Friday, December 19, 2014

Rocket Salvage #1 Review


Rocket Salvage is a six issue miniseries done by Archaia/Boom who have been putting out a lot of great quality comics like Lumberjanes, Adventure Time, and The Midas Flesh. At first glance with its bright and fun colors Rocket Salvage may seem like it is a book for all ages, it isn’t. Rocket Salvage is closer to Rocket Raccoon by Skottie Young, very bright and vivid colors and yet still gritty. Nothing too bad for young readers mind you just some adult themes (talks of a stripper and some violence isn’t too bad right?) but it is probably suited more toward the same crowd of say Bravest Warriors.
Primo Rocket, Fastest Man Alive, is our star and center of the first issue. It starts with him about to make racing history but as soon as you turn the page you are 15 years into the future and everything that was shiny and exciting is now run down vandalized. It is a great couple of page of art and story of the stark contrast of the two different time periods.
Without going into further details about all that is happening characters in the first couple pages show up throughout the book, Primo has had two kids(Beta Rocket and Rocco Rocket), got fatter, and fixes vehicles but doesn’t race them and doesn’t want his kids too either. There is a political strife essentially between robots and monsters (Republic of Galaxies and Galactic Republic respectively) and it seems Primo and his kids are going to be caught up in the middle of it all! Not sure which characters to trust as of yet looks like most are just after protecting themselves in the lawless town of Rio Rojo. As of now Rio Rojo is the only world we have seen a cool lawless world that is a little reminiscent of Tatooine from Episode 1. Cannot wait to get out and explore their universe some more.

Who will come out victorious in this story: Robots, Monsters, or the lowly humans who know how to race and repair? This is a book I will highly recommend to fans of Star Wars and Speed Racer. Rocket Salvage feels like a great combination of those two franchises and has their own story to tell.

Written and Reviewed by:  
Matt Dempsey
Game On Comics
 

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Wayward #5 Review

Wayward #5
IMAGE COMICS SUPERNATURAL SENSATION! The first story arc ends. Revelation and sacrifice.
Rori has barely adjusted to a new culture, a new school, and the discovery of the supernatural in Tokyo, when she and her newly found friends are faced with powerful revelations…and loss.  
Jim Zub demonstrates his mastery in storytelling, moving beyond his humor in Skullkickers and Legends of Baldur’s Gate, to expertly blend Western and Eastern story elements in the most ambitiously paced chapter of this story so far.   Tamra Bonvillian’s use of blue and contrasting red emphasizes nonstop action, mystical elements, and the emotional impact of the story.   The reader is still learning with Rori the nature and extent of her powers and the role of supernatural elements in her and her friend’s lives.
One of the prominent features of Wayward is that Toyko is more than just the setting; it is as integral and part of the story as Hogwarts was to Harry Potter.  Zack Davisson’s essays into Japanese folklore at the end of the issue continue to be fan-favorites, and will be missed in the first paperback collection due in February; hopefully this omission will be corrected in future editions.
The level of violence and content elevates this series to the more mature YA readers and above. I would feel comfortable sharing this with my almost-15 year old daughter, but would want parental approval before recommending this issue to anyone younger.   Case in point, Rori’s cuts on her arm appear again since their first controversial appearance.  Originally, this aspect about Rori was off-putting to many readers.  Zub contrasts the issue of self-mutilation with Rori reaching an epiphany in that she is not alone; the message I would imagine relevant to such a complex issue.  Although the timing of this self-realization may stretch the credibility of the reader, considering Rori’s loss suffered in this issue, the message is presented beautifully in a well-crafted sequence.
For music to listen to increase enjoyment of this issue, Japanese Popstars Radio on Pandora can emphasize the manga influences well, but it is challenging to find just the right fit for such a wonderful blend of different cultural elements within the story.  Feel free to add any musical suggestions in the comments!
All in all, this wonderful issue reinforces that Wayward is an epic in the making, and an excellent example of the variety of well-written, drawn, and colored series in the comic book market today. Having to wait until February to learn the fallout of these events is the most challenging part of this series.
Rating: ★★★★

I give Wayward #5  4.5 out of 5 kappa and kitsunes.

