Category: Entertainment

In April of 2011, IGN Comics began allowing MyIGN users to submit articles for their weekly review roundup. Any that live up to IGN’s editorial standards are be published alongside IGN’s staff reviews. Any that I write, I’ll post here, whether they get published or not.

This review was not published on IGN.

Story by Cullen Bunn
Art by Brian Hurtt

A few months ago, The Sixth Gun took me by surprise. It was recommended by friends but back issues were scarce, and some local shops hadn’t even heard of it. When I finally picked up the first trade paperback (entitled Cold Dead Fingers) I was introduced to one of the finest examples of graphic storytelling I’ve ever run across.

The book follows Drake Sinclair, a pitiless scoundrel searching for the last of six mystical revolvers in the years following the Civil War. The first story arc told of Drake’s fight against the undead General Hume and his encounter (and eventual partnership) with Becky Montcrief, the reluctant new owner of number Six. The second arc sees Drake, Becky, and Gord Cantrell holed up in New Orleans while Drake attempts to find a way to break his unwelcome bond to the four pistols he’s already acquired.

Issue 11 concludes the arc with a hairy confrontation between the trio and Marinette of the Dry Arms, a vicious loa who enters the physical realm through one of her worshipers to pursue Drake and the guns. Cullen Bunn seamlessly blends historical and fantastical, and his use of Haitian voodoo mythology adds a welcome and unique flavor to the conflict – a flavor I’m sure many readers (myself included) were previously unfamiliar with. Brian Hurtt’s artwork is a revelation of simplicity, evocative of ‘40’s Sunday comics (Dick Tracy comes to mind). Although verging on cartoony, his artwork never detracts from the book’s gravity, and smaller details (look for the panel inside the streetcar) add an immediacy that ramps up the tension nicely.

Although not the best issue to date, #11 is still an exceptional read and it continues to be one of the best books on the market. If you’re not reading The Sixth Gun, you should be.

In April of 2011, IGN Comics began allowing MyIGN users to submit articles for their weekly review roundup. Any that live up to IGN’s editorial standards are be published alongside IGN’s staff reviews. Any that I write, I’ll post here, whether they get published or not.

This review was published, and included in the April 20th IGN Comics review roundup.

Story by Kieron Gillen
Art by Salvador Espin

After the first story arc in Generation Hope, I was struggling to find a reason to continue reading. The characters at the story’s foundation were sidelined, none of them defined well enough to develop any attachment. If I had begun to find a connection to the book, issue #5 killed it, beginning with McKelvie’s simplistic and repetitive art and ending with Kieron Gillen’s rambling and overly angsty script.

The latest issue is a mixed bag for me. The first third of the book flips between Hope and her five newly-rescued Lights, giving us little snippets of each as individuals. This section is unfocused, never allowing time for the dialogue or story to develop enough for us to get to know any of the characters. It would have been better housed in issue 5, which was clearly a filler issue to bridge the first and second story arcs.

The last two-thirds of the book, however, make solid strides toward finding the story’s voice. Hope and her new unit are given a purpose, and thus more of the spotlight than they’ve seen so far. We see more of their interaction as a team and delve into Hope’s role as their leader, giving us clear looks at both her strengths and her very obvious failings. Gillen seems to have finally hooked into a direction for Generation Hope, and more of this type of dialogue and interaction would be very welcome. Salvador Espin’s artistic return was also a pleasant surprise; his lines are cleaner and his style more clear than in previous outings, giving the book a more defined personality.

It’s a shame that it’s taken 5½ issues to get here, but if the last half of this issue is a glimpse of the future, Generation Hope could find a solid place amongst a sea of X-books.

In April of 2011, IGN Comics began allowing MyIGN users to submit articles for their weekly review roundup. Any that live up to IGN’s editorial standards are be published alongside IGN’s staff reviews. Any that I write, I’ll post here, whether they get published or not.

This review was published, and included in the April 20th IGN Comics review roundup.

Story by Kathryn Immonen
Art by Phil Noto

Wolverine and Jubilee began as the tale of a girl who had lost her way, and the mentor who was trying to help her find it. The first 3 books focused almost exclusively on the relationship between Jubilee and Wolverine as her father figure, and did an admirable job of representing her as a young girl caught in a dreadful upheaval. Likewise, Wolverine was well handled as her guardian, in moments that were less action and more interaction. This issue picks up after Wolverine is confronted by the woman who betrayed Jubilee during a moment of vulnerability in order to bait Wolvie into her service. Having successfully drawn the pair into her scheme she kidnaps Jubilee, giving Wolverine little option but to do her bidding.

Issue #4 is a departure from what was previously a dialogue- and introspection-heavy series, replacing that interplay with an action set-piece that is, overall, a little disappointing. I feel that there were single pages in earlier issues that did more to advance Jubilee’s character than the entirety of this final issue, and even Rockslide’s side-plot feels shoehorned into this final battle. It’s not entirely terrible, but it feels like the creative team struggled to find a solid wrap up, relying instead on a tried-and-true X-Battle to bail them out. Even Phil Noto’s art – which has been clean and subtly beautiful leading up to this – feels rushed and almost sloppy.

There’s a brief moment of introspective revelation for Jubilee here, but it’s fairly quiet and doesn’t overcome what is otherwise just a big battle in a goofy environment. As a conclusion to the limited series it feels somewhat anticlimactic, and might be a disappointment to anyone who’s read this far. I know it was for me.

In April of 2011, IGN Comics began allowing MyIGN users to submit articles for their weekly review roundup. Any that live up to IGN’s editorial standards are be published alongside IGN’s staff reviews. Any that I write, I’ll post here, whether they get published or not.

This review was published, and included in the April 13th IGN Comics review roundup.

Story by: Hoang Nguyen, Khari Evans, Paul Gardner & Mike Kennedy
Art by: Khari Evans, Kinsun Loh & Hoang Nguyen

After Carbon Grey #1, I’ll admit I was lost. I gleaned that it’s set in a WWI inspired sci-fi world with a steampunk sensibility, and that the sisters Grey are the protectors of a ruler called The Kaiser. There are dirigibles, Lugers, swords, boobs, and lots of blood… but very little story development. At its heart, the story is about Mathilde and Giselle Grey, the first twins born to a line of protectors that was traditionally a set of three. Issue #1’s disjointedness must have been apparent, though, since #2 starts with an entire page of expositional history, picking up with Giselle as the prime suspect in the Kaiser’s murder.

Upon finishing #2, I’m as lost as when I finished #1. Although the art is above par (with three credited artists, though, I’m not sure who’s responsible), the writing fails to draw me into any of the characters in the book. We’re still unsure of the purpose of side characters, aside from Dina Cumming attempting to steal “level 5 Comsec clearance” from Elliot Pepper (posing as a dead officer), and their bloody escape from a pursuer (the “Baron”). Their story intersects with Giselle’s, but we’re waiting to see where it leads.

Overall, I found Carbon Grey incoherent. The art is pretty but shallow, the plot is buried so deep that it’s difficult to follow and, frankly, they’ve failed to make me care. It could develop into something more cohesive, but right now it feels almost as unintelligible as the original movie version of Akira. Almost.