Wicked + Wicked

First off, a big thank you to my boy Toby for finding this book and getting it for me, you rock man! Give him a follow and check out his stuff over on his Tumblr page! 

That being said, I finally got my smelly sweaty Latino fingers on this issue (it gets pretty hot here in the Toronto summer)! And if you know what the big buzz in the comic book world has been then you could probably guess, that I am talking about the latest project from Kieron Gillen and Jaime McKelvie, from Image comics, The Wicked + The Divine! I will admit, that when I just heard about this book and the concept, I got hyped. I was a really big fan of the latest run of Young Avengers by this incredible creative team, while it wasn't without a few rough edges, I really liked what they did with the new characters introduced into the team, like Miss America and Kid Loki. So naturally I couldn't wait to see what they would do here, in a world with young Gods who walk the Earth but only live for two years after they adapt their power. Live young, die fast. A very interesting topic, especially when dealing with teenage characters.

After giving it a read, I got to say, I am impressed. It feels that with these brand new characters and world, Kieron and McKelvie are able to be more free and creative with many of the elements and themes presented in the story. The first issue presents us this incredible concept in this world, but left me very curious and wondering about many of the elements and possible rules to all this, which is a good thing, I really can't wait to see what goes down in issue two. I don't want to give too much away as far as story goes, but I can tell you that it is worth picking up, believe the hype my friends! A more mature concept allows for some awesome page turning moments of "holy crap" and "that's fantastic". The flow of the entire book felt like it would be perfect to watch as a movie or an ongoing HBO kind of show, and here is hoping we do get to see that. And while I feel that a much older audience won't really understand this book and it's theme, the new generation of comic book fans who enjoyed Runways, Ultimate Spider-man and of course, Young Avengers, will no doubt love everything about this book. So if that is you and you haven't picked it up, go out and get it! Although a lot of the first run copies may be sold out, check out one of the second run that should be in stores soon. For those in the GTA still looking, try Gotham Central comics and Stadium Comics as well, I know Gotham will have copies of the Eh!Variant, done by the talented art warrior, Mike Rooth! 

That's all the time I have for now, off to another day of work! Got a lot to do this week and this weekend, we got World Pride celebrations here in the city, I will be doing Jace Wars on Saturday, the World Cup is going into the next rounds, and I will also be kicking off July Well Spent over at Silver Snail! We don't stop, cause we can't stop. So I got to get out of here, but I will be back, be sure to plug and comment away on this and all my blogs, I will see you guys and gals later! Keep chasing the storm! 

My Comic Pile...

There comes a time in every geeks life when he has to look down at the piles on the floor and at the boxes in the corner and say to himself, "holy crap, I've got a lot of comics to read!" And I do, like a lot of them. I was just organize a few that were out of my collection, bag and boarding a few loose comics as well, when I realized that I have a lot of books that I still need to read. Which isn't a bad thing, it's actually really cool when I think about it. One of my problems may stem from the fact that I want to get more comics and try to catch up with more current ongoing series. The life of a comic book geek. But I figure I have this floor to speak and well I guess I should use it to talk comics! More reviews and thoughts on all these amazing magical books that I have collected over the years. The only thing is though, part of me wants to cover the indy comics, give light to those who need and share my with you guys, help out friends here as well. But I really enjoy the big company books, like Marvel and DC Comics and hell even stuff from Image and Dark Horse. So the only question is, what do I first?

So I am going to start off with this bad boy that I just finished a few weeks ago, Earth X! From Marvel, by the incredible team of Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and John Paul Leon, Earth X is based in an alternative future for the Marvel universe, but with many elements ground in the early days of Marvel to help paint a creative and different kind of future. How different? Well for one, everyone on the planet has now gained some form of super power and/or mutation. So how good is a super hero when everyone is super? Powers never defined heroes in the first place though, and it shows us here very early on with Captain America. Literally wearing the red, white and blue across his chest, we see that Rogers is still fighting for that old world, but he is older and tired from all the wars, when does it stop? We see an older and fatter Spider-man, who has a daughter who has taken the mantle as city web swinger. We see the Inhumans, looking for a lost member of the royal family in a world much similar to their own. Everyone you know and love has been altered in some shape or form in this world, and everyone is trying to find their own explanation to all of this. All the while, Machine Man has been tasked by a blind Watcher to take up his role and be witness to what will happen next to this new Earth. 

The imagination of this book alone is reason to check it out, but this story is absolutely incredible! The scale of things grows each chapter, and it always awesome to see what has happened to all our favourite Marvel heroes and villains! I can't believe it took me this long to finally get this book but I am glad I did! As a story, Earth X is one that gets you reading and reading, just to find out what's going on and to see what's going to happen next. That being said, while the art is strong, it's not the best looking book I have seen. The character designs by Ross are incredible though, I guess it would have been too much to ask to have him draw the entire book as well. But the art does work really well for the story, it never becomes a problem, a lot of great panel work and some incredible splash pages as well. All in all, it makes for an incredible epic that all comic book fans should take a look at, it's a reminder on why we love comics in the first place. I know the story continues in Paradise X and Universe X, but strictly as a stand alone book, Earth X should be part of everyone's collection. 

So there you have it, my review on Earth X. I could go into depth on each issue and each character, behind the symbolisms of each characters design and purpose in this world, but it would take a whole blog for each character, not to mention massive massive spoilers to those who have yet to read it. But I also have a busy day ahead of me, going to be working late getting ready for Pride week and also going to be watching my team, Chile play against the Netherlands! I can't wait for that! Well let me know what you think of Earth X and what kind of book you want me to look at next, I've got tons to choose from, so comment below! Much love to you all, and keep chasing the storm. 

