Join us on the Frontlines with our weekly review roundup. This is where we have assembled to give our thoughts on various issues that are released each week. This week we have Brant, Jay, & Justin giving reviews for books from Aftershock, BOOM! Studios, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, and Marvel Comics! Check out the reviews below and let us know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter. Welcome to the FRONTLINE REVIEWS, hope you enjoy the experience!
THE LOLLIPOP KIDS #5
“Stand By Me”
Co-Created & Story By: Adam Glass & Aiden Glass
Written By: Adam Glass
Art By: Deigo Yapur
Colors By: DC Alonso
Letters By: Sal Cipriano
Cover A By: Robert Hack
Price: $3.99
The Lollipop Kids face off against Morgan Le Fey and the monsters they have sworn to protect the world from. This book is what 10-year old me would have killed to have been a part of! A secret club filled with mystery, fun, and high fantasy adventures worthy of Excalibur! Glass created more than portals around Central Park, this book has become a portal where that 10-year old Jay can join in the adventure as one of the Lollipop Kids, and it is AWESOME! This issue not only closes the first adventure in a bittersweet way by having Mia and Nick reconnect only to have her turn 18 and forget everything. I can’t wait for the next issue, I can’t wait to find out who betrayed the Lollipop Kids! Yapur has something so striking about his style, we have this cinematic larger than life storybook style to it that draws you in and Alfonso really enhances it with the colors. Overall this is such an awesome book that everyone should be reading. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 5 Stars
The penultimate issue of Beyond The Grid is here as the Rangers discover the truth about the universe they are in, the Solarix and the Praetor! This was my favorite issue of Beyond The Grid! Bennett has been building up to this moment where the truth is revealed and she does a great job bringing a darker side to the Morphin Masters, it is almost like when I saw that darker side to the Guardians of the Universe in DC. The mythology of the universe and the Solarix has been really cool to explore and now with the Solar Rangers as a thing, I want to know more. It is sad that their story is about to end, just when it began. di Meo’s art really shines here with his Anime/Manga influences coming through big time. Overall this was a good issue, and I think the payoff will be worth the wild ride. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ½ Stars
ACTION COMICS #1010
“Leviathan Rising Part 4”
Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Steve Epting
Colors By: Brad Anderson
Letters By: Josh Reed
Cover By: Steve Epting
Variant Cover By: Francis Manapul
Price: $3.99
Lois & Clark go undercover in Spyral as Andi and Chaz when Leviathan strikes. I have been liking Bendis’ Superman run overall and this issue was a solid one but I felt it was a little stretched. I love the way Bendis keeps peeling the layers of the Leviathan mystery getting us closer and closer to discovering the truth behind this larger threat. Epting and Anderson do a great job with the art creating this dark grittier side of Superman while dealing with the spy world but knowing when to shine the light. Overall, this was a good issue, but you can see the trade padding. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
HEROES IN CRISIS #8
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Mitch Gerads (pp 1, 6-20) & Travis Moore (pp. 2-5)
Colors By: Mitch Gerads
Letters By: Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Mitch Gerads
Variant Cover By: Ryan Sook
Price: $3.99
The person responsible for the Sanctuary Slaughter is revealed and it will rock the DC Universe to its core. This issue is so complicated, I say this on a story level and on a personal level. I grew up with Wally West, literally, I started out with his as Kid Flash and watched him grow into a Teen as I did and into a man as I did so his journey is deep for me as a comic fan. To see Wally framing two people was very hard for me to grasp, but it works, because I put aside my fandom and looked at this from a psychological perspective and saw him not as a hero, but as a man. A man who went to war and came home to have lost everything, wife, kids, he lost it all and with no way to get any of it back, and then he just lost something else when he accidentally killed the other heroes. This has been a deeply psychological story where not everything is easy, it reminds us that trauma is real. The art team here did a great job working together to show us this visually and really helped with that feeling. Overall this is a dividing issue, but I have to say I still like it. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ½ Stars
DIAL H FOR HERO #2
Written By: Sam Humphries
Art By: Joe Quinones
Colors By: Jordan Gibson
Letters By: Dave Sharpe
Cover By: Joe Quinones
Price: $3.99
This book is quirky, good, light-hearted fun, but with the dark twist of the Thunderbolt League hunting down the dial. Humphries does a great job at developing these two brand new characters and already creating tension between the two as the H-Dial keeps ringing. The well-placed comedy beats serve up a great distraction from the seriousness of two kids running away with a dangerous device a lot of people are looking for.
Quinones’ lively and clean art compliments Humphries narrative extremely well, and the change-up in style to accommodate each new hero is inspired and authentic. He adapts to the type of character being showcased, this time in both an anthropomorphic cartoon character and a manga/mecha black and white warrior! Gibson’s vibrant coloring provides the final piece to the beautiful imagery as well.
The pacing of the story, how Miguel was already fed up and ready to head back home before realizing what responsibility has been thrust on his shoulders felt authentic and natural. Humphries didn’t drag things out, but tossed us in the middle of these reluctant heroes’ journeys and provided us a dramatic underlying plot as everyone comes for the H-Dial.
There’s still even so much more potential for this series, and it will be fun to see where it goes from here. ~ Brant @BrantFowler
Verdict: 4 ½ Stars
STAR TREK YEAR FIVE #1
Written By: Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly
Art By: Stephen Thompson
Colors By: Charlie Kirchoff
Letters By: Neil Uyetake
Cover By: Greg Hildebrandt
Variant Covers By: J.J. Lendl & Greg Hildebrandt
Price: $3.99
The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 has been together for four years and they are about to enter their final fifth year, and these are the final voyages… I have been waiting for this series since it was announced because it brings closure and much-needed answers to fans of the original series. Lanzing and Collin perfectly captured the essence of the original series and the voices of the crew, I could hear every accent, every inflection of the crew like I was watching a lost episode. I will also say this feeling of familiarity is also greatly due to the art team of Thompson and Kirchoff who together captures the look and aesthetics of the original series. I saw the subtle way Nimoy would raise a brow, or Uhura’s gestures as she worked the helm. Overall this was a great first issue and one from the casual Trek Fan to a diehard Trekkie needs to check out. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ¾ Stars
FANTASTIC FOUR #9
“Outside The Box”
Written By: Dan Slott
Art By: Aaron Kuder, Stefano Caselli & Paco Medina
Colors By: Erick Arciniega
Letters By: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover By: Esad Ribic
Variant Covers By: Various Artists
Price: $3.99
Verdict: 4 ½ Stars
Verdict: 3 ½ Stars
