As part of what’s going to become a regular feature here on bigcomicpage.com, we’ve been given the opportunity to have a sneak peek at tomorrow’s releases from the fine folks at Dynamite Entertainment.
So, armed with some advance preview copies (thanks guys!), we take a look at a few of tomorrow’s releases and lets you guys know what we think.
Oh, and don’t worry, all of our reviews are 100% spoiler free!
So, without any further ado, lets get this show on the road with the first title on the list;
The Shadow Annual 2013 (Review by Ceej)
While The Shadow isn’t a franchise I’m particularly familiar with (aside from Alec Baldwin’s near-legendary performance back in 1994), my lack of knowledge certainly didn’t come into play in the slightest while reading this tightly-structured, self-contained tale that sees Lamont Cranston head to Las Vegas to investigate a mysterious threat. The storyline has a lot of emotional heft to it as The Shadow’s past and present collide, and while the narrative jumps around a lot from past to present, the tight plotting makes the tale easy to follow
One thing that confused me though was the title’s oddly desensitised approach to violence, with the multiple shootings and murders that are perpetrated throughout the issue by The Shadow himself almost seeming almost like an afterthought, while the murders carried out by the ‘villain’ were somehow suggested to be worse. Perhaps a deeper understanding of the main character would put this into perspective, but for a new reader, I found it fairly jarring.
Artistically, while a lot of Bilquis Evely’s work seems perfectly suited for a title like this, and showed a great degree of faithfulness to the series’ 40’s setting, a lot of that great work was sadly undone by Daniela Miwa’s disappointing colouring which I found fairly uneven and in some places downright distractingly harsh.
Overall though, this story has passion, drama, and gives a decent insight into the character for those of us who may not be too familiar with him. An entertaining enough, entirely self-contained tale, and well worth a look for those wanting to know more about the man in the hat.
Rating: 7/10.
Dark Shadows #20 (Review by Chris)
Where to start with this one, eh? If Ii was to summarize the story right down, it’s about a ragtag group similar to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen that are after a vamp that’s trying to get back a girl he sired? I think? To give it a once over though, I’d say art: good, story: wee bit jumpy but overall good, pace: fast, so all in I should be giving it good marks, and I’m pretty sure I liked it, but it felt really rushed and was jumpy at fairly important points in the story, making it a bit difficult to follow what characters we’re following.
In keeping with the ‘spoiler free’ theme, all I’ll say is it’s a pretty good jumping on point if you’re wanting to read a good horror book that doesn’t shy away from what a vampire REALLY should be (none of this sparkly bull) with enough explanation as to who the characters are and what’s happening, although it may require a few flicks though to really get into it.
At a first glance, the cover, while looking superb and drawn by Francesco Francavilla, makes the book look like a stereotypical horror slice-o-thon. However, even though Dark Shadows does fill that quota nicely, it’s still good to see a real vamp book, that while doesn’t reach the levels set in recent years by American Vampire, is not to be looked down upon, and you horror fans out there are going to lap it up like a newly opened artery.
Rating: 6/10.
Vampirella #34 (Review by Jamie)
Vampirella is a character who is very familiar to me as a fan of comics and horror but I have never actually read any Vampirella books oddly enough. I got a chance this week to sample Vampirella 34 from Dynamite Comics and have to say I quite enjoyed it.
Starting so late into a series run can often be off putting but I found the story easy enough to pick up from the point I jumped in without needing to Google the series history which was a pleasant surprise and a welcome change from some other non noob-friendly titles out there.
The story picks up with Vampirella building an alliance with the creatures of the night and the Legionnaries in a bid to co-exist in the human world and work together against a greater threat who we learn to be The Dragon Templars. Vampirella begins to gather up the monsters of the world and offers them a safe haven where they can exist in peace, the offer is met with not much enthusiasm and when the Dragon Templars attack towards the end of the story it’s clear the story’s going to build up to something big.
The artwork is really good and the story flows at a nice pace giving new readers time to gather in what’s happening before teasing us with more to come at the story’s end. I’ll be keeping an eye on this series from now and will likely dive into the characters back catalogue of stories for more. Definitely worth checking out.
Rating: 7/10.
Jennifer Blood #31 (Review by Ceej)
For a title that has been criticised in the past for its reliance on excessive violence in lieu of any real storyline development or characterisation, Jennifer Blood certainly seems to be doing a lot to turn that preconception around in recent months. And that shift has never been more apparent than during this surprisingly thoughtful, surprisingly restrained look at the wide-reaching implications of the titular character’s actions.
While Jennifer herself doesn’t actually appear in this comic, her fingerprints are all over it as we are shown what happens when news of her story reaches the shores of Ireland, drastically effecting the life of Caroline, a completely unrelated young woman with her own troubling story to tell.
The art, provided by Eman Castallos, works perfectly alongside Mike Carrol’s words to show both the similarities and the differences between Caroline and Jennifer. And while his page layouts remain fairly structured for the most part, he does break out on a few memorable occasions, providing even more emphasis to the book’s key storyline beats.
This is an issue that doesn’t require any previous reading or understanding of the ongoing story, and serves as a self-contained example of the fact that, for all the character’s wanton violence, a lot of Jennifer’s story could, with the right circumstances, happen to anyone. Well worth a look, and highly recommended.
Rating: 8/10.
Also, aside from the above titles, there’s a couple more coming tomorrow from Dynamite that may well be worth a look;
The Lone Ranger #18
Cover: Francesco Francavilla
Writer: Ande Parks
Artist: Esteve Polls
The explosive finale of the ‘Back East’ arc! The Ranger and Tonto have travelled to Chicago, looking for justice. What they’ve found is a tangled web of deception, back-stabbing and violence. New villains emerge, new aspects of the Lone Ranger legend will be revealed and John Reid relives a tragically lost part of his past. A few weeks in the ‘civilized world’ will leave the West’s most iconic heroes eager to get back across the Mississippi. Can they survive long enough to head back to the wild?
Damsels: Mermaids #5 (of 5)
Cover: Jean-Paul Deshong
Writer: Matt Sturges
Art: Jean-Paul Deshong
Willing to sacrifice his life, Prince John has unleashed the destructive axis mundi in the heart of Atlantis! With time running out, the Little Mermaid must decide if love is worth living for – or worth dying for! And if that wasn’t bad enough, Vodyanoy is still alive, and he has a bone to pick with the Little Mermaid… literally. Who will survive the fall of Atlantis?
You can find more news and updates (as well as buy all the comics in this article) from the fine folks at Dynamite Engertainment over at their website. Oh, and don’t forget to come back next week for another look at the latest Dynamite releases. You know it makes sense.
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