New Comic Book Wednesday 12/2/15

comic books


Pick of the week:
Paper Girls #3 - Written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Cliff Chang, colored by Matt Wilson, and published by Image.
In this issue of Paper Girls, things are finally happening after a bit of a slow (yet captivating) start. The girls' world has been infiltrated by men in suits of white armor, giant pterodactyls, dinosaurs, and monsters adorned in garbage bags. The weirdness continues as people keep disappearing from town in plain sight, including Mac's step mother. Following up from the ending of the last issue in which Mac accidentally shot a gun, we see now that one of the girls is seriously injured. They steal a station wagon and drive her to the hospital, while simultaneously intercepting transmissions on the walkie talkie from the white armored people about how humans will pay for their sins, or at least that's what it seems in their strange form of english. Some very ominous stuff going on here. We find out this event and the reason they are here is called "ablution" which the internet defines as a ceremonial act of washing. As the girls have an unexpected encounter en route to the hospital, we get even more insight into what the heck is going on here and the ending continues in the apparent pattern and tradition of being a serious cliffhanger. This book is only getting more intriguing, as most of Brian K Vaughan's work does. It's very different from Saga, but amazing in it's own way. Have I mentioned the colors? I don't think I will EVER love the colors in a book as much as I love them in Paper Girls. It's a pastel dream. This is a series on the rise, so you best get in at the beginning while you still can!

Star Wars Smuggler's Bounty November Unboxing!

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YAAAAAAY, the day is finally here! I got my first Smuggler's Bounty box this morning, and I couldn't be more pleased. Okay well, I guess I could be a little more pleased and I will explain why. This month's box theme was The First Order. About a week ago, it leaked that Chrome Captain Phasma was the first pop vinyl, but the second one was left to speculation. As it turns out, it's a black tie fighter pilot! I was hoping for something a little more unique and new, like possibly General Hux or an unmasked Kylo. Also, the way the box works is that there are different combinations of what you might get. I think there were about 4 different possible shirts to get in this box. A shirt with a normal first order trooper, a flametrooper, Phasma, or Kylo. I luckily got the one I wanted, which was Phasma! BUT there is also a possibility of getting a chase pop vinyl instead of the regular one. I got the regular solid black tie fighter pilot, but some people got the chase one with red stripes across it's helmet! They're already going for hundreds of dollars on ebay. After reading about some of the other Marvel subscription boxes, I realized they're all like that. You might get the freakin' awesome stuff, or you might wind up with the not-so-awesome stuff that you don't want as much. I find that kind of annoying, because it winds up being unfair and feels like crap when you see that other people paid the same as what you did for the same subscription, but got way more valuable items by pure chance. It's clever as hell, honestly. My first idea when I found out that's the way it worked was to tell James to subscribe too! That way we'd have more of a chance of getting chase pop vinyls and shirts we want. He didn't, though, because we realized it's just not worth it and the odds are too slim. I'm sure lots of people have had the same idea as me and order multiple boxes to increase their chances, though! Marvel is probably making SO much money from this stuff. Anyhow, the box also came with a really neat Kylo Ren pin, a commemorative First Order patch, and a lanyard covered in little pop style stormtroopers. In general, I think it's pretty awesome, worth the money, and fun to receive. The pops are completely exclusive to the box, so you can't get them in stores, which is sweet. Despite my disappointment in not getting a little Dohmnall Gleeson pop that I could swoon over (he's my favorite ginger), I am pretty happy with this box! The next one doesn't come out till January but it's theme is going to be The Resistance, so yay! You can sign up right here, so hurry while there's still time!

