Review: RONIN ISLAND #5: A Test Of Loyalties

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RONIN ISLAND #5, hitting comic book stores on August 7th, details the ramifications of issue #4’s huge reveal. In said issue, Hana uncovers the secret behind the Byonin’s creation and the Shogun’s role in the process. Now the young samurai must decide whether to continue fighting for the immoral overlord or risk certain death in the wilderness.

Story

Greg Pak frames the current events of this story around a series of flashbacks from Hana and Kenichi’s past. The reader sees each child’s perspective when Kenichi’s mother finds the two playing together, no doubt astonished by her choice to rip her son away from the girl. The scene reeks of both racism and class stratification that reflects the ugly attitudes often seen in our own world; it also gives Kenichi his first test of loyalty.

These flashbacks give readers context into Hana and Kenichi’s adversarial relationship. This adds to Hana’s contempt for the upper echelons of society, specifically the Shogun and his army. She eventually confronts General Sato and demands he explain why he continues to remain loyal to the man who mutated his own people into Byonin. At this the hardened warrior unearths a startling revelation: ” Loyalty’s got nothing to do with it. I just know what the alternative is.”

While Hana is fighting Byonin and debating the merits of staying with the Shogun, Kenichi races as fast as he can to Ronin Island. He’s taken it upon himself to warn them of the Shogun’s treachery and the Byonin menace. But a run in with bandits may put his life in mortal danger.

Art

Giannis Milonogiannis’ penciling, Irma Kniivila’s coloring, and Simon Bowland’s lettering fit perfectly with the narrative laid out by Pak. Milonogiannis’ drawings of Hana’s flashback scenes are beautifully simple, reflecting the innocence of her and Kenichi’s childhood. As the story progresses Kniivila adds in darker hues to signify how much more complex and dangerous their lives have become in this post-Byonin world. Bowland, not to be outdone, makes effective use of bold lettering to drive home the main themes of the story as they arise in character dialogue.

Comic Covers

Milonogiannis and MSASSYK’s main cover places the focus on Kenichi as he faces the terrors of the burned wilderness; Ethan Young’s preorder cover also features the young warrior but uses a monochromatic sketching reminiscent of historic East Asian art forms. Kris Anka’s unlocked retailer variant cover places the brave Hana in the midst of the Shogun’s warriors, giving her an expression of uncertainty as she contemplates why she’s fighting for the unjust ruler.

Conclusion

RONIN ISLAND #5 adds further complexities to Hana and Kenichi’s fight against the Byonin by revealing even more depths of the Shogun’s nefarious schemes. We’re anxious to see what becomes of Ronin Island once the Shogun/Byonin finally reach it.

What did you think of Hana and Kenichi’s flashback scenes? Let us know in the comments below!

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Review: Strange Planetary Divorce Case is the focus in DOOM PATROL WEIGHT OF THE WORLDS #2

By

Jose "Jody" Cardona

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The Doom Patrol’s bizarre adventure is both a blessing and a curse for readers.

The Doom Patrol has returned, and they have a new destination. After the events of the Milk Wars, the team has worked to find themselves. Negative Man adopted a puppy, Cliff Steele(Robotman) has gone back to see his mother, and Jane gets a crazy new idea. This idea involves the team piling into Casey’s ambulance and fly off into space to save planets. After quick convincing, almost the entire team heads off, except for Cliff. The former Robotman realizes he’s left too many bad memories and relationships to go on. Thinking his only good was as Robotman, he drives off a cliff. Will the team get their favorite robot back?

**Some Spoilers Below**

Story:

We open our story with the return of Robotman after Casey finds his car crash. Keeg, Negative Man’s spirit, reveals to Cliff that he had been working on an upgraded version of his body. The body includes upgrades that will be unlocked for every act of kindness Cliff does. We also learn that after adopting Hank, Negative Man has been full of positive energy.

While that might be fine for most people, it does cause an issue for Keeg as he can no longer enter Trainor. That same positive energy eventually breaks free and gets lost inside Dannyland. Before they can find the positives, the Doom Patrol heads off to meet a pair of sentient planet headed people to assist in their space divorce.

