Reviews- VELVET VOL. 2: THE SECRET LIVES OF DEAD MEN and REVIVAL VOL. 5: GATHERING OF WATERS

VELVET VOL. 2: THE SECRET LIVES OF DEAD MEN (Image, First Printing, May, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Velvet #6-10 (cover dates July, 2014- April, 2015)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Steve Epting

Colorist: Elizabeth Breitweiser

Take some Dramamine before beginning to read this book, as the numbers of twists and turns may make you ill. Velvet Templeton is or is not nuts, is or is not innocent, and is or is not close to nailing this shut, depending on which twist you're at. Beautifully written, drawn, and colored, I recommend this to everyone. Good stuff that proves that not all modern comics suck...just the vast majority of them.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes nice books.

Paper stock: Beautiful thick matte coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick waxlike lamination.

REVIVAL VOL. 5: GATHERING OF WATERS (Image, First Printing, May, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Revival #24-29 (cover dates October, 2014- April, 2015)

Writer: Tim Seeley

Artist: Mike Norton

Colorist: Mark Englert

Talk talk talk development. Talk talk talk event. Talk talk talk about the development and then talk talk talk about the event. This “Rural Noir” usually satisfies me but this time it served to only annoy me. Modern comics rely on a “cinematic”, dialogue driven method of writing. I prefer older comics because the third party captions gave it a more literary feel. Modern comics all try to mimic modern day television or movies, which I mostly dislike. Comic books are, to me, the ultimate form of expression because they can combine the emotional weight of text with the impact of images. Leaning too far in either direction robs the medium of it's true potential. I get why modern comic books are written this way. You are dealing with people who can't look up from their phones to cross the street since attention spans are at an all time low. The worst part of all of this is that they make a lot of nothing happen over a lot of pages to pad out a trade paperback. The energy and spontaneity that I crave is absent from this title.

I've given this title two or so years of my life, and I am done. It is good but not good enough to hold my interest without any resolution. Development after development occur, and there has yet to be a definite arc resolution. Some folks may like this kind of thing but we haven't even hit a plateau yet. One of two things can happen. Either the suspense will build and the payoff will bowl you over, or the expectations for a huge payoff are going to be heaped so high that it can do nothing but disappoint. Either way, I won't be finding out.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes nice books.

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte coating, very resistant to scuffing. 

Review- REVIVAL VOL. 4: ESCAPE TO WISCONSIN

REVIVAL VOL. 4: ESCAPE TO WISCONSIN (Image, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Revival #18-23 and Chew/ Revival #1 (cover dates March- August, 2014)

Writer: Tim Seely

Artist: Mike Norton

Colorist: Mark Englert

While my wallet would love for me to deep-six all new comics and focus on collections of classic material, my mind remains a seeker of experiences. I have to read comics from all eras as a sorbet to cleanse my palate. While many modern comic books do indeed suck there is a greater depth and breadth of material available in the past five or so years than at any other time in the history of comics. There is good stuff out there, you just have to look hard to find it.

I loathe cross-brand crossovers. There are so many in comics these days that the novelty has become a nuisance. I had an immediate attitude against the Chew/ Revival one collected here because I read the first issue of Chew way back when and thought that it kinda sucked. I was pleasantly surprised to find it enjoyable. Crossovers still suck, though.

Revival is one of my favorite ongoing titles. I am a sucker for Horror and like it even better when it is given a fresh spin. There is development after development with only a minor reveal here and there. The only problem with this is that the more developments that are heaped on top of one another the greater the chance there is for disappointment if the payoff isn't worth it. So far so good. This is a slick, highly polished read that keeps even cynical, jaded readers like myself intrigued.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes good quality books.

Paper stock: Thick semi-glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback

Cardstock cover notes: Matte coating, resistant to scuffs. 

Review- REVIVAL VOL. 3: A FARAWAY PLACE

REVIVAL VOL. 3: A FARAWAY PLACE (Image, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Revival Nos. 12-17 (cover dates July, 2013- January, 2014)

Writer: Tim Seeley

Artist: Mike Norton

Colorists: Mark Englert and John Rauch (#15)

Image Comics remains the one to beat. While their titles are all creator owned, the “brand” as a whole has the healthiest and most intriguing books on the stands today. Think back to only a few years ago, where it seemed like they were floundering about.

