Category: Indie Review

Switch #1 Review: The Alternate Top Cow Universe Begins

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria Originally a webcomic, Switch #1 is the brainchild of Stjepan Sejic, an artist on Witchblade who created his own alternate Top Cow universe featuring the Witchblade, the Darkness and the Angelus (so far). While there is almost too much going on in this issue, it is a pretty fun start to what could be a very interesting series. Switch #1 is set in an alternate universe where the Witchblade has chosen a new bearer, teenage UFO seeker Mary. The origins of the Witchblade and one of its…

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New Nailbiter Story Arc Begins in November

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria The latest story arc for Nailbiter, the ongoing series about a town famous for being the birthplace of serial killers, will be starting this November. What mysteries and scares have the creative team thought of for this arc? The writer of the series is Joshua Williamson (Ghosted, The Illuminati) and the artist is Mike Henderson (Masks & Mobsters, Venom). In this story arc, beginning with Nailbiter #17, a new serial killer is introduced. According to Williamson, “This arc we’ve nicknamed ‘The Devil went down to Georgia,’ and…

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Power Cubed #1 Advanced Review: What You Get When You Give Jackson Pollock a Green Lantern Ring

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria With a promising premise, I expect entertainment cubed from this title! While it hasn’t quite reached outstanding territory, this was a good start to what could become a great series. If it doesn’t fall to the clichés that are brushing at its panels… For Kenny Logan’s eighteenth birthday he receives more than he thought possible: a cube that can transform matter into anything he can imagine. Unfortunately, a Nazi scientist wants the cube to take over the world (Of course!) and a government agent wants the cube…

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Zodiac Starforce #1 Advanced Review: Friendship isn’t always magic

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria As a fan of magical girl anime, I was anxious to check out what many critics are calling Dark Horse’s take on Sailor Moon. Unfortunately, I didn’t think Zodiac Starforce #1 was very magical. But it certainly has the potential to be. Zodiac Starforce was a team of four teenagers, each one representing a sign of the zodiac: Emma, Kim, Savi and Molly. However, after defeating their major enemy Cimmeria, the team disbanded. Now the girls are more interested in passing exams than they are in saving…

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Time Warriors #1 Review: A Good Time to Die

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria Just like the cover of this issue, Time Warriors is difficult to forget. It’s a comic book that will make you think. It undoubtedly has it’s time paradoxes, but does it have a strong enough story and characters to make you keep reading? In a world filled with war, a group of cadets need to die in order to graduate from their academy. But these won’t really be their final hours. In this world, time travel has been perfected so that, after soldiers die (with chips—the datum—in…

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Nailbiter/Hack/Slash #1 Advanced Review: Buckaroo Butchers vs. Slashers

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria Two iconic horror series, Nailbiter and Hack/Slash crossover in this issue. This one-shot has two stories, one written by the Nailbiter creative team and one by the Hack/Slash creative team. Is there a lot of nail biting, hacking and slashing? The first story was penned by Joshua Williamson (Nailbiter, Birthright) and illustrated by Mike Henderson (Nailbiter, Masks & Mobsters). It takes place a few years before the arrest of the titular Nailbiter serial killer and introduces a new serial killer from Buckaroo, Oregon. For those unfamiliar with…

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Father’s Day #1 Advanced Review: Never Do “Take Your Kid to Work” Day

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria Sometimes first impressions can be right, and in this case Father’s Day #1 lived up to its preview. There is some great conflict, a good fight scene towards the end and a nice beach, but you may be drowning in too much exposition to care. Silas used to be a notorious mob enforcer. He gave up that life and was forced to give up his wife and daughter as well to keep them safe. Now, decades later his daughter Denise tracks him down and unwittingly leads the…

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Fight Like a Girl #1 Advanced Review: Not the Next Hit But…

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria A slow build-up leads to a sub-par pay-off in this debut issue. Fight Like a Girl does a lot of things right but feels very paint by numbers at time. By fighting through nine trials put down by nine gods, a champion can make any wish they want on the wishing well and their wish will come true. Amarosa, a young girl, is fighting to cure her sickly brother. He will die if she fails the trials – and so will Amarosa! Writer David Pinckney took up…

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Wynter #1 Review: Something Special

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria ​This comic opens in a world where conformity seems to be inescapable. No one is special. Your DNA is shared by millions, your emotions and thoughts are nothing new. But could Liz Wynter break society and be special? That’s what this series sets up, and it’s an interesting if somewhat confusing first step. Wynter #1 is written by Guy Hasson, who seems to be tapping into the social media that is sweeping the minds (and phones) of teenagers away from their homework and into the virtual world. Hasson…

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Spike: Into the Light Advanced Review

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria Written by James Marsters, the very actor who portrayed the role of the vampire Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike: Into the Light is a 72 page hardcover that takes place during the seventh season of Buffy. This story has action, romance, and an enjoyable protagonist. Spike, along with his newfound soul, pays a visit to Greenville, California. There he enjoys getting whacked by a broomstick and fighting a demon that craves children. The only downside is (wait, those were all downsides…) his boots are falling…

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Shotgun Wedding #4 Review: Final Vows

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria William Harms wraps up his four-issue mini-series Shotgun Wedding. Will heads roll in this final part? Will vows finally be exchanged? Years ago a spy, Mike, ditched his psychotic ex-fiancée Chloe the day before their wedding. Now Chloe is out for revenge, and if Mike doesn’t make it in this final issue of Shotgun Wedding, his new fiancée Denise will pay the price. The opening cuts to a fairly predictable flashback. However, predictable or not, it showcases how tragic the whole situation is in Shotgun Wedding. It…

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Red City #1 Review: A Million Tropes on a Planet Far Far Away

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria Daniel Corey (Moriarty) tries to make this crime noir fresh and new by setting it in space. Can he pull it off or will the reader instead be trapped under a tirade of narration? After a Civil War among galaxies, Detective Cal Talmage is put in charge of finding a missing ambassador’s daughter in Mars Central, also known as Red City. However this simple “babysitting” job is much more complicated then it seems with gangsters and political conspiracies popping up. Red City may be the site of…

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Shotgun Wedding #3 Review: Minor Objections

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria The tension continues to build in the latest issue of the Shotgun Wedding mini-series. There are some missteps in this issue with it following the predictable pattern the series has fallen into, which basically boils down to Present Day + Past (Character Development) = Building Towards the Conclusion. Despite being predictable, it is still enjoyable. Mike is all set to marry the woman of his dreams, Denise. However Chloe, the psychopathic spy Mike left at the altar, isn’t ready to let him go just yet. Mike and…

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Shotgun Wedding #2 Review: Here Comes the Bride

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria This mini-series started out strong with Shotgun Wedding #1 and it continues to build up in this issue. We get more flashbacks, more characters, more character development and even less action than the first issue. It was four years ago when Mike left his partner in the spy business at the altar and now she’s back for revenge… which is especially unfortunate for Mike since he’s getting married to the girl of his dreams. Writer William Harms starts this issue with another flashback. At first I worried…

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Shotgun Wedding #1 Review: Starting off without a Hitch

Comic Maven

By: Nicole D’Andria I was happily surprised by the direction this mini-series has started off in.The concept sounded like it could be hit or miss and I thought it would be comedic, but instead we get a drama that is not as action-packed as I thought it would be… and believe it or not, that’s mostly a good thing. Four years ago assassin Mike Stone left his fiancé Chloe at the altar. Now, he’s getting married again, to a sweet girl named Denise. However, what happened after he left Chloe?…

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