Review – Stranger Things: Tomb of Ybwen #1
Review – Stranger Things: Tomb of Ybwen #1. It’s January 1985 the Hawkins crew survived their battle with the mind flayer, but Will and Joyce are still reeling
Review – The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys – National Anthem
Review – The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys – National Anthem Collecting issues #1 – 6 from the minds of Gerard Way & Shaun Simon
Review – The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys – National Anthem Read More »
Review – Masters of the Universe: Revelation #1
Review – Masters of the Universe: Revelation #1, A vicious Orlax attack on his father King Randor, makes He-Man learn that it linked to the sword of power
Review – You Look Like Death – Tales from The Umbrella Academy
Review – You Look Like Death – Tales from The Umbrella Academy Writers: Gerard Way and Shaun Simon Art: I.N.J Culbard Publisher: Dark Horse Comics You look like Death If you haven’t heard of The Umbrella Academy, what rock have you been living under? It’s the wacky and wild tale about 7 of 43 super-powered babies born on the same morning. Whose mothers had no idea they were pregnant. These special 7 are adopted by Billionaire Industrialist and extraterrestrial Sir Reginald Hargreaves. They are given numbers rather than names by their adoptive father and taught to be a “family” of Heroes. Also there is a massive Netflix show which is brilliantly cast. One of said cast members who plays the lead character in this particular comic, is Robert Sheehan who plays Klaus or number 4 and gives a great description of his character in the introduction of this book. You Look Like Death is the first Umbrella Academy spin off and focuses on Klaus. He has seance abilities allowing him to talk to the dead and amalgamate his body with their spirit, taking on their abilities. What’s it all about? After a falling out at home, in the Umbrella Academy mansion, Klaus leaves to find his own way. He is broke and in need of his fix, his drugs, which allow him to go into the Void. The Void to me seems like a waiting room for heaven or hell where the ghosts learn to accept their death. After a ruckus at the drug dealers, Klaus finds himself in Hollywood making dollar for his talents. He is picked up by an agent who isn’t all she seems. He has a vampire drug lord chasing his tail. Not to mention the vast array of ghostly figures that make an appearance to help and hinder his progress to stardom. All of which, for Klaus is just a means to an end, in order for him to get his drugs. Klaus, actually being a really good guy, but reluctantly, soon uncovers a murder mystery. He manages to get hired by Hollywood’s controllers. Fends off a vampire drug Lord and gets vengeance for murder victims. Klaus manages to do all this, whilst being totally resistant to doing anything at all and on a plethora of drugs. You can almost hear him sighing! Writing and Art It is a great collection, a nice, easy read, but intelligent and challenging enough to keep the reader involved. Especially in its questioning of perceived human nature, often found in comic books to be just black and white. Let’s face it in real life there isn’t just good and bad. As a result, the writers have done a great job of creating multicoloured and multi dimensional characters. Ones that have a little of everything human nature can provide, even in the monsters! The Art work is very good. I liked at the end they showed their process of developing one of the characters with old Hollywood glamour. Over all it was a bit dark, gloomy and angsty, which for the majority of the time suited the subject. But I think, personally, the best art was often the really simple stuff, to be found between the pages. These had an almost 3D effect, like the green and red glasses gave you from the 90’s. The colour choice reflected this kind of throw back too. It just caught the eye so much, I just loved the effect Final thoughts Overall, it’s a good read and one that throws you straight back into the world of the Umbrella Academy. It was a good choice of character for the first spin off. Klaus is probably one of the most likeable characters, with his rogue like fashions and reluctance to do anything. But he always seems to make the right choice anyway, like he can’t fight his own nature. Which just makes him very loveable even if he can’t see it in himself. The volume fits together nicely and is well worth the read. The at times psychedelic art is fitting for the type of story we soo. find ourselves embroiled in.