New Comic Book Wednesday: 11/25/15

comic books


Picks of the week:
Silk #1 - Written by Robbie Thompson, illustrated by Stacey Lee, and published by Marvel.
Cindy Moon, aka Silk, has spent the last ten years locked in a bunker. Upon getting out, she realizes her parents and brother are missing. She uses the powers she acquired when bitten by the same spider as Peter Parker to fight the Goblin Nation gang and seek revenge for her brother Albert, who was a member and has been left damaged beyond repair. She got a promotion at work and is now an assistant to the assistants at a news website and also turns in footage of Silk to the editor in chief. Although, some seriously shady things are going on in Cindy's life as well. She is secretly working for the S.H.I.E.L.D agent Mockingbird, and is trying to convince the people of New York that Silk is a bad guy and not a hero. She's having some trouble doing so. Why is she doing this? I have no idea, but I can't wait to find out. The dialogue in this book is amazing and hilarious. I think I might be ever so slightly more in love with Cindy Moon than I am with Gwen Stacy, because Silk is just SO funny and quirky while also maintaining her very obvious intellect and strength. The interiors and background art in this book are some of my absolute favorites. Cindy's apartment is so beautiful and even has a poster of everyone's favorite Sailor Scout. The panels and layouts are dynamic, exciting, and flow incredibly well. The goblin nation look creepy and campy at the same time, which I love. I couldn't be more excited for this book to continue on!
♥
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 - Written by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder, illustrated by Natacha Bustos, and published by Marvel.
This book begins with a quote -"Humanity is leaving it's childhood and moving into it's adolesence as it's powers infuse into a realm hitherto beyond our reach." - Dr. Gregory Stock. Lunella Lafaette is a student at a public middle school, but is trying desperately to get accepted into an excellent school for science, which is her life passion. Her big round purple glasses, moon t-shirt, wild ponytail, and furrowed brows already communicate her character so well. She's been rejected by many schools, but doesn't let that get her down and only growns more and more determined. She's been working on a Kree detector, which she is certain they won't be able to say no to. She ventures out one night and uses her detector and happens upon an artifact known as the Nightstone. We then see a flashback to when this artifact was in the hands of Moon Boy and his sidekick Devil Dinosaur, thousands of years ago, where he used it against the tribe of the killer folk. Moon Boy is killed, and sends Devil Dinosaur after them to avenge him. Moon Boy was part of the small folk tribe, whom the killer folk terrorize endlessly. Lunella takes the nightstone to school the next day and accidentally opens a portal, which the killer folk jump through, along with devil dinosaur himself. They soon, unsurprisingly, become acquaintances. I am so ecstatic and pleased that a comic book like this exists for young girls and boys to read. Lunella is a ridiculously awesome character. She stand up for herself when being insulted, believes in what she's doing, is relentless in her dreams, constantly pursues knowledge, and speaks her mind. It's also incredibly important to have a POC as a strong main character! The art in this book is gorgeous, with perfect colors and textures. The facial expressions have so much emotion, and I am already in love with Devil Dinosaur. This may also have something to do with my childood obsession with Prehysteria, Land Before Time, and Jurrasic Park movies and having my own dino sidekick, but I give credit where credit is due! Devil Dinosaur is adorable while also being terrifying. The dialogue is excellent and thought provoking, with a focus on science, which I also love. This title is going to be such a breath of fresh air and a step in the right direction, and will be enjoyed by adults and children alike.

New Comic Book Wednesday: 11/18/15

new comic book wednesday

Picks of the week:
Ms. Marvel #1 - Written by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona, and published by Marvel.
This is a new #1 of Ms. Marvel but it is (technically) NOT a reboot! Although, if you haven't read the previous run that just ended a month or two ago, you might be a tad confused. This book jumps right into Kamala's new life as a member of the Avengers. About 8 months have passed since the almost-end-of-the-world, and it really changed things for Kamala. Her family knows her secret identity now, she's made new friends, and her relationship with Bruno has changed big time. In fact, he's dating someone! And she's WAY too adorable and hilarious. I love G. Willow Wilson's writing, and I wasn't let down by this first issue of the new run at all. It was funny and awesome, and I can't wait to find out what new problems in Jersey City will plague Kamala.

AND

Huck #1 - Written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque, and published by Boom.
This new series is set in a small town and focuses on a young man with strange abilities named Huck. He is incredibly selfless and uses his powers to do one good deed per day, helping people however he can and not wanting any of the credit. People in the town know what he can do, but nobody tells. Huck is a simple, quiet man and wants to lead a simple quit life. The townspeople respect that, and love him for all that he's done. When one day someone exposes his secret to the world, everything changes for him. I just already adore him so much. He's a gentle giant, and the way he's drawn is so perfect. His face has so much compassion and such endearing expression. I can tell this is going to be a beautiful story.

