“Cobra: Season 2” (IDW)

Continuing my newfound addiction to G.I.Joe-related comics… The Story of Cobra

In the second season of Cobra, readers get a deeper look inside the Cobra organisation than ever before, as Tomax, Xamot, and Erika continue to feel the effects of the previous miniseries, and more  important and powerful players are introduced into the mix. Several Cobra operatives of old are also reintroduced to this new continuity.

So, in order to catch up with the new IDW-published G.I.Joe and Cobra timeline, I decided to buy the back issues. Thankfully, they were all going for quite cheap on comiXology (a site/service I am coming to feel extremely fond of), so I snapped up all of the issues. This series has three main acts, and the cover images have been split up accordingly.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed these.

Reviewed herein: Cobra Special #1, Cobra II #1-13, Cobra Special #2

Comics Round-Up (Jan.25)

Another varied selection, with a couple of continuing series as well as the starts of a few more. I must admit that I’m really starting to miss my DC and Marvel fixes every week. I’ll make sure to do a couple of catch-up reviews when I get back to New York, but in lieu of being able to review any DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and Dynamite titles that might have caught my eye, this week also sees a new section to these Comics Round-Ups, and that’s a simple addendum that’s going to appear at the end, “Also Released This Week”.

Reviewed Herein: Incorruptible #26, Incorruptible Volume 5 (TPB), Infestation: G.I.Joe #1.1-2, Infestation #2.1, Cobra Volume 1, Key of Z #4, Witchblade #1

“G.I.Joe” Season 2, #1-8 (IDW)

Writer: Chuck Dixon | Artist: Javier Saltares & Will Rosado

COBRA has lost its Commander. Fallen in battle to a G.I. JOE operative. Now, COBRA is out for blood. For JOE blood. Seven COBRA agents are now competing for the Commander spot by doing the most damage to G.I. JOE.

A COBRA agent infiltrated The Pit – G.I. JOE’s headquarters – disguised as General Hawk. A second COBRA agent – Storm Shadow – also infiltrated the The Pit. As the Joes tumbled to the infiltration, Zartan finished his mission, killing a captured Cobra Viper, but was caught himself during his escape. Storm Shadow remains on the loose, being tracked by Flint.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., General Hawk and Dial-Tone are caught off from their G.I. JOE teammates and are on the run from a Cobra hit squad out to get them. Who ordered the hit is not yet known...

Here I review the third G.I. Joe series of comics that covered the Cobra Civil War. As far as I can tell, the story rotated through the three titles, but I was only just able to get hold of all of these issues. To summarise, this is another great title! It was also great to get the final pieces of the contest to become the new Cobra Commander. Really enjoyable.

Comics Round-Up (Jan.18)

A very nice and varied selection of new titles again this week. International terrorist syndicates, thrill-seeking female agents, a lost young lady in a bizarre world, frightfully British spies, and robots in disguise. I also catch up this week with a review I’ve keep forgetting to include – Josh Fialkov’s excellent Last of the Greats (issues one and two).

Reviewed Herein: Cobra #9, Danger Girl:Revolver #1, Last of the Greats #1-2, Memorial #2, Steed & Mrs Peel #1, Transformers: Autocracy #1, Y The Last Man #1

[Warning: There are some minor spoilers for G.I.Joe & Cobra readers.]

G.I.Joe: Cobra Civil War (IDW)

IDW’s line of G.I.Joe comics went through quite an important ‘event’ last year – the Cobra Civil War – and after reading the Cobra Annual 2012, I had catch up with the story.

I seem to have a knack for joining the continuity when something big happens involving Cobra Commander (my first comic was G.I.Joe Real American Hero #100, when he comes back from the dead).

Reviewed Herein: Death of Cobra Commander, Cobra Civil War #0-8, Snake Eyes #1-9, G.I. Joe #9

[Huge thank you to Lorelei at IDW for providing me with the issues I was missing!]

Comics Round-Up (Jan.11)

Another varied selection of titles this week – a retelling of a classic story, the history of an iconic villain, three beginnings revisited, World War II action, 6th Century Amazons, and sentient robots!

As an aside, before I get into the reviews themselves; when I was a kid, my two favourite toys were G.I.Joe figures and Transformers, so two of this week’s titles have a pretty strong nostalgic draw.

