Review: FAR SECTOR #11 – Coups, Revolts, And Uno Cards

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Writer N.K. Jemisin and artist Jamal Campbell return with the second to last chapter of their brilliant series Far Sector. This issue lays out the full focus and interests on all sides of the massive coup on the city enduring, crafting a sharp societal critique without getting lost in any kind of political preaching. With a busy but sharp and intelligent script and once again outstanding artwork, this issue is a stellar setup for one of the most anticipated finales in comics this year.

“Riots are breaking out across the City Enduring as its citizens realize that there are political shenanigans disrupting their way of life and subverting the will of the people. To quell this unrest, @BlazeofGlory is threatening to unleash a terrible weapon upon her own people. Jo has to race against the ticking clock of a Green Lantern ring that is rapidly losing power to bypass the city’s entire defense forces and stop this attack from above.”

Writing & Plot

N.K. Jemisin’s scripts for Far Sector are always packed with info and interlaced with great character narrative, but this issue focuses a bit more on the former. Far Sector #11 is chiefly concerned with making sure the reader knows who lies where and why, and where exactly the different factions of the City Enduring’s allegiances lie during this massive coup. There are still some solid bits of character writing, and the dialogue is very solid, but issues like this make me thankful for collected editions. Don’t get me wrong, every issue of this series has been a delight to get to read, but with all of the info and complex socio-political context to keep track of among the different races in the story, it gets to be a LOT to try and keep track of; especially now that the series has been only been releasing an issue every other month. This all being said, this is still a very tight issue that addresses its own plot and its exterior influences with intelligence and nuance. It presents an example of when a rebellion can rise up for the right reasons, but in its passion utilizes the wrong methods to achieve change. Jemisin’s treatment of Jo Mullein as a protagonist has made her one of my favorite characters to read, and this increases with each issue. Every chapter we unravel just a bit more about what makes her tick, but there’s always something under the surface. This issue continues the trend, while also keeping her unique link to the Green Lantern Corps alive while never focusing entirely on it. It’s honestly easy to forget that Mullein is a GL, even when she is wearing the ring. It’s a completely secondary trait to her character, and that makes her and this comic all the more fascinating.

Art Direction

I have been raving about the incredible work of Jamal Campbell for every issue of Far Sector that has been releases so far. So now, for Far Sector #11, I will do so again. Campbell’s incredible, almost 3D digital artistry for his characters and environments makes for one of the most beautiful science fiction comics ever released with each subsequent release. This issue darts around with breakneck speed, but Campbell manages to keep up with the chaos on every front. Every page is a flurry of focused and frenzied conversation, as well as cuts around and above the plant to catch glimpses of the growing conflict. Each shot is rife with impact and importance, building the urgency and atmosphere of this penultimate chapter. The complex emotions every character is facing feel genuine and relatable to the reader, and the scenery of a planet at war is both concerning and stunning. The high-production concept art-style of this comic is perfect for the story being told, and I’d love to see Campbell draw more sci-fi in the future. Deron Bennett’s lettering is sharp and clean, and combined with Campbells makes for one of the most stunningly well-put together comics hitting shelves this week.

Far Sector #11 is a frantic and busy comic book, full of important expository dialogue and developments regarding the massive conflict that has sprung up for Jo Mullein to finally deal with once and for all. N.K. Jemisin’s script carries a ton of important dialogue and information leading into her finale, but still manages to avoid making it a chore to get through. Jamal Campbell’s art is forever a display of modern perfection among comics art, and a masterclass in what contemporary techniques are capable of. Be sure to grab this penultimate issue when it hits shelves on 4-6!

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SUICIDE SQUAD: Robbie Thompson Talks Superboy’s Mental Health

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 6, 2021

SUICIDE SQUAD: Robbie Thompson Talks Superboy's Mental Health

Suicide Squad #2 hits your local comic book store today, and Monkeys Fighting Robots can provide some insight into the series after our chat with writer Robbie Thompson.

About the issue:
With the power of Superboy now under her control, Task Force X mastermind Amanda Waller sends the hero into Arkham Asylum to rescue Peacemaker and bring Talon—the famed Court of Owls assassin—back to join the new Suicide Squad. With lives hanging in the balance, the teen clone must decide if he’s going to assist Waller, even if it means getting his hands a little bloody along the way.