Human Lizard Rules Toronto...

Human-Lizard pin up by Jason Loo.

A quick disclaimer before I begin this comic book review, that I will be reviewing this book based on my experience reading the book. I say this because as a Toronto artist and comic illustrator, I am so proud and happy to know Jason Loo. The fact that this book is in my hands and in the hands of plenty of others all across the country and the globe, well that is incredible. This is the kind of work I want to be able to do and to be able to reach as many as possible. We are both huge fans of Seven Lives Tacos as well, it is our bond. So that being said, time to let you guys know, what The Pitiful Human-Lizard is all about.

So the basic plot...

"The Pitiful Human-Lizard is a new comic book series created by cartoonist Jason Loo. The story follows corporate lackey Lucas Barrett who finds excitement outside his 9-to-5 job as a struggling superhero. The debut issue is a grounded underdog story that takes place in the city of Toronto. It's a new, comical approach on a superhero who is uniquely Canadian." 

That is of course the most basic and spoiler free description of the book.

The book is just so much more then that though, with an amazing pace and page flow with the ability to make you laugh all the while delivering an incredibly classic comic book story. The different relationships that take place for Lucas/Human-Lizard is amazing, from stronger heroes to the locals of Toronto or his work or even his parents, the book shows all these different relationships and how he reacts with everyone. The progress of these relationships flow and change through the book, to being practical invisible to most all the way to being the next big hero for kids all over Toronto. The Human Lizard doesn't go from zero to hero completely though, and he still has a lot to learn himself, which gives the readers so much to look forward to in the next issues. And while Human Lizard is doing well, Lucas still hasn't landed a date or gained any kind of respect at work. Needless to say I am very interested in what's going to happen next. 

I highly recommend this book to fans of independent and super hero comics alike, especially fans of Spider-man and The Spirit. And while Spider-man has died and come back to life, it's been a long time since I've gotten a good laugh with one of his books. Something that Human-Lizard was able to do plenty of times, from a late night brawl with a harmless hot dog vendor to the ring tone of the boss in Lucas department. And with plenty of different locations of Toronto used, it makes for an awesome back drop, with locations like the club district and the Royal Ontario Museum making an appearance, plenty of sights to see. Another thing to look forward to is where will the lizard be next. 

Human-Lizard pin up by Vince Sunico.

With the amount of anticipation that I had for this book, I am so glad it delivered. It's been awhile since I've had fun reading a comic book, and it's great to know this is from a local Toronto talent. So to everyone in the GTA, go out and get this book at your local comic book store now, it is more then worthy to be part of your collection. Also be sure to stay tuned and like The Pitiful Human-Lizard Facebook Page as well to keep track of all Human-Lizard news, not to mention Jason Loo will be at many different locations signing copies of the book, so be sure to be there. 

That's all the time I've got for today guys, be sure to follow and comment below here and let me know what you thought of The Pitiful Human-Lizard or give me suggestions on other great comic books that I should be taking a look at. I will try and do a book review atleast once a week, especially with Fan Expo coming at the end of the summer, it will let you know what books are worth your time and money. Thanks again for your time, and keep chasing the storm. 

Declaration of Fantastic:

*Goes without saying, this review may totally contain spoilers. Giving you a heads up.

So I will be doing a new comic book review, this will be a single issue review today.  The book I am looking at today is part of the current Marvel Now line, it's the 10th issue of the first family of heroes, the Fantastic Four. You know I got to say, the Fantastic Four doesn't get enough love or credit now in days. Having two terrible movies doesn't help either. But it needs to said, the Fantastic Four rock! A perfect comic mix of science fiction, humor and action. Serious when it needs to be, but always a great read that reminds me why I love reading comics in the first place. And while each one of the Fantastic Four can seem like a cookie cutter made character, there is so much more to each of them, especially Mr.Fantastic with all the secret plans and action that he has done with the Illuminati Avengers. But let's take a look at the book now, and I want to start off with displaying the awesome cover on this one, I mean if this isn't one of the best covers out there today, I am not sure what is. And oh yes, it is clobberin' time! 

The book starts off in Philedelphia 1776, as we see the deceleration of independence being written and discussed by Americas founding fathers, but of course we know one of them has got to be a Skrull, but why are they here and what piece of history are they trying to alter? Deep in space, we see that Mr.Fantastic, The Thing and Sue Storm are sick, the powers that made them are slowly taking them apart slowly. So far the family, the kids included have been searching different planets and galaxies for a cure, something Mr. Fantastic has tried to keep a secret. The kids don't take the news well, especially Valeria Richards. But if they only knew what there dad was doing in the pages of New Avengers. Reed then figures that what is happening to them seem to be a deliberate attack, but where and when is the question here. It's quickly discovered that someone is doing this somewhere in time, and that this someone are the crafty shape shifting foes of the Fantastic Four, the Skrulls. The team goes back in time and comfort there intergalactic foes and stop them before they alter anything in the course of human history. The Skrulls were attempting to keep slavery in the constitution, as a way to prepare mankind for there own slavery at the hands of the Skrulls. The issue ends with Reeds somehow mainplulating the Skrulls into shaping themselves into cows for eternity, or until turned into steak and burgers. But we also see the sickness taking a toll on The Thing, as he slowly is chipping away.