Reviewed Herein: Alice #1, Cobra Annual 2012: Origin of Cobra Commander, Dungeons & Dragons 100-Page Special, Operation: Broken Wings 1936 #3, Seven Warriors #3, Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #1

Upcoming: WOMANTHOLOGY (IDW)

I don’t know a huge amount about this project, but I’ve seen it mentioned a couple of times, recently, so thought I’d give it a shout-out here. According to The Hathor Legacy, the project is a 300-page, full-colour, hardcover graphic novel written, drawn and designed solely by female comics creators. According to their Kickstarter page, the pitch is:

The purpose of the book is to show support for female creators in comics and media. There will be multiple short stories, “how to”s & interviews with professionals, and features showcasing iconic female comic creators that have passed, such as Nell Brinkley and Tarpe Mills. A Kids & Teens section will also be included, showcasing their work, and offering tips & tricks to help them prepare themselves for their future careers in comics. Overall, this is pretty much a huge book showcasing what women in comics have accomplished, and what we are capable of. :) We are also hoping that by doing this book, it will encourage a new generation of women to pick up the pencil and create!

Comics Round-Up (Jan.4)

For the first week of 2012, we get quite a nice mix of new comics. I’ve gone for some superheroes, an undead king, a British Cold War spy, a creepy theatre, and some horror. All in all, a pretty good selection.

While I have your attention: expect lots more comic and graphic novel reviews to appear on the blog in 2012 – I keep finding more and more titles that are interesting and worth mentioning, so I’ll try to feature as many as I possibly can. Especially after I get back to New York, when I’m going to have a lot of DC titles to catch up on as well.

Reviewed Herein: Cold War #4, Irredeemable #33, Monocyte #1-2, The Theatre #4, Valen the Outcast #2 [For some reason, I seem to have reviewed them in reverse alphabetical order…]

Comics Round-Up (Dec.28)

Despite the Christmas holidays, there are still a few comics released today to sate the voracious appetites of comic addicts. And they’re pretty good titles, too – some more of DC’s New 52 get their fourth issue, for example (I’ll be reviewing them when I get back to New York late January) and far more besides. Here’s just a small selection of the comics published today that I could get my hands on in time for a review.

Reviewed Herein: The Cape #1-3, Irredeemable #32, & Incorruptible #25

“Memorial” #1 (IDW)

A magic new title

Writer: Chris Roberson | Artist: Rich Ellis

Memorial is the story of Em, a young woman who arrives at a hospital in Portland, Oregon, with no memory of her past. A year later, she has rebuilt her life, only to find her existence thrown into turmoil after she inherits a magical shop. The kind that appears in an alley one instance and disappears the next.

This debut issue has been quite highly anticipated by many comic readers, myself included, and I was very glad when I finally got my hands on a copy. It didn’t disappoint. That being said, it’s rather difficult to think of how to write about it without spoiling or describing everything.

It’s mostly setting the scene, so there are revelations aplenty, as well as some needed exposition (all dressed up perfectly as story and in some great artwork). The writing is tight and brisk, with some nice touches sprinkled throughout for anyone with an interest in classic fables, fantasy, and other literary allusions, only with a few original twists. The characters are shaping up in interesting ways, even though many of them will need some time before they are properly fleshed out (Em does, after all, have no memory).

Memorial is a series that has a lot of potential, and I’ll be watching it closely. At only 22 pages, this first issue is a tantalising glimpse into a new and interesting fantasy setting. Some people might have wanted more from a first issue, but my interest has been piqued enough for me to come back to it next time.

Recommended.

Visit IDW’s special Memorial website for more information and features.

“Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones” #1-4/6 (IDW)

A comic adaptation of Rice’s classic horror novel

Servant of the Bones is one of Rice’s novels that I’ve never got around to reading. I’m not sure why, actually. When I saw this was now available as a comic-adaptation, I looked up the premise (below, after the break) and it sounded pretty interesting. I really love Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, and I consider The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned to be one of my favourite books (they go together so well, I count them as just one – I can never read them on their own). So, seeing as I’m becoming more familiar with the comic genre, I decided to give this a try. I find myself with mixed feelings about the series, although I should say they lean mostly towards the positive.