Creative Team: Robbie Thompson script, Eduardo Panscia pencils, Julio Ferreira inks, Marcelo Maiolo inks, Wes Abbott letters

Any mention of Connor Kent and my head explodes; that’s why I was excited to talk with Thompson. The concept of Superboy on the Suicide Squad adds a next-level layer of moral code in the giant grey world in between black and white.

MFR: Robbie, thank you for taking the time to talk with me.

THOMPSON: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me!

MFR: Eduardo Pansica’s art is brilliant in the first two issues of Suicide Squad. Talk about how he pairs well with your script.

THOMPSON: Eduardo is the perfect artist for this book. We worked together previously on Teen Titans, and I was so excited to get to work with him again. What I noticed on working on Teen Titans with him was how well he managed the team aspect of the book – he was able to create specific moments for every character and give them their due, and I really wanted to write to that in this series. So, I was riffing off his work, and trying to pair my script to him, really. As a team, we wanted to find a way back to that [writer John] Ostrander type tone, and Eduardo is able to bring this really fun, and nuanced balance between the action and emotion, which builds more and more as we get to know the team and explore their dynamics and humor in subsequent issues. And we have Julio Ferreira’s flawless inks, Marcelo Maiolo’s dynamic colors, and Wes Abbot’s killer letters – I am super lucky to be working with this squad!

MFR: Who was the first person you told that you wanted to put Superboy on the Suicide Squad, and what was their reaction?

THOMPSON: The first person who was told was me, haha – [DC] Editor extraordinaire Mike Cotton had discussed the book internally prior to my involvement, and there was a core group that he had floated and Superboy was one of the big names on the list. My first reaction was REALLY?! Then I wanted to know about the jacket and glasses, haha. Honestly, I thought it was a great idea – and I’ve always enjoyed when the Squad has brought in heroes to play on the other side of the fence. And when you have a great, true blue hero like Conner Kent in this type of situation, it creates instant conflict for the characters and the team. When we started to discuss the series, though, and where his character would be going, that’s when I was all in, and excited to dive into that emotional arc. I can’t wait for readers to see where we’re headed.

MFR: Was there anyone that DC Comics said you couldn’t use in Suicide Squad?

THOMPSON: You know, I pitched one character I thought they’d NEVER say yes to, and as of right now… they said YES! We’ll see if it all works out, but Mike and [Assistant] Editor Bixie Mathieu have been so great about going after the characters we want and working with other DC editorial groups to make sure they’re available to use.

MFR: Amanda Waller is one of the most intimidating fictional characters in comics. How do you bring that out in your writing?

THOMPSON: She’s such a fantastic character. And has such a great history. To be honest, I go back a lot to old Suicide Squad issues for inspiration, but a huge influence for me was Viola Davis’s performance in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad film. She’s one of the best actors working, period, and she is so scary in that first film and looks just as scary in the sequel (which I can’t wait to see!)

MFR: The first two issues are constant action and banter, but there’s chemistry, and the plot moves forward nicely. How do you know you’re hitting all the right notes with Suicide Squad?

THOMPSON: That’s a great question – for me it’s when there’s humanity in the mayhem. When these extraordinary heroes have grounded moments. Sometimes it comes out with humor, other times sadness. It’s one of the great joys of working on a book like this, that range of emotions. It also feels like you’re hitting the right notes when someone’s head explodes, too, of course.

MFR: James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad dropped a trailer last week. Is there pressure when you know a lot of new readers are going to give your book a read?

THOMPSON: No, in fact, for me it’s a huge inspiration. I really hope that folks that watched that amazing trailer and are hyped for the film come check out what we’re doing in the comics – and I really hope it inspires them to dig deeper and check out Ostrander’s run which, from what I’ve read, is a huge inspiration for the new film. I have watched that trailer about 500 times, and when I write the book now, I’m listening to Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” on a loop. James Gunn is one of the best writer/directors working and that trailer is nothing but a big bag of awesome and inspiration for me personally. August 6th can’t get here fast enough!