As a stand alone issue, this was a lot of fun to read. I love seeing the Fantastic Four going back in time and fighting to keep the time line and history of the world intact. There practically the only team of heroes who can do this, without screwing everything up completely, at least for the most part. Matt Fraction keeps the language appropriate to each time, keeps the dialogue going along during family fights or Reed explaining the infinite possibilities that are out there. And Mark Bagley does great work on drawing this issue out, especially with showing Sue Storms sickness taking place, being invisible in random spots and showing her insides, literally, you can see her brain and organs through the book. I did feel however the pacing was a bit off, especially in the last two pages, it felt everything was kind of cramped together in the last minute. I would have suggested less scenes of the founding fathers talking among themselves, if we wanted to read that we would look it up, but something had to be done to avoid this mess in the last two pages. A reduction on the amount of panels on some of the pages would have been nice as well, maybe even a two page spread when Sue and Thing were fighting against the Skrulls. That being said the issue is a lot of fun to read, and honestly it works as a pick up and read or as the continuation of the series all together. With both Fraction and Bagley at their best, Fantastic Four is a lot fun and great for all ages of comic book fans. Give it a go when you get a chance.

 So that's what I think of this crazy little adventure from the first family of heroes, I got a lot of books to read in the following days including a few independent books from fellow friends and crew mates. But hey, I am always open for suggestions on different books to read, so leave a comment below if you know a good book or two. And also, I updated my YouTube page today with a new video, so be sure to check it out below...

So there's another video update, and yeah be sure to check back every weekend, I am going to try and be on the ball about these. But let me know how I am doing as well, feedback is really important for me, so holla back. The more interaction I have, we can do things like contest and giveaways and all that good stuff, so tell your friends and what not. Anyways I need to get going, thanks again for reading and watching, keep chasing the storm. 

Get Funky

Every now and then you get a story or even a single issue that breaks all the rules and stands out as an awesome single book. For many, these are the random books we find as young fans in those dollar bins, who hasn't been there once or twice. It can also be that book with the really pretty cover, something so eye catching you can't leave it on the shelf, and hey it's got a pretty cool story as well to boot. But sometimes it can be a single issue in the larger story line of the big plot but it has an iconic moment of your favorite characters dueling to the death or the introduction of a brand new character all together. But every now and then you get a story so ridiculous you can't help but plug in your blog, cause let's face it as far as over the top and strictly silly stories go...this one takes the cake and throws it at the wall...then licks it off the wall. Welcome to Deadpool #13, I will let the cover here do the talking...

That's right, Deadpool in the 70's. 

Not only is the Merc with a Mouth doing business in New York looking for work, he decides to team up with the Heroes for Hire, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. And yes we get the classic yellow shirt Power Man, an awesome throwback for fans. The whole look of the book is a throwback as well, with a very cool vintage look done by Scott Koblish, it makes the whole experience much more. And the incredibly hilarious writing team of Gerard Gorman Duggan and Brian Edmund Posehn, which have been at the helm of the new Marvel Now Deadpool series, continue to keep the series crazy, funny and completely insane. Which in Deadpool's case is everything you could ask for. I don't want to give out too much of the plot on this one, so I will leave you with this piece of information, the villain is a pimp. Again, I can't recommend this book enough, it's so ridiculous and yeah the time line is thrown out the window, but sometimes you just need that. I mean it's hard to keep track of your own life, let alone all the different time lines and lives of our beloved comic book heroes and villains. So relax, read and laugh your ass off. We can't always be so serious. 

This is a two part story though, so you can pick up Deadpool #13 in stores now and Deadpool #14 will be in stores next week, gives you a little something to laugh at during the Infinity series that also begins next week as well. So be sure to give these books a read if you haven't already, an extremely funny experience that shouldn't be missed. Got some work to take care of tonight, not to mention a new episode of Time Well Spent! So stay tuned for that. 

Keep chasing the storm. 

Joy in the Kill

Na na na na na na na...
You know the tune, the songs and the band, now it's time to know what happens next, today I will be taking a look at the first two issues of Dark Horse comics The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.  This book comes from the same creative team behind Umbrella Academy, with Gerard Way at the helm of the story that takes place after the events of the last My Chemical Romance album, Danger Days: The Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Now this being said, don't feel it necessary to have heard the album to follow along with the story, the songs and the music videos however give you more content and make the world in Killjoys that much bigger, it's a cross medium kind of cool. So without giving away to much of the plot, I am going to let you know why you should be reading all about these fabulous killjoys.

The Killjoys follows the journey of a young girl who is trying to survive out in an apocalyptic dessert setting, being hunted by the dangers of Battery City, a futuristic but oppressive like city that battles the rebels of the dessert, who take up after the fallen heroes known as The Killjoys. All we know about these legendary heroes known as the Killjoys is that they were the main resistance against to companies of Battery City and that this girl was someone of great importance to them, someone they all died to keep safe and alive. We see her trying to scavenge some food and items early on and runs into a new "Killjoys" kind of group, taking up the image and fighting the same battles. After a run in with agents of the city, known as Dracs. The Dracs try and turn others against former family and friends by placing a "Dracula" looking mask over the victim which shows them only a world of their greatest fears. After the battle, we see that these new "Killjoys" are much more violent, something the original heroes were not as we see the girl run away and hide from them. As the story unfolds we also get to see the lives of two android from Battery City, these android twins are losing power and thus one them works the night to keep her sister alive, it's interesting to see how the city and it's society try and stay alive. It gives the universe of the story that much more content, as you also see what the major bad corporation is planning as well. So you get to see all the different angles to the story, both worlds at battle and ready for war. Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to die. 