If I didn’t stress the bizarre nature of this book before, it practically speaks for itself now. It’s a tough story to follow if you are not used to the Doom Patrol, but it is one that is intriguing. We have moments of fleshing out the characters that we don’t often get with comics. Cliff accepting his role as Robotman, Trainor explaining how his life had turned around thanks to Hank, and even the Planetary divorce is full of these more profound character moments.

That leads me to my biggest problem with the issue: three stories in one normal-sized issue. We had to jam Cliff’s rebirth, Trainor’s positivity change, and a space divorce case into your standard 20+ pages. This wouldn’t be as much of a problem if it weren’t for the fact one was glossed over, and a deus ex machina saved the other. The remaining storyline does show a lot of promise, but it is a tad irritating to watch to other potential stories get tossed aside.

Art:

James Harvey continues to impress with his illustrations for the Doom Patrol. While it doesn’t have the cartoonish nature of Nick Derrington’s style, this style is better used for the more dramatic character moments. The reveal of Cliff’s return as Robotman is heartbreaking, and you can tell it hurts for him thanks to the detail Harvey put in. Derrington had those moments too, but his style was more suited to the bizarre nature rather than dramatic moments.

Harvey’s best work comes in the form of his two-page spreads. The first is a map of the entirety of Dannyland, which gives nods to the previous series and details the whole of the park. It’s only to show how massive Danny is, but it’s nice to see the level of detail put in. The second two-page is the deus ex machina mentioned in the Story section. While I won’t go into great detail about what saves the day, it’s illustrated beautifully while still capturing the bizarre nature of the book.

Conclusion:

This issue is a good follow up to the first issue, but I hesitate to call it a great one. While the dramatic, humanizing moments for Cliff and Trainor are well done, there isn’t much of an overarching plot to get invested in.

While it’s still early in the series, it appears that it will be following the Doom Patrol on random adventures. That can work under the right circumstances, but the question is how long it can keep it up. The art is quite good, but I don’t think it will be enough to carry the series as a whole. I enjoyed myself, but we need to get an actual arc forming soon, or this return is going to fizzle out.

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How Science and Magic Combine In COGNITION VOL. 1

By

Cat Wyatt

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COGNITION VOL. 1 brings magic and science together into one dark and thrilling volume. Fans of the dark and mysterious will love delving into the depths of this one.

Have you ever craved a series that combines the steampunk and the occult? Something that’s both new and dark and oh so compelling? What about comic fans out there that have a soft spot for Johann Kraus? Cognition will fulfill all of those needs, and then some.

Cognition is a dark steampunk fantasy, full of the occult, science, and some fascinating characters. Set in the Victorian era, this series explores the occult using a very unique lens. The tales inside are beautiful and more than a little bit eerie.

The series follows a set of British Occult Secret Service agents, but there are two characters in particular that are truly notable. One is a steam-powered automaton housing a human soul. And the other is a possessed mouse.

An unlikely bond highlighted on the cover of Cognition #0

Ken Reynolds weaves together a deeply disturbing and fascinating tale here. His characters orbit and inhabit the occult in ways rarely ever seen. Each Secret Service agent is truly unique and fascinating.

Cognition Vol. 1 contains issue zero through four of the series. These issues were a delight to read and did an excellent job of introducing us to the characters and to the world itself.

There are many familiar elements taken and placed into this series – yet they’re warped into something new. The end result was something both familiar and twisted, leaving us feeling somewhat disturbed. It was elegantly done.

The British Occult Secret Service is here to help.

As for the art in Cognition Vol. 1…it was sublime. The choice to go with pure black and white was daring and brilliant. And we do mean black and white. Not sepia. Not grayscale. Black and white and nothing else. Whether or not this was intentional, the color palette left us feeling like a commentary on good versus evil, black and white.

Sam Bentley is the man behind that decision and several others. He brought Reynolds’ work to life in this series. And you can see his passion in every detail. The artwork was bold in a way that only solid shapes and colors can provide. It added an unexpected weight to the tales. It was very effective.

Cognition Vol. 1 was a dark and fascinating read. And with the variety of tales that were told, it’s guaranteed that there’s a plot that will touch and linger with each of its readers. It’ll be interesting to see how far Cognition pushes the boundaries of its plot.

Cognition is every bit as dark and foreboding as this cover indicates.

