End of March 2017 Prescriptions
Pick of the Week:
Velvet Deluxe Hardcover felt like a mix of Daniel Craig’s James Bond/La Femme Nikita/Alias. It is a perfect blend of moody crime noir and spy films. The comic would make for an easy translation to the film world IMO. Velvet reminds me of Yancy Butler’s Sara Pezzini and the dialogue in her voice is very similar for some odd reason.
BPRD: Hell on Earth Vol 15 gave us a heavy ending. Johann Kraus put humanity over his existence and extinguished his very soul. Panya’s confession of her world-weariness and desire to end it all to Kate plus her reaction to Kate’s concern was touching. Varvara’s betrayal was almost unexpected and I wonder if they will explore her plans for the world now that most obstacles are gone. Liz’s display of power is awesome and you could understand the intense fear of her. The interesting thing about this world is the heroes hold onto hope despite the literal end of the world and extinction-level events unfolding. Perhaps the most logical thing to do is to end it all before you have to stare the all-consuming darkness in the face. My only regret is not seeing the Visitor or his people at the end of all things.
Afar OGN stands out because you don’t see many science fiction stories with a strong female protagonist or a PoC cast. The book almost felt like a precursor to the 8House stories that Brandon Graham described in interviews.
Moonshine No. 6 gave the werewolf genre a much-needed shot in the arm. It still feels like a supernatural Boardwalk Empire. I don’t know why I assumed all of the backwoods bootleggers were werewolves and expected the showdown to end differently.
Worthy Mentions:
The Old Guard No. 2 gave us some more details on these immortals! It makes me wonder if only a set number of them can exist at one time and if one somehow expires then a new one is awakened?
Lazarus No. 26 felt like a brutal boss battle (more XBOX’s Ninja Gaiden on hard setting) and also surprised how durable a Lazarus is.
Saga Vol. 7 still feels like Adventure Time filtered through the blender of Robot Chicken and Ugly Americans.
Titans Annual No. 1 gave us the return of the Key and presented a more enjoyable story than the main title.
Suicide Squad Banana Splits No. 1 was insane and felt like a toned down version of Super Jail.
Infamous Iron Man No. 6 makes me wonder if Reed is Ultimate Reed or some other evil Reed that inhabits the multiverse.
Black Widow No. 12 gave us a “happy ending” but I can’t help but feel like something is missing.
Divinity III Book 4 had a satisfying, almost shonen ending; a being with absolute power chose to discuss things with the big bad rather than obliterate him like most western comic heroes.
The Burn Pile:
Many books were extra meh but nothing worth burning or mentioning.
This review was written in partnership with Pop Culture Network. They can be found on their website: www.popculturenetwork.com