I am really impressed with the story and writing in The Killjoys, I always enjoyed Gerrard Way's storytelling through his albums with My Chemical Romance, cause say what you will at the end of the day of the music, the ability to string along a story though out song is impressive. And this story is awesomely told and unraveled though the pages here, with an art style that is reminiscent of Scott Pilgrim with designs straight from movies like Blade Runner and Mad Max. The book will most likely attract a younger teenage crowd, but it's honestly really good and shouldn't be dismissed as such, it's smart and provides interesting themes and concepts that could only be told in this kind of book. A brand new book with only two issues out, if you are looking for a great and new different alternative to the big two, then give this book a read! I highly suggest you take a look. 

 That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so please subscribe to our channel, give a like and leave a comment. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to chasing the storm.

Sweet Adventure Time

What time is it? Well it's certainly is Adventure Time! But today's AT book is not exactly following the adventures of our well known loveable heroes, Finn the human and Jake the dog. This time around we are following the adventures of the Peppermint Butler and Cinnamon Bun, as they are tasked by Princess Bubblegum to find Finn and Jake after they seemed to have gone missing. And with two of the funniest character in the candy kingdom teaming up to solve the case, what could possibly go wrong? Well there's a good chance that absolutely everything, but when it comes to Adventure Time that usually means a lot of fun and hilarity as well.

Adventure Time: Candy Capers is the brand new release from Kaboom! comics  and was released last week. The team behind this story is the dynamic duo of Ananth Panagariya & Yuko Ota, from the Johnny Wander webcomic fame. The writing is hilarious and still stays to the well known AT kind of beat, with a lot of quotable lines from, "Let's destroy problems" and "I sweat when I'm nervous".  It's a joy to read and see how the story will play along. It goes without saying to any fans of Johnny Wander, get this book. You won't be disappointed, it leaves you with a big smile with every page, a great read. The art is handled by Ian McGinty, who keeps the look as we know the series and adds to it, making unique panels and capturing a lot of silly faces. Needless to say the art and writing go hand in hand and make for a very great time, I wish they would make this into an episode on the series. It's that good in my opnion, I honestly can't wait to see what is going to happen next. 

I guess if I had to make any kind of complaint, it seems a bit of a stretch but this is going to be a limited series and so it will be only six issues. But I have that complaint a lot with really good limited series, I always want more and more of these great runs. However, if the series gets a good reception, we could see more work from this team on other Adventure Time books in the future. Fingers crossed here. I am curious to see how the story will play out, but I doubt it will be a let down. But I will say this, don't dismiss Adventure Time or this books as something directly geared to younger audiences, it's a very smart, witty and silly series for everyone to enjoy. So for sure get this book today, it's a great sweet little break from grim and gritty in your comic book reading.

That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so please subscribe to our channel, give a like and leave a comment. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to chasing the storm.

Deadpool Reads Deadpool

Today I am going to be taking a look at the latest new series of everyone's favourite Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool. This red devil has had his own series run, he has teamed up with various heroes in the Marvel universe, he made a team of various different Deadpools from different universes, joined the X-Force and the Thunderbolt, he killed a universe and even other story world have been nuked by Deadpool. So what's left to kill? How about himself? Well that's exactly what is happening in the all new Deadpool Kills Deadpool. Someone or something is plotting to take out Deadpool in all the different universes and worlds. But who is doing this and why? And what repercussions will be done to all the worlds? That's pretty much the plot, the bigger question here though, is it worth your time and money? Let's find out.

Off the bat, if you're a Deadpool fanatic it probably goes without saying to get this book. All the Deadpool books and series are practically made for the already and large fanbase demographic. If you aren't sold on the Merc with a Mouth, you will probably want to skip this series, cause it doesn't do anything differently, not to mention you may be lost on more then a few jokes. But if you are in the grey zone, then let me break it down for you all the good, the bad, the ugly and the absolutely awesome.
The book starts off with a bam, actually more of a boom cause someone gets blown up as our sort mysterious assassin is presented. Honestly still not sure about the who the main villain/culprit/bad guy really is, but it adds to the story, gives it some intrigue and mystery, which in comics is a bonus. We see our Deadpool, the one from the main Marvel universe (also known as universe 616) trying his best to save a city and the innocent citizens from a robot terrorist attack. I would imagine this is used to identify our Deadpool as a crazy merc who is trying to do some good in this world, which by the issues in the current Marvel Now series of Deadpool, you really do get that impression. He gets a little assist from the Deadpool Corps, who have also come to warn him on the assassin who is taking out all Deadpools. A gory and brutal battle goes down and our heroes set off to find the hunters and put a stop to all of them.
An extremely fun and hilarious read, if you've never read any of the Deadpool books, these are the elements that define him and most of his misadventures. The problem here though is to get most of the story you would have to have been reading a lot of the different series that he has spawned in the last few years. I can imagine it would leave a lot of new readers in the dark, making it a hard recommendation to any new readers. However if you do decide to venture on you will find the funny and crazy writing is packed with pop culture references and a lot of overall silliness. With a lot of big summer events going on in Marvel and DC, it's nice to have a book we can relax and turn down the tension. The art stays true to the formula as well, with plenty over the top violence and destruction going on, and this is probably a make or break situation, what's your take on violence? Can you laugh at the over the top gore or does it make you look away. Depending on how you feel about this, it will probably determine your ultimate decision on Deadpool Kills Deadpool. To those iron stomach ready for a fun book to get to know and see the mouthy mercenaries battle for their liv
es, gives this book a shot. If you end up loving the formula and the character, you will no doubt be set on finding all of the previous and future Deadpool comics. But this kind of character wasn't made for everyone, so if you've turn Deadpool books down before in the past, this book does nothing to change your mind in that department.
That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so please subscribe to our channel, give a like and leave a comment. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to chasing the storm.