Review – You Look Like Death – Tales from The Umbrella Academy Read More »
Review – Blacksad: Amarillo
SUMMARY Back on the losing side of life, Blacksad takes a step back from the rough world of PI work and opts for a seemingly harmless job as a valet through the valleys of Route 66. What follows is a travelling circus of criminal chaos with one man leaving his mark in each town, a down on his luck lion with a one hit wonder novel. Even with Blacksad and a stampede of bad decisions on this lion’s tail, everyone deserves a second chance to do one good thing. ART Coincidentally, the colouring throughout this comic is like a brand new coat of paint on a 50s Cadillac; redefiningly classic and exuberantly bright. Brightest of this palette is the condimental combination of red and yellow. While it’s symbolism is tailored more towards carnival cosmetics, there is a fitting air of Summer poetry to the warm and passionate colours of red and yellow. Guarnido demonstrates his artistic ingenuity in designing and engineering intricate watercolours throughout this wanderlusting adventure. In the midst of gorgeous train stations and populated city landscapes are atomic nuances of artistry such as concentrated expressions among 100 different animal civilians at once. WRITING As we reach the final instalment (for now) of the Blacksad series, it seems only fair to take the arcs of the series into consideration here. While Canales’ characterisation is immediately brilliant from the moment we are introduced to a character, the real beauty comes from the friends we made along the way. Or rather, their development as beloved characters. For the short time that we see Weekly in this comic, it is a wholesome time to be had as he and Blacksad have formed a genuine admiration for each other. Despite his external and fowl flaws both moral and physical, his inner talents and personality are a breath of fresh air! Canales strays from the path of his usual storytelling tropes of razor sharp relevant subject materials and instead offers his most unique and deep addition to the series. I’m not entirely sure of the overall theme, the human condition? The larger balance of work and passion? A powerful and gripping message of mental health? Whatever it is, I relate to it way more than the other volumes. There’s an element of self-discovery to be found in Blacksad: Amarillo that is as intriguing as it is daunting. OVERALL In conclusion, Blacksad: Amarillo is a fast paced and fascinating addition to the story of Blacksad. Where previous tales focused on subject matters grounded in scarily relevant realism, Amarillo instead offers a simple but convoluted by the numbers classic detective story with uniquely engaging twists and thrills. Heavily detailed and beautifully consistent in both Guarnido’s artistry and Canales’ writing, this duo when separated are stand-alone virtuosos but together are a real tour de force that are ahead of the curve in the world of comic books. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Blacksad: Amarillo and be sure to check out my reviews for Blacksad: Somewhere Within The Shadows, Blacksad: Arctic Nation, Blacksad: Red Soul, Blacksad: A Silent Hell & Blacksad: Under The Skin! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
Review – Blacksad: A Silent Hell
SUMMARY Taking a trip down to New Orleans, Blacksad and his repellent rascal of a reporter Weekly are tasked with finding a beloved missing musician in the mayhem of Mardi Gras. However, the Masquerade of the local music industry has prowled through the poisonous streets of New Orleans longer than any parade. In the hometown of Jazz and voodoo, Blacksad is soon to find out that A Silent Hell awaits those with a Life Everlasting. ART With a loud and proud colour palette party and an intricate gallery of water-coloured storytelling throughout, Guarnido has a field day with this volume of Blacksad. You know you are witnessing something special when even the simple use of colour can tell a dynamic story. With the subject matter dealing with the harsh realities of drug abuse, Guarnido takes the opportunity to show off his abstract chops with some truly trippy compositions that are both moving and menacing all at once. These in their own right could be covers for the comic or installations in a renowned art gallery for kaleidoscopic prowess. WRITING Crossing the line between art and writing, I wasn’t sure how to talk about the English translation of this comic. Unfortunately, it’s shoddily done both in it’s style and translation. Slapped across the original speech bubbles like a tacky elbow patch on a tailored suit is a grammatical nightmare of an English translation from it’s original French text, in a lifeless husk of a font no less. Canales is a genius with his immersive dialogue and sadly there’s enough immersion-breaking mistakes in the translation that really break the flow. I’d happily learn French for Blacksad but I think it’d be easier to re-release the comic with a more collaborative translation. That being said, Canales is a tour de force when it comes to his virtuosic talents for as a writer and not even a poor translation can stop him from creating a riveting tale of fabled realism. Arctic Nation dealt with racism, Red Soul a commentary on political warfare and now with A Silent Hell, a dark descension into the world of drugs and exploitative nature of the music industry. OVERALL In conclusion, Blacksad: A Silent Hell, is a maddening Mardi Gras of mistreatment and music. Just like Jazz, there’s a beauty to the dissonance of Canales’ story coupled with a fun and lively appearance atop an exhausted internal struggle from Guarnido. Despite it’s rough and staggered translation to the English language, this comic is essential reading for anyone attending the Blacksad party! [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Blacksad: A Silent Hell and be sure to check out my reviews for Blacksad: Somewhere Within The Shadows, Blacksad: Arctic Nation, Blacksad: Red Soul & Blacksad: Under The Skin! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