MFR: The first two issues are loaded with large panels, single panels, and splash pages. Who’s idea was that, and why do you think it was the best approach for the story?

THOMPSON: We discussed a look internally early on and wanted to embrace the action that Squad stories usually have, but balance that with emotional moments. For example, we wanted to start with a breakdown of a character, or team, at the beginning, and then open it up, start with a sense of intimacy and then go really big, literally, for scale and action. Because we are also 22 pages instead of the usual 20, it felt like we had a little more room for things like that, for some pacing variation, and to really let the splash pages land with a punch – sometimes literally. I’m also a big fan of giving Eduardo room to play, so for example, I’ll just write the emotional beats and dialogue for an action scene, and leave him the most room to experiment and play visually. He always delivers something unique and puts his own spin on the moments which is the part of the collaboration that I enjoy the most. (Check out the five-page preview below to see what Thompson is talking about.)

MFR: Can you talk about where Superboy is emotionally and where you want to take him with your run on Suicide Squad?

THOMPSON: Superboy is a hot mess! He has no idea why he’s been dragged onto the Squad, he has no interest in being a bad guy or doing bad things, and worse than all that, he has the sinking feeling that something is deeply wrong with him. He’s not sure if it’s mental, physical, or both. Whatever it is, it’s going to break him down. That mystery of what’s wrong with him is something we’re going to unpack slowly, and will take a big turn in Issue 6. As I mentioned before, when we first started talking about Future State and then in success the on-going series, Superboy’s character arc was a huge linchpin of where we wanted to go and I can’t wait for readers to see what’s really going on.

MFR: I read in another interview you were given a list of characters to choose from to form your squad. Was there a character that you wanted to use but didn’t quite fit?

THOMPSON: Definitely, but more from a sense of timing. We are going to build our core group, the group you see in Future State, slowly. There were some bigger names that we wanted to slowly roll into the Squad as Waller pieces together her ultimate crew. So, for example, we wanted to use Bloodsport, but he fit better in our later issues than at the start. But overall, Mike, Bixie, and everyone at DC have been very supportive of the book, and, so far, nobody has been off-limits, which is great for us �� not so great for those characters, because not everyone is coming home from this series!

MFR: Robbie, thank you again for your time, and best of luck with Suicide Squad!

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MAN-BAT #3: The Perpetual Problem Of Progression and Regression

By

Jake Palermo

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Man-Bat #3 from DC Comics hits your local comic book shop on April 6. In this issue, writer Dave Wielgosz depicts the titular character’s struggle to fix his faults. The emotional stakes of the issue come from the art of Sumit Kumar. Colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr. makes some of these encounters extremely surreal, and letterer Tom Napolitano makes the voices spoken by the major characters distinct.

Man-Bat #3: The Line Between Pro/Regression

Wielgosz really enjoys working with the characters in Man-Bat #3. Calling back to the last issue, he presents Kirk Langstrom as a character with the weight of the world on his shoulders. It’s what makes Kirk’s relationship with his monstrous alter-ego all the more interesting. Man-Bat is practically when Kirk is more honest with himself, so seeing him continuing to compartmentalize Man-Bat feels like a character regression.

And who better to feel the whiplash of this regression than Kirk’s ex-wife Francine and his sister Lisa? The two women care enough about Kirk despite all of the frustrations he brings to them. Not that it makes dealing with him any easier, and the reader empathizes with their frustrations. It also allows the reader to believe Francine can handle the domineering Scarecrow.

On the topic of Scarecrow, he comes across as genuinely villainous in this issue. The way he speaks feels like he is striking his victims at their psychological weak points. It’s what makes them so susceptible to Scarecrow’s fear tactics. They’re the kind of tactics that are steadily improving with each issue. The reader can’t help but dread what he’s planning for the Langstroms.

Expressive Art Doesn’t Hide

Kumar illustrates Man-Bat #3 with a host of expressive visuals confined to split-second panel work. In just two similarly drawn panels, it emphasizes how a quick moment changes everything. Whether it’s Francine’s shocking encounter with Scarecrow or Lisa’s blank surprise at her brother, the reactions serve as stories of their own.