The Saga Continues

A few months back, if you've been following, I reviewed a graphic novel comic book by the name of Saga. If you haven't read said blog yet, go read it here first (insert link here) and then check out the first volume of Saga before you read more. I would like to call this a review, but I mean who are we kidding, Saga is fantastic. And I will say this much, these next issues keep the pace going and gives the story more twist, background and character development. This is the kind of book that shows are made out of. So it goes without saying if you got the first volume, get the second one for sure, the series doesn't skip a beat. So for the rest of this blog I wanted to go through some of my favourite moments in the book. So please come back once you've read the books, don't want to be the guy to spoil the story for you.

Warming spoilers up ahead.

•The Will: let's get this one out of the way, I love The Will! He is by far my favourite character of the series so far and you get to see more and learn more about him in this book.

After the first volume, he is a mess after finding out his former flame and fellow Contractor, The Stalk was murdered by Prince Robot IV. So you see him early on in the book very depressed and look through old memories of him and his ex. We then see a perfect dream of his, together again with The Stalk and freeing the young captive girl on Sextillion, and not mention killing everyone in the way. Upon waking up though he is introduced to one of the clients who hired him to kill Marko and Alana in the first place, Gwendolyn. That is Marko's ex-fiancé, Gwendolyn.

Needing The Will to finish the job he was paid to do in the first place, Gwen is there to see what's been the delay. She informs him that Prince Robot IV is also on the hunt for the infamous new family, and that finding them will also allow him to lay retribution for The Stalk. The Will agrees to get back to work but only if she can help him free the slave girl, which with some political push she manages to do. The Will sees that the great interest in him finishing the job must mean there's a history between Gwen and Marko.

By the end of the book though we have another family traveling the galaxy hunting for the bounty. This I loved, cause this family may be even more dysfunctional than our story's main heroes. The little girl is able to sense and hear the artifacts the Gwendolyn and Marko carry, so they use her to follow them through out space. And Gwen is not exactly The Will favourites ship mate, but they must work together now to finish the job.  And how could I not mention Lying Cat, everyone loves Lying Cat. How can you not?

•Marko & Alana: the family that changed the rules. At the end of the first volume they just got off the planet and were headed into the great unknown of space, when suddenly they are stopped by unknown intruders in their rocket ship, these intruders are actually Marko's parents.

The story starts with Marko and his mom heading to the nearby planet to rescue the ghostly babysitter, leaving Alana with the baby and her estranged father in law. We get to know the parents and how they feel about the relationship and how they feel about their granddaughter. The mother is very upset with Marko, especially for leaving Gwendolyn. The dad however wants to get to know his granddaughter and his son's wife, seeing how he has very little time left to live. That was a really good twist to the story, it was a bittersweet moment of connection.

We also get to see flashbacks to when Alana and Marko first met. We see that Alana's world is changed after reading a romance novel, the romance between two different creatures. She is inspired by the book and wants to share this book with as many people as possible. I loved that the first meeting between them ended with Alana knocking out Marko's teeth to the floor. We see them spending more and more time together as prisoner and guard keeper, Alana is able to share the story with him. It's in a desperate moment that Alana decides to free Marko and run away with him. That's how their story together begins. I love the idea that from a simple love story these two have made a connection and formed a love that has the potential of changing everything in the universe. And all this from a small little love story.

•Prince Robot IV: probably the most unlikeable character in the story so far. After killing The Stalk and stealing her ship, he has decided to go find the author of the love novel that Alana had read. When we see him for first time, it appears he is dying on the battlefield, when he is saved by a field medic. Unfortunately for said little field medic, she blows up after inhaling toxic gases. We then see it was a dream or perhaps a memory, still not sure actually. There is something about this scene that I will touch on later, if you've been following comic news I am sure you know what I am talking about. He is then reminded on finish the job to take out Alana and Marko, but remains calm and lands on the planet to find the author.

Once he find the author, he begins to question him on the book and if he knows that what he wrote could be the spark to a revolution. After a back and forth, Prince Robot IV shoots the author and decides to stay and wait for the family, as he assumes that they will be coming to the same planet to find the author. And little does he know that there hiding up stairs. And that is where the volume ends.

Okay so apparently there was some controversy over issue 12, at the beginning of the book we see a wounded Prince Robot IV on the battlefield, on his screen face though there are images of man giving oral sex to many other men. According to a lot of websites on all iOS products this book has been banned. What I am curious is about why ban it? Saga is an extremely mature book and up to this point there have been many and many graphic images. So why now? It doesn't make sense, just have an age warning and let it be, it seems a little strange in my opinion, but maybe in time we will learn. Actually if anyone knows why this happened, by all means please let me know.

