Attack on Titan Volume 4

Bought at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester NH USA.

Title: Attack on Titan
Issue: Volume 4
Date: 2013
Publisher: Kodansha
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Letterer: Steve Wands

Volume 4 of this series resolves the cliffhanger from the third volume as humanity gains its first, very costly, victory over the Titans. From there, the story flashes back to Eren in training.

A lot of new characters are introduced here, and there is the potential for lots of really fun interactions as the story moves forward. There were also some good insights into the training process and the dynamic between the recruits. Most of the best recruits want military police duty, which means the fighters most capable of bringing down titans are the least likely to face them.

Armin is a major part of the opening scene, but he and Mikasa fade into the background a bit as the new characters get the spotlight. There were places where it was a little bit hard to keep straight who everyone was, but the new characters had enough interesting details and quirks that this should become easier as the story progresses.

Rating: 6.5/10

Shanghai Red #1

I believe this is the last of a stack of comics bought at Double Midnight in Manchester NH over Christmas break last December.

Title: Shanghai Red
Issue: 1
Date: June 2018
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Christopher Sebela
Artist: Joshua Hixson
Colorist: Joshua Hixson
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Editor: Andrea Shockling

A ship crewed by "Shanghaied" conscripts suffers a bloody mutiny, carried out by Red, a woman who had been living disguised among the rats in the bilges as she plotted her revenge. Now, she has set sail for the Pacific Northwest, where the trail of retribution will continue.

Red is a great character, and the plot twists and bits of background are intriguing.

I will admit that I bought this solely because of "Shanghai" in the title (and the ship arrives just off the coast of Shanghai and doesn't actually ever arrive there), but it exceeded expectations as a story.

This was a good start and I'd be interested in reading more.

Rating: 8/10

Sleepless #7

Bought at Double Midnight in Manchester NH over Christmas break.

Title: Sleepless
Issue: 7
Date: September 2018
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Sarah Vaughn
Artist: Leila Del Duca
Colorist: Alissa Sallah, Gabe Fischer
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Editor: Alissa Sallah

I loved the beautiful cover on this issue, and bought it knowing nothing about the series. Good choice.Lady Pyppenia, illegitimate daughter of the dead King must keep a delicate balance of obligations and intrigues in a court where many would have preferred to see her ascend to the throne, and just as many would see her dead.

This had a lot going on, and there were some really interesting character interactions. The story has a big cast, and jumping is at the seventh issue doesn't give a full grasp of the story, but the pieces in play here were all excellent. There was really great attention to detail in the political intrigue.

The artwork is lovely, and there is plenty of space given to tell the story visually in between the scenes that are more heavy on dialogue.

This is definitely a story I am eager to read more of.

Rating: 8/10

The Walking Dead #175

Bought at Double Midnight in Manchester NH over Christmas break.

Title: The Walking Dead
Issue: 175
Date: 2018
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Penciler: Charlie Adlard
Inker: Stefano Gaudiano
Gray Tones: Cliff Rathburn
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Cover: Charlie Adlard, Dave Stewart
Editor: Sean Mackiewicz

Eugene, Michonne, and their group finally meet up with the community that Eugene has been in contact with by radio. But the welcome is not exactly a warm one.

It's been a long time since I've read any Walking Dead. I never bought very many individual issues, and always meant to follow it through the trade paperback volumes, of which I did read a few of the early ones.

I was impressed by how well the quality of the writing has held up over 175 issues. The tension and distrust as the two groups meet was palpable, and the questioning that Michonne and company had to go through before being allowed close to the Ohio community was logical even as it was infuriating.

This is the beginning of the "New World Order" storyline, showing a different kind of survivor community than the series has explored before, and it caps off the good dialogue and worldbuilding with a major plot twist that should make for some interesting drama.

If you're intimidated by the whole 175 issues thing, this is a reasonable jumping-on point.

Rating: 8.5/10

Red Sonja #15

Got this one as part of a batch of comics I bought at Double Midnight in Manchester NH over Christmas break.

Title: Red Sonja
Issue: 15
Publisher: Dynamite
Date: 2015
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Walter Geovani
Colorist: Adriano Lucas, Alex Guimaraes, Marco Lesko
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Editor: Joseph Rybrandt
Cover: Jenny Frison

Sonja has killed the wizard that she was hired to defeat, but the wizard's curse has made her a danger to the villagers who had hired her. Now with the wizard's equally deadly brother on his way to town, Sonja's hands are mutilated and useless, her body wracked with fever, and her mind crippled with doubt.

With death looming, Sonja must rediscover the ability to forgive and then use her wits to save the village.

This had a really satisfying final conclusion with the arrogant wizard getting everything he deserves in a confrontation full of tension and surprises.

The lead-up was good too, with Sonja having to see the fear that she instills in innocent people.

The action was gory in places, but there were some really spectacular big action panels, and some nice character work in the art as well.

Rating: 8/10

Shuri #1

Got this one at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester NH USA during our Christmas visit to the US.

Title: Shuri
Issue: 1
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: March  2018
Writer: Nnedi Okorafor
Artist: Leonardo Romero
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Editor: Wil Moss
Cover: Sam Spratt

I only knew the character of Shuri from the Black Panther film, and the introductory page of this book did a nice job of bringing me up to speed on the character's place in current Marvel comics continuity. Apparently, she had a stint as the Black Panther, and spent some time Dead-In-The-Marvel-Universe (which as we all know, has very little in common with being actually dead).

Now her brother has gone missing on a space mission, and Shuri is trying to figure out where her priorities need to be. Meanwhile Queen Ramonda has convened the Elephant's Trunk, a secret council of women who meet when trouble threatens Wakanda.

