Letter 44 #1
Prior to this batch of reviews, I had never heard of Charles
Soule, yet he has popped up twice in this list, writing both Inhuman and Letter 44. The latter title
is set following a recent election, during which the new president discovers
that the wars in the Middle East and the increases in military R & D has
been because of the discovery of an installation being built in the asteroid
belt. The reader is introduced to the
crew and the situation as the new president is, creating a very effective start
to an exciting new series. Well told and
fast paced, it appears that Charles Soule may be my new go-to writer for
science fiction comics.
Magnus: Robot Fighter
#1
The story of Magnus is one that has been told by many people
at many companies, and been updated many times.
Beginning in Gold Key Comics, the series was most notably revamped by
Valiant Comics, becoming a very strong part of their future continuity. When Valiant closed its doors, the series was
bought and sold multiple times with few new comics, with the exception of a
not-so-great graphic novella from iBooks, before being picked up by Dark Horse,
who published four issues. The character
eventually landed at Dynamite Entertainment, which has proven to be a great
developer of new directions for licensed characters (Red Sonja, Vampirella, a
whole host of pulp heroes including The Spider, etc.). The new series is written by Fred Van Lente,
who is best known to many as the co-writer of Cowboys & Aliens, as well as
some of his non-fiction comics like Action
Philosophers and Comic Book Comics,
and his run on Hercules and his
current (brilliant) work on Archer &
Armstrong. Magnus: Robot Fighter follows a small town teacher who is thrust
into a future world where robots seem to control everything, and he struggles
to survive. Van Lente’s new direction is
a lot of fun, taking the best elements of the past and making them into a
wonderful new story. This series is
highly recommended for fans of science fiction action and adventure.
Marvel’s Guardians of
the Galaxy Prelude #1
It is hard not to be a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
and with recent releases Thor: The Dark
World and Captain America: Winter
Soldier, it just keeps getting bigger and better. And the next movie is only a few months
away. In anticipation of the release of Guardians of the Galaxy on the big
screen, marvel is releasing the official prequel, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Prelude. Following Nebula, a young assassin in
training under Thanos, the reader is introduced to all of the major players
that will be appearing in the movie, as well as a taste of how the movie series
will deviate from the comic series.
Written by fan-favorite Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who wrote the Guardians of the Galaxy series that
revived interest in the series in the first place, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Prelude is a fun start to a
two-part mini-series that will get you excited for the upcoming film.
Rogue Trooper #1
The character Rogue Trooper began in the famous British
comic 2000 AD, where science fiction
comic staples like The A.B.C. Warriors and Judge Dredd originated. Unfortunately, this reviewer has found a lot
off the material from 2000 AD to be a
touch on the tedious side, as we explored previously in the review of Ro-Busters: The Disaster Squad of
Distinction, so I was a little hesitant to pick this one up. However, like Dynamite Entertainment, IDW has
shown themselves to be great and re-introducing and re-developing licensed
characters, such as G.I. Joe and Judge Dredd, so I picked this one
up. And I am glad I did. Writer Brian Ruckley does a great job of
introducing the character while still keeping him enigmatic and mysterious, and
the action doesn’t let up. Readers who
enjoy Valiant’s Bloodshot and H.A.R.D.
Corps will really enjoy this new series.
Star Slammers:
Re-Mastered! #1
Walter Simonson is truly a comics genius. Most iconic was his run on Thor, but his work really has few low
spots. However, with the large volume of
work he has released, some of it has following to the wayside. IDW made the interesting decision to
rerelease one of Simonson’s earliest works, Star
Slammers, that was originally published in a graphic novel and mini-series
by Marvel, as a newly colored on-going series, Star Slammers: Re-Mastered!
The series shows the influence of science fiction titles like 2000 AD with its art and narrative
approach, but it uses that format in a much more approachable, less slow moving
way that creates a wonderfully dynamic story.
While Star Slammers: Re-Mastered!
feels like an older science fiction comic, it is all that was great about the
genre in that era. This one is well
worth picking up.
The Wake #1
Scott Snyder seems to exploded onto the comics scene
recently, first with American Vampire,
then on Detective Comics, and
following the advent of the New 52 at DC, Batman,
Swamp Thing, and Animal Man, along with the brand new weekly title Batman Eternal. And along with all of that work, he is
producing The Wake, which looks to be
one of the best horror comics released in some time. Marine biologist Lee Archer is called to an
underwater research facility in the arctic circle by the government, which has
discovered some strange sounds that are clearly not whale or dolphin. The mysteries deepen when Archer gets to the
base, and discovers just what has been found.
Lots of suspense, and narrative bouncing around in time, and a lot of
suspense make this a highlight of horror science fiction comics.