It's incredible how consistently amazing this book has been thus far after two volumes, I am happily surprised by all the fantastic elements of this story, from the art work to the concepts and all the characters, Saga is going to be the book of 2013. I can't recommend this book enough to everyone, so spread the word and let the world know, Saga is a must read.

That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so please subscribe to our channel, give a like and leave a comment. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to embrace the storm and keep running forward.

The Super Bat

Does it always work when you take the best of both worlds and add them together? I am not sure, I haven't tried a bacon sundae yet. But when it comes to comics, taking two awesome things can have mixed results; exhibit A, AVX was an awesomely fun crossover event that tie up a lot that was going on in both the Avengers and the X-Men stories, it changed everything after. But then you get Marvel vs DC, and that was quite a mess of a story, if any at all. But then again it was the 90's, proper storytelling was a gem back then. But it's a new age and new run has begun on everyone favourite buddy cop (or super hero to be exact) duo, Batman/Superman! Talk about the best of both worlds, these two are comic book icons known through out the world and the ages, teaming up yet again to save the day...and get the girls? Maybe. Why not, its Batman and Superman, how can they not get the girls? These two have teamed up in the past several times, in cartoons and comics, still waiting for that big screen team up but in time. But everyone is familiar with these two and the way they work, good cop who can crush into pieces, bad cop who can and probably will torture you in ways you can't even imagine. Night and day, black and white. These two are as different as they come, but they do fight on the side of angels, and regardless of their differences at the end of the day, they get the job done. It's been a while since we last got to see these two in action together in the comics, and I mean without the rest of the Justice League. And now finally we get our favourite DC tag team back in action, but has it been worth the wait?
 

The new team on this book is a very interesting one to say the least, the current writer being Greg Pak is teamed up with two fantastic artist on this project, Jae Lee and Ben Oliver The idea two have two different worlds is there for sure, actually it may be a little bit too much when it comes to that. The dark look to Gotham City looks fantastic though, Jae Lee absolutely kills it in giving the city it's own personality and look. The city itself looks like an extension of the Dark Knight, with towers high in the dark grey sky. I was actually a little bummed that they want to use two artist for this book, no offense to Oliver it's just that Lee's art is so fantastic I would almost recommend this book on the art alone. His style works extremely well for Batman, and he even makes Superman look scary, although not everyone is a fan of a scary man of steel. The next part of story sends both heroes all the way out to Smallville, this were the artist change as well, the art is really good as well, the contrast here being the setting is a very sunny and bright location in comparison to Gotham. And while it is a cool idea no doubt, it thorough me off a little bit here. I wasn't sure if I was reading the same story or a new one all together. And I am sure I wasn't the only guy scratching his head when this happened, I know what they were trying for here, but they could have kept it to one artist to tell both parts of the story. It's not a make or break kind of deal, but I am curious to see how they will approach this in the later issues. The story seemed pretty straight forward at first, but we find out there's something or someone trying to pull the strings and trying to get Batman and Superman to fight one and other. Although this does seem to be heading into a world cross over story, the likes of Injustice: Gods Among Us. But again, this being the first story and all, I could be wrong. I say this, cause out of all the story we read, the one I really don't like going back to is the multiverse story, it's been done so much by both the big two companies. And it's not like you can't write a good multiverse story, but as a launch story goes why start off like this. I remember the first Batman/Superman story arc from the Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness run, it was a great unique story that took place and tied both worlds together, it's even in animated format, so by all means it can be done. I also feel like it's a bit too early for this kind of story, even in the entire 52 universe, I thought the whole idea of making this connected universe was to keep everything in one world. But I stand to be proven wrong, and if they can make a good story out this, by all means prove me wrong. But as it stands it is still pretty good, a great way of seeing through the minds of these heroes who are so opposite but both fighting for the right cause. The writing so far is fine, just the story I am a little worried about, but nothing abysmal or out of place.
 

But is this worth your time and shelf space in your collection? That depends on you, on Jae Lee's art alone I would say give it a read and pick it up. It's something to see for sure, if you are a fan of style kind of art, then you don't want to miss out on this. But if you really can't afford a new series, then don't worry too much about missing this series. After all, if the story does get really good then by all means you could pick up the graphic novel, otherwise you can wait and see how it goes.
That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to embrace the storm and keep running forward.

After 5: Young Avengers

I want to do a run on reviewing different comic book series but as a package kind of deal, that's were this idea comes from; After 5 will be me taking a current ongoing series and breaking it down and letting you know how it is, tell you all the great things and bad things with the series so far, and if its worth getting the series, staying with the series or simply skip it all together. Think of it like a super review or something. And if you are curious about any current series and would like me to take a look, by all means let me know and I will look into it for you. For the first one in this series of reviews, I wanted to expand on my feelings that I have for this series from episode 3 of Time Well Spent, if you have yet to see the episode, you can see it by clicking the link. I suggest to watch the video first, but if you prefer to just read then by all means continue on.
Fresh from the big Marvel Now franchise relaunch that has been going on with most of the Marvel books, the Young Avengers book picks up with new and old characters running into one and other, we have Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) and Marvel Boy hooking up and battling Skrulls out in space, back on Earth we see Hulkling (Teddy) and Wiccan (Billy) arguing about what's been going on in the last few months, vowing to never return to the super hero life after the events of Children's Crusade (look it up, really good story arc). But when you have the power to make a difference, you probably should. And when you have the power to warp reality and save your boyfriend's mother before she's executed...well you probably shouldn't. Especially when a young God of mischief, Loki, is looking to steal some power. But with Miss Americas timely interference on Loki, things turn upside down really fast. And whatever Wiccan pulled out of that reality is now taking control over parents minds and recreating the world in its vision. And the best part, all six of these heroes need to work together to set things right. Easier said then done, especially with a wild card like Loki in the ranks. But after a few bumps and crashes, the team manages to hold of the alien parasite just enough for them to decide to head off into space and try and finish the job once and for all. Also Wiccan gets a pretty cool update on his costume, reminds me a little bit of Quasar from the early 90's days of Marvel. It looks good.

