it looks like they're brought back in the spin-offs) seemed like they were mostly around for the “hey, it's that guy!” factor.

All-in-all, this was a fresh take on the Marvel Universe, and I look forward to reading the 1602 spin-offs.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #HistoricalFantasy #Superheroes #MarvelComics #Marvel1602 #NeilGaiman

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 15, 2012.

The Punisher, Vol. 2: Kitchen Irish

By Garth Ennis (Writer), Leandro Fernandez (Artist) – Marvel Enterprises – December 31, 2005

Review by Robin Marx

Garth Ennis's dark and gritty run on The Punisher continues with a story involving warring Irish gangs in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan (hence the “Kitchen Irish” label). The Punisher becomes involved when a bomb intended to wipe out an enemy gang detonates prematurely, killing or injuring a dozen citizens. Looking to avenge those casualties, he comes into contact with an old ally from MI-6 and a British soldier, both searching for Irish terrorists involved in the bombing.

While the plot itself works, it wasn't quite as strong as that of the previous volume. There were many more characters than the previous storyline, too, meaning that some of them weren't as fleshed out as they could have been. My biggest complaint about the story is the distinct lack of Frank Castle. He gets minimal time in the spotlight, and it's the antagonists that do the most work advancing the storyline.

Leandro Fernandez's artwork gets the job done, but I missed Lewis LaRosa's moody, shadow-drenched work from the last storyline.

Minor gripes aside, I'm enjoying the Punisher MAX series and plan to track down further volumes.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #CrimeFiction #MarvelComics #ThePunisher #ThePunisherMAX #GarthEnnis