The color by Fajardo gives several of these scenes a surreal presence. The way Kirk looks at a family photo with a silhouette of his face feels disheartening. It makes Kirk look like a ghost to his own family.

Napolitano’s lettering displays a very fitting narrative weight. The way Man-Bat speaks in Kirk’s mind through black captions is loud, rough, but honest. In comparison, Kirk’s own inner monologues with the smooth gray captions display him holding Man-Bat back, including the honesty.

Bring On Man-Bat #3

Man-Bat #3 continues a gripping saga of the struggles of delusion. Kirk may be a sympathetic character, but Man-Bat is looking more heroic the less he appears because at least the monster acknowledges the strength of everyone around him.

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Review: THE SWAMP THING #2 and the Shadow of Alan Moore

By

Zac Owens

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DC Comics’ latest The Swamp Thing series is beautiful. Both in its visual beauty— every page and panel is breathtaking— and in its mysterious, quiet writing. Part of what made the first issue of this series so brilliant was how this creative team threw off the burden of continuing Swamp Thing’s existing stories. They weren’t going to be telling a story about Alec Holland. This brave, new direction, with a mysterious new Swamp Thing, was fantastic. But writer Ram V, artist Mike Perkins, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Aditya Bidikar stumble in their second issue. While they may have put aside the contents of previous Swamp Thing comics, The Swamp Thing #2 stylistically still operates in its predecessors’ shadows.

Writing

V has a brilliant narrative voice. He can really paint a picture. So much of these first few pages are spent doing just that. V describes Levi’s dreams in detail, giving the desert a mystical beauty. It’s all a little familiar, though. In fact, it’s even familiar for this character. It’s a style that feels borrowed from Alan Moore’s own work on Swamp Thing. This would be perfectly fine if V’s narration stopped at the captions. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue feels the same. It’s quite stilted. The Pale Wanderer and Swamp Thing talk as though they are just extensions of V’s own omniscient voice. And they talk in overly dramatic metaphors, with few true character moments that interrupt what feels more like preaching at one another. V’s knack for poetic writing actually does him a disservice here. His characters feel just a little too eloquent, and the discussions they have feel dry.

It really does feel as though V is seeking out a Moore’s Swamp Thing-esque voice. But, in modern comics, that voice feels a little dated. After all, those comics were written in the 80’s. And V’s move in that direction undoes some of the beautiful work he did in the first issue. It strips away some of the mystery, reduces characters to ideas rather than human beings. It robs his story of its humanity. Not only is V an eloquent writer, but he’s proven to be capable of writing heartbreaking character moments. Hopefully, we see him move back in that direction in the issues to come.

Art

Perkins brings in a lot of the lacking humanity to the story. Even in the rather big moments, Perkins still keeps us remembering that the characters are human. The Pale Wanderer refers to himself as an idea. In his dialogue, he literally dehumanizes himself. Yet when Perkins draws him, we somehow feel the Pale Wanderer is wrong. He does look human. We can see the fear under the anger, the trepidation under the cruelty. But one of the characters that really does feel human, the sheriff, is given quite a different treatment. Perkins shows the sheriff with shadows over his face. His eyes are rarely open, and when they are, they’re squinting and hard to see. His jaw is set, his face is emotionless. This is all coupled with a sad summary of the sheriff’s life. Perkins does a beautiful job of playing against each moment. He shows us glimpses of the humanity of those that deny it’s there, and he shows us the tough exterior of characters whose hearts are breaking.

Coloring

Spicer’s coloring is gorgeous. He uses a repetition of green, orange, purple and pink throughout. Many of the darker moments of the story have a tinge of purple or pink to them. These are most often the scenes that feature the Pale Wanderer. But there’s a peacefulness to the scenes too. Though the Pale Wanderer is killing and causing havoc, the scenes are almost comfortable. In one scene, the sheriff describes the hopelessness of his life. He sits in a bar with bright pink neon signs casting their light over the scene. Again, it’s a dark moment that looks beautiful. It’s as if Spicer is suggesting that despair isn’t as horrifying, at first glance, as we might like to think. In fact, it’s a comfortable place to be, and it lures us in with its subtlety.

