Category: Books

Locke & Key is a graphic novel written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez.  I usually don’t read a lot of horror comics, but the idea of a family living in a Lovecraft inspired mystery house sounded like fun, and it was free.  I as a rule never turn down free comics, but Locke & Key is worth paying for.

The story starts off with a grieving family moving to the father’s childhood house after the father was brutally murdered by a kid he counseled in school.  The house doesn’t have an address, but instead is named “Keyhouse”, and is located in Lovecraft, Massachusetts (subtle I know).  It turns out that the house has magical doors that can be opened with special keys, and for some reason only kids can learn about them.  Oh yeah!  The girl from The Ring lives there, and she is supper creepy!

Hill does a good job of being spooky while still telling an interesting story.  You feel sad for the pain that the Locke family is going through, but at the same time you want to learn more cool stuff about this crazy house, and its neat doors and keys.  You can tell that he loves the universe that he is playing in and adding too.

The artwork is great in this book.  Despite the name of the town, Rodriguez really brings Lovecraft to life, and the house is full of all sorts of awesome detail.  If I didn’t have to live in fear of The Ring girl, I would totally love to live in an old house like this.  Anybody have any old named houses for sale?

This is a fun book, and while I didn’t pay for it, you should have no qualms about laying down a few bucks for it.  It is creepy and engaging, and a heck of a lot of fun.  Hill and Rodriguez have done a great job with this book, and I am very happy it is in my collection.

I have been reading quite a few comic books lately, and I am really disappointed in myself for being away from them for so long!  I thought today I would bring you not one, but two mini reviews of new Issue #1 comics I started this week. Up first:

Captain Marvel #1:

I know you are thinking, “Hey didn’t they just do a Captain Marvel #1 with Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, and didn’t you review it?”  Yep, but they decided that it worked so well that they are going to do it again! Sort of.

This Captain Marvel starts a few months after the events in the last Captain Marvel series, but now Carol is off to space to keep an eye on things, and help out a mysterious friendly Alien.

Captain Marvel in space?  Yes please, and if they can keep up the good art style and witty dialog it should be a great series.  The only downer I can see is that for future collectors the numbering of the issues is going to get real confusing.  People asking themselves, “Which Captain Marvel #1 with Carol Danvers on the cover is this?”  Won’t someone please think of all the confused nerds!

I appreciate them letting people know when they are starting a new story, but maybe they should try out a new numbering scheme similar to TV shows like: 1-1 for series one, 2-1 for series two, and so on.  That way when we are in the store we know what we are buying without having to read half of the book.  Still it is a fun issue, and you should read it.  If you get the wrong Captain Marvel #1, your in luck because that is a good book too.

Forever Evil #1

It is the New 52’s first major crossover event!  The super bad guys from Earth 3 have come to Earth prime to rule it after all the Earth 3 people got all uppity forcing Ultraman and crew to destroy it.  They say they have “killed” all the heroes, and they are looking for some new villains to help keep the “peace”.  Someone forgot to tell them that Lex Luthor doesn’t like to share the world with anyone.  Especially a Kryptonite snorting Superman lookalike. (Yes you read the right)

The content of this book seems a little forced, but the artwork is amazing!  The double centerfold (sorry not the girly kind) with all of the villains on it is worth the price of admission by itself.  I think this is a smart book for DC.  If they have one thing over Marvel, it is that they have the coolest villains, so why not let them shine for a few issues?

There are a lot of Forever Evil crossover books to read, but I think I will just stick to this main ark.  This series has a lot of potential, and the 7th and final issue comes out next month! Yeah for short a short series!  I can’t wait to see Lex unleash everything he has got.

Since I gave my casting choices for the Justice League Dark, I thought I would post a review for the New 52 DC re-launch. Peter Milligan has done a great job with this book.  Especially showing why the JLD is necessary with the existence of the normal Justice League, which contains some of the most powerful beings in the universe.

The story starts out with Madame Xanadu talking to herself about the main members of what is to be the JLD, Zatanna, Deadman, Shade: The Changing Man, and John Constantine, and how she needs to bring them together to stop a great evil.  While this is happening a girl named June Moon seeks out Deadman because the Enchantress is after her.  The Justice League tries to defeat the Enchantress, but their strength is no match for the power of her magic.  Only people that understand magic can hope to defeat her.  Will the members of the JLD unite in time to stop the craziness of the Enchantress?

This book does a great job of not needing to do an origin story for each character, but instead having them reveal the important parts about their past as the story progresses.  It is also fun to see the normal Justice League get their butts handed to them, and having no idea what to do.  I like that the book that doesn’t deal with standard superheroes.  These people don’t really see themselves as heroes, and they are not even sure that they like the people they are working with, but if they have to deal with them or have the Earth be destroyed, they will make due.

DC did a good job getting a smart writer in Peter Milligan to update this book.  Plus it brings a lot of good Vertigo comic characters in to the main line, and DC could use some good none A-Type heroes in their universe.   I will be checking out more JLD volumes in the future.

Some of the free comics I got from Comixology were X-O Manowar issues 1-4.  I don’t read a lot of stuff from Valiant comics, but if the rest of their stuff is as good as Manowar then that will have to change.  X-O Manowar was big in the 90’s, but with Valiant re-launching their comic brand it was a good time to reboot Manowar too, and they are doing a great job.

The story starts off with a group of Visigoth rebels trying to stop the march of the Roman Empire.  While they are fighting they are captured by aliens, and after years of slavery on the alien ship the rebel leader Aric finds armor that will only attach to a true warrior and gives the wearer amazing powers, and he uses it to exact his revenge.

What I love about this comic so far is the isolation of the main character.  He is an alien slave for years, and when he finally gets the power to free himself and his people, he finds out that things have changed while he is away, and none of that is possible.  Despite the fact that all superhero origin stories are similar they managed to make this one feel fresh and exciting.

It is also well drawn and very colorful, and the action is displayed well in the book.  All the artists did a great job.  The art is a least half of the reason to read a comic book, and they are holding up their end.

I will be looking to get more X-O Manowar comics in the future.  It is a good book from an eager comic book company looking to make its mark, and I wish them the best.  If the same old stuff from DC and Marvel has got you in a rut, Manowar might be just the book you have been looking for.