(4 of 5 for a nice adventure story about the grey zone between international politics and crime) This is a spy/foreign operative adventure about politi(4 of 5 for a nice adventure story about the grey zone between international politics and crime) This is a spy/foreign operative adventure about political chessboard with many different figures and many different strategies in play. The main plot is about a lost niece of international weapon "merchant", but there are different sides and intentions, some of them even changing trough the "game". And its all set from 1946 to 1956 with the main story especially in 1956. The story itself is good, interesting and especially with second part nicely thrilling. The setting is nice, I'm not sure how thoroughly the authors did the research, but it feels good (with occasional doubts). The only mistake I found for sure was the rum Ivory were drinking during the second book. The distinctive Havana Club was nice, but it's a) post-Cuban revolution brand, which was 3 years later, and the design style of the etiquette is referring to 1970-2020 production. The art is "Europe comics classic" and fits my taste for stories like this. The comic is not something superb, but I really enjoyed the reading and the adventure it follows....more
(3,7 of 5 for a decent comic which also serves as health - colon cancer - awareness) The story is about a divorced man, history teacher, who just hit h(3,7 of 5 for a decent comic which also serves as health - colon cancer - awareness) The story is about a divorced man, history teacher, who just hit his fifties and tries to direct his life to be enjoying it again. But there is, of course, an obstacle on the way. He mirrors his struggle in his mind into the ancient Rome gladiators and the story is jumping between that and reality. The art is decent, the "European standard", and the story isn't bad, especially for "an awareness" comics. I especially liked the Gladiator part, with nice details in art and a handful of gladiator trivia. The funny thing is that the main character, history teacher John, sometimes gave the trivia to rebut the popular beliefs about gladiators, but still the comic repeats some of the popular, but not accurate, beliefs here and there....more
(3,5 of 5 for some extra story for fans of Your Highness movie) Well, and there is really nothing more than that. Two short stories, one for each of ro(3,5 of 5 for some extra story for fans of Your Highness movie) Well, and there is really nothing more than that. Two short stories, one for each of royal brothers which are an optional prequel to the movie. The stories are fairly good, very much in the spirit of the movie, and the art is decent too. ...more
(3,8 of 5 for the second part of lone gunslinger western story which is one step better than first part) Yves Swolfs is doing what he's doing (and his (3,8 of 5 for the second part of lone gunslinger western story which is one step better than first part) Yves Swolfs is doing what he's doing (and his wife is colouring it), and the story gets better than with previous part. The basics are the same as for part one, but I like how the story thickens. Our lonesome character is following the trail no matter what, cleverly but also fiercely. I like how the Swolfs keeps the details real. Enemies just don't teleport from place to place, if our gunslinger loses the guns, he must get them back or get another one at some point and all that similar logical details, which are often overlooked by author or the artist. I like it when the author/artist do their homework. I'm not nitpicking for the details and mistakes, but when I notice them it annoys me like hell. With the first book I wasn't hooked up, but after the second one, I'm very interested in how it will continue. Our Lonesome "hero" has a nice challenge ahead....more
(3,5 of 5 for decent western in "lone wolf on revenge" style) At first, this is very nice comics, minding Swolfs is doing it all. All the content is ver(3,5 of 5 for decent western in "lone wolf on revenge" style) At first, this is very nice comics, minding Swolfs is doing it all. All the content is very European, very traditional. The art fits common BD style and it works nicely. The story and how it is presented is also very European, in BD and also in "spaghetti western" meaning. Which is also the downfall of it. The first book is plain overplayed trope with all the aspects. So even if I like westerns, wild west is a simple one of the best adventure settings, it's pretty well explored and I love to see some new elements or trick in western stories. But with Lonesome and his first book, so far nothing. It's still good, but I expected (and always expecting) a little bit more. And even if I appreciate the little insight into the moods of people before the Civil War, it's still not enough....more
