Comics (2241)
The TL;DR of it is this: Specs is an exciting, new series that is part thriller, part horror, part teenage angst, and part supernatural mystery. If other words, it's as if Stranger Things and R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps had a love child. Heck, I’d even wager a guess that the address of the protagonist is an Easter egg, an homage to Stine and his birthplace.
What if a comic book creator were recruited as a spy, and his traveling around the world to different conventions was just a cover for espionage work? An interesting premise for a comic, certainly, but fairly far-fetched, right? Not entirely. While the story is, for the most part, fictional, it’s inspired by the real-life experiences of creator David Mack who spent a couple of years working for the State Department, traveling all around the world.
Nostalgia is very big in fandom. Whether it’s three different eras of Spider-Man coming together on the big screen or a brand-new Quantum Leap television show which frequently revisits old characters and concepts, nostalgia for the past is front and center. Star Trek has been no exception. Since the inception of this new era of the franchise, we’ve seen beloved characters pop up all over the place. Star Trek: Lower Decks devoted an entire episode to Deep Space Nine. Characters from the Original series, Next Generation, and DS9 appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Prodigy (complete with the original actors voicing the characters). Star Trek: Picard season three is set reunite the entire cast of the Next Generation. That being said, the question remains: When will nostalgia impact the comics?
Welcome back, gentle readers. The last time around, we left our tale with our three diabolical scientists fleeing their lab/digs after committing an act of arson to erase all traces of the gruesome experiments they’d been performing there. With their creation, Frankie, in tow, they were headed for a fresh start.
Previously, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Dark omens (specifically, exploding blackbirds) were on the horizon. Xander and Spike were doing a lot of hanging out. Willow’s showing some serious strain under weight of her responsibilities as a Slayer.
With the discovery of an Alliance portal on the derelict ship, questions have arisen about whether the monks of the monastery on Requiem are as on the level as we’ve been led to believe. Meanwhile, with Simon volunteering as hostage in order to save the people in the monastery, things seem to be going pretty south. Oh, and Owen triggered a bomb that blew up the derelict ship after he entered it…
WhatNot Publishing is breathing life into an already popular property, as they are bringing the web series, Alpha Betas, into comics form. After getting millions of views on the video platform, YouTube, Evan "VanossGaming" Fong, Marcel "BasicallyIDoWrk" Cunningham, Tyler "I AM WILDCAT" Wine, and Brian "Terroriser" Hanby have teamed up to produce the mini-series based on the animated show of same name.
It’s been nearly two years since I reviewed the first volume of Adventureman. While I remember the basic story, I was a bit fuzzy on some of the details. So, before embarking on this new graphic novel, I took it upon myself to reread the first volume and be sure I was up to speed. No easy task, to be sure, but I did it for you, dear reader. I made that sacrifice for you. (Truth be told, I probably could have just jumped right into the new volume and been fine, but it was as good an excuse as any to reread one of the most fun comics I’ve read in a long time.)
Every so often, a graphic novel comes along, rips through your psyche, and leaves a nice, little mark, ensuring you’ll never forget it. The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night (Book 1) is that for me. A beautiful, horrific tale of love, parental guidance, and a family learning to come together under the strangest of circumstances.
If you’ve been following the exploits of our merry band of heroes so far, suffice it to say that no summary I can write will do any modicum of justice to the sheer wackiness of the previous 29 issues. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and with Issue #30, Once & Future takes its final bow.
