1 year old today!

One year ago today I decided that I would start a blog for myself to write about all the comicbooks and all things geeky that I loved. I've made some great friends, had many memorable experiences and had the opportunity to meet some amazingly creative and wonderful local creators and I want to say a big thank you to anybody who has read my blog or liked my Facebook page because it really means the world to me.

A special thank you to the local creators who let me review their work and thanks to my mum for proof reading all of my articles.

Thanks mum!

Looking forward to next year.

Love Mama Jane Xoxo

Huck Issue #1 - Like a great big hug

Huck Issue #1 is written by Mark Millar, art by Rafael Albuquerque, colours by Dave McCaig, letters by Nate Piekos and published by Image comics. Huck has one of the most beautiful covers that has come out this year so I was going to pick up a copy for the cover alone but when I finished reading it I was left with a big grin on my face and the feeling you get after you just cuddled the fluffiest kitten in the world while drinking a hot chocolate made by your grandma, in short it gave me the warm and fuzzies.

My favourite cover of the year

The comic begins with Huck travelling quickly along a road, hitching on the tops of cars, running a great distance and diving off a cliff into the ocean and digging through debris looking for something special. When Huck finds what he came for he returns it anonymously to the surprise of its bewildered owner, Diane. Diane learns from her elderly neighbour, Mrs. Taylor, that Huck was left at the orphanage as an infant with simply a note that said "please love him" and was raised to do a good deed every day by the nurses at the orphanage. Diane also learns that Huck has some special abilities that help make his deeds extra special such as being able to find anything that's lost, strength, speed, stamina and kind hearted nature. Mrs. Taylor lets Diane know that the people of the town know about Huck's special talents but keep them a secret from the outside world. While Huck thinks of his next good deed he sees a news report about some missing school girls and decides his other good deeds can wait.

The art of Huck is gorgeous the beautiful sunset cover alone being enough to convince me to pick up a copy without knowing a single thing about the story. The entire comic has this wonderful warm glow giving it a comforting feel. This comic makes me think of people and places from my childhood that are all tinted with the glimmer of nostalgia. The characters are drawn with a wonderful illustrated feel that reminds me of classic Disney such as The Aristocats and 101 Dalmatians.

I think the character of Huck is surprisingly developed for an issue #1 as we already know he is quiet and what some people may consider "slow" but that he has an overwhelming desire to do good ranging from leaving a nice note for a neighbour to rescuing missing fishermen. We haven't learnt much about any other characters except Mrs. Taylor who seems like a sweet old grandmother but I'm sure the young and skeptical Diane will have a part to play in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed issue #1 of Huck and I'm not sure if I was won over by the concept of a comic about a person doing good deeds everyday or the beautiful art but its sometime nice to read something that does highlight the good in the world and appreciates the little things in life rather than constant struggles. I would recommend Huck to anyone who was interested in beginning comics and long term readers alike.
I give Huck issue #1 4 out of 5 good deeds.

Find out more about Huck here.

Paper Girls Issue #1

Paper Girls Issue #1

Paper Girls is written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Cliff Chiang, colours by Matt Wilson, letters by Jared K. Fletcher and published by Image Comics. You can't go on the comic corners of the web without seeing something about Paper Girls so it seemed like trying to swim against the current avoiding it. So I decided to pick up a copy for myself and found myself agreeing with most of the praise it is receiving.

Paper Girls begins with Erin preparing for her paper route the morning after Halloween or "Hell morning" as Erin dubs it due to the amount of teenagers still out causing trouble. During her route, Erin comes across some teenagers who begin to harass her but she is saved by other Paper Girls, Mac, KJ and Tiffany, who frighten the teenagers away. The girls decide it will be safer to team up to finish their deliveries and split into two groups, each group taking a walkie-talkie so they can stay in contact. Not long into their deliveries Erin and Mac receive a distress call from Tiffany and KJ and race over to help. After fighting off the mystery attackers the girls find something very, very strange.

I'd probably just avoid these guys if I saw them

The art of Paper Girls is just gorgeous and some how managed to make a group of 12 year old girls look like total badasses. Most of the panels are tinged with blue giving a creepy, abandoned feeling to the town that follows the girls even before their problems begin. The use of the girls clothing and costumes that the teenagers wear clearly shows this is taking place in the 80's without feeling the need to throw in unnecessary references to make the time period clear. I actually missed the date on the calendar at the beginning of the comic but had no problem placing the time period easily.