Lettering

One of the greatest pieces of Bidikar’s lettering is found in how they connect some of the characters’ dialogue. Many of the characters have lots to say to one another. Bidikar could deliver each of their lines in one big chunk and lose all sense of rhythm, or they could stack word balloons on top of each other, dividing up each speech. Bidikar does stack word balloons, but they go a step further. Beyond just splitting the dialogue up, Bidikar actually creates space between thoughts. The sheriff gives us a speech about his bum liver and son who won’t talk to him. It’s all in one chunk. But then, when he follows up with, “I saw him, Emmet. I know he’s out there,” Bidikar places that line a half-inch away from everything else. We can hear the pause, the subtext of how these thoughts connect to one another. Bidikar shows us how the sheriff doesn’t rush through this, and it gives this moment of dialogue lots of weight.

V and Perkins’ The Swamp Thing is doing a lot right. But it’s stepping on its own toes in some ways. Its strengths lie in that it doesn’t try and be a Swamp Thing that everyone is familiar with. This isn’t Alec Holland; it’s Levi Kamei. But the creative team backtracks a little on that. They go in a new direction while also using narrative choices from past runs, choices that don’t quite jive with their story. However, there’s still lots to be excited about, and the end of this issue suggests V is already starting a new chapter in his approach. Pick up The Swamp Thing #2, out from DC Comics on April 6th, at a comic shop near you!

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FEAR CASE #3: How Ideas Become Like A Religious Cult

By

Jake Palermo

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Fear Case #3 brings the latest Matt Kindt saga at Dark Horse Comics to its climax on April 8. With spooky imagery by Tyler and Hilary Jenkins, the heroes the reader comes to love are now at risk. By the issue’s end, readers will be stuck anticipating the final issue.

Fear Case #3: The Cult of Ideas

After Kindt sets up the characters and internal conflicts in the last issues, they collide for a crisis. Mitchum and Winters, with their quirky dynamic, are approaching the deadline to find the titular MacGuffin. After the case eludes them last issue, there’s a real sense of strain on the agents. Even Mitchum, who suggests going on vacation for their last day, feels himself getting consumed by their mission. So when Winters goes missing, the reader can’t help but share Mitchum’s worries for his partner. Especially when there’s a cult out there looking for the case, a clear sign of what the agents could become past the deadline.

Art That Beckons

Tyler’s art continues to make the atmosphere as foreboding to the reader as it is for the characters. Certain pages of Fear Case #3 feature scenes with large empty spaces that feel overwhelming with how they dwarf the people in it. The opening scene of the outside of a bar, for example, features a lot of people looking defeated. It’s like the feeling of failure is following Mitchum and Winters. Sometimes it’s quite literal when it appears in the form of a knocking sound effect on Winters’ door.

Then readers have to consider Hilary’s coloring for the situations at hand. The dark blue night sky might look sad inside and outside the bar, but there’s a sense of comfort to it. The agents could certainly use the relaxation. Only for the bright red neon to accent the frustrations between Mitchum and Winters. Finally, the bright orange colors manifest when a threat approaches the agents like the cult or the case.

Don’t Miss Fear Case #3

Fear Case #3 is where this epic plot reaches its boiling point. The lovable characters are now in mortal danger, and now the only thing the reader can do is wait. And wait, they will, because the mini-series has the power to make sure they can’t turn away.

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KING IN BLACK: GHOST RIDER #1 – The Unfinished Chapter Ends

By

Jake Palermo

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marvel comics exclusive preview king in black ghost rider #1

King In Black: Ghost Rider #1 isn’t just an April 1 tie-in to Marvel’s King In Black Event; it’s the end of writer Ed Brisson’s run after getting cut short. What better way to show this closure than with returning art team of Juan Frigeri and colorist Jason Kieth? Also joining is letterer Joe Caramagna to make the series voices stand out. Because everyone in-story deserves remembrance as the status quo settles in for the next Ghost Rider run.

Tying Up Loose Ends

King In Black: Ghost Rider is what Brisson’s critically successful run boils down to. It was perfect for Johnny Blaze to be Mephisto’s tormentor for a change. That is until the inevitable status quo needs to come in. The reader shares this feeling of defeat with Johnny as this means giving a bully back some of his power. Fortunately, Danny will be at his brother’s side as the Death Rider when Mephisto makes a move. It certainly feels worth the wait after all of the Covid delays even if it does come with the baggage of a tie-in where Ghost Rider and allies fight dragons.