Cognition Vol. 1 is currently running a Kickstarted project for a few days yet. Here there hoping to bundle the first five issues of the series – the very ones discussed above. If you’re curious to see more of this world, be sure to check it out!

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How CHAMPIONS #8 Gains and Loses a Hero

By

Cat Wyatt

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CHAMPIONS #8 is out this week from Marvel Comics, and the issue is a poignant reminder for how our young heroes’ team is constantly changing and evolving. And that there’s always a new danger on the horizon they must face.

Kid Nova takes the forefront for this cover in Champions #8

***SPOILER WARNING***

For those that haven’t been following along until now, the Champions has faced a lot of changes as of late. They’ve gained a lot of team members, but they’ve lost some as well. One can only hope that those that have stepped down (Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man) will eventually come back around to the team.

Along with the gains and the losses, characters and their powers have been fluctuating. Some characters have lost their powers, while others have managed to change their state or status. In short, it’s a whole lot to keep up with.

This issue was a poignant reminder that the changes to the team are not over. Once again we’re seeing a shift in powers…as well as a new wrench into the mix. Naturally, everyone is going to assume that there’s something larger going on here – but that just means that there’s another mess for the Champions to resolve. Sooner rather than later, ideally.

You can see the current active characters if you look to the left.

Jim Zub did an excellent job of weaving several plots together in this issue. Sam’s plot seems to be resolved (but we’ve thought that before, so only time will tell). Meanwhile, Miles and Kamala’s plots are still up in the air. And now there’s something new to deal with – whatever is going on with Riri.

All of that would have been more than enough to deal with. Yet Zub threw in a few repeating antagonists as well. They weren’t really all that important to the plot. Mostly they were there as a lightning rod for hate. Which works for us.

Now we’re just left wondering how the team will resolve this – and if the missing teammates will come back to help. We don’t yet know how long this plot will run for, but it’s sure to through the young heroes through a loop or two.

Irontheart and a crash ship…this doesn’t look great, does it?

The artwork for Champions #8 was vibrant and full of life. Despite the relatively large cast, it’s never difficult to tell who is who. Credit should be given to the artists for that one. Steven Cummings provided the line art, while Marcio Menyz did the coloring. Meanwhile, VC’s Clayton Cowles did the lettering for this issue.

There were a lot of different powers that had to be portrayed in this issue, and our artistic team did an excellent job of it. The fight scenes were a sight to behold. There were some odd moments in the fighting – mostly revolving around a certain characters’ punches (was that a power, or was it speed being portrayed?). But otherwise, everything looked great.

Champions #8 was a fun issue that resolved and set up plots all in one. It’s always risky when an issue tries to handle both, but when done right it does pay off. And this is one of those times. There wasn’t a dull moment to be had, and fans are left looking forward to seeing what happens next.

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Review: IMMORTAL HULK #22 – The Quentin Tarantino Moment In The Series

By

Cody Walker

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Drawing inspiration from Macbeth, Immortal Hulk #22 out this week from Marvel Comics, is a character-heavy entry that does a great deal to bring all the narratives together for what is sure to be an epic throw down.

This is the part of the Tarantino film where the characters are all sitting around, “shootin’ the shit”, planning their next moves. The dialogue-heavy, character building in this issue supplies growing suspense throughout the issue. Who has the drop on who? Which big thinker has the upper hand? Questions are raised. Questions are answered.

Al Ewing and Joe Bennett keep the horror brewing in another beautiful installment in what I still believe to be Marvel’s best on-going series, and honestly, I don’t consider it to be a close contest either. Just like Martian Manhunter, this series is a body horror lover’s delight. The transformations are amazing, the character designs are haunting, everything a good horror story needs, but this one has an advantage above the rest, the Immortal Hulk (hilariously referred to as the Big Daddy Devil and Devil Daddy in this issue).

Bennett’s art in this series is nothing short of incredible, he frequently posts his pencil drawings on social media and they’re always inspiring, but seeing the transformation his art goes through before the final product is mesmerizing. Ruy Jose and Belardino Brabo take care of the inks and Paul Mounts is handling the colors for the Immortal Devil Daddy.

It’s very impressive to me that two people have to tackle the inking duties, it could’ve been something as simple as a time constraint, but it shows how much work it is to ink Bennett’s pencils. Mounts is fantastic in this title time and time again, that gamma glow he has perfected makes those panels pop right off the page.