The character's each have their own personalities falling a little into the pop band stereotypes with the tough one Mac, the smart one Tiffany, the mature one KJ and the innocent dreamer Erin. That not withstanding it still captures the essence that they are still children. I particularly like the character of Mac who tries so hard to prove to everyone that she is tough but clearly is still just a child.

Badass

Paper Girls Issue #1 is a good comic and I enjoyed reading it but didn't think it was anything fantastic until the last page which ends on a brilliant cliffhanger that made my jaw literally drop while reading.

I give Paper Girls issue #1 4 out of 5 walkie-talkies.

Find out more about Paper Girls here.

In The Local Pocket #4 - That Bulletproof Kid issue #1

That Bullet Proof Kid is written by Matt Kyme, art by Arthur Stickland, letters by Brendan Halyday and published by If? Commix. Bulletproof is one of the most well known local Australian comics with Matt Kyme being almost guaranteed to be at any local convention or event (go say hello, he's a cool guy). Bulletproof is a classic teenage superhero story done well but in a more Australian way making it far more relatable to local readers.

Bulletproof follows Anthony, a student beginning year eleven, as he is questioned by his friends on where he has been and why he missed so many social events over the holidays. Anthony recently becoming the sidekick known as Bulletproof to the hero Crusader, works on balancing his normal teenage life complete with normal teenage problems such as friends, girls and bullies with the added issues of being a masked superhero trying to save the world.

Way more interesting than my school holidays ever were

The way that characters are portrayed and act towards each other is fantastic and feels very genuine as though a group of  teenagers could be having the conversations on the page. A little scene that I really love is when the Anthony and his friends are lining up for their General Maths class they call it "vegie maths" which I find hilarious because I did a general maths class and we used to call it vegie maths too. The character of Anthony seems to be an average well rounded teenager dealing with issues that almost everybody will remember form high school such as friends, class, girls and bullies while also dealing with his new secret identity as Bulletproof. Anthony's character also seems to be having a minor struggle dealing with typical teenage vanity in the way of wanting his superhero identity to be in the limelight and tell his friends about his adventures while understanding that he can't show his talents for his own, and his friend's, safety. Anthony's friends seem like a very realistic group of teenagers who care about each other but still tease each other in a light-hearted way. The villain, Monochrome, although only in three panels has a pretty chilling presence, already making it clear that she will be a fantastic villain throughout the series.

The art of Bulletproof is on a whole different wave length than any other comics currently running with thick outlines and bold colours making it stand out on the shelf and grab your eye. All of the panels that involve superhero destruction and mayhem are rather interesting and bring to mind thoughts of classic superhero city destruction. The character designs are simple and the teenagers, unlike like many other comics, actually look and dress like teenagers. This may seem a strange thing to praise, having the characters actually look their age, but it is so common for young people in comics to be drawn as perfect specimens of human beings its rather refreshing to have teenagers actually look like teenagers with different body shapes.

We all knew somebody in high school with an awkward goatee

That Bullet Proof Kid is one of the most well known local comics and for a good reason it uses the classic formula of a teenage superhero trying to hide his secret identity and still have a mostly normal life and makes it relatable to a modern audience. The character's aren't full of excessive teenage angst nor are they played off like adults with everything under control and relatable characters are always a sign that a comic can be enjoyed by a wide audience.

I give That Bulletproof Kid 3.5 out of 5 explosions.

Find out more about That Bulletproof Kid here.

E Is For Extinction #1

E Is For Extinction #1

E Is For Extinction issue #1 is written by Chris Burnham, art by Ramon Villalobos, colours by Ian Herring, letters by VC's Clayton Cowles and published by Marvel. Extinction is part of the current Secret Wars universe. There are many, many, many different X-men series some are fantastic some are, well, just plain weird. Extinction kind of falls into the weird category and seems to require a lot of previous knowledge for an issue #1 completely losing the chance to pick up new fans that a lot of the other Secret Wars titles have done.

U is for Ugly

Extinction seems to begin during the events of New X-men where instead of forcing Cassandra out of his head Professor X instead shoots himself, killing both himself and Cassandra (It's X-men so death isn't exactly permanent) when she refuses to leave and if that sounds like a lot of information you don't understand for a first issue then you will begin to see the problem with this series. In the world of Extinction Magneto runs Professor Xavier's school for mutants after his death and mutants are far more accepted to the point that people want to have mutant children in hopes that they will have an ability that gives them an upper hand in life. Magneto's grand plan seems to be to use the students with psychic ability to attempt to revive whatever is left of Jean Grey/The Pheonix (because of course she is dead) but for what purpose exactly is not clear.

