Review- Free Comic Book Day Offerings Part Five

Free Comic Book Day Offerings Part Five

Free Comic Book Day: The Stuff Of Legend (Th3rdworld Studios, cover date 2016)

I have always found this concept to be interesting and have wanted to read more, but time and money haven't allowed me to do so. Fortunately for me my son has shown me the joy of checking out books from the library. I have checked out the first volume in the series and am looking forward to reading it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Mix Tape 2016 (Devil's Due/ First Comics, cover date 2016)

Like the title states, this is a sampler of different titles. Mercy Sparx and Badger are both readable yet not very memorable. Squarriors is fascinating, though. Beautifully drawn, cleverly written, it is something that is worth a second look. How To Dragon Your Train is amusing and well done.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

FCBD: March (Top Shelf, cover date, 2016)

I have heard much buzz about this comic, which is the story of the Civil Rights movement. It is a powerful story presented in black and white. Comic books are every bit as legitimate an art form as music, literature, and the cinema. Like those artforms, comics are capable of being anything under the sun. March uses the strengths of this unique medium (pictures and words) to great effect and delivers a read that is as powerful as the real life message that inspired it. 

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

Free Comic Book Day: The Phantom (Hermes Press, cover date 2016)

This is a sampling of Jim Aparo's brilliant take on the character from 1970. Hermes' restoration is a bit off. They should either do full blown, frame up restoration or cleaned up raw scans. Their hybrid approach doesn't work for me. My OCD homeskillet Ferjo Byroy owns all of these Phantom Archives and strip books. Maybe someday I will borrow them from him.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Worlds Of Aspen 2016 #1 (Aspen Comics, cover date May, 2016)

This is slick and polished and enjoyable enough...just not enough for me to plunk down money and buy.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5.

Assassin's Creed: Free Comic Book Day (Titan Comics, cover date May, 2016)

I know nothing about the video game, as I don't play video games. That aside, this is good stuff as a comic book. Everything works, the art is good, and the hook is strong. I have no idea how this relates to the game if at all, but as a comic book I liked it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Avatarex: Free Comic Book Day Special Preview (Graphic India, cover date 2016)

Grant Morrison is prolific, that's for sure. He bounces from stuff like Batman to creator owned stuff and everywhere in between. Avatarex reminds me of Atomika for some reason, only with more mainstream friendly artwork. The other story in this book is a preview of 18 Days, another heady, larger than life concept. Both of these concepts are interesting, but not interesting enough to get me to open my wallet.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5. 

Review- JON SABLE, FREELANCE OMNIBUS VOL. 2

JON SABLE, FREELANCE OMNIBUS VOL. 2 (IDW, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Jon Sable, Freelance #17-33 (cover dates October, 1984- February, 1986)

Writer and Artist: Mike Grell

Long before we had “Mature Readers” or creator-owned comics, First Comics offered a home to creators like Mike Grell who grew weary of toiling for Marvel or DC, freely giving them their creations which they ultimately had no control over. Another benefit of their move to the indies was freedom from the Comics Code Authority. Nudity, sex, murder, blood...everything that a freedom-loving, red-blooded American male could possibly want is found in this title.

This is a fast-paced read. Grell seems to get a bit bored with the character, as the writing and artwork both became looser as the book wore on. It's still a solid enough escapist read.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I enjoy this softcover Omnibus format pioneered by Dark Horse Comics. It is smaller than a standard trade yet is large enough that you can fully enjoy the artwork and read the lettering clearly. They are easy to handle, especially given the page count.

NONE of the covers are included in this collection.

Linework and Color restoration: Linework is fine, but it is the coloring that looks iffy. Gradient shades and blends not faithful to the original publications. The original color palette is maintained, it is only the blends that miss the mark. This may or may not bother you, depending on how acute an OCD sufferer you are.

Paper stock: Bright white super glossy stock, not optimal for material with flat coloring. It is honestly quite garish.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Spot varnishing. The coating elsewhere is sufficiently thick enough to provide years of enjoyment.

Review- JON SABLE, FREELANCE OMNIBUS VOL. 1

JON SABLE, FREELANCE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 (IDW, 2010; Softcover)

Collects Jon Sable, Freelance #1-16 (cover dates June, 1983- September, 1984)

Writer and Artist: Mike Grell

I stumbled upon this book in a half off bin. I had never even heard of this title but love Mike Grell's work and scooped it up with nary a second thought. This may seem unremarkable to fans used to modern comic books, but when you read it in context of the era that it was originally published in you will see how far ahead of it's time it was. This was published by First Comics, so it was free of the constraints of the Comics Code Authority. An openly gay supporting cast member, over the top violence, sexual innuendo, and even some minor drug use are all on display. Comics supposedly “grew up” with Watchmen, but this predates that title.

Another interesting thing about this is how it is narrative free, something not common in mainstream American comics of the day but is now par for the course. Grell's fast paced action sequences are fantastic. These comics hold up really well three decades later, as these things are all common in today's mainstream comic books. I enjoyed the story where Sable rescues the secret formula for Coca-Cola. I have Volume 2 in queue and hope to read it someday.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I enjoy the Omnibus format pioneered by Dark Horse. It is smaller than a standard trade paperback and easy to handle, yet it's not so small that it detracts from the enjoyment of the artwork or makes the words so small that you need a magnifying glass. The only complaint that I have about this book is that all 16 covers are shrunk down to fit on one page. That type of thing drives me batshit crazy. Your mileage may vary.

Linework and Color restoration: The linework is fine. While the color palette matches the original issues, the computer recoloring is a bit on the sloppy side, with airbrush gradient blends where there were none in the original comics. You have to look close to see them but the trained eye can spot them.

Paper stock: Thick glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Decent thickness lamination.