Comic Review: Drifter (Issue #1) by Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein

As I've read more and more comics, I've come to the realization that one of the things I am sorely missing is a good sense of the non-Marvel/non-DC comics worldview.  Thus, I have turned to Image Comics to find those gems that I would otherwise miss.  This is, of course, hardly a challenge for me, since I've enjoyed Saga as much as Wake and Wytches.  Still, the more I look at what I read, the more it becomes apparent to me that I'm not diversifying as much as I should -- and that I'm not reading enough science fiction that doesn't involve superheroes.  And so I have turned to Drifter #1, the first in a new series by Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein from Image Comics, where one of my comics-reading friends buys 99% of his comics because he likes the weird stuff they publish (so do I, it turns out).

I have some mixed feelings about Drifter #1.  Though the overarching narrative is compelling, its subplots are somewhat mixed, leaving an introductory issue that, while intriguing, also misses something crucial in the narrative space.  The narrative follows Abram Pollux, a pilot whose spacecraft is severely damaged, presumably by the man chasing him.  Pollux is forced to crashland on Ouro, an alien backwater world; upon extracting himself from the wreckage, he is shot by the assailant and left to die.  But he doesn't.  Instead, Pollux awakens in Ghost Town, a settlement populated by equally unfortunate rough-and-tumble humans.  In an attempt to track down his ship, and the man who tried to kill him, Pollux reveals that things on Ouro may not be what they seemed and that his notion of reality could be just a little bit false... (this is me being vague so as to avoid ruining the ending of the first issue, which is pretty awesome)

Comic Review: Action Lab Confidential (Previews)

Now that I have this magic tablet thing, I've been able to take advantage of all the lovely stuff floating around on ComiXology (a comic store/reading app).  And since I'm now a comic book nut, I figure it's fair to toss some more reviews at you all.

The first of my ComiXology reviews is for Action Lab's preview collection, featuring excerpts from PrinceLess (Whitley, Goodwin, and Kim), Double Jumpers (Dwonch and Blankenship), Jack Hammer (Barrows and Ionic), Jetta:  Tales of Toshigawa (Wade, Wade, and Williams), Fracture (Gabborin, Cicconi, and Dwonch), Space-Time Condominium (Dwonch), Glob World (Freeman, Strutz, and Garcia), Monsters Are Just Like Us (Super Ugly), Exo-1 and the Rocksolid Steelbots (Pryor, Besenyodi, and Logan), Back in the Day (Dwonch and Logan), and Snowed In (Lundeen).  I won't talk about all of these in much detail for obvious reasons (so many excerpts!).  Generally, I was unimpressed by the lot.  The best of these eleven comics barely rates as "something you'd use as filler."  Some of them are awful precisely because they play into stereotypes best served "dead."  Basically, even though I had no expectations when I went in, I came out extremely disappointed.

Here's the breakdown:

Comic Review: Marvel Point One, "Behold the Watcher" (2011)

As you all know, I have recently become immersed in the comic world.  In particular, I've rediscovered my love for some of the same characters I recall reading as a child.  Of course, having been away from the comics world for so long, I've missed a hell of a lot, including the issue I'm about to review now.  Since I have started reading the Marvel NOW "reboot" of the Uncanny X-Men, it has become apparent that I really need to know what the hell is going on.

Comic Review: Aetheric Mechanics by Warren Ellis

Well, I have another review up. I borrowed this graphic novel from a friend and liked it enough that I decided I should write a review for it. You can find the review here.

Have any of you read any comics or graphic novels of note lately? Let me know in the comments!

Comic Book Reviews Up: Asylum Press Comics

I have a bunch of mini reviews of several comics from Asylum Press up here.  The comics include Warlash, DTOX, and Evil Dead.  Click the link to check out my little reviews!

Anywho!