Written and Reviewed by: 
 Joe Iconic
Game On! Comics


Friday, December 12, 2014

2 New Small Press Titles to get into!

"And the meek shall inherit the Earth." The tagline for a 4 issue mini-series called "Squarriors". As the pun filled title would suggest this is a comic based off of the ideas of Squirrel Warriors. This comic is a bit gory but it is used well. It was a great first issue bringing us in during a major plight for this tribe of squirrels but also setting up mysteries for us to discover over this 4 issue run.
            The first mystery we are presented is brought to us by humans! Yes they seem to exist in this world but some kind of apocalyptic tragedy has struck, what it is we don't know yet but it is probably tied to the enhanced human like quality the animals have now. The other mystery I'm sure we will know more about by issue #2 is about all the strife between the squirrel tribes and the other human like animals.
            Overall it was an enjoyable first issue that could be easily overlooked just because of the pun title or the realistic and gory art but it seems to have a cool story to tell and tells it through other means besides the humans. Hopefully by the end of the 4 issue run we will get some good answers but maybe we can get more SQUARRIORS!

Gender bent sci-fi Odyssey in space is the best description for Matt Fraction’s newest book ODY-C. This comic immediately pulls you in the first page with a huge 8 page layout! The art is fantastic and well done never a quiet moment on the page.  
Image always does a great job of letting creators explore new ways to tell great stories and this seems like a great take on a classic story. This comic came out just a couple weeks ago and is sure to be a book with a great run and tons of different stories and new ways to tell them.

The mortal and world and the women invading and battling ships was a fun time and how the Gods are changed is fun and new I especially like the take on Athena and his pet owl. Odyessia is a very strong and powerful leader they all seem to have the same great distinctions just different genders. This is one of the few books that I would highly recommend checking out, a timeless story told in a great new way.

----Matt Dempsey
Game On! Comics

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

New Comics out Dec 10th, 2014

Game On Comics in Vienna Va reviews comics each week.  This is our review for 12-10-14.

Comics included:

Squarriors by Devils Due
Bitch Planet by Image
Spider-Man and X-Men by Marvel
The Valiant by Valiant




New Comics for December 3rd, 2014


New Comic Video Newsletter








Tuesday, May 20, 2014

New Comics out for May 21st, 2014

7th Sword #2
A Voice In The Dark #7
All New Doop #2
All New X-Factor #8
Amazing Spider-Man #2
Amazing X-Men #7
American Vampire: Second Cycle #3
Artifacts #37
Avengers World #6
Axe Cop: American Choppers #1
Batman 66 #11
Batman And Frankenstein #31
Batman Beyond Universe #10
Batman Eternal #7
Batman Superman #11
Battlestar Galactica #11
Batwoman #31
Birds Of Prey #31
Brain Boy: Men From Gestalt #1
Buffy TVS Season 10 #3
Bunker #4
Danger Girl: Mayday #2
Daredevil #3
Dark Horse Presents #36
Deadpool Annual #2
East Of West #12
Elektra #2
Flash Gordon #2
Forever Evil #7 (L)
GFT Ascension #4
GFT Helsing #2
GFT Warlord Of Oz #1
Ghosted #10
Green Hornet by Mark Waid #12
Green Lantern: New Guardians #31
Harley Quinn #6
Hulk #3
Indestructible #6
Invincible #111
Itty Bitty Bunnies/Rainbow Pixie Candy Land #1
Justice League #30
Justice League Of America #14
Knights Of The Dinner Table #208
Last Broadcast #1
Legend Of Bold Riley #1
Lola XOXO #2
Magneto #4
Magnus: Robot Fighter #3
Megami Mar 2014
Mercenary Sea #4
Mind The Gap #17
Miracleman #6
Monster & Madman #3 (L)
MPH #1
New 52 Futures End #3
Nova #17
Original Sin #2
Pathfinder: City Secrets #1
Penny For Your Soul: Death #7 (L)
Powers Bureau #10
Red Hood And The Outlaws #31
Rocket Girl #5
Rogue Trooper #4
Saga #19
Savage Wolverine #19
Shadow Midnight Moscow #1
Shadow: Year One #9
Sinestro #2
Six Million Dollar Man: Season 6 #3
Solar: Man Of The Atom #2
Star Mage #2
Star Slammers (Remastered) #3
Star Wars: Darth Maul, Son Of Dathomir #1
Supergirl #31
Thor God Of Thunder #22
Thunder Agents #8
TMNT: 30th Anniversary Special
Transformers: Windblade #2
Translucid #2
Trinity Of Sin: Pandora #11
Ultimate FF #2
Uncanny X-Men #21
Undertow #4
Unity #7
Unwritten Vol 2 Apocalypse #5
Ursa Minor Ongoing #4
Velvet #5
V-Wars #2
Witcher #3
Wolverine And X-Men #4
Wonder Woman #31
X-Men #14
X-O Manowar #25
Zero #8