Also the U-Men turning up and start being jerks as usual

Extinction uses classic characters such as Cyclops, Beast, Emma Frost and Wolverine as well as characters from New X-men such as Beak, Angel, Quentin and the 5 Cuckoos. the well known characters keep their usually personalities and traits such as Magneto, in classic style, is manipulative towards the students for his own plans and Cyclops continuing to whine and complain about everything. Many of the characters from New X-Men have their character's standings changed from "special class" to suddenly badass personal guard of Magneto which although I enjoy seeing the use of the characters I have a hard time accepting that they are suddenly fit for battle against the U-Men considering one of them is a floating brain in a jar. One little Easter egg that I do think is fantastic is the inclusion of the character "Ugly John" a three faced mutant who dies in the New X-men, as a student at the institute. The reason I like the inclusion of Ugly John is mainly because his death in New X-men was not a pleasant one.

The art...... The art of Extinction.... I don't even know where to begin. I work with animals and I've seen hairballs more attractive than Extinction. Everything looks like its been dragged behind a couch that's in desperate need of a vacuum. This comic even makes Emma Frost, arguably one of the most beautiful women in comics, look like Jabba The Hutt's ugly sister. Wrinkles are exaggerated and all the characters (even the young ones) look ancient. In short I am not a fan.

What the hell?

The main problem I have with Extinction is the art, I will read an average story with good art, I will read a good story with average art but I find an average story with bad art almost impossible to read.

I give E for Extinction Issue #1 2 out of 5 mutant schools.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night #1

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night #1 - Death Is The Answer

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is written by Ana Lilly Amirpour art by Michael DeWeese, lettering by Patrick Brosseau, edited by Ben & Jon Conrad and published by Radco. I picked up A Girl Walks digitally because of it's ultra creepy cover and strange name but mostly because it was only $0.99 and I'm shocking with impulse purchases. After reading A Girl Walks it seemed to fit the very definition of creepy and unsettling, so not a wasted $0.99. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is adapted from an independent film of the same name first released in 2014, receiving awards and being popular with both critics and audiences.

If I saw that at night I'd nope straight out of there

The story follows a vampire that stalks the people of the town as she contemplates the nature of peoples dark secrets and her own need to take lives. As The Girl takes a victim we learn she collects souvenirs from each kill, usually a ring, and that she has a lot of rings. The first issue leads us to believe that The Girl chooses her victims based on if they are either "good or bad" but her definitions of good and bad are not yet made clear.

Also she likes cats, so that's nice

The comic is based entirely around the character of The Girl, who gives off an overwhelming sense of loneliness throughout the issue. The impression that the girl chooses her victims based on perceiving them as good or bad makes you think that perhaps she is not a complete monster and does not take joy in her killings, shown when she turns away from a young boy saying she will wait to see what kind of person he becomes, but her collection of souvenirs from her victims perhaps suggests otherwise.

The art is done entirely in black and white and has some incredibly haunting imagery. The look of The Girl's look with her long hooded cape invokes imagery of the grim reaper without going over the top into the stereotypical Dracula look. The violence and gore is disturbing and confronting without becoming grotesque which is always the mark of a good horror comic.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is a great comic that turns the creep factor all the way up and any fan of suspenseful horror movies will probably really enjoy it. If you're a bit of a scaredy cat and have trouble with horror stories this could be a good starting place as their is far more emphasis on atmosphere rather than gore or violence.

I give A Girl Walks Alone At Night 4 out of 5 skate boarding vampires.

Find out more about A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night here.

Harley Quinn Road Trip Special - It puts the trip in road trip

Harley Quinn Road Trip Special

Harley Quinn Road Trip Special is written by Jimmy Palmiotti, art by Bret Blevins & various artists, letters by Dave Sharpe and published by DC Comics. I've already voiced my opinion on Harley Quinn before, and as much as I do like the character I feel she is a very dark character and not so much a fun wacky character, as such I was a little reluctant to pick up the Road Trip Special but I was taken in by the fun and colourful cover and really it wasn't a bad read.

The comic begins with Harley Quinn, currently separated from the Joker, living in Coney Island and practising as Dr. Quinzel by day and wreaking havoc as Harley Quinn by night, receiving a call from her mother informing her that her beloved uncle Louie has died and that she will need to travel across country to collect his ashes and a gift he left her. Harley decides to enlist the help of her two best friends, Poison Ivy and Cat Woman, to make the long cross country journey more bearable as an all girls road trip. The story is fairly simple the group travel across country and then return it's really what happens along the way that makes the story. Is it a masterpiece of a story that tackles real world issues and makes you think? No, but is it fun and enjoyable with plenty of giggles? Hell yes.