The depiction of Shuri here is good. Her energy and positive outlook shine through even as she worries what has happened to her brother, and whether she could be responsible. The visuals of Wakanda, and of Shuri flying with nanotech wings are excellent, and the Elephant's Trunk is an intriguing group of characters.

My one disappointment was that the final outcome of the issue put the story into what felt like the most obvious and least interesting direction that it could have gone it. Hopefully the plot will get some more unexpected turns as the series progresses.

Rating: 6.5/10

Princeless Book 4: Be Yourself #1

I picked this issue up last summer at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester NH.

Title: Princeless Book 4: Be Yourself
Issue: 1
Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment
Date: June, 2015
Writer: Jeremy Whitley
Artist: Emily Martin
Colorist: Brett Grunig
Letterer:Emily Spura

Adrienne, Bedelia, and Sparky crash-land in Grimmorium Swamp, home of such flesh-eating goblins, electric fish, and squirrels. Things rapidly go from bad to worse.

Meanwhile the King's latest attempt to bring out Devin's manliness instead ends up playing to his budding detective skills, and it may unlock the path to rescuing the Queen.

There were a lot of good details and creative challenges here that keep right on the edge between comedic and deadly serious. The character interplay was great, and the story veered into some fun unexpected directions, while continuing to bend and twist gender tropes at every opportunity.

Rating: 8/10

Batgirl #40

The last of a three-issue run of Batgirl that I bought last summer at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester NH. My review of the previous issue is here.

Title: Batgirl
Issue: 40
Date: May, 2015
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher
Artist: Babs Tarr, Cameron Stewart
Colorist: Maris Wicks
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Chris Conroy, Dave Wielgosz
Cover: Cameron Stewart

Defeating Batgirl, murdering citizens of Gotham, and unleashing weapons of mass destruction? Turns out, there's an app for that.

Barbara confronts an out-of-control AI that's imprinted with her own brain patterns, and it's decided that Gotham isn't big enough for the two of them. It's also planning on stopping crime that has yet to happen through some strategic mass murder.

This was a solid conclusion, perhaps a bit too neatly wrapped up, but still loads of fun. Barbara employs some classic Star Trek tactics against her digital likeness, and gets a hand from Canary to deal with a fleet of ill-intentioned drones.

Good fun that wraps up a bunch of loose ends, and nicely transitions into a new chapter of Batgirl's story.

Rating: 7/10

Batgirl #39

I have a small run of three Batgirl issues that I picked up last summer at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester NH (they happened to have some signed issues in stock!). I reviewed the first of them (#38) here.

Title: Batgirl
Issue: 39
Date: April, 2015
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher
Artist: Babs Tarr, Cameron Stewart
Colorist: Maris Wicks
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Chris Conroy, Dave Wielgosz
Cover: Cameron Stewart

Batgirl discovers that a social media mob can escalate quickly, in this case turning into a good old-fashioned literal mob with torches and pitchforks (well, clubs and rolling pins anyway).

And as the world seems to be turning against her, Barbara begins to suspect that there is more going on with her internet presence than meets the eye. She's going to need help, and she's alienated the one friend best equipped to help her.

This was loaded with plot twists, some good action, a few high-five moments, and the continued really strong and diverse supporting cast. There turned out to be a lot more going on than I picked up on in the previous issue, and it all worked really well.

Looking forward to #40!

Rating: 7.5/10

Ms. Marvel #10

As promised, here is the new stack of to-read comics that I brought back to Vietnam from the US following our recent visit. The majority of these came from a box of pretty random unread comics in our storage unit, but I also attended two conventions and visited several comic shops during my time in the States, so there are some new items in this stack too.

Here is the new stack nicely organized...

...And spread out on the sofa.
















Today's review is a comic I bought off the rack at Double Midnight Comics & Games in Manchester NH. I've been hearing a lot of good things about the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, and this is my first chance to read a story featuring her.

Title: Ms. Marvel
Issue: 10
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date: February, 2015
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Adrian Alphona
Colorist: Ian Herring
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Cover: Kris Anka
Editor: Sana Amanat, Devin Lewis

This is part 3 of a four-part story entitled "Generation Why". The basic premise has a villain named the Inventor enslaving teenagers and using them as power sources (think The Matrix) to provide energy for his power-armor and other machines.

But when some of them are freed by Ms. Marvel, she discovers that they may not have been enslaved against their wills at all. What follows is a fairly interesting conversation on the role of the young generation growing up into an economy and an environment ruined by previous generations, who still view the teenagers as parasites, unwilling to work for the same materialistic goals that served in the past.

While a lot of it echoed some internet memes that I have seen floating around, it still made for a good discussion and gave a chance for Kamala Khan to share some of her philosophical ideas.

There was some action here as well, but it was mostly setup for a big final battle next issue. Oh, and Lockjaw from the Inhumans is a guest star here. Kamala Khan's origin apparently has her down as an inhuman, I would assume as a result of Marvel's pushing of the Inhumans as the new version of mutants that Marvel actually owns the cinematic rights to.

I loved Kamala Khan. She's thoughtfully written with a fun and distinctive voice and perspective. I was less impressed with the villain. The Inventor would have been more interesting if he'd matched Kamala philosophically, rather than doing generic villain-ranting while his teenaged followers handled the debating. Given the questions and issues raised here, a villain who could contribute more to the intellectual argument would have been a nice addition.

Still, I found this to be a clever, all-ages-friendly story, and I look forward to reading more of Kamala Khan's adventures.

Rating: 6/10