Taking what looks like a chaotic pencil drawing, focusing the attention where it needs to be, and bringing pencils to life in full color is quite the talent and it is on full display here. The colors here make dialogue-heavy panels easy on the eyes. There’s plenty to admire while giving your eyes a break from the text every so often.

Cory Petit is another veteran that just fits in extremely well on Immortal Hulk. His onomatopoeia always tend to have a rumble and rattle to them. The BOOM appears like it really is booming across the page. Creating dialogue-heavy stories that seem like an actual conversation is a skill many people overlook and something Ewing effortlessly accomplishes here.

WARNING: SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Our favorite general has a surprise in store, but it appears it may come at a cost. Rick Jones has been freed from the Abomination, but General Fortean has taken up the mantle, handy face and all. This Abomination is my favorite character design of the year. I can’t think of anything more terrifying than a monster that can grab you with its head and spit acid.

Three serious discussions drive the story here with Alpha Flight, Shadow Base, and the crew of Bruce, Betty, Rick Jones, and Joe Fix-it. They really should have a cool name like Gamma Gang. Alpha Flight wants to escalate the situation right back in the General’s face, Fortean wants to weaponize everything, while the Gamma Gang is just trying to hold themselves together.

With the 22nd issue of Immortal Hulk, Ewing and Bennett set the stage for one hell of a Royal Rumble in the next chapter, and hopefully the end to a great knock-knock joke. I really don’t enjoy being left hanging on a knock-knock joke from the Big Bad Devil Daddy. Which, by the way, should definitely be a Marvel Black miniseries, maybe we can get the first appearance of the Bruce Banger.

Is Immortal Hulk still going strong? What did you think of this issue? Let us know in the comments.

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Review: THE GREEN LANTERN #10 Assembles A Multiversal Green Lantern Army

By

Corey Patterson

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It’s August 7th and THE GREEN LANTERN #10 is now available at your local comic book shop—it’s one you won’t want to miss. Hal Jordan, after having gone toe-to-toe (briefly) with the Anti-Man, finds himself in the company of an array of Green Lanterns from other universes. They too have been alerted to the threat of the menace and the danger it poses to the multiverse.

Story

Grant Morrison takes the grand task of multiversal storytelling upon himself in this issue, detailing the amassing of Green Lanterns with widely differing personalities and power sets. Case in point: The opening scene featuring Hank Hallmark of Earth-36, the Green Lantern who serves the Custodians of the Cosmos (a nice place on the Guardians of the Universe). Though his power derives from a green flashlight instead of a Lantern ring, Hank’s personality is quite similar to Hal’s, which makes him most relatable of the green-clad heroes to be introduced in this issue.

After becoming acclimated with Hank, readers get to see some fan favorite Green Lanterns, including Bat-Lantern and Tangent. The former’s brooding nature and the latter’s aloofness bring these characters to life. But the one thing each member does have in common is the Anti-Man threat, whose presence signals the impending doom of the entire multiverse. It’s going to take all of their cooperation to defeat the beast who represents everything that is antithetical to the Green Lantern life-honoring ideals.

This issue amasses excitement, intrigue, and anticipation for the coming battle. We can’t wait to see where Morrison takes us in the coming issue!

Art

Liam Sharp’s penciling, Steve Oliff’s coloring, and Tom Orzechowski’s lettering mesh together beautifully to create a thrilling space fantasy tale. Oliff’s bright colors and Sharp’s detailing of each character’s physiology showcase the incredible diversity among the multiversal army of Green Lanterns. And Orzechowski’s variation in lettering boxes and fonts push this diversification even farther.

Comic Covers

Sharp’s main cover offers brilliant illustrations of the multiversal Green Lantern team in battle poses, preparing readers for the coming conflict with the Anti-Man. Kaare Andrews’ variant cover depicts Hal alone in a more realistic style to highlight him as the de facto leader of the team.

Conclusion

THE GREEN LANTERN #10 is the beginning of the end of the Anti-Man saga. We see the Green Lanterns preparing for battle and devising a strategy for saving the decaying multiverse.

Who was your favorite iteration of Green Lantern from the various universes? Let us know in the comments below!

