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

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

Red Sonja / Tarzan #2 (Cover A)

Another summer purchase at New England Comics in Quincy MA USA.

Title: Red Sonja / Tarzan
Issue: Volume 1, #2 (Cover A)
Publisher: Dynamite
Date: 2018
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Walter Geovani
Colorist: Adriano Augusto
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Editor: Joseph Rybrandt, Luke Lieberman, Kevin Ketner
Cover: Aaron Lopresti

The second issue of Gail Simone and Walter Geovani's crossover between Tarzan and Red Sonja goes straight to the time travel and time paradoxes, not to mention a bit of Victorian-era namedropping.

This also features a straight-up fight between Sonja and Tarzan, which seems to exist here mostly because you can't really do the crossover without having them fight, and the second issue was as good a place as any to get it out of the way.

Notably absent from this issue is Eson Duul, the villain, who got a ton of screen time in the the first issue (reviewed here, btw).

This issue is primarily focused on getting the two title characters acquainted with each other (twice, because time travel), and as such, it fell a bit short in the plot development department. It did end with a setup that should get things moving forward (backward!) next issue.

Rating: 6/10

Red Sonja / Tarzan #1 (Cover A)

I got this along with the second issue of the series this past July at New England Comics in Quincy MA USA.

Title: Red Sonja / Tarzan
Issue: Volume 1, #1 (Cover A)
Publisher: Dynamite
Date: 2018
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Walter Geovani
Colorist: Adiano Augusto
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Editor: Joseph Rybrandt, Luke Lieberman, Kevin Ketner
Cover: Adam Hughes

This classic pulp hero teamup spends most of its first issue establishing the villain, Eson Duul, who is basically an over-the-top interdimensional version of Kraven the Hunter, with a couple of reasonably dangerous henchpersons in tow.

He starts out in a business dispute with Lord Greystoke, but that very rapidly turns personal. Meanwhile in Sonja's corner of the multiverse, Duul has gotten the better of Sonja in an encounter and she is brooding on revenge and seeking out a bit of dimensional travel to get her back on Duul's trail.

I'm a huge Burroughs fan, and I thought the portrayal of Tarzan as Lord Greystoke in England, the competent aristocrat putting a thin veneer of civilization over his true nature, was spot-on.

Sonja also had some great moments character revelation.

I'm a bit less sold on Duul, whose motivations feel generic, and who is so over-the-top nasty that he comes off as a bit too much of a villainous cliche. That being said, he is nicely established as a genuine threat even against a combination like Tarzan and Sonja.

Rating: 6.5/10

Project Superpowers: The Death-Defying Devil: Free Comic Book Day Special Edition

From the random stack of unread comics.

Title: Project Superpowers: The Death-Defying Devil: Free Comic Book Day Special Edition
Publisher: Dynamite
Date: 2008
Writer: Alex Ross, Jim Krueger
Artist: Andy Smith
Colorist: Debora Carita
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Cover: Alex Ross

The Project Superpowers team goes over the origins and history of the Claw with some flashbacks to the Devil's battles against the Claw in World War II.

And... That's about it. There is some nice artwork in places, but the Claw's overall look is a bit too goofy for the threat that the Claw is supposed to represent. The whole issue is a big infodump that is not terribly interesting.

The fact that there are 12 pages of story and 18 pages of ads does not exactly help matters. Yes, I realize this is a freebie, but I was still left going "Wait? That's it?" when I got to the end of the actual content with half of the book still to go. Particularly since nothing had actually happened in the story aside from some background getting filled in.

There is obviously a well thought out world behind this story, and a large cast of characters. But the purpose of a promotional book like this is to get me wanting to explore that world and meet those characters. This had the opposite effect on me.

Rating: 2.5/10

Battlestar Galactica #0

Title: Battlestar Galactica
Issue: #0
Date: 2006
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer: Greg Pak
Penciler: Nigel Raynor
Inker: Nigel Raynor
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Cover Art: Steve McNiven

Convenient note for the hardcore fans: "The events of this comic book take place in the middle of Season Two of the television show, after the return from Kobol in Episode 207 (Home, Part 2) and before the arrival of Pegasus in Episode 211 (Resurrection Ship, Part 1)". For those who are not hardcore fans, this is an adaptation of the Battlestar Galactica remake, not the original series. No Dirk Bennedict. Starbuck is a woman. The comic itself centers on a hospital ship that is under attack by Cylon centurians. When Kara "Starbuck" Thrace boards the ship, she discovers that all of the survivors are people officially listed as dead in the records. Are they Cylons in human form? Are they who they claim to be? Or are they something else? Not much is answered here, but it serves as a nice teaser for the comic series. The art is good, although as with most adaptations of movies or TV shows, the character designs feel just a little bit "off". The characterizations seemed pretty good, especially Commander Adama.

Backup story is a two-page preview of Red Sonja #11 that's all fight scene with no dialogue. The chainmail bikini is still just as ridiculous as it ever was, although artist Mel Rubi does a nice job with all of the jumping around, kicking, and sword-swinging. Writer on this segment is Michael Avon Oeming.

Rating: 6.5/10