The art is colourful with something interesting going on in most panels and all together is actually a really nicely illustrated comic. The characters spend half their time dressed in outfits inspired by their classic costumes, which is done really well, and the rest of their time half/completely naked. I'm all for sexy characters I do feel that in this comic it as a little overdone because nobody walks around in their underwear that much.

Girls don't do this at sleepovers, stop pretending girls do this.

The characters, despite being pretty silly, are quite likable and their friendship will actually tug at your heart strings a little. There is a moment between Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn as they look through a photo album that belonged to Quinn's uncle that is done particularly well showing so real compassion between the two characters. The comic heavily implies on a relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy but doesn't give any definitive answers just a whole lot of innuendo that the characters themselves acknowledge and make jokes about. The comic also has a cameo of one of my favourite duos Bizirro and Jimmy Olsen who hitch a lift and end up play a game of truth or dare.

Yay Bizarro!

Harley Quinn Road Trip Special is not a fantastic comic nor is it a terrible one, being very tongue in cheek and not taking itself particularly seriously in showing a lighter side of characters that are, in their best known forms, a murderous eco-terrorist, a former prostitute turned burglar and a psychotic victim of an abusive relationship. This comic may actually be a pretty good jumping on point for people who have never read a comic but are interested in getting started as you don't need any back story and can really just accept the story for what it is: a story about a woman on a road trip with her two best friends.

A lot of real road trips have a moment like this

I give Harley Quinn Road Trip Special 2.5 out of 5 Bffs

Find out more about Harley Quinn Road Trip Special here.

Archie Issue #1 - A new beginning

Archie Issue #1

Archie Issue #1 is written by Mark Waid, art by Fiona Staples, colours by Andre Szymanowicz, letters by Jack Morelli and published by Archie Comics. Archie first began appearing in comics in 1941 (Pep Comics #22) and has been around since, making him a pretty big deal and spawning some of the most bizarre team ups of all time including The Punisher, Predator, Sharknado, Kiss and zombies (really, I'm not making this up) to name a few. You could arguably say that Archie is on par with other characters such as Batman or Captain America but in more of the teenage high school drama kind of way rather than a super hero way. This year Archie comics decided to reboot the entire series and begin again at issue #1 which was a big surprise to old readers and a great jumping on point for new readers.

Dear Fiona Staples, I love this cover, I love you and everything you do

Archie begins with our main character Archie (duh!) introducing the reader to the town of Riverdale and a quick overview of some of the characters. Archie mentions that the entire school is talking about his recent breakup with long time girlfriend Betty after the "lipstick incident" to which they have both sworn to never speak of again. Archie and Betty's friends are devastated at the news and think that the former couple belong together and begin to hatch a plan at the upcoming school dance to bring them together again.

The reboot of Archie actually had a whooping 21 variant covers in total which is just a staggering amount from some of the greatest artists in comics at the moment. The main art and cover is done by the fantastic and wonderful Fiona Staples of Saga fame who draws the comic world's most magnificent hair. For characters originally designed in the 40's Staples manages to bring them into the modern era while still keeping the characters most identifying features e.g. Archie's red hair, Jughead's crown, Betty's blond hair, etc.The art is bright, colourful, beautiful and realistic, The face's are so expressive my favourite being Betty's sad face while drinking a milkshake alone.

How can someone be sad with a milkshake?

The characters seem really well rounded and given the chance I'm sure we will learn more about them as the series continues but so far we have had a good look only into Archie and Betty and they seem like really sweet people. The nicest thing about the two is that they don't want to make anyone the bad guy in the break up and they just want to deal with it in their own way despite everyone elses desire for gossip. One of the things that I really enjoy is the way Archie talks directly to the reader as its very different way to catch the reader up on events before the beginning of the comic and Archie's feelings and inner thoughts.

I'm not normally one for romance stories and the few Archie comics I have read are usually the goofy crossovers like Archie Vs Predator and Archie Vs Sharknado but I really enjoyed Archie #1. It is just beautiful and sometimes its nice to read something that there is no imminent death or end of the world situation.

I give Archie #1 3.5 out of 5 Jugheads

Find out more about Archie #1 here.

