Intergalactic Comics: 02/22/17

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

NEW TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES DONATELLO THREEZERO 1/6th SCALE FIGURE

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End Date: Friday Mar-24-2017 18:52:54 PDT
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Exclusive Preview: MOON KNIGHT #12

Arrow: Impeach Oliver Queen!

Before we jump in and discuss tonight’s episode, let’s take a minute to admire Curtis’ new costume….ahhhh, yes…it’s the comics coming to life!

Matt Ross
via DC Comics

http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2017/02/22/arrow-impeach-oliver-queen

What We Learned From DC COMICS' May 2017 Solicitations - REBIRTH One Year Anniversary Edition

RBEIRTH is one year old in May.

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http://www.newsarama.com/33289-what-we-learned-from-dc-comics-may-2017-solicitations-rebirth-one-year-anniversary-edition.html

SIDESHOW DC COMICS THE KILLING JOKE JOKER 12" FIGURE 1/6 SCALE

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The 100: An Episode of Dead Ends

By Lindsey Ferreira

As a fan of The 100, it’s becoming harder and harder for me to find something to write about each week. So far this season, the plot has been so broad but there hasn’t been a lot of action; each episode seems to have less than the previous one. To me, the latest episode entitled “The Four Horsemen” was the slowest of the season. It was an episode full of dead-end plots, each lacking the usual depth that the previous seasons of The 100 had. Though the episode ended on a hopeful note, most of the decisions made in the episode were insignificant. I would say the two biggest plots of the episode, the radiation poisoning and Jaha’s search for the bunker, halted character and plot progression. Much of the episode was dedicated to Abby and Raven arguing about whether or not to give Luna and her people medicine to combat the radiation poisoning, and even after they finally gave it to a young girl, she died nevertheless. The other biggest plot point of the episode focused on Jaha, Clarke, and Bellamy searching for a bunker that could save all of their people, but they found that it was compromised and wouldn’t be able to save anyone: another wasted storyline.

“The Four Horsemen” also highlighted Clarke’s next major decision: making a list of people that will be saved from the imminent end of the world, choosing to prioritize only 100 lives out of 400-500 Sky People. Not only does she have to pick and choose who to save and who to sacrifice, but she will also have to do so in 2 months. In the latest episode, Raven revealed that instead of having 6 months to find a solution, something Bellamy was depending on last week when he destroyed something that will save them, they will only have 2 months of survivability. I thought that upon learning that they had lost 4 months that the episode would pick up the pace, but this episode lacked action.

I’ve touched on this a few times over the past two weeks, but it seems like the show has been reducing Clarke from the main protagonist to a side character. For 2 episodes in a row, Clarke has had a passive, background role which is completely opposite to the first and second seasons of the show. Clarke’s saving actions were always in the forefront of The 100 and she was always the main focus, with the audience seeing everything through her eyes. Now she has been removed for most of the action of season 4, letting other characters carry out more important roles. Like earlier seasons, Clarke is still given the hardest decisions to make and has the future of humanity on her shoulders, but instead of being in a majority of the scenes each episode, she has been in the side-plots.

While Clarke is sidelined, Luna has surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) been given an incredibly important role: the much-needed savior in a hopeless situation. I will say that I’m a bit upset that she has been given this elevated role after being in just 2 full episodes. Last season, her introduction was promoted so much but her reveal was kind of a letdown. The revelation at the end of “The Four Horsemen” was not that much of a surprise. Since the beginning of season 3, we have known that nightblood was special, especially when we learned that the Flame could only accept a person with nightblood and would kill anyone without it, causing Clarke to get a blood transfusion in the finale. So finding out that Luna’s nightblood could be the answer to surviving the inevitable end of the world was not that surprising. Since she refused to take the Flame last season, it will be interesting whether or not she will help Clarke’s people now. Since we are only 3 episodes into the season, I think there’s a possibility that Luna will refuse to help them again.

Here are some of other thoughts I had about the episode:

-As the plot progresses, I will be interested to see who was on Clarke’s list. Are there Grounders on it? Can we expect any of the major characters to be left off the list? It looks like she will be confronted by Jasper about it next week, but it will be interesting to see who Clarke chose to save and who she decided to sacrifice.

-I really like that Octavia has been separated from the Sky People for most of the season so far. She seems to be appreciated more by the Grounders than the Sky People and I love her relationship with Indra. She’s really become an integral character this season. I really miss Lincoln though.

-Considering we know so little about Indra (where was she for most of the second half of season 3?) finding out she has a daughter was a surprise. Before Indra’s daughter was revealed to be the Flame thief, it was comical to see her hooded-figure hold up the Flame, the most important, sacred, and sought after object in the show right now, in the middle of a busy street crawling with possible threats. It will be interesting to see how Indra’s relationships with her daughter and Octavia progress this season. I hope we learn more about Indra and her daughter soon.

