This week’s main review is Battle Action #1, launching two stories from big-name creators. add, The Wednesday Comics team typically lists new #1 comics, finales, and other noteworthy issues from non-Big 2 publishers, all of which you can find below…enjoy!
Combat Moves #1
writer: Garth Ennis and Brian K. Vaughn
artist: Keith Burns and Chris Burnham
Colorist: Jason Wardy and Len O’Grady
Writer: Rob Steen
Publisher: rebellion
Review by Zach Quintens
This week marks Combat Moves #1 A long-running 10-issue series from British publisher Rebellion with an impressive list of creators. combat moves There’s a rich history in Britain, but you don’t actually need to know that history – even a little bit – to get into this new series. In fact, the real draw here is that these stories are written by some of our best creators.
The first issue is divided into two phases. Story One will continue throughout the series, scripted by Garth Ennis, with works of art Keith Burns, Color by Jason Wardy, and letters Rob Steen. This is a fighter pilot story that reunites Ennis and Burns to tell the final story of the character Johnny Redd. Ennis is undoubtedly the best war comics writer of his generation. In fact, there’s not even anyone else in the conversation, and the first story is as good as you’d expect, using rich Burns and Wardy art that combines Ennis’s attention to military detail with poetry over violent brutality The art of turning. It’s a great hook and I’m looking forward to following it on this run.
But this is all to be expected. The second story is more surprising and, in fact, perhaps even less likely. it sees the writer Brian K. Vaughn Wrote his first for-hire comic in about ten years (the last non-creator-owned comic I think he wrote was in 2016) The Walking Dead:alien). To do this, he collaborates with superstar artists Chris Burnham, and colorist Len O’Grady, Plus a letter also written by Steen.
Vaughn and Burnham’s story feels very much like the messier and darker reality of 2024 to me, filtered through the 80s teen horror movies of 2024. Children have good rules, A comic created in the 1970s, the premise is that all adults will die and leave the world to children. It was, of course, a fitting concept to work with for Vaughn, who wrote his own apocalyptic plague story in his own words. Y: the last person.
What emerges from it all, however, is one of the best short comics I’ve read in a long time. The script uses a structure that naturally moves back and forth over time to slowly deliver context. I sometimes dislike non-linear time structures in comics, but it really serves the narrative here, earning its own way and reinforcing the big visual twist. Unsurprisingly, Burnham absolutely nailed every big visual on display here.
Overall, I thought the story was, on the surface, a tale of hubris, a spoiled brat crushing everything around him without empathy or adversity… and then finally getting what he deserved . But, of course, there’s also an allegory behind this about America, specifically about the country’s attitude toward guns and violence, and the virtues of both as the only means of preservation and defense (as opposed to, I don’t know, cooperation and diplomacy) .
In short, this story is well worth reading. Burnham is one of the finest artists around, the script is both funny and poignant, and the ending is darkly perfect.
So yeah, I absolutely love it Combat Moves #1and highly recommend looking for it this week.
Barbarella #1
writer: Blake Northcote
artist: Anna Morozova
Colorist: Werner Sanchez
Writer: Carlos Manguer
D.Morris comments
When writing satire, there’s a fine line between profound humor and bland statement. Smart satire really digs deep into its subject and breaks it down to create poignant social commentary. Bad satire points out the obvious and nothing more. This script is written by Blake Northcote for Barbarella #1 Belonging to the latter rather than the former.
Sarcasm has always been part of the character’s DNA. Her stories from the sixties often featured sexually liberated characters in which social mores were put to the test. They are a new kind of science fiction adventure story featuring a woman in complete control of her own agency and desires. The character inspired countless artists throughout her sixty-two years of life.
The comic’s Barbarella mostly just sleeps with a robot and is trapped in a reality show trying to get off the planet. Meanwhile, something crazy is happening on Earth and our heroine is needed. But wouldn’t you know it, no one has escaped the planet that Barbarella is currently trapped on.
Northcote’s script really doesn’t do justice to this iconic character. This is the basic idea of the character. An independent operator who plays by his own rules while challenging society’s perceptions. Instead, they get sucked into an adventure that has so far presented no challenge. It’s a bland pejorative, the word is used very lightly, and fame and reality TV don’t really play a role in this issue. Why is this planet stuck to the screen? What’s the point of trapping people on this planet if you’re going to inevitably kill your star? There’s little effort put into world-building beyond putting a famous character into a cliche situation, which undermines any point the story is trying to make.
at least art Anna Morozova It looks very pleasing to the eye. The art here is reminiscent of Mike and Laura Allredwith its elegant lines and pop art-inspired colors. Morozova’s art was perfect for the story Northcott thought they were writing. It was the space-age optimism of the sixties, with so many beautiful people exploring space. The script may not be as clever as one might think, but Morozova at least makes it entertaining to watch.