ALL AGES COMICS AND COLLECTIONS


Adventure Time #28
Archie Meets Kiss TP
Dexters Laboratory #2
Herobear And Kid TP Vol 1: Inheritance
Littlest Pet Shop #1
My Little Pony: Friends Forever #5
Popeye Classics Ongoing #22
Scribblenauts Unmasked: Crisis/Imagination #5
Simpsons Summer Shindig #8
Sonic The Hedgehog #260



COLLECTIONS/GRAPHIC NOVELS


A Plus X TP Vol 3: Equals Outstanding
All New X-Men TP Vol 3: Out Of Their Depth
Batgirl TP Vol 3: Death Of The Family
Black Canary & Zatanna: Bloodspell HC
Deadpool TP Vol 4: Deadpool Vs Shield
Nova TP Vol 3: Nova Corpse
Star Wars Legacy II TP Vol 2: Outcasts Broken Ring

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Comics out 5-14-14

 Abe Sapien #12
Action Comics #31

Afterlife With Archie #5

All New Ghost Rider #3

All New Ultimates #2

All New X-Men #27

Ash & The Army Of Darkness #7

Astro City #12

Auteur #3

Avengers #29

Avengers Undercover #4

Batgirl #31

Batman Eternal #6

Bee And Puppycat #1

Bloodshot & Hard Corps #22

Bounce #12

Captain America #20

Captain Marvel #3

Constantine #14

Deadly Hands Of Kung Fu #1

Deadpool #28

Doctor Who Special #37

Fables #140

Fantastic Four #4

FBP: Federal Bureau Of Physics #10

Field #2

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #202

GFT Annual 2014

GFT Robyn Hood Legend #3

Gravel: Combat Magician #4

Green Lantern Corps #31

Hellboy In Hell #6

Iron Man #25

Jack Kraken 1-Shot

Judge Dredd #19

Justice League United #1

Krampus #5

Lumberjanes #2

Mars Attacks First Born #1

Mice Templar IV Legend #10

Minimum Wage #5

Miss Fury #11

New 52 Futures End #2

New Avengers #18

Next Testament (Clive Barker's) #9

Nightcrawler #2

Quantum & Woody #10

Returning #3

Royals: Masters Of War #4

Secret Avengers #3

Shadow #25

Shutter #2

Smallville Season 11 Lantern #2

Sons Of Anarchy #9

Star Trek New Visions #1 Mirror Cracked

Star Wars #17

Starlight #3

Stray Bullets: The Killers #3

Superboy #31

Superman / Wonder Woman #8

Superman: Doomed #1

Tales From The Con: Year One

Terminator: Enemy Of My Enemy #3

Transformers: More Than Meets Eye #29

Uber #13

United States Of Murder Inc #1

Walking Dead #127

Wasteland #54

Weird Love #1

Wolverine #6

Worlds Finest #23

Wraith: Welcome To Christmasland #6

X #13

X-Force #5

Zombie Fairy Tales: Deadlands 1-Shot

ALL AGES COMICS AND COLLECTIONS

Archie #655

Archie: Man From Riverdale TP

Kevin Keller #13

Its Tokyo Charlie Brown Original GN

Marvel Universe Avengers Assemble #8

Princeless Short Stories TP Vol 1

Return Of Zita The Spacegirl GN

Scooby Doo, Where Are You? #45

Sonic Universe #63

Spongebob Comics #32

TMNT New Animated Adventures #11

COLLECTIONS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

Age Of Ultron TP

Aquaman TP Vol 3: Throne Of Atlantis

DC Comics Presents: The Demon - Driven Out

Fairy Tail GN Vol 38

