Hey everyone, welcome to this week’s edition of Unleash the Fanboy’s Weekly Comic Reviews, I’m your host, Daniel Alvarez. We have a bunch of diverse titles including the first issue of GODZILLA: Half Century War, which pretty much ‘stomps’ everything. Well, let’s begin.

Artifacts #20

What do you do when you start seeing ghosts and people’s auras?  For new Artifact wielder Dr. Rachel Harrison, you run away from New York and go home.  And that right there is the basic fun of this latest issue, as the creative team takes their established cliffhanger from the previous release and they throw it away.  In its place they embrace a completely different tone as another location in the Top Cow universe in explored.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

Bloodstrike #29

Bloodstrike is one of those comics where you can’t dislike it, it’s just fun. That is mainly thanks to the gruff main character, who is a pretty much an amalgam of Cable and Deadpool with a hint of the Comedian from Watchmen. This series can be viewed as a throwback to the 90’s, in both tone and atmosphere. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up for you to decide, but there’s no denying that Bloodstrike is Image’s premiere superhero comic right next to Supreme. The latest installment was pretty good, not outstanding, but good.

For the full review, click here.

3/5

Creator Owned Heroes #3

As always, Creator Owned Heroes contains an abundance of additional material. The interview with Mark Waid is certainly worth reading, and Justin Gray’s rambling manages to be both encouraging and depressing at the same time. So of the other material, however, just seems like an effort to fill space.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

Hoax Hunters #2

Gotta admit, I was taken off-guard by the final page of this issue. I was literally like “Wow.” If it’s really a real thing, then I’ll be one happy reader. Hoax Hunters is the type of concept that is almost a parody of urban legend shows. Instead of wanting to prove things real, they want to prove things fake. The first issue was an okay start, but didn’t quite win me over. It wasn’t a horrible beginning, but I really didn’t care much about the characters, they just weren’t engaging at all. The second issue is definitely an improvement. It’s not outstanding, but a step in the right direction for this series.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

 

Planetoid #3

Breaking away from the ‘isolated survivor’ themes established previous, Planetoid #3 really begins to come into its own with the latest issue. In short, its still too early to tell, but Planetoid is beginning to certainly make a name for itself. It looks beautiful, reads very well and never patronizes or bores the reader.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Fool Moon #7

Fool Moon enters the home stretch in issue seven, with Harry escaping one group of werewolf captors before taking the offensive with some lycanthropes of his own. The whole point of reading an adaptation like this is the art, as most readers will already be aware of the story. So when the art fails as badly as it does in Fool Moon #7, the book’s not even worth picking up.

For the full review, click here.

2/5

 

Red Sonja: Atlantis Rises #1

There’s something just magical about an epic scale.  You forgive the tongue-in-cheek moments, the narrative sidesteps, the somewhat questionable dialogue choices and you just let yourself enjoy a solid ride.  What we have here is an engagingly fun comic book that will both excite fans and set-up what looks to be a rather successful mini-series.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

Pantha #3

With the vile god, Chaos in a vulnerable state Pantha must step up and prevent a great evil from usurping his throne.  With bad girls and guys all over the place, our hero must attempt to fortify herself and deal with all of these terrors while trying to fix a past mistake.  Thankfully our bikini-clad warrior is more than ready to strap up and do what needs to be done.

For the full review, click here.

3/5

Thun’da #1

It’s never a good day when thing’s don’t go according to plan, but it does make for a rather fun comic adventure.  With the simple act of a helicopter crash, our main character is thrust into a literal interpretation of the “Land of the Lost.”  From dinosaurs to wild animals danger is everywhere, as our protagonist Roger Drum tries to gather up his wits and survive this bleak scenario.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

Vampirella Annual #2

This latest Vampirella annual is comprised of two one-and-done stories that are by no means necessary reading.  The first one focuses in on a rather unique team-up situation that has some interesting thematic references and results.  In the latter end of the issue, fans will find a brief crossover with Pantha that’s more or less about an animal in heat.

For the full review, click here.

