Archive
City of Heroes (2005 Series) #13
May 4, 2006
Quick Rating: Good
Title: Awakenings Part One
Heroes from another land pitch in as the Circle of Thorns rises again.
Writer: David Wohl
Pencils: James Raiz
Inks: Blond
Colors: Blond
Letters: Troy Peteri
Cover Art: Rodolfo Migliari
Publisher: Image Comics/Top Cow
Manticore is back with the Freedom Phalanx, and perhaps a bit too eager to prove himself as he leads his teammates into battle with a group of characters from overseas that turn out to not quite be what he thought. Meanwhile, the Circle of Thorns is up to no good.
This issue takes an interesting turn. Usually, the fun of this series is seeing the characters and environments you’re used to from playing the video game in action. This time out, the focus is squarely on a group of characters that have not (to my knowledge) appeared in the game, at least not yet. The new superhumans from Korea have a history with our heroes, and their leader in particular has a very intriguing backstory. It’s different from what we usually get, but it is nice to see a bit more of the world the game is in. Sure, City of Heroes is all about Paragon City, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other facets of this universe worth exploring.
The artwork is a little sub-par this week. James Raiz pencils are fine, but the inking by Blond is a little sketchy and muddy at times, with excessive detail lines and flat facial expressions. Migliari’s cover, as usual, is quite nice.
I do so enjoy this series – I’ve got to wonder, though, if it’s because I love the game so much or if that’s just a nice bonus.
Rating: 7/10
TransFormers: Generation One (2004 Series) #4
May 1, 2004
Quick Rating: Good
Title: The Omega Effect & Runnin’ With the Devil
Sunstorm versus Omega Supreme! Giant robots blowing stuff up!
Writer: Brad Mick
Pencils: Don Figueroa & James Raiz
Inks: Elaine To & Erik Sander
Colors: Espen Grundetjern & Elliot Kravichik
Letters: Ben Lee
Cover Art: Don Figueroa
Publisher: Dreamwave
As Megatron returns to reclaim his leadership from the treacherous Starscream, Sunstorm is drawn into battle with the giant Autobot, Omega Supreme. Meanwhile, the ragtag band of Autobots on Earth tries to rescue their comrades that Starscream has shut down.
This is a major action-heavy issue, which this title was starting to need. Mick has a good feel for the characters, but his scripts are usually so bogged down with expository dialogue that it can be a chore to read them. Pumping up the action in this issue really works.
Figueroa and To, along with Award Winner for “Colorist With the Hardest Name to Spell” Espen Grundetjern do their usual beautiful job with the artwork. TransFormers was one of the first comics I read as a kid, after I started branching out from Archie and Spider-Man, and I can say with authority that this is the best they’ve ever looked. I take off a little for resorting to a sideways page for Omega Supreme’s entrance, because I find that really annoying and think it pulls the reader out of the story to have to suddenly turn the comic around, but even that page looks good. Colorists are becoming more and more noticeable these days, and few make their mark on a title they way Grundetjern does.
There’s also a short back-up feature that shows how Megatron made his way back after being hurled into outer space, guest-starring fan favorite Wreck-Gar. It’s not something you really need to enjoy the main story arc of the title, but it doesn’t hurt, and James Raiz and Erik Sander do just as good a job as the regular art team. Colorist Elliot Kravichik really stands out in the back up, giving things a strange, grimy texture that’s perfect for the Junkion’s spaceship and helps to make the entire sequence more authentic.
This is still a solid title, but I’m not enjoying it as much as I did earlier incarnations, probably because of the characters Mick is concentrating on. Yeah, I know Megatron is a fan favorite, but for me, it’s not TransFormers without Optimus Prime. Bring him back, Mick, we’re getting impatient!
Rating: 7/10
The Back Issue Bin 