Godzilla Showdown: Mecha Godzilla vs King Ghidorah #1
writer: tom waltz
artist: Kathy Moloney
Colorist: Ronda Pattison
Inker: Maria Keane
Writer: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: IDW Press
Comments by Jared Bird
Two Kaiju idols go head-to-head in IDW’s latest installment of their ongoing godzilla rival series. As tensions grew, the people of Atlantis built a mechanical version of Godzilla to fight against their rival nation, the Lemurians. An Atlantean named Benny Sr. does his best to prevent the conflict from breaking out, but it’s far beyond his control.
Written by ninja turtles legend tom waltzI read this article in one go. It conveys a lot of lore and history in just a few pages, but to its credit, it never feels too difficult to follow. Atlantis is an interesting setting in the Godzilla mythology that those unfamiliar with may find it confusing, but it’s also interesting in this one-shot read. The Lemurians aren’t explored in nearly as much depth, but they still get some interesting concepts, especially their worship of the legendary King Ghidorah. Benny Sr. is a solid protagonist for this cautionary tale genre, but it does feel a bit stereotypical for a narrative like this. Waltz does its best to flesh him out, but that’s of course limited by its one-off nature.
Artwork by Kathy Moloney It’s fun and energetic. It has a modern, digital look and is very practical, especially the Mechagodzilla design. I think some of the more intimate characters would have seemed hesitant, but Moloney does a great job with a lot to do and a variety of styles to try and convey. The design of Atlantis is cool, stylish and fun, with King Ghidorah looking like a sleeping monster. When Moloney had the opportunity to draw Godzilla himself, he succeeded.
comprehensive, Mechagodzilla VS King Ghidorah is another fun one-shot godzilla rival series, has a lot of interesting ideas, plus a really great monster fight once it all kicks off. It’s a cautionary tale with a mythical tone, perfect for Godzilla, and taps into some of the lore that’s truly fascinating. It’s sure to be a hit with Godzilla fans, but might be a little alienating to those who don’t know that Godzilla also has Atlantis.
Wednesday Comics Review
Creeping below #1 (Boom! Studio): Tourists travel to tourist destinations. Tourists defied all logic and normal travel precautions and got caught up in hostile crowds. According to local mythology, tourists are ritually murdered. where is this squirming underneath life, although the journey is less interesting in action than on paper. Brian Azzarello It can be a hit-and-miss crime writer whose successes capture the zeitgeist that haunts modern sensibilities, while his failures are an almost incoherent scene of barbs; it’s the latter. Similarly, Vanessa Del ReyHe enhances page layout at the expense of legibility, from effective staging to incoherent shot selections. While Del Rey is more of the former here, BOOM! There is an annoying habit of placing watermarks that obscure the entire art to the point where the reviewer cannot faithfully review the book in my honest opinion, which is probably the most intolerable of all. sorry! Hillary Jenkins Del Rey’s chalk ink, matched with textured brushes, brings a ’70s horror-tooth feel to the page. Oddly enough, there is a comparison, and world design A great selection of sfx from EC Comics in the 70s, but let’s highlight how they spaced out the few lyrics in this issue into a rhythmic beat that enhances the musical scenes! Would I read this book again? I definitely wouldn’t, but if you like revenge stories and black metal as an aesthetic, then maybe this song is for you. —Beau Q.
progress report
AD 2000 Avantgarde 2402 (Rebel Publishing): Remember what I wrote about Garth Ennis and war comics at the beginning of this column? Well, this week’s Avant-garde Ennis and more, this week with Fury #6the conclusion to the author’s recent Vietnam Punisher story for Marvel. But what we’re seeing now is the second part of the new Rogue Troopers story, which sees Ennis re-teaming with the artist Patrick Goddard, and letter writer Rob Steen, following the must-read Rogue Trooper: Blightvale. This is a good thing. I found some recent Rogue Trooper stories in Avant-garde — those that don’t involve Ennis — relate more to the surface action than to any larger meaning surrounding the war. In Chapter Two, however, it feels like there’s more to the story. It’s hard to say exactly where it’s going, but it seems to be dealing with the cost of soldiers and the way policymakers manage it away from actual violence. There’s also a theme surrounding war technology, all set against fun action sequences. So far, this feels like a worthy — albeit entirely different — follow-up to blighty valley. As always, you can get a digital copy of this week’s Avant-garde here. —Zach Quentins
Read more entries in our weekly Wednesday Comic Review series!