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How GIANT DAYS #53 Prepares for the Series Finale

By

Cat Wyatt

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GIANT DAYS #53 from Boom! Studios hits your local comic book store on August 7, and the issue brings us ever closer to that sad moment; the finale of the series. But at least it’s wrapping up all the important plots.

Giant Days #53 has arguably one of the best covers yet.

***SPOILER WARNING***

In case you haven’t heard the news, Giant Days #55 will be the last issue of the series. John Allison made that announcement a few months ago. But it’s only starting to truly sink in now, as we’re nearing the final moments.

Up until Giant #53, it was pretty easy to stick our heads in the sand and pretend the series would just continue forever – following Esther, Suzie, and Daisy until they were old and gray. Unfortunately, this issue really brought the truth home.

On the bright side, they’re wrapping up the series in the right way. And since there’s nothing worse than a series that just drops off (or ends horribly), we’re willing to settle for this.

Daisy doing what she does best…stress and worry.

John Allison did an excellent job of balancing two competing elements in this issue. On the one hand, he’s got to lead the series towards its inevitable conclusion (the graduation of Esther and Daisy). On the other hand, he’s got to keep the tone and theme the same. That means new elements have to be brought in, while other plots are tied up in a nice little bow.

But you know what? It actually worked out really well here. The issue focused predominantly on Daisy (recall, most issues will have a slight bend towards one of the three main characters). Out of the three, Daisy is the most ambitious, but also the least settled when it comes to her future. So some extra time spent on her was appreciated.

Of course, this is Giant Days we’re talking about. So nothing went perfectly for Daisy. And let’s be honest…Daisy is pretty talented at getting herself all wound up over things the average person would ignore. That’s what gives her so much of her charm.

Taking Daisy’s anxiety and distracting her from the impending graduation was a brilliant move on Allison’s part. It felt organic to the series – because Daisy is at her best when stressing out about fixing or stopping things. But it also didn’t deny or hide from the fact that her graduation was still happening.

Max Sarin is responsible for the line art in this issue, as well as the amazing cover. Seriously, this cover is exactly what the fans needed to see right now. It may not have fit the main plot if this issue perfectly, though it did fit the running theme of the series as a whole.

Sarin was able to capture our three leads in all of their glory – and throw a few unexpected twists our way. It was oddly refreshing to see the new looks revealed in this issue, even if they were only temporary (presumably).

Whitney Cogar’s colors complemented Sarin’s artwork, as well as the tone of the series. She used bright and bold colors as needed, a fact she balanced out with muted colors as needed. In short, it was the iconic color palette of Giant Days.

It’s not every day that the letterer gets to shine, but Jim Campbell had a few moments here to truly blend the words with the artwork provided. And he did not waste them. This did help with the impact of those moments, naturally.

Fans will be sad to see the series go. But if Giant Days #53 is any indication for the following two issues, it seems safe to assume that they’re going to do justice to the series. But until that moment actually arrives, let’s just enjoy what we have left.

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Review: DIE #6 – A Blast From the Past

By

Cody Walker

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DIE #6 from Image Comics hits your local comic book store on August 7, and the issue is another visually stunning and mind-bending chapter from Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans.

First of all, this book’s interior pages are among the best in current comics and maybe even all time. Stephanie Hans is killing it every issue. She’s helped visualize a fantasy world so beautiful that even the death and destruction is gorgeous.

Clayton Cowles is a go-to letterer in every sense. Every comic reader recognizes the name even if they don’t show the man the respect he deserves. Unfortunately, if you’re an amazing letterer, your work blends in so well it’s almost unnoticeable. That is exactly what you get here. His style works so well with the art that it seems part of it, not an addition to it. Everything is easily readable, even while using some color combinations most people would never consider.

Gillen has changed the game of fantasy world-building. A couple of months ago I started a D&D campaign with some friends from work. It has definitely given me more appreciation for this story, but upon learning that Gillen had created actual rules and character sheets for this story, I was blown away. I already thought many of these character ideas were amazingly horrific and cruel.

The treasured two that I wanted to homebrew for our campaign were the Grief/Joy knights and the Fallen. After a few minutes searching online I had the handout file open on my computer, only to later discover the link is just at the end of #6 in the second essay. Of course, I go right to the knight, and to my absolute delight, the knight character is far more diverse than I ever thought. There are many more emotions than just grief and joy that your character could draw power from.