2.5/5

Vampirella #20

Our hero and her allies have been defeated, but the battle is not yet over as Vampirella must compose herself in order to fend-off the new and improved Dracula.  In a rather intriguing move, this latest issue goes for a psychological approach oppose to a physical one.  Yes, this is still the tale of a vengeful half-naked vampire out to defend mankind, but this is a story where wits come into play far more than brute strength.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

 

Voltron: Year One #4

Before we get into the meat of this review  let me first state the obvious, yes, this comic doesn’t have the giant robot but it has a very compelling story nonetheless.  And to his credit Brandon Thomas does a great job penning this little jaunt without relying on accepted motifs.  It’s a thick script that’s chock-full of character development that ultimately gives rise to some rather mature themes. Voltron: Year One #4 is a very good comic book that will certainly entertain fans from start to finish.

For the full review, click here.

4/5

Warriors of Mars #4

Despite some story slips and art issues, Warriors of Mars is making the best original contribution to Dynamite’s Mars universe and I look forward to the conclusion coming soon (now if only someone could explain to me why Mars has two suns…)

For the full review, click here.

3/5

 

Deadworld: War of the Dead #2

I gotta say that I was surprised by the first issue of War of the Dead. It threw the reader into a messed up world with humans fighting for survival against the un-dead. That sounds like a certain other zombie series, right? Thing here is that it feels like a regular zombie comic, but different at the same time. Here there is a zombie commander, or king. In movies there’s really no purpose for these things other than to eat brains and all that good stuff. But with a leader that can actually talk, it adds to the story and makes it different when you compare to other zombie comics and films out there. The second issue is another fantastic entry and shouldn’t be missed.

For the full review, click here.

5/5

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #181

Following up from a somewhat forced trip to comic-con, G.I Joe: A Real American Hero #181 brings back to some more traditional G.I Joe action. As for the story, its interesting, yet retaining the espionage and subtle themes that G.I Joe is known for. Following on from the more action packed previous issue, A Real American Hero #181 wraps up the events at comic-con, whilst following the capture of Darklon in prison.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

GODZILLA: Half Century War #1

IDW likes to have a Godzilla mini-series running alongside the current ongoing. First they had the popular Gangsters and Goliaths, which combined the human element with the monsters well, then the next one was the highly acclaimed Legends, which was a bunch of one shots featuring different monsters. Those ran alongside Kingdom of Monsters. With the current ongoing about to reach its forth issue, Half Century War has come upon us. I gotta say as a longtime Godzilla fan, this mini-series sounded great. Add to the fact that my favorite Godzilla design is being used, it’s a win win situation. The first issue is a pretty good start which is only plagued by some sub-par writing.

For the full review, click here.

4.5/5

 

Kiss #3

KISS #3 kicks off a new storyline, “World Without Heroes,” which sees the band in a new time, facing a new evil. Not being a big KISS fan myself, I can’t say for sure whether this issue will meet with they’re approval, but considering how distracting the 70s rock band is from what’s otherwise a pretty good book, I hope they’re happy.

For the full review, click here.

2.5/5

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Classics Micro-Series: Raphael #1

From nearly killing his brother to teaching limits to a new hero, this little re-release has it all.  It’s an emotionally charged but still somewhat potent story that revels in one of, if not the most interesting Ninja Turtle.  It’s easy to look up to the heroic brother (Leonardo), or explore with the brainy sibling (Donatello), or laugh along with the goofy one (Michelangelo) but it’s a challenge to spend time following this hotheaded mess.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #8

Featuring the dinobots, Transformers: Robots in Disguise #8 takes time to reflect on some of the more popular transformers in the franchise. On the down side, it does this by trading in any developments from the previous issues. Now, even the most partial of Transformers Fans has a soft spot for the Dinobots. Following on from Decepticon Month, Robots in Disguise #8 does a great deal of shedding light onto the Dinobots. They’re still stubborn and aggressive, but their integration into a peaceful Cybertron sheds plenty of new light. The fact that they retain their earth ‘dinobot’ forms, and the unrest it causes amongst other transformers, is a prime example.

For the full review, click here.

3.5/5

2000AD 1794

Another week brings another sampling of 2000AD. As with every issue, 2000AD #1794 has a wide variety of titles, so let’s get stuck in.

For the full review, click here.

4/5