Hellboy In Hell TP Vol 1 Descent

Hellboy TP Vol 1 Seed Of Destruction

In The Dark Horror Anthology HC

Jack Kirby: New Gods Artist Edition HC

Manifest Destiny TP Vol 1

Power Lunch HC Vol 2

Red Star Treasury Ed

Shadow Double Novel 84: City Of Shadows

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Comic titles out 1-8-13

100 Bullets Brother Lono #7
A Plus X #16
Abe Sapien #9
Action Comics #27
Afterlife With Archie #3
All New Marvel Now Point One #1
All New X-Factor #1
Aphrodite IX #7
Ash & The Army Of Darkness #3
Avengers AI #8.Now
Avengers World #1
Bar Maid #1
Batman Superman #7
Batman: Black & White #5
Batwing #27
Black Bat #8
Black Widow #1
Bloodshot & Hard Corps #18
Buck Rogers In 25th Century #4 (L)
Cable And X-Force #18
Cataclysm Ultimate Spider-Man #3 (L)
Cataclysm Ultimates Last Stand #3
Crossed Badlands #44
Cryptozoic Man #3
Daredevil: Dark Nights #8 (L)
Deadpool #22
Detective Comics #27
Drumhellar #3
Earth 2 #19
Elephantmen #53
Fairest #22
Fantomex Max #4 (L)
Fatale #19
FBP: Federal Bureau Of Physics #7
Five Ghosts #8
Forever Evil: Arkham War #4
Fox #3
Fracture #1
G.I. Joe Vs Cobra Special #6: Nocturnal Fire
Game Of Thrones #18
Green Arrow #27
Green Lantern #27
Grimm Fairy Tales: Wonderland #19
Grimm Fairy Tales: Wonderland TtLG #5 (L)
Grimm: Warlock #2
Halo: Escalation #2
Hawken: Melee #4
Infinity Heist #4 (L)
Inhumanity: Awakening #2 (L)
Invincible Universe #9
Iron Man #20
Letter 44 #3
Li’l Vampi #1
Lords Of Mars #6 (L)
Manifest Destiny #3
Marvel Fact Files #5 Captain America Cover
Marvel Fact Files #6 Thor Cover
Marvel Fact Files #7 Storm Cover
Marvel Fact Files #8 Hulk Cover
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #4
Mercy Sparx #3
Minimum Wage #1
Morning Glories #36
Movement #8
Painkiller Jane: Price Of Freedom #3
Phantom Stranger (Trinity of Sin) #15
Protocol Orphans #3
Quantum & Woody #7
Revolutionary War: Alpha #1
Robocop: Last Stand #6
Savage Wolverine #14.Now
Sex Criminals #4
Shadow #21
Shadowman #14
Shahrazad #2
Shaolin Cowboy #4
Sheltered #6
Smallville Season 11: Alien #2
Sons Of Anarchy #5
Spawn #239
Star Trek: Khan #4
Star Wars #13
Stormwatch #27
Suicide Risk #9
Swamp Thing #27
Three #4
Transformers Timelines #8: Termination
Vampire Diaries #1
Walking Dead #119
Wolverine #13
X-Files Season 10 #8
Young Avengers #15
COMICS AND COLLECTIONS APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES
Adventure Time: Flip Side #1
Archie #651
Archie Double Digest #247
Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule TP
Kevin Keller #12
Marvel Universe: Avengers Assemble #4
My Little Pony: When Cutie Calls TP
Regular Show: Skips #3
Scooby Doo Team Up #2
Spongebob Comics #28
COLLECTIONS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS
All New X-Men TP Vol 1: Yesterday’s X-Men
Arms o/Octopus (X-Men/Hulk/Spider-Man) TP
Batman 66: The TV Stories TP
Canteen Kate By Matt Baker HC