King In Black: Ghost Rider – Art Of Kings

Frigeri keeps the dynamic movement of King In Black: Ghost Rider moving at a steady pace. Seeing Mephisto getting dragged around in chains by Ghost Rider riding his motorcycle is certainly a sight to behold, especially when a quick stop makes Mephisto skid against the asphalt.

Even more eye-opening is the coloring by Keith. The ever scarlet Mephisto stands out strongly in every scene he’s in, as are the flames accompanying Ghost Rider. Against the night sky and symbiote dragons, the power these characters have is felt throughout the pages.

Caramagna’s lettering makes the characters stand out twice as much. The words exchanged between Ghost Rider and Mephisto in color-coded word balloons highlight their character. Mephisto tries to taunt Johnny with monologues in an intimidating red word balloon. Unlike Ghost Rider, who speaks few words in black word balloons and as he revs his Hellcycle in loud sound effects.

King In Black: Ghost Rider – The Final Lap

King In Black: Ghost Rider ends on a bittersweet note the way it’s supposed to. After a wild ride fighting slimy dragons, this issue celebrates Ghost Rider and his supporting cast. It was certainly good to see Danny and Johnny making piece after everything that happened. Now all fans have to do is wait for the next run of Ghost Rider.

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Review: CROSSOVER #5 – Letting the Dominoes Fall

By

David Weber

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Crossover #5, out now from Image Comics, is the penultimate issue of the series’ first arc and features many events that have been set up and foreshadowed, taking fruition at once.

Crossover #5, written by Donny Cates, is full of action. It seems everything that the series has been building up to has been set off at once, and the first arc is reaching its climax. There are so many insane moments that make this issue a thrilling read but to give all of these important moments enough emphasis, the art needs to be larger, making the issue an incredibly quick read. The issue contains multiple single and double splash pages that allow the art to shine but have the consequence of making the issue pass by rapidly. The art is amazing and well worth the issue’s price, but some readers may feel cheated by the lack of new story developments, only tiny instances where events that have already been set up begin to play out.

Geoff Shaw pulls no punches in Crossover #5 and provides a visual spectacle. Cates gives Shaw many opportunities to showcase his wonderful talents in a multitude of splash pages, which are impressive enough to take any reader’s breath away. Shaw’s characters are expressive, and the characters that are from fictional comic books all look like they could have been real superheroes. Every form is incredibly dynamic, which makes this climactic issue an absolute joy to read.

Crossover #5 comes to life through the coloring talent of Dee Cunniffe. The entire issue comprises a wide and vibrant color palette, which adds to the characters’ fantastic elements. Cunniffe’s characters that aren’t from a comic book have a much darker tone and palette that provides an amazing contrast between them and the comic book characters. Cunniffe also uses lens flares in this issue, emphasizing the panels it is used on since the effect is not often used in the series.

John J. Hill’s lettering in Crossover #5 is an excellent complement to the issue’s art. When the event happening on the panel is big, so is the font, and the style reflects the moment as well. Some characters have a different color scheme for their speech bubbles, and there are times where the words extend past the borders of a speech bubbles. Both of these are small ways that Hill is able to clarify the way that certain lines are said, and it has an enormous effect on the quality of the issue.

Crossover #5 is an issue where all the dominoes fall, and we creep towards the end of the series’ first arc. It is fast, action-packed, and a whole lot of fun.

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THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER – Power Broker | TV Review

By

Kieran Freemantle

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After two episodes of world-building, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s third episode becomes more focused on the spy-thriller/action-adventure aspects of the story.

The new Captain America, Sam, and Bucky are on the hunt for Karli Morgenthau. Neither have any leads. In an act of desperation Bucky helps Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) escape from prison, leading Sam, Bucky, and Zemo to go to the city of Madripoor.

