New Things Can Be Good

Hey
Here comes some reviews old-school style. It's important to note that at least 2 of the reviews here are for all new series and one's a series I discovered this year. Yep I'm willing to try new things. It's not a bad idea.

Onward!

Reviews
Storming Paradise
Here's an interesting "What if" scenario: What if the United States had invaded Japan in WW2? This is the question examined by Chuck Dixon in his new series Storming Paradise. I enjoyed the realism Dixon and artist Butch Guice employed in this mini. War is terrible. No matter where/when, the consequences are never good. Dixon draws direct parallels to Vietnam-esque slaughter and the tolls that it can take on soldiers. This was a great examination and I hope that I can see more mini's like this from Chuck Dixon.

Other Chuck Dixon Reviews: Birds of Prey

Irredeemable
So what would happen if the world's greatest hero decided to become a villian? This is Mark Waid's best work in years. I thoroughly enjoyed this trade. Waid has been stereotyped for as "the 60s silver age guy" since Kingdom Come. It's a pleasure to watch him rip loose and challenge that image. In these opening issues we watch as his former proteges try to understand why the Plutonium has gone bad. Amazingly Waid is able to capture it in one fatal scene, as Plutonium hears that one voice in the crowd that is ungrateful and mocking. That is the first step in a hero loosing his mind. Anyone who works in public service knows that feeling. Fortunately I don't have super powers or I might have lost it a long time ago. But I digress. Waid's genius is also that we hear Plutonium's story as told through others such as his fellow teammates and girlfriend. This ratchets up the mystery and suspense. Check out this new series, it's worth it.

Here's a cool Video Trailer from Boom Studios




BPRD: The Black Goddess
My journey with the BPRD continues. I was touched by the team's efforts to rescue Liz Sherman who was kidnapped in the prior volume. Also apparently there's some crazy battle going on between dragons, demon frogs, and the US military. I'm not quite sure what's going on. However I do think that this breaks the mold of being a self-contained story because if you had not read the prior volume you'd be lost. It'll be nice when this "Scorched Earth" trilogy is completed and our team can get back to doing missions. I love the fact that Lobster Johnson is back. I can't wait for the next volume to see what they'll do with this super-cool character.

Past Reviews: BPRD vol. 1 & 2 & 6, BPRD vol. 3 & 4 , BPRD Vol. 5, BPRD Vol. 7, BPRD Vol. 8

Have a great weekend! Book Slave.