Children are dead. At least, the lucky ones are. So what the hell is killing them?
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Well, of course, longtime readers already know. But what we diChildren are dead. At least, the lucky ones are. So what the hell is killing them?
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Well, of course, longtime readers already know. But what we didn't know was that this creepy guy was interviewing a victim that Erica saved prior to the first volume.
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Oooooh, this is nefarious shit. Very nefarious. Read it....more
Maybe. Things aren't looking good for our trio of anti-heroes. Madam Satan has been captured, Jinx might be turning to the Jinx saves the world?
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Maybe. Things aren't looking good for our trio of anti-heroes. Madam Satan has been captured, Jinx might be turning to the dark side, and Dani doesn't really know where to turn. Here's hoping they resolve this nightmare in the final issue.
Apparently this is supposed to tie up all of those loose ends from all the unfinished Archie horror comics like Afterlife With Archie aThe End.
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Apparently this is supposed to tie up all of those loose ends from all the unfinished Archie horror comics like Afterlife With Archie and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina that still had plots left dangling. <--or so it said on the last few pages. Disappointing, but I'm guessing they just gave up all hope and decided this half-assed attempt to reset the horror universe was better than nothing.
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So. Yeah. This happened. Jinx, Dani, and Madam Satan go up against Lucifer to save Riverdale. And the rest of the world. But mostly Riverdale.
If you appreciate detective stories, I cannot recommend Ms. Tree enough.
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Some of you might be worried that I'm recommending some shitty comic wiIf you appreciate detective stories, I cannot recommend Ms. Tree enough.
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Some of you might be worried that I'm recommending some shitty comic with a soft-hearted woman trying to save her clients or a fem fatale who crusades for justice and sees the best in people. Not so much. She's a volatile dick who shoots first and asks questions as the blood congeals on the floor. This is the stuff that hardboiled noir dreams are made of. [image] Highly recommended....more
In fact, I love this whole universe. Kirkman created something special here and I think most people who have read the series would I love Mark.
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In fact, I love this whole universe. Kirkman created something special here and I think most people who have read the series would agree with me. On the surface, it can seem like a silly comic with heroes in bright costumes fighting bank robbers, drug dealers, and the occasional alien. But underneath, it has substance and heart. This was not my first time reading this but it was the first time I read it in Compendium form. Excellent choice, if I do say so myself.
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There is something about the way the characters age, and morph, and change. It has a feeling of unreal realism with the kind of relationships that are possible but unlikely. Flawed but not irredeemable. Highly Recommended....more
If pressed, I'd say this is my favorite comic series of all time.
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Now, I think saying that might contribute to some wild expectations for firstIf pressed, I'd say this is my favorite comic series of all time.
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Now, I think saying that might contribute to some wild expectations for first-time readers. So let me clarify a bit. The whole thing. All of the 144 issues pushed together into one big-ass universe-spanning story? THAT is what makes this my favorite series. It stays consistently good while incorporating a massive cast of characters that change and grow over decades and beyond. And it does that while also consistently telling the story of one superhero's life in a way that made me laugh and cry and smile and bite my nails with worry. But don't go into it with the idea that you're going to be blown away by the first few pages. I think that's how people get disappointed.
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I've read and reviewed this one before in different formats, and I was gifted a beautiful set of the Ultimate Collection that I've read more than once, but this time around I did the digital edition in the Compendium format. And I've got to say, I've always liked how portable digital versions are, but as I get older I also like the option to blow the panels up, so that makes this one an excellent choice, as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED....more
Dark take on Penguin. Suddenly the beaky little guy whose catchphrase is wak! wak! appears to be a complete psychopath. And he scares the shit out of aDark take on Penguin. Suddenly the beaky little guy whose catchphrase is wak! wak! appears to be a complete psychopath. And he scares the shit out of all the seemingly bigger, badder, and bolder characters he waddles into contact with.