This is the new Game of Thrones so, for the love of God, please don’t let this end as badly as GoT did. There has always been mystery shrouding the world of DIE and issue #6 sheds some light. Many ingredients of this book I utterly love, but my favorite is the reality of it. This is still a story about a group of people playing a game that sucked them into this world, spat out, and then sucked back in years later. Gillen gives us so much to think about with this issue.

WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW

The Grandmaster and creator of DIE has been murdered and is now being kept with them as one of the Fallen. He opens himself up for one single question and without hesitation, Ash asks “You made Die. How?” and brings up a question I hadn’t considered at this point. How did a six-teen year old learn what was necessary to create this world? Of course, Sol doesn’t answer, but I love that this issue pulls real life and reality back into this story.

I thought this would just be a story of them escaping the world again while using flashbacks to explain what happened the first time. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only should we get that story, but this keeps the conflict going and interesting even after they eventually break free from DIE. Sol is the Grandmaster and the creator, but who pulls his strings? Who gave him this ability or showed him how to accomplish this? If he did all of this himself… how?

Another particular detail I find fascinating, and I often find myself forgetful, is that Ash is a male in reality, so with the reveal on the last page. I am so very intrigued how that was handled emotionally for the character. So much of this issue leaves me wanting more and more from this universe.

DIE #6 solidified my interest in this series, now that Gillen has me worrying about the person pulling the strings, whoever gave Sol this power, the ultimate threat. At this point, Sol still seems like a kid that just wants to play a game with his friends, but as Gillen has proven time and time again, we will be guessing up until the last few panels of this story. This issue has locked me in for the long haul.

Who’s starting the petition for a Gillen/Hickman collaboration? Where do I sign?

What did you think of the issue? Have you tried to play the RPG? Let us know in the comments.

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HOUSE OF X #2 – Changing X-Men History

By

Brandon J. Griffin

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HOUSE OF X #2 focuses on one Moira MacTaggert, altering the character’s entire history in a highly ambitious manner. Hickman’s vision for the X-Men is no joke, this is the book fans have been begging for years for.

HOUSE OF X 2 CVR — MOIRA AT THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING

SPOILERS LIE AHEAD

Nobody was expecting an entire issue focusing on Moira MacTaggert, ally to the X-Men since 1975 (Uncanny X-Men #96). I’m willing to bet nobody was expecting an issue all about Moira to be so enthralling either.

Jonathan Hickman completely rewrites the history of Moira, making her a secret mutant. Her ability is a fascinating and tragic one, reincarnation. She’s lived many lives, completely self aware of her previous experiences.

House Of X #2 shows us her experience throughout many different reincarnations and how she’s approached the existence of mutants from every possible angle. This was an ingenious move by Hickman to explore and exhaust so many possible solutions and paths for mutants to take as they try to find their way in the world.

What this does is double-down on his vision, making it permanent. Moira has lived her many lives and seen them all destroyed one way or another by either opposing mutants or fighting for their survival.

This means the rabbit hole we are currently following Charles Xavier down is no band-aid solution or extremist idea. There will be no new antagonist to come in a year from now and convince Xavier that his vision is flawed.

This is no marketing ploy or empty promise of status-quo change. Dawn Of X is the real deal, the X-Men are changed forever.

Hickman’s vision is bold and ambitious with seemingly no restrictions on what he’s allowed to do with these characters. This is exactly what we X-Men fans have been praying for over the last decade.

House Of X #2 does a wonderful job of taking readers on a journey through the tortured life of Moira MacTaggert. Her mutant ability and it’s been applied firmly cements her as a pillar in the X-Men community. She’s no longer just an ally or lover to Charles, she’s the foundation for this new era of X-Men comics.

The story being told here is executed perfectly. From the layouts to the structure of the story itself. X-Men comics can get very convoluted, especially when time is involved, but that’s not the case here. This is an extremely creative and ambitious narrative that’s told in an easily digestible way.

Artist Pepe Larraz and colorist Marte Gracia deliver another stellar issue of dynamic comic book storytelling. The emotional weight of this issue, and the tole it takes on Moira, is felt through the art.

Larraz handles a Hickman script like no other and keeps readers in his pocket the entire time. The warmth and immediacy of Gracia’s coloring make the many transitions throughout read beautifully. Moira’s Apocalypse look is a major highlight for how striking and shocking it is to actually lay eyes on.