My FanMail Subscription Box Review: November

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This month's FanMail box is one of my absolute favorites so far! The theme was Wars Among The Stars and everything was too freakin' wonderful. The first item I pulled out was the black Groot t-shirt, which is beautifully designed. I do wish the t-shirts were printed on a softer, stretchier fabric, but that's okay! My absolute favorite item is the Death Star soap! It smells SO good. The stormtrooper collar clips are a close second as my favorite item. I can't wait to wear them with a one of my dresses. Subtle ways to show how much I love the things that I love are my jam. This box also included two comics! I true believers reprint of the Princess Leia #1 comic and a convention exclusive Guardians Of The Galaxy. I absolutely adore the Leia series, which I've already read and own, and think it gives such a new and interesting perspective on her as a character. Huge fan. This is a great book, and I always get excited when they include comics because I think about all of the new readers it might create! The other items included were a Star Wars themed coloring book, and very galactic-y themed nail stickers. So, I absolutely loved this box. I think it was well thought out, I definitely got my value, and the items perfectly matched the theme! If you want to sign up for FanMail, the link is right >a href=http://myfanmail.com/>here. It's about 25$ a month, which I think it definitely worth it!

New Comic Book Wednesday: 11/11/15

new comic book wednesday

Had to split this week into two because there were just so many books!

Picks of the week:
Radioactive Spider-Gwen #2 - Written by Jason Latour, illustrated by Robbi Rodriguez, colored by Rico Renzi, and published by Marvel.
This issue begins with Gwens father talking to Ben Parker, aka Peter Parker's uncle and telling him that he knows Spider-Woman is not responsible for Peters death but he has a lead on who might be. Meanwhile, Gwen is down in the sewers fighting with giant green lizard people when Captain America, now a woman named Samantha Wilson, appears and insists Gwen freeze and surrender. She knocks Gwen out, and when she wakes up, the mystery of the lizard men is solved. We also get to see some backstory of this new Cap. This issue was totally awesome, with a lot of new and exciting things going on. I still don't understand why the series got rebooted out of nowhere, but I'm starting not to hate that it did!

AND

Web Warriors #1 - Written by Mike Costa, illustrated by David Baldeon and Scott Hanna, colored by Jason Keith, and published by Marvel.
So this series is basically about a group of various different Spider-people from different Earths, such as Spider-UK, Spider-Woman, and Spider-Ham. They are part of a group called the Web Warriors, and they travel between these different versions of Earth that make up the multiverse and kick bad guy's butts. Spider-UK is kind of the leader, but May Parker (Spider-Girl) and Gwen Stacy (Spider-Woman) are getting a little fed up with it. They go off on their own to have lunch together but wind up encountering crazy foes that they had no idea even existed but who apparently know far too much about them already!

New Comic Book Wednesday: 11/4/15

comic books

I have two top picks this week because I just couldn't choose!

Pick of the week: Monstress #1 - Written by Marjorie Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda, and published by Image.
This is an absolutely gorgeous book. This first issue is enormous, and well worth the 4.99 price! It's SO long and every page is more captivating than the next. The art and colors are incredibly beautiful. It's very japanese influenced and looks more like an anime than a manga, yet it's uniquely detailed, intricate, and frightening. The story follows a young woman named Maika who has been taken captive by the Cumaea, an organization of powerful witches in the city of Zamora. These are not like regular witches, and Maika is not like regular people. She is an Arcanic, otherwise known as someone with magical abilities. Unlike Maika who appears entirely human, Arcanics have distinct unique features such as wings, horns, multiple eyes, or even take the appearance of half-animals like a little fox girl that joins Maika. The Cumaea are scientists who experiment on the Arcanics and devour parts of their bodies in order to gain some of their powers. They are corrupt and dark, but they control the city because they were the only defense during the war with the Arcanics years ago. They are afraid because they know a great evil is stirring, and Maika knows it too. She may be captive, but she has a plan. There is most definitely more to Maika and her past than meets the eye. I can't freakin' wait for issue #2.

AND

Pick of the week: The Vision #1 - Written by Tom King, illustrated by Gabriel Hernandez Walta, colored by Jordie Bellaire, and published by Marvel.
In this brand new Series, Vision has created himself a family in the same way he was created. He has a wife named Virginia, a daughter named Viv, and a son named Vin. They've moved to suburbia to try to have some semblance of a "normal" life together. All of the neighbors are pretty much terrified, and the other kids at school just think the Vision twins are weirdos. Despite their efforts to be a family, Vision and his wife Virginia are not quite happy or fulfilled. They sleep in separate beds, don't have actual conversation, and Vision continues to be haunted by memories of his past that upset Virginia for some reason. She spends most of her time alone, and the kids spend most of their time in their room hooked up to computers absorbing information. Vision works a lot, and one day while he's away an unexpected visitor bursts into their home and tragedy befalls them, making a normal life seem even more impossible. So far, I love where this book is going. Vision is one of my favorite Marvel characters and seeing him in this new life is incredibly interesting. I love the character designs of his new family, and the art and colors are phenomenal.