-I love the character parallels in The 100, especially the parallel between Murphy and his father. We don’t usually hear about life on the Ark, so when Murphy stole the medicine for Abby to give to Luna’s people, it was a nice callback to Murphy’s father who was executed for stealing medicine to save him back on the Ark. I hope sometime this season we get to see flashbacks of life on the Ark and maybe flashbacks of Indra and her daughter too.

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http://www.nerdhq.com/the-100-an-episode-of-dead-ends/

Indie Comics Spotlight: Sink #1, Grimm Fairy Tales Steampunk: Alice in Wonderland #1, and Delilah Blast #1

By: Jonathan Pilley (@omnicomic)

Sink #1

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“Glasgow, Scotland…the greatest city in the world.”

A city at night is much different than that same city during the day. There are different crowds moving to and fro, different venues open, and the time of day. At night, there are a lot more individuals content with causing harm and using the cover of darkness to do so are such people in Sink #1 from Comix Tribe. The issue is written by John Lees, illustrated by Alex Cormack, and lettered by Colin Bell.

Allan is stuck in Glasgow after dark. What sorts of horrors await him on an extended commute? Will it be everything and the kitchen “sink?”

Lees pitches Allan as a the focal point for the story and its his naivety that makes the rest of the story so scary. Allan’s familiarity with “his” town is dramatically undercut by the fact that there are individuals in it he never really gave a second thought to and Lees runs the story through that refined point of view. Glasgow is presented as both a vibrant hotspot for youths and for those with more nefarious intentions, the latter of which makes the issue truly terrifying. Lees is great at making the urban legend portion of the book feel well thought-out by emphasizing the potential horrors in everyday life, but there’s a pretty jarring shift in the book’s tone and pacing about halfway through that was a little odd. For a brief moment, it feels as if Lees is changing Sink #1 to be something of a superhero comic before switching it back to being a book about the evils hiding in the shadows.

Cormack’s artwork in Sink #1 is particularly grimy and gritty. The approach is a perfect complement to Lees’ story, as it essentially identifies terrors by giving them faces and very, very angry mannerisms. The way he renders Glasgow lulls the reader into a false sense of security as the quiet that accompanies a town late at night is quickly subverted for evil to cause a ruckus. The appearance of Mr. Dig is a pretty big gut punch of sorts to the reader, in that he doesn’t really look like someone you’d expect to encounter on the streets. Essentially, Cormack excels at presenting the reader with visuals that somehow both make them feel comfortable and uneasy at the same time.

The premise of Sink #1 is pretty interesting as it taps into a sense that some people don’t know their towns nearly as well as they think they do. Allan is quick to brag about how Glasgow is his town, but there’s a lot to it that even he has become blind to. Lees’ script is well thought-out and progresses quite nicely, giving the reader plenty to be scared of. Cormack’s illustrations are equally as terrifying, relying on harsh linework to accentuate the negative parts of a city at night. Sink #1 is pretty ambitious in what it’s going for and is left somewhat vague in terms of what that goal actually is, but it works.

Sink #1 is available now.

Grimm Fairy Tales Steampunk: Alice in Wonderland #1

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“I was born with a great mind and I’m going to use it to make the world I want! A better world!”

Steampunk is a fun throwback to an imagined nostalgia. Even traditional characters can get swept up in that nostalgia and the most recent example is Alice in Grimm Fairy Tales Steampunk: Alice in Wonderland #1 from Zenescope Entertainment. The issue is written by Ryan Fassett, illustrated by Noah Salonga and Fritz Casas, colored by Robby Bevard and Erick Arciniega, and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

The Wonderland ongoing series may have ended but that isn’t the end of Alice. An alternate dimension is emerging in the Grimm Universe – and what better place to explore it could there be than by going through the looking glass? This new Alice in Wonderland tale expands on the story that began in the Grimm Fairy Tales Steampunk miniseries.

Fassett takes the character of Alice and throws in a steampunk flair, largely in her inventiveness and desire to be creative. It’s actually a pretty powerful tale in that it offers an empowered Alice seeking to rise above expectations, but aside from that, Fassett stays pretty close to the Alice in Wonderland script. There are all the highlights of the story that make the story feel like an Alice in Wonderland homage of sorts. In fact, Fassett more or less crashes through the mythos to set up the confrontation in the issue that pits Alice against – you guessed it – the Queen of Hearts. The issue is paced somewhat erratically as Fassett moves Alice through scenes necessary to build up the ending and making the issue more plot-driven.

The artwork by Salonga and Casas is a good match for the story. They offer up a look at Wonderland that’s a pretty interesting one, in that it adds a new flourish to familiar characters. Alice with a steampunk look is essentially Alice with a Victorian look, but there are other aspects of steampunk throughout the issue in the way of robots and weaponry. The panel layouts are pretty frenetic as Salonga and Casas cram a lot of panels onto the pages and stack them atop one another. The artistic duo also has a habit of rendering characters in backgrounds without any facial expression at all, which is a little unnerving at times. Bevard and Arciniega’s colors are bright and vibrant, boldly showing Wonderland through a steampunk lens.