Hank Johnson, Agent Of Hydra - Average Guy, Average Henchman

Hank Johnson, Agent Of Hydra issue #1

Hank Johnson, Agent Of Hydra written by David Mandel, art by Michael Walsh, colours by Matthew Wilson and published by Marvel comics. Agent of Hydra is a one-shot comic that follows the everyday life of a Hydra henchman, while you may expect that this involves intensive training, attending top secret terrorist meetings and plotting the demise of The Avengers it actually involves a lot more making school lunches and children's birthday parties. Hank is just an average guy who works for your average evil organisation.

The comic begins with Director Fury (leader of S.H.E.I.L.D.) breaking into a Hydra base knocking out one guard with a kick to the face and shooting another. We later see the guard who received the brutal S.H.E.I.L.D. sponsored face-kicking sitting in his family home, with a bag of frozen peas held to his black eye, as his wife, Becky, begin asking about the school lunches for the children and requesting that they hire a nanny. Being a one-shot and a novelty one at that there really isn't a huge amount of story, which is in no way a bad thing considering the point is to show the everyday life of the average henchman.

The art of Agent of Hydra is simple with the characters looking like just average people, Hank is a slightly doughy father, his wife looks like an average middle-aged mother, there is nothing particularly remarkable about the character designs which works just so well for this comic being about the every day life of the regular Hydra employees rather than those with super powers that are behind the grand plans. The really fun part of this comic is seeing things like M.O.D.O.K. signing amazing grace, the cyborg head of Hydra's human resources and the Jr. Agents versus Tiny Hydra little league baseball game. The story does actually stand up on its own as a coherent story but what makes it really funny and entertaining is the art and character cameos.

I just can't not laugh at this

The characters are great with Hank being just this lovely goof and the relationship between Hank and his wife, Becky, is really genuine as they have their disagreements but are a happy married couple that make compromises and support each other. The characters interact in a normal realistic way that seems so at odds with their surroundings, its great and always gives me a chuckle every time I read it.

Agent Of Hydra is a charming little gem that is really good for some laughs while some of the cameos might be lost a little on the casual Marvel fan but its hard not to find things like M.O.D.O.K. in a suit and tie funny. I would really recommend picking up a copy of Agent Of Hydra.

There is also a super realistic portrayal of what happens when babies drink Red Bull

I give Hank Johnson, Agent Of Hydra 4 out of 5 Black Eyes.

Find out more about Hank Johnson, Agent Of Hydra here.

Yep, still funny

In The Local Pocket #3 - Carmen #2

Carmen #2

Carmen #2 is written by Mike Speakman, art by Matty Taylor, letters by Tom Orzechowski and published by Dumb Skull Ink. Finally the wait is over for the much anticipated second issue of the local comic Carmen, a spy thriller. I was so excited as I eagerly swiped my way through my digital copy (I was far too inpatient to wait for my physical copy) the only downside is now I have to wait for issue #3.

Issue #2 begins where issue #1 left off with Carmen the captive of the corrupt Booker King, CEO of King-Dome Come Industries, and being interrogated about her deceased boyfriend Brody. Booker King begins to reveal why Brody needed to be eliminated but still not what their plans are for Carmen. We also learn more about Lucas, the solider, who returns to his family farm with a dark secret and darker memories.

Not the face of a man having pleasant dreams

As I've mentioned before I'm a huge sucker for anything done with water colour and Carmen #2 is no exception. Despite their quirky, yet refreshingly different, design the character's still have expressive face. The backgrounds are mostly single colours but have a fantastic way of setting such a foreboding tone for the entire comic.

This is my favourite panel, poor Vincent.

In issue #2 we get more of an insight into the ruthlessness of Booker King, his shady dealings and hints at just how much influence and power he has (hint: It's a lot). More is revealed about Lucas, the reportedly dead solider returning home, and what exactly happened to him and Brody in the army.

Carmen #1 was a great comic but issue #2 has really hit its stride telling an incredibly story with both frightening and sympathetic characters and using unconventional art style to set a tone full of dread. Carmen so far is telling a story that is not so far-fetched that it couldn't happen (science fiction elements aside) giving it a truly frightening element to it, they aren't fighting the Cobra Commanders trying to conquer the world for undisclosed reasons or Hydra endlessly trying to destroy a small group of super beings, This is a corrupt organisation who's super power is money and influence and you don't get much more realistic than that.

I give Carmen 4 out of 5 thumping hearts

Find out more about Carmen here

Carmen is a local comic supported by Kickstarter which if you haven't used before not only helps support indie comics and other project but gives the people who support projects opportunities for extra bonuses such as signed art work and the chance to be in the comic, so keep an eye out for the next kickstarter opportunity.