Monthly Archives: January 2014

Jan 6 2014

Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure 1

legenderry 1

Today, Shelby and Taylor are discussing Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure 1, originally released December 31st, 2013.

Shelby:

We’ve got a steampunk revolution/We’re tired of all your so-called evolution
We’ve darted back to 1886/Don’t ask us why; that’s how we get our kicks

Out with the new/In with the old

Abney Park, Steampunk Revolution

It’s really no surprise Taylor and I get to write about this first issue of Legenderry, as we are both rabid fans of the steampunk subculture. I think we both not-so-secretly desire to walk around every day in bowlers and bowties for him, corsets and granny boots for me, and goggles for everyone. I’ve never really thought about why I like the genre so much, though. I’ve taken the same approach as the steampunk band Abney Park; I don’t know why I like it, I just know I like it. Maybe my “out with the new, in with the old” attitude deserves a closer look as we embark on this steampunk adventure.

Continue reading →

Jan 6 2014

The Manhattan Projects 17

manhattan projects 17

Today, Taylor and Patrick are discussing The Manhattan Projects 17, originally released January 1st, 2014.

Taylor:  One of the more amazing things about evolution is its ability to create creatures that are perfectly adapted to their environment. For example, take the Great White Shark. It can smell a single drop of blood in Olympic sized swimming pool. It re-grows a tooth whenever one falls out.  And it can also propel its massive body above water in order to capture cute little seals. The animal is basically a killing machine that can’t be stopped by any natural force.  By comparison, you have to wonder if humans have been given the same treatment by nature. We make a lot of mistakes, we fart, and even though our brains are amazing, you have to wonder sometimes if they couldn’t be better. In Manhattan Projects 17, Einstein asks these same questions and the result is a creation made not by evolution, but science. The question is, is it as perfect as its creators hoped it would be? Continue reading →

Jan 3 2014

Superman Unchained 5

superman unchained 5

Today, Mikyzptlk and Spencer are discussing Superman Unchained 5, originally released January 1st, 2014.

Mikyzptlk: Since the beginning, Kal El has been a man caught between two lives: Clark Kent and Superman. Sometimes, these two lives are shown in conflict, while other times they are shown in harmony with one another. No matter what though, these lives are a part of the Man of Steel. In Superman Unchained 5, the other superman, known as Wraith, attempts to use Kal El’s dichotomy to get Superman to see things his way. Continue reading →

Jan 3 2014

Fables 136

fables 136

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Fables 136, originally released December 31st, 2013.

Patrick: I worked as a Residence Hall Director the year after I graduated from college. For me, the worst part of doing this job in a professional capacity was having to artificially take on a role that did suit me. I always believe that a Res Life staffer is only as good as they are authentic — college students have incredible bullshit detectors. A few weeks a month, I’d be in possession of the Duty Phone, which meant that I was going to have to act as back-up to campus security and bust parties at a moments’ notice. I used to hate it, and I’d stress out about my time with that damn phone all month. But as soon as the phone was in my hands, I took the duty seriously. It was the role I had to play at that time. As Rose Red’s new Camelot starts to take shape, the subject of roles comes up and makes everyone suitably uncomfortable. Continue reading →

Jan 2 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy 10

guardians of the galaxy 10

Today, Drew and Scott are discussing Guardians of the Galaxy 10, originally released December 31st, 2013.

Drew: We may lament the way crossover events tend to hijack otherwise enjoyable series, but it’s an unfortunate way of life for comics published by the big two. Once the crossover is over, the series can return to the conflicts and situations that defined the series up until that point. Usually. Guardians of the Galaxy 10 is committed to the fallout of it’s most recent events (still reverberating from Infinity, which saw the “living death” of Thanos, AND Age of Ultron, which saw the introduction of Angela to the Marvel Universe), which is great for legitimizing the stakes of those events, but may alienate fans who liked the series before all of that started. Continue reading →

Jan 2 2014

Dead Boy Detectives 1

dead boy detectives 1

Today, Patrick and Shelby are discussing the Dead Boy Detectives 1, originally released December 30th, 2013.

Patrick: The first issue of Dead Boy Detectives revolves around a young girl named Crystal Palace and a near-death experience that brings her — however temporarily — face to face with our titular detectives. The issue is pretty neatly divided into periods before and after the experience. The before-portion is an odd little mediation on art and artists and the relationship between the two, and that’s naturally what interests me most in this issue, so let’s pick that apart! Continue reading →