Grimm Fairy Tales Steampunk: Alice in Wonderland #1 is another entry in the Zenescope universe that seeks to change the perception of the Alice in Wonderland mythos. Alice is a strong and capable inventor who must rely on her creativity to get out of a dangerous new world. Fassett’s script is pretty savvy in how it treats Alice, giving her full control over her own destiny. The artwork by Salonga and Casas is pretty solid and offers a slightly different look at familiar territory. Grimm Fairy Tales Steampunk: Alice in Wonderland #1 is an interesting one-shot that gives readers a new look at a familiar character and setting.

The artwork by Salonga and Casas is a good match for the story. They offer up a look at Wonderland that’
Grimm Fairy Tales Steampunk: Alice in Wonderland #1 is available now.

Delilah Blast #1

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“There’s no running from your destiny, Delilah.”

Space exploration is inevitable. What’s not inevitable is that we’ll find someone else out there, but the assumption is that there’s plenty of other beings out there. Delilah Blast #1 from Evoluzione Publishing offers a character and beings who definitely stretch the imagination as far as who’s out there. The issue is written by Marcel Dupree, illustrated by Joel Cotejar, colored by Ramon Borge, and lettered by Marco Della Verde.

Science runs the world and the Earth is governed by the E.S.A., the Earth’s Science Association. Everyone is allow to join the organization on their sixteenth birthday, but unfortunately for Delilah Blast, she oversleeps, missing the entrance exams and putting her dream in jeopardy. However, when another opportunity to achieve her dream presents itself, Delilah is more than willing and ready to take it, even if it means going to a dangerous alien planet to retrieve obscure technology that could change the world and Earth forever.

Dupree positions Delilah Blast as an interesting lead character – one who’s young, ambitious, and lacking in traits that otherwise make her more mature. The narrative feeds off of this characterization, in that Dupree sets her up for a pretty grand adventure based on her aforementioned ambition. Delilah is smart and somewhat fierce, refusing to let the rules bring her down when she’s got a full head of steam. Dupree uses that to his advantage and allows her motives to move the plot forward through some pretty entertaining dialogue that feels innocent and harmless. There are some pretty standard first-issue trappings that are present as well (such as Delilah being something of a character of destiny), but Dupree does a good job of giving the issue enough to stand on its own as a story.

Cotejar’s artwork is lively and vibrant, reflecting the ebullient personality of the main character. That personality is reflected in Cotejar’s rendering of Delilah, even though she’s blue and clearly from another world. There are some differences in facial expressions throughout that offer a bit more differentiation amongst the characters and Cotejar frames a lot of these people well. His panel layout is mostly a grid layout, but he does work in a few insets and overlays to mix up the action. Borge’s colors are bright and bold, emphasizing the otherworldliness of Delilah’s environs.

Delilah Blast #1 is a pretty lighthearted book that focuses more on the lead character than the impending perils she’ll be forced to contend with. Delilah is certainly going to be up to the task and will follow her mind to wherever it may take her confident in her capabilities. Dupree’s script is pretty straightforward and sets up the following issues well. Cotejar’s art is a great fit for the story and underscores the alien nature of the characters very well. Delilah Blast #1 is a great read that knows what it’s going for and offers a great lead to get there.

Delilah Blast #1 is available now.

admin
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http://www.nerdhq.com/indie-comics-spotlight-sink-1-grimm-fairy-tales-steampunk-alice-in-wonderland-1-and-delilah-blast-1/

Is There a Glut of Variant Covers? Retailers & Publishers Weight Benefits, Challenges of Variants

1 in 5000 variants and everything else.

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http://www.newsarama.com/33288-is-there-a-glut-of-variant-covers-retailers-publishers-weight-benefits-challenges-of-variants.html

No, Virginia, There Is No LOGAN Post-Credits Scene

At least not according to the director.

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http://www.newsarama.com/33290-no-virginia-there-is-no-logan-post-credits-scene.html

Mattel Wins Action Figure Toy of the Year Award for DC Super Hero Girls

Official Press Release
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http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2017/02/22/mattel-wins-action-figure-toy-of-the-year-award-for-dc-super-hero-girls

Best Shots Reviews: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1, BLACK PANTHER #11

The finale of one arc, and the (second) beginning of another.

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http://www.newsarama.com/33286-best-shots-reviews-justice-league-of-america-1-black-panther-11.html

Mezco Marvel Comics One:12 Collective Daredevil Murdock 6.5" Action Figure 7627

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End Date: Wednesday Mar-22-2017 9:22:36 PDT
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Return To The World of THE DARK CRYSTAL This Week

Another world, another time... another story.

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http://www.newsarama.com/33284-return-to-the-world-of-the-dark-crystal-this-week.html

FRANCIS MANAPUL Swoops Into BATGIRL

A look at the TRINITY writer/artist's March variant cover.

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http://www.newsarama.com/33287-francis-manapul-swoops-into-batgirl.html