COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Bonnie Lass #3

COMIC BOOK REVIEW:

Bonnie Lass #3 (of 4)

Writers: Michael Mayne & Tyler Fluharty      

Artist: Michael Mayne

Publisher: Red 5 Comics

Reviewer: Andrew Rubio

Review Date: December 2, 2011

Rating: 3 out of 10

I have to say… I had a rough time reviewing this title.  I read it in the afternoon and decided to jump into my review that night.  Well, I didn't get a chance to do that.  I had to wait until the following day to type something up.  Unfortunately, I couldn't remember too much about the book.  The dialogue and story just didn't stick with me.  So I had to read it again. 

A second pass did not endear me to the title. 

Issue 3 picks up where the previous issue left off - Monet, the villain of the piece, uses ancient technology to raise a Leviathan from the ocean.  Monet’s soldiers hold Bonnie Lass and her crew captive on her pirate ship.  

What follows next is a long fight sequence filled with exposition as the Leviathan watches on.  Monet makes quick work of Bonnie and her crew (thanks to the use of his ancient tech) until the tide is turned by random gunfire.  As the Leviathan exits into the ocean depths, Bonnie regains control of her ship and follows the beast into the ether - Determined to take the monster out. 

There is a lot of dialogue and plot that takes place during the fight scenes.  I found it a bit unbelievable that so much could be said during a punch.  Yes.  I know in the world of comics, you have to give a little leeway for character snark and commentary during a battle.  But with Bonnie Lass, I found it going too much over the top.  It became distracting. 

Michael Mayne's art seems Manga inspired, especially the fight scenes.  It's very reminiscent of early Adam Warren work.  It's clean with only a few moments where panel flow is lost in translation and I had to ask, "What just happened?" 

Like movies and television, there's a lot of hard work that goes into the development and creation of a comic.  So I appreciate the effort Mayne and Fluharty put into the title.  However, I really can't recommend this issue unless you're a devoted Bonnie Lass fan.

(This Review was originally posted on Impulse Gamer)

Copyright © 2011 by Andrew Rubio

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Atomic Robo: Ghost of Station X #3

COMIC BOOK REVIEW:

Atomic Robo: Ghost of Station X #3 (of 5)

Writer: Brian Clevinger          

Artist: Scott Wegener

Publisher: Red 5 Comics

Reviewer: Andrew Rubio

Review Date: November 26, 2011

Rating: 7 out of 10

I go into Atomic Robo without knowing a thing about the character, concept or setting.  In fact, I believe this is the first Red 5 Comic I've ever read.  I am truly a New Reader. 

Stepping into Issue 3 (of a 5 issue series), I'm at the middle point of the story.  Within the first few pages, I'm given the set up and a sense of what's happened in the previous two issues.  This is good.  I'm not wandering blindly into the story. 

Atomic Robo has been attacked and his team now tries to figure out who was behind it.  Meanwhile, a group of scientists are tackling the mystery of a house being shipped out of the country.  Their investigation intertwines with Atomic Robo's crew as they prepare a surprise assault on Majestic 12's operation.  The story moves quickly with a good set up once the action hits. 

The battle in the second half of the comic plays out nicely.  It manages to be both big and intimate at the same time, focusing on Robo taking down a small army.  This builds to an effective cliffhanger. 

Dialogue is a bit clunky at times with a lot of over-technical explanations of how they solve a problem.  But the story flows well once that's out of the way. 

In the art department, Wegener is very clean and stylized.  The story doesn't get lost panel-to-panel.  His action sequences and layouts are handled very well. 

One issue I had as a new reader: I have no idea who these people are.  There is something like 13 supporting characters and only a couple are called out by name.  They seem like props to move the story along.  The review copy I have may be missing a character breakdown on the inside cover so this may not be an issue with print copies (or regular readers).  This didn't affect the reading of the story. However, I wasn't sure who was a major player and who wasn't. 

Atomic Robo has a Hellboy-ish feel to it.  For me, that automatically set a familiar tone to the series.  The character is likable and worth investigating more.  The book seems like an all-ages title, which helped a newbie like me.  I would feel comfortable picking up the next issue based on this one.

(This Review was originally posted on Impulse Gamer)

Copyright © 2011 by Andrew Rubio