Beware Spoilers Ahead!

My reviews do contain spoilers about the main stories but I do attempt to keep them at a minimum. I will not reveal any major plot points or twists unless stated at the beginning of a review.

Saturday 26 December 2015

1 year old today!

One year ago today I decided that I would start a blog for myself to write about all the comicbooks and all things geeky that I loved. I've made some great friends, had many memorable experiences and had the opportunity to meet some amazingly creative and wonderful local creators and I want to say a big thank you to anybody who has read my blog or liked my Facebook page because it really means the world to me.

A special thank you to the local creators who let me review their work and thanks to my mum for proof reading all of my articles.
Thanks mum!

Looking forward to next year.

Love Mama Jane Xoxo

Monday 14 December 2015

Huck Issue #1 - Like a great big hug


Huck Issue #1 is written by Mark Millar, art by Rafael Albuquerque, colours by Dave McCaig, letters by Nate Piekos and published by Image comics. Huck has one of the most beautiful covers that has come out this year so I was going to pick up a copy for the cover alone but when I finished reading it I was left with a big grin on my face and the feeling you get after you just cuddled the fluffiest kitten in the world while drinking a hot chocolate made by your grandma, in short it gave me the warm and fuzzies.

My favourite cover of the year

The comic begins with Huck travelling quickly along a road, hitching on the tops of cars, running a great distance and diving off a cliff into the ocean and digging through debris looking for something special. When Huck finds what he came for he returns it anonymously to the surprise of its bewildered owner, Diane. Diane learns from her elderly neighbour, Mrs. Taylor, that Huck was left at the orphanage as an infant with simply a note that said "please love him" and was raised to do a good deed every day by the nurses at the orphanage. Diane also learns that Huck has some special abilities that help make his deeds extra special such as being able to find anything that's lost, strength, speed, stamina and kind hearted nature. Mrs. Taylor lets Diane know that the people of the town know about Huck's special talents but keep them a secret from the outside world. While Huck thinks of his next good deed he sees a news report about some missing school girls and decides his other good deeds can wait.




The art of Huck is gorgeous the beautiful sunset cover alone being enough to convince me to pick up a copy without knowing a single thing about the story. The entire comic has this wonderful warm glow giving it a comforting feel. This comic makes me think of people and places from my childhood that are all tinted with the glimmer of nostalgia. The characters are drawn with a wonderful illustrated feel that reminds me of classic Disney such as The Aristocats and 101 Dalmatians.


I think the character of Huck is surprisingly developed for an issue #1 as we already know he is quiet and what some people may consider "slow" but that he has an overwhelming desire to do good ranging from leaving a nice note for a neighbour to rescuing missing fishermen. We haven't learnt much about any other characters except Mrs. Taylor who seems like a sweet old grandmother but I'm sure the young and skeptical Diane will have a part to play in the story.


I thoroughly enjoyed issue #1 of Huck and I'm not sure if I was won over by the concept of a comic about a person doing good deeds everyday or the beautiful art but its sometime nice to read something that does highlight the good in the world and appreciates the little things in life rather than constant struggles. I would recommend Huck to anyone who was interested in beginning comics and long term readers alike.
I give Huck issue #1 4 out of 5 good deeds.


Find out more about Huck here.

Saturday 5 December 2015

Paper Girls Issue #1


Paper Girls Issue #1

Paper Girls is written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Cliff Chiang, colours by Matt Wilson, letters by Jared K. Fletcher and published by Image Comics. You can't go on the comic corners of the web without seeing something about Paper Girls so it seemed like trying to swim against the current avoiding it. So I decided to pick up a copy for myself and found myself agreeing with most of the praise it is receiving.

Paper Girls begins with Erin preparing for her paper route the morning after Halloween or "Hell morning" as Erin dubs it due to the amount of teenagers still out causing trouble. During her route, Erin comes across some teenagers who begin to harass her but she is saved by other Paper Girls, Mac, KJ and Tiffany, who frighten the teenagers away. The girls decide it will be safer to team up to finish their deliveries and split into two groups, each group taking a walkie-talkie so they can stay in contact. Not long into their deliveries Erin and Mac receive a distress call from Tiffany and KJ and race over to help. After fighting off the mystery attackers the girls find something very, very strange.

I'd probably just avoid these guys if I saw them
The art of Paper Girls is just gorgeous and some how managed to make a group of 12 year old girls look like total badasses. Most of the panels are tinged with blue giving a creepy, abandoned feeling to the town that follows the girls even before their problems begin. The use of the girls clothing and costumes that the teenagers wear clearly shows this is taking place in the 80's without feeling the need to throw in unnecessary references to make the time period clear. I actually missed the date on the calendar at the beginning of the comic but had no problem placing the time period easily.

The character's each have their own personalities falling a little into the pop band stereotypes with the tough one Mac, the smart one Tiffany, the mature one KJ and the innocent dreamer Erin. That not withstanding it still captures the essence that they are still children. I particularly like the character of Mac who tries so hard to prove to everyone that she is tough but clearly is still just a child.

Badass
Paper Girls Issue #1 is a good comic and I enjoyed reading it but didn't think it was anything fantastic until the last page which ends on a brilliant cliffhanger that made my jaw literally drop while reading.

I give Paper Girls issue #1 4 out of 5 walkie-talkies.
Find out more about Paper Girls here.