Review – Blacksad: Arctic Nation
Review – Blacksad: Arctic Nation SUMMARY Blacksad puts himself in the crossfire of a visceral race war within The Line, a decrepit district of New York. Being a black and white cat is a dangerous thing to be when stuck between the Arctic Nation and Black Claws gang, but Blacksad is willing to go the distance in order to save the life of a kidnapped child torn from childhood. Not for the faint of heart, Animal Farm meets A Time to Kill in Blacksad’s coldest case yet. ART Guarnido’s artwork throughout Blacksad: Arctic Nation is comparable to every detective noir novel cover you’ve ever seen; hyper detailed with an aged complexion of scarred stoicism and brooding nihilism. Simultaneously and in contrast, underneath this cold and dark exterior is hearty anthropomorphic artistry, comparable to early Disney animation with carefully crafted and exaggeratedly expressive characters. As if the subject matter itself wasn’t enough to earn this comic it’s R rating, Guarnido looks to offend your eyes with equally scarring imagery of white supremacy, among other things best left unsaid. Regardless of the subject matter, the artwork throughout is wholly and undeniably masterful. WRITING Canales, in my humble opinion, has cemented himself as one of the greatest noir writers of all time with Blacksad. With a deep understanding of the genre, he manages to poke fun at the clichés while maintaining his own brilliant brand of gritty detective allegories by pushing the envelope further than his predecessors; that is by putting anthropomorphic animals into the stained shoes of the human condition. Orwell would be proud! With the comic’s original publisher being the French company Dargaud, the English translation at times can be a little askew which is forgivable, though there is one speech bubble that is just totally in French for some reason. That being said, the dialogue and storytelling do not suffer one bit with it’s pure poetry and tragic realism burned into an unapologetic apologue. OVERALL In conclusion, Blacksad: Arctic Nation is a paragon in the world of comic books and even noir novels that is sure to fluctuate your core temperature throughout. Dialogue is dripping with poetic prowess and melodramatic magnificence while the artwork pulls your heart strings back and forth with it’s adorably industrious mythology eclipsed by a painfully relevant avalanche of reality. To reiterate, this is not for the faint of heart and has garnered a harsh R rating for it’s various subject matters. If you can brave the cold of Blacksad: Arctic Nation, you’ll be rewarded with a one of a kind comic experience that will stay with you forever. A brilliantly harrowing crime story worthy of your attention. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on our Review of Blacksad: Arctic Nation and be sure to check out my reviews for Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows & Blacksad: Under The Skin! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
Review – Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows
Review – Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows is a 2016 fable comic written by Juan Diaz Canales and illustrated by Juanjo Guarnido. Published by Darguad. SUMMARY Pronounced dead at the scene, the concrete jungle of New York mourns and scorns a beloved actress after her cold-blooded murder. One man is on the case to catch the killer; Private Detective and coincidentally her former lover, John Blacksad. With a personal grudge and a city of wild animals out to stop him, justice is hidden Somewhere Within the Shadows. Also, he’s a cat! ART Even if anthropomorphic animals aren’t your thing, you can’t help but admire the gritty details in the designs of these colourful cartoon characters. Guarnido is able to portray and balance a multitude of thematic scenes such as comic relief and crippling despair or primal fury combating intellectual charm. The pages of this comic are coloured like a sunny Sunday morning; faded red wine and smeared lipstick from a wild Saturday night, steamed over with the smoke of lit cigarettes and stained fresh coffee. Blissfully warming even its hazy agitated complexion, you can’t help but be wrapped up in the cruel world of John Blacksad. WRITING One gripe I have is that the characters refer to themselves both as human and animals. This could be a cheeky jab at mankind as a whole being more animalistic than humane in their day to day lives but that only works in continuity sake or with a clear idea of a human being. In this case however, mankind is absent from the setting so it comes off more like a glitch in the system. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, back to praising this wonderful City of Animals fable noir! At face value alone, Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows is an outstandingly grizzly crime story with anthropomorphic animals. Take a deeper dissection of this world that Canales has created and you uncover beautifully intricate characters in a very bleak but familiar setting alongside a gripping satirical narrative laced with hierarchical social food chains and brilliant stereotypical character casting, for better or for worse. This Animal Farm has moved to the big city. OVERALL In conclusion, Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows is an impassioned masterpiece in every way. The premise of a walking talking cat detective solving cases alone is enough to scratch the itch for any fan of detective novels looking for a unique noir story. Once you add the gorgeous artwork and James Ellroy-esque writing styles of Guarnido & Canales, you know you are in for something special. The heavily detailed and creative art combined with charmingly sophisticated storytelling, characters and dialogue makes this triumphant social satire comic a must have for anyone who has ever collected a comic. Blacksad leaves you begging for more and thankfully, this isn’t his last case. Rate our Review of Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows and be sure to read our review of the video game Blacksad: Under The Skin. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