I am a fan of espionage action franchises like James Bond, Bourne, and Mission: Impossible and this episode was right up my alley. The majority of the episode focused on Sam, Bucky and Zemo in Madripoor, watching them go into sleazy clubs and meet dodgy people. These were scenes that could easily have fitted in Bond or Mission: Impossible. Zemo’s escape was clearly influenced by the escape scenes in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Skyfall. The episode had an incredible action scene in a shipyard as one person had to fend off a load of bounty hunters. It was a change of pace for the MCU because the combatants were just highly trained agents and mercenaries, not superpowered beings.

Madripoor was a great location. It was a modern version of Tortuga, a place that’s a safe haven for criminals, pirates, and scoundrels. It was an Asian city and one of the locations the characters go looked like a dodgy nightclub in Bangkok. One of the characters had to drink a shot with a snake heart shot which reminded me of the opening of The Beach.

Whilst most of the episode focused on Sam, Bucky, and Zemo, Jack Walker, and Karli made an appearance in the episode. Jack’s darker side was hinted at again when he threatens a suspect during a raid. It’s certainly not the way Steve Rogers would have done it. Karli was shown in a sympathetic light. She was introduced to playing soccer with some kids in a relocation camp and grieves over a friend. But Karli crosses a line at the end of the episode. The point was to show what would drive people to commit terrorist acts.

In Captain America: Civil War, Zemo was only in the film to serve a purpose: get Captain America and Iron Man to fight each other. In this episode, he felt more like a character and made for a fun addition. Sam and Bucky stop bickering with each other and focus comedic energy against Zemo. Clearly, Zemo intends to try and get Bucky to re-join the dark side.

“Power Broker” worked as a spy story it did have one major issue: the overly expository dialogue. Characters were constantly explaining things to each other and it got annoying. There were moments where characters were explaining things they had already experienced (like the events of Captain America: Civil War and when two characters got injected with the super-soldier serum), but it came off as unnatural. It was done for the benefit of the audience instead of the characters.

“Power Broker” worked as a standalone episode due to the bulk of the story focusing on three main characters and taking place in one city. However, it suffered from some clunky writing and it felt a bit like a filler episode in the middle of six-episode miniseries.

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Exclusive Preview: GIRLS OF DIMENSION 13 #1 From AfterShock Comics

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 1, 2021

Exclusive Preview: GIRLS OF DIMENSION 13 #1 From AfterShock Comics

Check out an exclusive four-page preview of GIRLS OF DIMENSION 13 #1, a fantasy tale of discovery and empowerment from AfterShock Comics. The book is written by Graham Nolan, with art by Bret Blevins, Greg Wright drops the color, and you will read Carlos M. Mangual’s letter work.

About the issue:
Four young women are brought together by a mysterious invitation to live in a creepy building in NYC. They soon learn that the building houses a portal to the other twelve known dimensions and that a malevolent creature known as Abraxis has bound these dimensions together, enslaving them to his will. For centuries, the portal has been guarded by a gatekeeper to prevent the evil on the other side from gaining access to OUR dimension.

Now the gatekeeper, Anna Nightlinger, is missing, and the only thing standing in Abraxis’ way is a quartet of young women with powers and abilities they don’t even know they have…for now.

GIRLS OF DIMENSION 13 #1 hits your local comic shop on April 21. Enjoy the preview below.

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Preview: AMERICA CHAVEZ MADE IN USA #2 (OF 5) w/ Spider-Man

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 1, 2021

Preview: AMERICA CHAVEZ MADE IN USA #2 (OF 5)

Check out this exclusive three-page preview of AMERICA CHAVEZ MADE IN USA #2 (OF 5) from Marvel Comics. The book hits your local comic book shop on April 7.

AMERICA CHAVEZ MADE IN USA #2 (OF 5) is written by Kalinda Vazquez, with art from Carlos E. Gomez, Jesus Aburtov drops the cover, you will read Travis Lanham’s letter work, and Sara Pichelli is the cover artist.

About the issue:
LIFE. LIBERTY. AND THE PURSUIT OF A MASKED INDIVIDUAL…
The irony of America Chavez’s life suddenly shattering into a million pieces is not lost on her… But facing a mysterious threat who seems to know a whole lot about her – maybe even more than America herself? Well, now she’s on the brink of breaking apart.

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