Welcome to the Legion!

2015-08-19 20.52.17

It has been a busy week with all the news coming out of D23 and the comic world going nuts over all the movie news that has come out. I have also been preparing for a four day romp at Wizard World Chicago where I am bound and determined to bring some thing news worthy home. I am excited to be working on a big Cosplay piece while I am there and cannot wait to see what everyone has to show me. I just wrote the second part of it and cannot wait to hit the floor and get some great pictures. I was so excited to pick out my three comics this week and get this out to you as soon as I could. After reading them I have to say I wish I had chosen better. I promise this won’t be a flaming tirade on the state of comics. It is simply that I expected more and you can’t always have a winner.

2015-08-19 19.28.58

Let’s start with the oddball in the bunch. DC Comics Bombshells has been a digital comic that has all sorts of weird qualifications to it. It is all double page spreads and has a totally different feel as well as not being released on Wednesdays. All in all it is a strange book. That being said the book is beautiful and each story is well written. The first three issues were a set up and with DC Comics Bombshells 4 we finally get the story moving.

2015-08-19 19.31.14

I was expecting a lighthearted romp through nostalgia and suddenly Wonder Woman breaks in with a story about PTSD and social responsibility. It was not what I was expecting but it is a damn good story. Written by Marguerite Bennett the story follows the friendship of Diana and Mera and the trials of breaking out Steve Trevor. The art by Laura Braga is magical with the descriptions that Diana gives of modern warfare and grandeur of Themyscira. I would say that you should check out the entire series since they are an easy read and beautiful.

2015-08-19 20.11.03

 

Let me start this one by saying that I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Boom Studios has given Giant Days 6 more issues! The bad news is that issue number 6 does not feel like the rest of them. I love Giant Days and I have been dreading reading issue 6 because it was supposed to be the end of the 6 issue run. I planned to wax poetic about this great little series but then it got extended. The issue we got just does not feel right.

2015-08-19 20.13.12

Maybe it was not what writer John Allison  had in mind with the sudden extension. I am not saying the issue is bad it just felt off. I cannot put my finger on what it is but it just didn’t feel like it fit. The art by Lissa Treiman is spot on and captures the feel of the story. I want to give specifics on what I feel but I don’t want to spoil it. In the beginning of the book they give over 4 pages to a set up for the story and a single joke. I feel like issues past had a much better joke to page density. If your reading the run go ahead and get this one and tell me what you think went wrong.

2015-08-19 20_Fotor

Many things have been said about House of M. By all accounts it was a success and by all rights should have been a great choice to come back in Secret Wars. A short run on expanding the story and giving readers a taste of that world again was a sure thing for Marvel. House of M 1 is an apple that fell far from the original tree. It has all the same characters as the original, it has all the same ideas and much of the same feel but it just isn’t fun to read. I wish it was, I wanted it to be and was excited to get it but I just felt like I was chewing cardboard while reading it. This may be an effect of the Secret Wars bombardment of titles but I just don’t feel like Marvel was trying with this one. Dennis Hopeless is usually a solid writer and he definitely wrote but it all felt formulaic. The art by Marco Failla was spot on for the original but felt outdated. This entire book felt like it had nothing new to offer. I guess there is something to say by never indulging nostalgia. I would pass on this series if you were planning on picking it up.

2015-08-19 20.34.38

Well that wraps up another awesome week and I am so excited to go to Wizard World Chicago and be surrounded by people who love comics as much as I do. The world we live in has become so much more fun with the mainstream audience accepting and finding value in comics. I love to share my passion with others and have made a reader or two out of people who were too cool for comics and brought back a reader who had lost track of storylines. Go out and share your love of reading with others and don’t be afraid to let your geek flag fly. As always, go read something.

 

Tags: DC Comics Bombshells, Wonder Woman, Boom Studios, Giant Days, Marvel Comics, House of M, Wizard World Chicago, Legion of Leia

About author View all posts Author website

Michael Espinos

When I’m not teaching middle schoolers engineering I am a Maker, Outdoor Enthusiast and consumer of all things geeky.
Working on a book as well. See a sample here: michaelespinos.wordpress.com