#comicsstump

[comicsstump]

The Dragon Slayer

Toon Graphics

Jaime Hernandez

Alma Flor Ada

A children's book and also comics.  It's fun, it's cute, and of course it's gorgeous. You don’t need to know anything else, go on, go buy it already!

Grade: A

[comicsstump]

His Last Comic

mini kus!

Noah Van Sciver

After 20 years of failure a comic book artist and his final foray in self-publishing. Funny, beautiful, and heartbreaking. Kinda hits close to home, except that I like dogs.

Grade: A     

[comicsstump]

Arya #3

Antarctic Press

  Sam Beck

Hannah Fisher

Flo Namur

This is one damn beautiful comic. Two stories plus design and illustrations. Gorgeous. Beck’s 11th Daughter is a short form masterpiece.

Grade: A

[comicsstump]

Long Lost #1-2

Scout Comics

Matthew Erman

Lisa Sterle

Perfectly paced, creepy, and a persistent sense of impending doom; this is great comics! Sterle’s art is so charming and makes the horror all the more disturbing. One gets a magna feel from the artwork and layouts. I can’t wait for the entire story to unwind. Be sure to read this one, you’re going to hear a lot more from this team in the future. Man, that first issue was a perfect first issue. Big publishers take note.

Grade: A

[comicsstump]

Justice League of America Annual #1 (2018)DCSteve Orlando Kelly Jones Want to make an easy sale? Just tell me the Kelly Jones is on art duties. Not disappointed there, but the issue is a bit overlong. Not a bad one-shot story, but plot is a little thin. I'd have preferred a more concise story and a short back up with, you know, the full JLA team. Having read the first dozen or so issues of this series I got accustomed to Lobo's current obsession with Mrs Tribb from the original 1990 miniseries. I also got accustomed to hit and miss writing from Orlando. A fun but ultimately unnecessary story which is fine if it wasn't under a $4.99 cover price. Grade: C

[comicsstump]

Transformers: Unicron FCBD #0

IDW

John Barber

Alex Milne

I’m quite behind on the Transformers Universe at IDW but that is no problem here. It’s all action as a Unicron begins to eat Elonia, where the Spaceknights live. I was really surprised to see Rom in this book and the revelations of Elonia’s past. Quite a pleasing little book, tons of supplementary material, and the promise of the end as we know it for the Transformers Universe. It’s legit.

Grade: B+

[comicsstump]

Excalibur Epic Collection: The Cross-Time Caper

Collects Excalibur (1988) #12-30

Marvel

Chris Claremont

Alan Davis

Various

This is HUGE collection and as excellent as that may be it does bring down the enjoyment level as some storylines are left hanging from the previous collection. There are some unresolved plot points here as well, possibly due to the many fill in issues. The Chris Claremont and Alan Davis issues shine as you can well imagine. Gorgeous artwork, needlessly convoluted and dense narrative, and that oft misused literary device; humor! I love these issues even if 30 years later there doesn’t seem to be a purpose to the story. Good stuff, but this cumbersome collection is more of a snapshot of the era than a well-planned epic and therefore do not hold up to modern day scrutiny.

Grade : C+

[comicsstump]

You Gotta Have Art!

L.I.F.E.

David F Toste

Nice find that I got in a grab bag. Written and illustrated by a man with developmental disabilities published by a non-profit. Heartwarming thank you story to his middle school art teacher and a sci-fi jaunt.

Grade: A