Book three of Revival finds us roughly six weeks after “Revival Day”, when the dead in Wasau County, Wisconsin all mysteriously rose from their graves. Only they are not quite the same. They have all of their memories, but there is something a little...off about everyone who was revived.

The juggling act of seemingly random, unrelated characters in the first 11 issues is seamlessly melded into a few larger stories. I imagine that things will coalesce into one big bang before too long. Things keep building and building with a few breadcrumbs for answers and more questions along the way. People are still civil and calm for the most part during the quarantine but I can't imagine that lasting too much longer, especially with the water development. We find out more about the glowing creature things, and what it is they want. Of course I'm not going to tell you. That would be a dick move and ruin it for you. 

There are some genuinely creepy moments, and some outright gore. I was kind of surprised at how out there some of the gore was. I love it when repulsive stuff is drawn so beautifully that you can't help but stare at it for a prolonged period of time. The artwork and coloring in this series are top notch and the writing is clever and engaging. I will be back for the next volume.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Not included: The Image Expo exclusive variant cover for #12.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Pin-up by J.K. Woodward. (1 page)

Pin-up by Tim Seeley. (1 page)

Paper rating: 4.5 out of 5. Nice thick glossy coated stock.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Dull matte finish coating, resistant to scuffing. I handle my books gingerly and become incredibly annoyed when they get scuff marks from minor handling. It's not like I am the Samsonite gorilla or something.

Buy REVIVAL VOL. 3: A FARAWAY PLACE TP at InStockTrades!

Review- REVIVAL VOL. 2: LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT

REVIVAL VOL. 2: LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT (Image, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Revival Nos. 6-11 (cover dates January- June, 2013)

Writer: Tim Seeley

Artist: Mike Norton

Colorist: Mark Englert

I found myself smiling and shaking my head over how clever this series is after reading the second trade paperback in the series. This reads like a television series, with each issue being an episode while building into an overall narrative like American Horror Story. Like that series, things are dropped at the end every time that seem to up the stakes, making you hope that they have the road mapped out or else the wreckage will be gruesome. 

It's difficult for me to comment on exactly what I liked about this because pretty much everything will be a reveal. Since this blog is more about the joy of discovery for you and me rather than one of those glorified synopsis review type blogs, I'll say no more. Just buy it! Trust me...

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes good quality trade paperbacks.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Two pages of character sketches.

Paper rating: 4.5 out of 5. This book has a nice thick coated stock paper.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4.25 out of 5. The cardstock has a dull matte finish coating which has a very different feel to it. I like it. It is not as easily scuffable as many dull matte/ coated cardstock covers. It's not my preference (I prefer laminated cardstock cover) but it seems durable enough.

Buy REVIVAL VOL. 2: LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT TP at InStockTrades!

Review- REVIVAL VOL. 1: YOU'RE AMONG FRIENDS

REVIVAL VOL. 1: YOU'RE AMONG FRIENDS (Image, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Revival Nos. 1-5 (cover dates July- November, 2012)

Writer: Tim Seely

Artist: Mike Norton

Revival is another in a seemingly endless line of comic books about the dead rising. These are available in all flavors, from the old school zombie (The Walking Dead) to the dead coming back to life within the confines of a city (Rachel Rising). Once you get past the obvious comparisons and get down to reading it, you'll discover that Revival is fascinating in it's own right. The dead start mysteriously rising in Wausau, Wisconsin. These Revivers, as they are called, seem to be unaware of the last few moments of their life prior to death.

Strange things happen to these Revivers, such as the elderly growing new teeth, apparent increased strength and speed, etc. The CDC gets involved and the entire town is quarantined. It's hard to really go into the nuts and bolts of this title without a helping of spoilers, so I'll just drop a few breadcrumbs for you. There's a ghost running around town, the result of demonic incantations. This entity can possess a person and imbue them with their memories. The ghost seems to be the effect and not the cause of the town's problems. This is just another layer of the onion. 

Mike Norton's artwork is first rate. I love comic books when they have great artwork as well as great writing. Also great is the coloring by Mark Englert, which is extremely tasteful. Everything about this title is first class. Revival has hit the ground running, and I sense nothing but good coming from this title.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Trade paperback collected edition.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. This has incredibly thick coated stock paper which is wonderful to the touch.

Binding rating: out of 5. Glued binding.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4 out of 5. The cardstock has a dull matte finish coating which has a very different feel to it. I like it. It is not as easily scuffable as many dull matte/ coated cardstock covers.