Sky Pirates of Valendor Series 2 #4

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Sky Pirates of Valendor Series 2
Issue: 4
Date: 2012
Publisher: Jolly Rogue Studios
Writer: Everett Soares
Penciler: Brian Brinlee
Inker: Alex Rivera
Tones: Jet Amago
Letterer: Steve Kuster
Editor: Amy Haley
Cover: Craig DeBoard

The unlikely team of Gearz and Shyni, along with gun knight Kirby Kingsman are all that stands between the Prince and a horde of assassins.

The good news is that these ninja-types are definitely from the cannon-fodder school of ninjitsu. The bad news, they're just the distraction for a much bigger threat.

The ninja jobbers were a bit silly, but they did give the trio of heroes a chance to show off their fighting moves, and the main event featured some interesting reveals about what exactly Gearz is.

This was fast-paced light fun, that didn't take itself all that seriously, so it was easy to just enjoy the mayhem.

Rating: 7/10

Battlestar Galactica #6

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Battlestar Galactica
Issue: 6
Publisher: Dynamite
Date: 2007
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Nigel Raynor
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: Simon Bowland

Photo cover edition. Set during the second season of the SciFi TV series, this issue has the Galactica and it's "rag-tag fleet" hiding among space debris as they deal with a virus that has incapacitated many of their crew, as well as multiple ships with FTL drives damaged by attacks from Earth Protectorate terrorists.

To make matters worse, the (temporary, apparently) death of one of the Cylon agents may have alerted the cylons to the location of the fleet, and an attack could come at any moment.

I have only seen a few episodes of the show, and the only other issue of the comic series I have read so far was #0 (reviewed here), but I was impressed with the comic's ability to capture the emotional tension of the show. This issue had a ton of subplots, and breakneck pacing, but in spite of my relative unfamiliarity with the ongoing story, I never felt put off by the complexity. Instead, it added to my interest.

Coupled with some terrific art, the pacing and intensity of the story made for a very engaging read.

Rating: 7.5/10

Kay And P #00

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Kay And P
Issue: 00
Date: 2010
Publisher: Jackie Musto
Writer: Jackie Musto
Artist: Jackie Musto

This issue introduces the title characters, a young music student and her best friend, a skeleton named P who is (mostly) invisible to everyone but Kay.

The focus here is almost entirely on the two lead characters, setting up their easy and fun banter as they deal with a breakup of a short-lived relationship and P's interest in celebrity news and pop fashion magazines.

The dialogue flows nicely and the artwork is beautiful. Writer/artist Jackie Musto does a particularly good job capturing Kay's many moods and expressions in this issue, without the pressure of having to do a lot of major plot developments.

This was a good introduction that definitely left me wanting to learn more about these characters and their relationship.

Rating: 8/10

The Flutter Collection

Title: The Flutter Collection
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Date: 2018
Writer: Jennie Wood
Artist: Jeff McComsey
Colorist: Chris Goodwin, Jeff McComsey
Letterer: Jeff McClelland, Jeff McComsey
Editor: Jeff McComsey, Dave Marshall

The story of a girl with shapeshifting powers who becomes a boy to get the girl she's fallen in love with. And things proceed to escalate quickly.

This story is full of twists as it morphs from high school drama to science fiction political thriller, with bits of horror and superhero flavor along with way.

The characters are complex, and the story manages to constantly go in directions that are unexpected, but at the same time are logical repercussions of the (often bad) decisions by the characters.

Writer Jennie Wood tackles a a range of current political issues, especially as the story reaches its climax, and handles them without going astray from the strong character-driven narrative.

Rating: 9/10