There’s a lot to absorb and analyze with every issue of Hickman’s X-Men story so far, but with the talented artists he’s enlisted there’s nothing he can’t do. House Of X #2 proves to readers that this creative team isn’t afraid to do what they need to do to bring their bold new vision to life.

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Review: NO ONE LEFT TO FIGHT #2 – A Tribute To A Classic Done Perfectly

By

Ben Snyder

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No One Left To Fight #2 from Dark Horse Comics hits your local comic book shop August 7, and the second issue is a sensational entry that gives this Dragon Ball tribute an almost tacky 80’s tone and it works beautifully. Writer Aubrey Sitterson, artist Fico Ossio, and letterer Taylor Esposito do more than simply pay admiration to one of the most popular and prevalent Manga and Anime of all time, they improve upon it by showing the downfalls of constantly training to be the best as well as hinting at some time-travel in the near future.

No One Left To Fight #2 begins with a character named Billy Von Katz of the band Billy & The Katz-tones giving a re-cap of the last chapter and he looks exactly like you’d expect he would. Billy Von Katz is an electric blue cat creature that shreds an electric guitar with a glowing red eye at the top. If that is not the best tone-setting introduction in a comic, I really don’t know what is.

After that, the comic picks up with Vâle and Timór mid-battle and Krysta breaking them up. After this brief altercation, the trio leaves to go meet their teacher before reaching the place where the Vâle’s final and most famous battle took place.

Sitterson’s script is unsuspectingly amazing. The dialogue is emotional yet precise with characters getting to the point without saying very much at all. When Timór is clearly feeling jealous of Vâle while he receives all the attention from the public, Krysta is seen placing a hand on his shoulder and thank him for taking part in this journey and acknowledging how difficult it must be for him. In this short three-panel exchange, Timór distances himself from the cold emotionless character archetype he is cut from, allowing him to be more of a developed character.

After getting Billy Von Katz’s re-cap, I did not expect to have an emotional scene in this chapter but Sitterson’s script proved me wrong by addressing one of my main problems with Dragon Ball Z’s hero Goku and other characters similarly designed. If all these characters do is train physically wouldn’t they be lacking in some other aspect; especially Goku, where the running joke is how socially and mentally underdeveloped he is. But Mistress Harga shows remorse over pushing Vâle so hard acknowledging how much she stifled his development in other aspects.

This lack of social comfortably and awareness is heightened by the presence of Winda, who trained with Vâle, Timór, and Krysta as a child but has since grown into a woman. Vâle continues to see her as a child despite her obvious infatuation for him as well as Harga insisting how good of a couple they would make. In the final scene when Winda makes her intentions with Vâle clear, the level of discomfort he is in is apparent. Whether it is because he still sees her as a child (which is fair and understandable) or other due to other circumstances remains to be seen. But Ossio depicts her as a young woman.

Vale and Crew Find Mistress Harga — Giant Mushrooms and Flying Cars, What a Trip.

Ossio’s art is the perfect companion to Sitterson’s script. The colors are neon and vibrant and fit into the late 80’s tone of the story. The action is kinetic and explosive and the character designs are top-notch. However, the aspect that Ossio captures exceptionally well is the world.

The world of No One Left To Fight looks like a blend of Borderlands’ wasteland scavenger aesthetic and the whimsical playfulness of a Miyazaki film. When Vâle and crew arrive at Mistress Harga’s house, I immediately was reminded of Howl’s Moving Castle’s eponymous Castle, except more mushroom-y and stationary.

It does seem that Ossio may be trying to make some statement comparing Vâle as a reluctant world-saving hero to Christ, and the scene where Vâle is met by all the townspeople make that apparent. But Ossio doesn’t do anything similar after that. This could be a wasted opportunity as there could be some room for religious sub-text, especially when Ossio is so adept at portraying these images.

No One Left To Fight #2 is a perfect example of how to do homage well. Sitterson, Ossio, and Esposito wear their inspirations on their sleeves but blend them together to make a story exceedingly fun, touching, and unique.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

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The Doom Patrol’s bizarre adventure is both a blessing and a curse for readers.

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***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***

SPOILERS LIE AHEAD