That's pretty much the story so far, without mentioning some of the awesome panel by panel battle scenes, with interesting and unique ways of laying out the battles, especially in issue 4 and 5. Then there's the back and forth banter among the characters, the best ones being with Loki, as he attempts to convince them to lend him some help. I really love Miss America being the one who is keeping Loki in line, ready to smack him three ways from Sunday if she needs to. Although I still think she needs to cut back on the random Hispanic slang that's thrown in every now and then. Just keep her to speaking all English or all Spanish, other wise it just seems to be a very unrealistic, and dated form of letting the reader know her background. Besides she looks Latina, so it's really not necessary at all. I also wasn't too happy with making Wiccan so whiny and weak at first, it was only until half way through the fifth book that we started to see the Wiccan we know and love. But before hand we see a young hero who is filled with doubt and fear of his own powers, fear of being who he is supposed to be. And it's strange cause Hulking seemed fine, maybe nursing and taking care of Billy a bit more then usual, but for the most part he was great. I am curious to see what rift if any will get between Kate and Noh-var, so far they seem to be really in love and all seem to be going well, interested to see if they dig up some dirt from Marvel Boy's Dark Avenger days. Even still this story is fantastic, if not for the brave creative choice in the story approach, but also for these fresh new heroes that we love to know more about and the one we would like to meet. Young Avengers is able to be different and change conventional systems that are a staple in comics and makes it one of the most enjoyable series in comic today. So yeah, right now it's not perfect (but this compared to some of the previous story arcs in Young Avengers history) but it still stands as one the most enjoyable reads today, I highly recommend this series as part of your collection.

That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so be sure to subscribe to both channels. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to embrace the storm and keep running forward.

Also all the art on today's blog is from one the most creative and talented people I have the privilege of working with, the amazing Tiffany Medeiros! Also be sure to check out her super cool out this world manatee infused web comic, Tales of Lost.

The Superior Superman

Hype in comics is a funny thing, it usually involves taking the best writer, someone known for writing a book that brought characters to life and made you read as fast as you could to solve the plot. And then teaming him up with an artist who's style is known worldwide, who has inspired thousand of others and can keep your eyes glued to the pages for hours on end. You take these two elements and combine them with a hero or a team who have a legendary status in the world of comics, and you got yourself quite the anticipated book on hand. Fast forward to a few weeks from the highly anticipated summer blockbuster, Man of Steel, and DC comics releases the dynamic team of Scott Snyder and legendary comic artist, Jim Lee to take on the tasks of brining Superman Unchained to life! But with great hype comes great pressure to deliver, some books have risen to the occasion and others have crumbled on that weight. But how exactly did Unchained go, well I will break it down to you what I thought of the new man of steel adventures. 

As with a lot of these reviews be aware of potential spoilers. 

So the story begins with a scene that takes place in Japan during the war, a bomb is seen drop from an American plane. The bomb is then revealed to be something else, or someone else. I loved the classic lines being used to describe what was in the air, a twist on the lines especially considering its a sign of doom, as opposed to hope. Tip of the hat to that. The story then zoom out to space, with Superman coming back to the planet, but not before crashing through a falling space craft to save the crew inside. This of course is the pullout page, which is an interesting take on the layout, a huge shot of Superman going through and on the back an up and close shot of him rip through all the steel. Call it a gimmick if you want, but I thought it was a really neat idea, not to mention seeing the pencils of this large shot is something to stare in awe and wonder. This is the power of Jim Lee, giving everyone a reminder of his pencil power. And to that degree, I am not complaining, this is what I love to see in comics. As soon as he makes sure everyone is fine, Superman goes to confront Lex Luthor, who is seen to be possibly attempting to escape with other inmates. Although you couldn't tell cause he is seen to be reading and not paying any attention to the chaos around him. Lex is accused to be behind bringing down the space station but denies any involvement, saying he only wants to do good for Metropolis and the world. I loved seeing how calm and cool Lex is, especially when talking with Superman, his life long enemy. After sending Lex back to the authorities, Clark Kent is working away on writing about the rescue, we get to see the classic characters of the Superman world; Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White. The characters play well with Clark, especially the interaction between Lois and Clark, the classic back and forth. From his news report, he then realizes something missing from the days event, another space station that collapsed in orbit was placed down on Earth, but not by him. When looking for the answers, he is at the ocean floor when he is attacked by an American submarine. We find out, the military is trying to keep something a secret. What that secret is an alien life form, who is said to be capable of defeating the man of steel. But what and who is it?