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This comes out of the Failsafe storyline, and to be quite honest, I liked it a lot more than whatever nonsense Batman was getting up to with his robot. Maybe because Failsafe wasn't really anything new? But this...? Yeah. A bit. This is a story that I didn't know I even wanted until I read it.
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Years ago, Gregg Hurwitz made the character out to be deeper and darker than anything I'd previously read in Penguin: Pain and Prejudice. That's when I started to look at Cobblepot as something a little more than just another kitschy villain in Batman's rouge gallery. But in that he seemed more damaged. Maybe even sympathetic? In this, though? Yikes.
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It's a continuation of the fallout of Failsafe and a pretty fucking cool origin story all tied together. I don't want to give spoilers, so I'll just say that I'm really looking forward to seeing where Tom King takes us. Recommended....more
This was such a disappointment. I was hoping for something cool and twisty and I got slapped upside the head with a wet blanket. Sorry I wasted my time This was such a disappointment. I was hoping for something cool and twisty and I got slapped upside the head with a wet blanket. Sorry I wasted my time (pun intended) with this series.
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Sometimes an entire series can hinge on its ending for me, and this one was a prime example of that. I thought it would take quite a different turn and surprise me, have some twist that would make this fun, or a big reveal that would make the whole thing take on an exciting turn. It did not.
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Bottom line? If you like quasi-sappy stories about life being a predetermined and inescapable journey, you might like this one. Not my cuppa....more
It appears that Kevin and Nadia are stuck in the distant past with a bunch of anti-robot colonists that are now headedNothing is what it seems?
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It appears that Kevin and Nadia are stuck in the distant past with a bunch of anti-robot colonists that are now headed by her mother. What's going on here?
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Things are heating up, I just hope they can bring this whole time travel debacle full circle and give us a cool ending....more
A badass bounty hunter is on the trail of Nadia, Tatsuo, & Kevin. But the thing is, you kind of like the guy because the story is that his grandson neeA badass bounty hunter is on the trail of Nadia, Tatsuo, & Kevin. But the thing is, you kind of like the guy because the story is that his grandson needs medical treatment and this job will pay enough to get it. So yeah, he's a bad guy, but even bad guys have hearts.
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The Arcola Institute which took Nadia's family to some supposed utopian society in the past is looking shadier and shadier the more they discover about the group and its recruitment practices. And Tatsuo is dying of rad poisoning, and jumping desperately to different future eras to find a cure. But will he run out of time before he can locate the right one?
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You can't really say much more without giving major spoilers, so I'll just say this one is keeping me on the edge of my seat.
The crime families are at war and chasing Tatsuo and Nadia through time. Also Kevin. <--the only robot who can survive time travel.
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Nadia is stilThe crime families are at war and chasing Tatsuo and Nadia through time. Also Kevin. <--the only robot who can survive time travel.
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Nadia is still searching for her family but what she learns in this volume puts them a few more jumps away. Can Tatsuo survive those jumps, though? And after the death of his son, Helgi has been usurped by Marston, but he has his own plans for his career in the Syndicate.
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I'm really enjoying this one in a B-movie kind of way. And by that, I mean that this isn't some grand tale that I'd push on just any old reader. But if you like time travel, sci-fi, and graphic novels, then you'll probably get a kick out of this one.
Ohhhh! The alien intrigue gets spicy! And who exactly is Oliver in all of this?
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This is the issue that finally started making sense of this seriOhhhh! The alien intrigue gets spicy! And who exactly is Oliver in all of this?
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This is the issue that finally started making sense of this series for me. I can't tell if it's because my memory is terrible or if because this one has a big reveal in it. (view spoiler)[Did anyone else know who Max was? I'd either forgotten about Max or... (hide spoiler)] It doesn't really matter, and I probably should have gone back and read everything from The Nice House by the Lake before I started this one. BUT WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT?! I'm definitely going to do a re-read before the series continues in The Nice House by the Pond, though.
