Peter Panzerfaust
Story by Kurtis Wiebe and Art by Tyler Jenkins
“Tootles” is being interrogated quite thoroughly by a man sitting in shadow. Vague childhood questions are asked as well as Tootles’ relationship with someone named Peter (presumably the Peter Panzerfaust the title refers to). Tootles regales him with how he first met Peter, the day the Germans bombed Calais, France where Peter led him and several orphans to safety. He is in awe of this boy, this big haired 11th Doctor looking young man, looking for a girl named Belle. As Germans invade the hiding spot of the boys, Peter sneaks up to shoot the soldiers in their heads when he sneezes. There wasn’t much dialogue and it’s thankfully not needed as everything is laid out in a very accessible way for all to enjoy.
That being said, I think a large part of the draw, for me, is Tyler Jenkin’s art. Peter is at once the boy next door, devilishly charming and probably just brave enough to entice the other boys to following him. Peter’s little smirks, and Tootles’ smile at remembering such a person are driven home by the slightly messy lines of Jenkins pencil.
I enjoyed this comic very much, so if you have a chance, pick it up! (more…)
So who watched the Oscars on Sunday? I did. Some people don’t care for them (or for award shows in general), but I tend to like them and afterwards I have a few new movies to watch that I hadn’t heard much about.
Given there is a bit of cheesiness at all award shows, this time they seemed to keep the Cheesy-to-Cool ratio at proper levels.
Anyways, Jimmie Kimmel did a funny bit a few days ago and made the ultimate movie trailer, called Movie: The Movie. Packed with stars and good for a few chuckles give it a go. Plus, doesn’t everyone want to see Kate Beckinsale and Chewbacca get it on?
Please enter the url to a YouTube video.First off , if you haven’t heard, the bird is the word. Secondly, in case you were unaware, competitive gaming is climbing the ladder. Sometimes it can be hard to get into the scene but of course there are websites out there that can help, such as MLG (major league gaming) but one can easily be overlooked on such a big name site. It was recently brought to my attention that the Admins for MLG are actually allowed to compete with their teams and all, now to me that seems a bit unfair no? (more…)
Big news from Japan at their hit show Pokemon Smash! Junichi Masuda officially announced that this June fans will see the release to last year’s hit Pokemon titles Pokemon: Black and Pokemon: White. Shockingly, the game will be coming out for the Nintendo DS and not the more recent Nintendo 3DS. Very little information has been released regarding the two future titles other than the teaser image and a promise that next week we’ll learn the names of new Legendary Pokemon!
In terms of past releases, now is usually when we hear wind of a “third” title, such as previous games Platinum, Emerald, and Crystal were to their two respective titles. So the release of two new games, albeit in the same storyline, is a bit of a shocker. Not to mention that they’ll be coming out only a little over a year after the release of the previous titles. Who knows what is in store for these two games, but if the teaser image has anything to say … we may just get fusible Pokemon!
Sherlock Holmes: Victorian Knights
Story by Ken Janssens and Art by Matthew Martin
I only picked this up because I try to be thorough in the #1’s I review here each week. This one was superfluously wordy as one might expect from a Sherlock Holmes tale. I fear Blue Water is attempting to channel the wildly popular Sherlock Holmes movie but it comes across flat. Holmes is deadpan in his explanation of a recently wrapped case as he beats the crap out of a random thug. Random thug turns out to be a master of a brothel and he implores Holmes for his help in a murder that just occurred. Intrigued by this and the “Black Spectre” the man speaks of, he agrees to take on the case much to the chagrin of the tired Watson. As I read over a panel where a character yawns, I felt the need to do so myself. This just really isn’t intriguing or fun to read. Anyway, the rest of the comic deals with Holmes unraveling a not so clever plot and his determination to save the Queen (although I couldn’t recant how he came to that conclusion).
The art is atrocious. It doesn’t add anything to the story aside from terrible looking characters and funny fingers. I honestly don’t know what else to say other than I’m really bummed about this comic as I wanted to be thrilled and intrigued by a complex story. Leave this at the store, for God’s sake.
Kevin Keller
Story and Art by Dan Parent
Longtime fan of Archie that I am, I was intrigued to pick up the first issue of Archie’s newest friend: Kevin Keller. I’ve heard the swirling controversies about a gay character being added to one of the most loved comics ever, but I’m not here to judge the comic on if Kevin is going to “queer up the Archies” (not my words, but words I heard from someone in my comic shop. I live in Texas, what do you expect?) but on if Kevin Keller is fun, witty, and worth picking up every week. As I began the comic, Kevin breaks the fourth wall for the first few pages, letting you see his insecurities, life story, and hopes for the future. He’s just been asked out on a date and is struggling with the normal dating anxieties: what to wear, how to act, etc and each friend has their own set of advice ranging from serious to humorous. Betty and Veronica both tell him to be himself, Archie wisely advises to not schedule two dates at the same time, Reggie takes him for a clothing makeover, and Jughead points him in the direction of the best date spot (Pop’s). Kevin does his best to keep busy throughout the week as his date is on Sunday and as he’s burning through chores, his date arrives Saturday. Poor guy got the date wrong so he rushes to get ready, overhearing his parents discussing their awkward first date with each other and it calms him. The comic ends with Kevin confidently leaving the house, happy that not all bad first dates end a possible relationship.
There’s not much to say about the art here. I think Archie Comics has been a mainstay in the comic world for years and years because it still looks the same. I honestly COULD nitpick and find things that are different from the issues I read as a child but what for? You’ll see the familiar look to the characters and it’s comforting in the very least.
Since this is an “origin” story type of first issue, it was kind of bland BUT I am hoping it picks up so I’ll give this another shot.
Adventure Time
Story by Ryan North and Art by Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb
If you’ve never sat and caught an episode of Cartoon Network’s wildly popular series….you’re in for a treat. I’m of the thought that each time an episode is written, the writers are either on acid or tapped into a toddler’s dream, tweak it, and animate it for TV. Either way, I’m a big fan of the show so I ran (by ran, I mean went into work) and picked up a copy. It begins with an innocent, adorable snail exploring a plain purple bag on a forest floor when an evil looking creature with horns and a cloak starts sucking up everything, leaving the land barren and desolate. The scene switches to Finn and Jake (just a regular boy and his regular stretchy, magical, talking dog) who are pretend fighting and throwing about “battle burns.” They hear a noise and investigate, donning a pair of anti-mind control headpieces. As they make their way toward the baddie (The Lich), he informs them that he will suck them up too and off the pair go, ending up in a barren alternate dimension wasteland. While they conversate with the inhabitants there, we get a peek at the Ice King, scribbling away at his newest fan fiction where he too is sucked up by The Lich who he recognizes. :O
Of course this is where it “To Be Continued” us and we get a nice little side story about Princess Bubblegum written and illustrated by Aaron Renier. Again, if you’ve seen the show, the art here is nothing different from what you’d see on an episode, short story aside. I love how vivid everything looks and the silly fist bumps between Finn and Jake. Although, for me, the very best parts were the little one-liners at the bottom of each page where no one really ever looks.
Definitely pick this up and get ready for Adventure Time.