Hey everyone. Welcome to Unleash the Fanboy’s Weekly Comic Reviews, I’m your Godzilla-loving host, Daniel Alvarez. It’s a pretty big week for comics. Why? The latest GODZILLA issue is here, and it’s the coolest thing ever. We also have the start of the long awaited My Little Pony Micro Series, this one starring Twilight Sparkle. More things to get excited about? IDW’S relaunch of G.I. JOE has made it. Lot’s of good stuff coming your way faithful reader, let’s begin with something…happy.

Happy! #4

I dearly hope that Happy! will function better in a collected format. Such presentation should certainly benefit some of the plot elements that spend most of their time on the back burner. The choice of Darick Robertson as artist for this series was inspired. As a solitary offering from Morrison, however, it’s an interesting exercise, but is ultimately neither as impressive nor as powerful as some of his other creator-owned work.

For the full review, click here.

3/5

It Girl and the Atomics #7

A solid opener to a what is sure to be a fun two-parter, It Girl & The Atomics is definitely a fun read from young kids to adults. How will It Girl’s first solo mission go? Have to wait till next issue to find out.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

Revival #7

Revival #7 is a typical issue. Whilst the plot itself continues and develops, Revival #7 twists and turns along the way. With new threats and plots exposed throughout, this is an issue seems to be focused on setting up future developments, even if there are various current threads that aren’t quite finished.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

Saga #10

Saga returns with Saga #10, bringing the usual joys of science fiction, fantasy and a narrating baby. In short, everything the average would reader could expect or want.

For the full review, click here.

4.5/5

Thief of Thieves #12

Thief Of Thieves #12 highlights the best of what the series can offer. Between brilliant set-pieces that play well into the genre, an interesting father and son dynamic and all variants of cat-and-mouse plot lines, Thief Of Thieves #12 keeps the action and suspense high on every page.

For the full review, click here.

4.5/5

Sherlock Holmes: The Liverpool Demon #2

No matter how far into the future it is, there’s always room for a Sherlock Holmes story. He’s the world’s greatest detective. (Sorry Batman.) I’m surprised there hasn’t been more modern comics with this guy. Other than the two movies, there hasn’t been too much activity with Holmes. The Liverpool Demon from Dynamite was very welcome. We have the traditional London setting, Holmes at his finest, and a supernatural element. This second issue deepens the mystery with plenty of stuff both longtime and new fans will enjoy.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

G.I. Joe: #1

So, a new G.I Joe title from IDW, huh? Its not a spin-off either. The fact that its aptly and abruptly named G.I Joe should suggest this is a big title that’s here to stay. Whilst it continues the current continuity and plots, it also takes some different and unusual choices. So, with G.I Joe #1, is it any good? This is great for big G.I Joe fans, but sometimes you just want to pick up one title and not need to do any research to understand what happened.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

GODZILLA #10

It goes without saying by now that I am a huge Godzilla fan, so I get to review these comics in a special way. The Ongoing sadly has been all over the place in terms of quality. One thing’s for sure, it has ranged from consistently average to good. The problems include a poorly developed human cast, the story was generally uninteresting sometimes, and Godzilla himself was just a plot device. This final act has been getting some pretty big hype. The first part was great, but the second was sadly very average when  compared to its predecessor. The humor with the human characters is sometimes too quirky. Despite being disappointed in the past, I had high expectations for this tenth issue. Thankfully it has surpassed them, this might just be the best issue from the series yet. (Rodan is back!)

For the full review, click here.

4.5/5

Jericho Season 4 #2

When attempting to continue a canceled property in another medium there are certain hurdles that need to be to dealt with.  First and foremost is the translation of the previously continuing narrative.  By that I mean, how much do you actually bring over to a potentially new or uninitiated audience?  For each creative team the answer is guaranteed to be different and in this case it’s rather self evident.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

Jinrise #2

When I initially cracked open this series I had absolutely no preconceptions as to what kind of journey I was about to follow.  In short what we have is an out of this world invasion with two interesting wrinkles that easily allow this property to stand out. First off we have the middle eastern locale and secondly we have a Jinn.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

Judge Dredd #4

I just saw the movie DREDD. (Seriously watch it if you haven’t, one of the best movies of 2012.) While it’s not required watching, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of this series from IDW. We’re four issues in now, it’s quickly becoming one of the company’s most entertaining. It had a rough start, but became solid after the next two issues. Right now it does not have a set plot. Still, the last issue ended with a pretty unexpected cliffhanger, now we see what happens. This issue of Judge Dredd continues to show why the title character is just as good some of the ‘greats,’ such as Batman or Spider-Man. If you’ve seen DREDD and want to see more stuff with the guy, you should be reading this series.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

Locke And Key Omega #3

With the exception of that one extraneous scene, Locke & Key: Omega #3 is another great issue that marches us inevitably closer to  Tyler, Kinsey, Bode, and Dodge’s final bow. I’m both eagerly anticipating and dreading the next issue, when it looks as though all hell will really break loose.

For the full review, click here.

4.5/5

My Little Pony Micro Series #1: Twilight Sparkle

By the time this review goes live, Twilight Sparkle would have become an Alicorn Princess. (The timing of this comic is good, not sure if it was planned that way, but not bad.) This is the first of presumably many MLP mini-series from IDW. Currently they have the world famous Ongoing, now we have this side-series to read. The Micro Series will be six issues and focus on each member of the Mane 6. It’s a great concept, whereas the Ongoing is more about the team and adventure, these one-shots could be used to make some really good solo stories. Of course, writing the characters can prove tricky. Katie Cook handles them extremely well, so it would be interesting to see how they fare here. Aside from some writing mishaps and rather average art, the Twilight Sparkle one-shot is a very heartwarming story. Even a non-fan could read and get something out of it.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

Star Trek #18

This issue is an absolutely fine release that fills in some of the blanks regarding Nyoto Uhura while delving into the early months of her relationship with Spock.  It isn’t by any means essential reading for next summer’s flick but what we do get is a rather moving tale that’s certainly worth sharing.

For the full review, click here.

4.5/5

Transformers Prime Rage Of The Dinobots #4

Rage of the Dinobots comes to a close in this issue. Let’s take a look back for a second. The concept was great. Fall of Cybertron is a very awesome game, but in the end we never did find out what happened to the Dinobots. We play as Grimlock throughout the second-to-final act, but then once we head back to Optimus and Megatron, the game never shows what happens to them. This mini-series came to answer that question. It also serves as a prelude for Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters. Basically it was a win win for fans of the Prime continuity. The actual issues were very good reads too. It’s somehow something young and old fans can enjoy. The conclusion features plenty of Shockwave, another fun read.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

2000AD #1820

nother week brings 2000AD #1820 and, with it, the same sci-fi fantasy comic work that’s been a staple in the magazine of late. This means there’s continuations of Judge Dredd, Savage, Ampney Crucis Investigates, The Red Seas and Strontium Dog. Let’s take a closer look at each.

For the full review, click here.

4/5