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Ok, so the big thing in this one is that both sides are aware of each other now. The Lake House is scrambling around trying to figure out how to cover up for the lack of Walter, and the Sea House is hellbent on getting the truth of their situation out of Oliver. Things are getting good.
Ok. I get it now. I've been told to read this over and over again throughout the years. And for whatever reason, I always thought I had something betterOk. I get it now. I've been told to read this over and over again throughout the years. And for whatever reason, I always thought I had something better to do. Plus, the art style isn't my jam. Scratchy, ugly, dated-looking art has turned me off of more than one great comic. I'll own that as a weakness.
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Ok, so Jamie Delano's Hellblazer is what put John Constantine on the map. That's not to say he created the character, as he became a fan favorite in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. But one thing led to another, which opened the door to this incredibly successful, long-running title.
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I think the storytelling and character development really stand out here. The murky hero of the story, who isn't just one thing or another, standing up to the forces of evil without really being completely good himself. Makes you think that if they can do it, you can too. That sort of thing gives me the warm fuzzies.
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Plus, it's just more interesting than seeing some pinnacle of righteousness kicking the shit out of bank robbers without side-eyeing that fat laundry bag full of cash. Because there's a better than average chance that I would supplement my superheroing with a bit of unlaundered drug money if the opportunity arose. I refuse to believe that I am alone in that.
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Good stories, great character. Highly recommended....more
Been hearing about what a great comic this is for a while now, but hadn't pulled the trigger becausWhat's a Powerbomb? 3.5 stars. <--rounded up
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Been hearing about what a great comic this is for a while now, but hadn't pulled the trigger because I honestly don't like professional wrestling. Though, I don't hate it, either. Like, I would definitely be excited if someone gave me tickets to a wrestling match. But on the flip side, I would never spend my money to go to a wrestling match. That ambivalence was part of the soupy feeling swimming around in my head while I was reading this.
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So for a story about wrestling? This thing took a cool turn. You've got a young wrestler who can't get jobs because her mother was a super famous wrestler who died due to a terrible accident. And then you've got the wrestler whose foot slipped and accidentally caused her death, spiraling because of the guilt. These two will team up to bring the woman back from the dead. WHAT?
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Yes. A supernatural being pops out of the ether like Mister Mxyzptlk and tells our main characters the prize he's offering is to bring someone back from the dead. Prize for what? <--I assume you ask The prize for winning the tournament if they agree to do this Mortal Kombat-style tournament in another dimension. The only catch is that this tournament isn't choreographed. It's real. And every other contestant there is playing for the life of their loved one, as well.
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Alright. It was neat. I wasn't as wowed as maybe I would have been if I were a massive wrestling fan, but this author definitely took something that I didn't care about and made it into a very cool story about family. Recommended....more
The concept seems kind of old hat now, but in 1989 this was the Elseworld story (though it wasn't called that aBatman takes on Jack the Ripper.
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The concept seems kind of old hat now, but in 1989 this was the Elseworld story (though it wasn't called that at the time) that started the Elseworld universe. DC was all like omg! people eat this shit up! and now we have all sorts of reimaginings to keep ourselves from getting bored.
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Gotham by Gaslight still holds up as a fun, if predictable, story of Bruce Wayne in a Victorian setting. It's pretty easy to guess whodunnit, even if you don't understand why they dunnit until it's explained.
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Master of the Future came out in 1991 and is set several years later in the same universe. Bruce has retired Batman, is engaged to be married, and is ready to settle down. But Gotham needs a Batman. And when a techno-terrorist demands that the mayor shut down Gotham's version of a World's Fair, Batman must ride to the rescue or risk this villain burning his city down. Again, not a bad yarn. And as always, I'm a sucker for a love story getting thrown into the mix.
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Mike Mignola is the artist for Gotham by Gaslight but (and I know this is sacrilege) I prefer Eduardo Barreto's art in Master of the Future. Both are great, though.