Review – Resident Alien Vol 1
Review – Resident Alien Vol 1 Writer: Peter Hogan Artist: Steve Parkhouse Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Release date: May 2012 Resident Alien Volume 1, Welcome to Earth, is the first in a successful series of comics that has been a huge hit. So much so, Syfy have picked it up and turned it into a TV show. The second season is confirmed and due out in 2022 on Sky for U.K. viewers. The comics were the brain child of Artist, Steve Parkhouse and Writer, Peter Hogan. Parkhouse wanted to create an Alien comic. Having collaborated with Hogan on the likes of The Dreaming, wanted his involvement. Hogan went away and thought up the twist to the “traditional” Alien narrative. As a result, the Alien in this comic is not the usual bad guy, nor is he a predator. He is the hero of the story, with yet another twist; he also likes to dabble in a little murder mystery. The Resident Alien Meet Dr Harry Vanderspeigle, resident of Patience, a small town in Colorado where nothing bad ever happens… Or does it? Our Doc is dragged out of “retirement” to replace the local doctor. The original doctor’s murder is being investigated! Of course he isn’t really a doctor, he is an Alien who crash landed and is awaiting rescue. Three years he has been keeping himself to himself, in an attempt to keep his true identity hidden. He of course has some super duper, alien abilities to mask his true form. Ingeniously, he is drawn as an alien throughout the comic. I am going to dig into my Classics A-Levels here. In Greek tragedy, this method is used to allow the audience to see something which the characters living the scene, do not, it’s called dramatic irony. This is oddly, so much fun, seeing an alien sitting in ordinary human settings. For instance, one of the opening pages to the book, there is cafe setting. A waitress is taking the order from a couple of scruffy locals, all perfectly ordinary, except for the alien sat at their table. Resident Alien is a brilliant concept, clever, fairly intelligent and funny in parts. *Spoiler alert* The naked murderer is very different! Annoyingly, the naked part needed explaining. I will forgive the story for that because it just added a bit of humour into what is an already wacky scenario. The murder mystery is secondary to work the main story of Harry, that’s the facinating story and makes me want to read more in the series. It also makes me wish I had Sky TV so I can watch the show. Art and Final Thoughts The Art is interesting, quite different. For instance, it has a small town Americana feel, perhaps it looks a little dated, but it’s meant to be. The re use of similar pastel colours in the background, I really liked, Parkhouse’s ability to draw expression is exemplary. My favourite scenes were the alien landscapes and the vivid, almost nuclear green colourings, which I have added in the gallery below for your viewing pleasure. Overall the comic works, it has a solid storyline, as a result, it makes readers want more. A plus it is a cool concept. Sadly, for me, the murder mystery part was definitely secondary to the Harry story. Will he or won’t he, get caught out? I am fascinate by it enough to want to read on in the series. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com
Review – Hellboy vs Lobster Johnson: The Ring of Death
Review – Hellboy vs Lobster Johnson: The Ring of Death Written by Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson Art by Mike Norton & Paul Grist Published by Dark Horse Comics Released in May, 2019 SUMMARY Hellboy vs Lobster Johnson: The Ring of Death is written by Mike Mignola. Hellboy and fellow B.P.R.D. agent Victor Koestler decide to kick back from their usual paranormal investigations to watch some late-night TV on the couch. What should air but Hellboy himself facing off against Mexico’s Lobster Johnson in an old-fashioned superhero flick. Despite sharing a screen with a supposed idol, Hellboy has mixed feelings and is reluctant to watch it for some reason… ART The black and white film’s presentation is undoubtedly paying homage to the late great Luchador El Santo and his films of the 60s and 70s. Mike Norton’s tweener artwork is a fitting accompaniment to Mignola’s fun but gritty story, creating an overall blissful package. Hellboy, a literal spawn from Hell, dressed up in a Problem Child-like Devil costume is both hilarious and truly wholesome. As if the boyhood dream of engaging his idol has come true. WRITING While not deep in its number of pages, the lore of the comic is actually a major part of the Mignolaverse with some kayfabe elements surrounding it. The Ring of Death is but one of many faux Lobster Johnson films with a Mexican actor portraying the titular character. Guillermo del Toro himself was rumoured to direct a remake of this film…in the Mignolaverse, as in a fictional del Toro! It’s a headache inducing character to research but a welcome one to be sure. The Ring of Death is revealed in the post credit-like comic, Down Mexico Way, to be a drunken Hellboy escapade during his time in Mexico which explains his reluctance to relive the events. The beauty and real story is in the minor details. Dialogue is over the top and hoaky just as it should be for this storyline, Scorsese couldn’t have written better dialogue than this. OVERALL In conclusion, this is a neat little tongue in cheek comic to own, its only reason for existing seems to be to pay homage to the luchador El Santo. More so, it just has fun with beloved characters. Who wouldn’t wanna chill with Hellboy while watching some TV? Presented as a joke that everyone is in on, it’s simply harmless and inclusive collectable. While I enjoyed the comic, I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it. It’s best as a Free Comic Book Day offering to diehard fans of Hellboy and Mike Mignola. Drop a rating below on our Review of Hellboy vs Lobster Johnson: The Ring of Death.
Review – Hellboy vs Lobster Johnson: The Ring of Death Read More »