So of course it goes without saying, the art was absolutely incredible. Jim Lee has the power to work on any book and make it absolutely eye popping, so it's a no brainer he is able to bring to life Superman with no trouble. That being said, I wished we had a few more large page spanning panels, but a story needs to be told, so we may have to wait for some of the later issues. As for the story, I liked the fact that this felt like a Superman story we know, but adding new elements as well. You have a collection of characters from the past like Lois and Lex, and you have a new and unknown threat as well just over the horizon. The characters we know, including Superman, stay very true to the stories we know and love, which is a good thing. No one seemed darker or edgier for the sake of being darker and edgier. As the first issue, Superman Unchained was really good in my opinion, I was never too big on Superman, so this book felt like a good spot to start following the stories and adventures. And honestly, if you wanted a good book to start collecting Superman comics, this would be the place to be. And the team behind this book is as talented as they are devoted to bringing you the best Superman book that they can, so I can't wait to see what exactly they have in store for the next issues. 

So there you have it fans of the big blue and red, if you haven't picked this book up yet, I highly suggest you to make it part of your collection. They released a series of alternative covers for this one as well, which I am sure many collectors have gotten there hands on, the covers each done by various different artist shows Superman through different iconic moments in 75 year history. If I had the money and the chance, I would totally get the Bruce Timm cover, love his work from all the DC animated series. But these are limited to a few numbers to each store, so if you can by all means pick one up.

That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to embrace the storm and keep running forward. 

The Royal We3

First off a big thanks to my spent sister, Tiffany, for letting me give this book a read. And how I went all this time without ever reading this book is totally beyond me, I can't believe it took me this long to even hear about this book. And I guess today, I wanted to reflect and take a look at some of the themes and components that make We3 incredible. This isn't going to be a review, cause lets face it this needs to be read if you haven't already done so. This is going to be more just me trying to make most sense of what I just read. And of course, super mad spoilers, so make sure you've read the book before you continue on...

SPOILERS YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!

Theme 1: Mortality

Death is a huge theme within the book, hell it might be the driving force for the whole story. At the very start we see a black ops raid going on against what we can only assume are a terrorist cell. Everyone in the house is annihilated by the animals, the We3, and in quite the bloody format, the head of the group gets blown to pieces by a rain of bullets. The thing is though, you don't know who killed them, cause it looks like it was done by robots or cyborgs of some sort, it's then revealed that there were pets inside; the dog, the cat and the rabbit. Also at the story is beginning we are introduced to one of the main researchers on the project, Roseanne Berry, who seems to be mourning the loss of her father and is in a very lonely state in her life. Again, death is used to frame the importance of life to one and other, what is left when one is taken. Once the call is given to exterminate the We3, them being prototypes and all, it's Roseanne who decides to release them and give them a chance to live and fight for their lives. She acknowledges that these creatures were once loved and had a life before they were taken and made into government weapons. She realizes that she had helped in stealing away their lives. In contrast, the government and the rest of the facility see things differently, that these three were weapons and now they need to be discarded at all costs, that in the wild these animals are a threat to human life. The interesting thing here is how these are viewed as two different entities, human life and an animals life. The swift and cold command to discard the We3, but the concern at the threat to any human is handled with a completely different feeling. Never is the animals life even considered, only by Roseanne who releases them. During their run and escape, the animals are looking and trying to find "home". They all once had a place they called home and a family who loved them, they just don't remember it. These creatures had names and were loved, had a life if you will, but now they are doing their best just to try and stay alive, unaware of the threat they can be, clueless as to why they're being hunted. Why does simply being human entitle us to be the ones who decide what counts as a living life? What about wild animals? Fish? Insects? Trees? How do we define what's alive on this planet?

Theme 2: Roles

I thought it was interesting the theme of "roles" that was in the story, an interesting concept especially when using animals as the main characters, the way each animal interacted with one and other as well. And as government weapons as well, the dog acted as the tank, the cat as the assassin and the rabbit as a stealth bomb expert. They were programmed for these roles, something I am sure many of us have felt in the past through different constructs of society. The animals act like one would imagine they would; the dog is extremely loyal and wants to help and keep everyone safe, the cat is a lot more selfish and self invested, and the rabbit is a more curious kind of creature. But just as they have these roles, the animals act on their own and break out and do things on their own accord. The dog  losses his cool and cuts loose, the cat helps out its friends and the rabbit displays courage like no other. The element here is free will, an action to displays they are not just weapons or simple animals, regardless of the settings that we are faced with in life, it's our choice to choose who we are and what we will do. The We3 want to be able to choose what they will be and what they will do with their lives.


Theme 3: Home

One of the goals for the We3, was to find "home". Although they had no idea what it meant, were was "home"? Cause they only home they remember was the one that turned them into weapons and decided to flush them out, that couldn't be home could it? A journey with no destination can get you anywhere. The We3 are thrust into a strange and dangerous world, a world of fear and hatred, so were exactly do they fit in? Each of them do have a home though, they just don't remember it, which is one of the most tragic elements of the story. Lost creatures with the answers in lost memories. By the end they do find a home of sorts, they are taken care of by a homeless man. The unity and shelter becomes the "home" that the We3 were looking for.

Man, didn't expect to take that long on this one, but I hope I got my ideas across here, that within the story these animals deal with many real issues that all of us deal with on a daily basis; confronting our own mortality, being labeled into classes and roles, and trying to find a place we can call home. The use of animals to portray these themes should remind us that as smart and advanced as we are, we can't forget and disregard any other form of life on this planet. We are all in this together. Well that's about sums it all up, let me know what you thought of the story and what did you get from the story, leave a comment below and get the discussion going, always looking to hear from different opinions. Also be sure to subscribe to the blog for more in depth look at your favourite comics and graphic novels. A lot of things are coming your way this week and as well as next month, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading guys and as always embrace the storm!