(4,2 of 5 for a great haunting house ghost stories anthology by Allie) I like horrors, I like paranormal stories, ghost, monsters and all. So do Scott (4,2 of 5 for a great haunting house ghost stories anthology by Allie) I like horrors, I like paranormal stories, ghost, monsters and all. So do Scott Allie and all his little big helpers here. This is an anthology of short comic stories (and one written story and one interesting interview) and it all fits the theme perfectly. Overall quality is good, most of them have "old comics" style but I enjoyed them all. It's nice spooky/Halloween reading....more
(4,1 of 5 for surprisingly good horror comics) Not really known author and four standalone stories revolving around Pierrot Courts - small motel, which(4,1 of 5 for surprisingly good horror comics) Not really known author and four standalone stories revolving around Pierrot Courts - small motel, which you can occasionally find on some sideroad from Route 66. Or rather it finds you and your demons, making you give the final stand against them. I like how all four stories are composed together, creating a bigger picture, and how they connect one to another. The idea of mixing a few well-known tropes so we get something at least bit fresh is good. It is well-executed and it works perfectly as horror, comic and a story. The art is also good. I was generally surprised how good comics horror this is. Well-balanced, good escalation, nice stories - it was very pleasant (as far as horror can be) comics....more
(4 of 5 for decent run & revenge action comics) After The Banks, which was a huge waste of time I feared to continue with another TKO book. But as they(4 of 5 for decent run & revenge action comics) After The Banks, which was a huge waste of time I feared to continue with another TKO book. But as they say, luck favours the bold. I feared the worst, though. But Pound for Pound started with a kick and nice escalation of story and from there it rolled for pretty awesome search and revenge action. The art is good and the comic has a pretty nice atmosphere. It mixes bits from thinks like Taken, Sicario, Rambo Last blood (the good parts of the first half) with Rodriguez-ish ease and humour. The style of the dynamics in this comic leaves me not surprised that Natalie Chaidez is a film school graduate and works in this industry. Well, making a movie is closer to creating comics than being a writer. Andy Belanger's art is more than decent, I like his thick inks and how good he deals with action and human characters alike. Daniela Miwa is the important name here and name to remember. Her colouring here is great and I must say she did a major service for Dr Fang's art. Pound for Pound is pretty great if you're looking for some action drama from Mexico-USA border. ...more
(Like 1,8 of 5 for worst heist comic I read so far) This is about an Afro-American family of thieves, who got wronged and now seeking both big score an(Like 1,8 of 5 for worst heist comic I read so far) This is about an Afro-American family of thieves, who got wronged and now seeking both big score and revenge. The art first - it isn't good. It's sterile, bland, facial expressions are terrible (almost as all characters were played by aliens who yet started to explore human mimics), it looks unappealing and it is usually slackers job (Drawing pictures in the display is boring? Let characters refer to the blank screens. Well, this may be work only in art where "exposure" is a thing.). This art sucks and I rest my case. Now for the worse. Do you know that great heist story with super long and boring build-up just for some LGBT/BLM/feminist empowerment, boring to annoying characters and kitschy end? Yeah, me neither. The story is just a few pieces of well-known heist tropes effortlessly put into some empowerment agenda. Well, the result is both terrible executed and boring story and weird social justice agenda. I don't think you need to fight stereotypes this way, pushing it twisted around, creating new normal which is opposite of old normal. Women are capable, men are incapable, people of colour are morally strong, white people are corrupted or weak. Funny detail is the police - all able law enforcers are of colour, the only one useless and unfit is a white man. Well, it happens often that author starts to focus on some agenda, forgetting the important thing - the story. The result is usually pretty bad if there is no good art to save the day a bit. And with The Banks, there is not. I don't even care to mention all those technical flaws, from awkward/bad dialogues to financial market affairs, technology, crime, etc. It looks like the author not even didn't her homework, but didn't care to at least copy from the others. As comics medium, as heist story, this is pigeon poop on the new coat. Unfortunate and totally unnecessary spoiling of an otherwise nice day. ...more
(4,1 of 5 for nice WW2 "Normandy" story about some brave soldiers and even more brave villagers) Yes, we get another story about brave American soldier(4,1 of 5 for nice WW2 "Normandy" story about some brave soldiers and even more brave villagers) Yes, we get another story about brave American soldiers liberating Europe. WW2 material is rich, but it gets a bit winded in a movie and comic media alike. So the authors trying t tell the stories and push too much on it (looking at you, Ennis), or not enough. Six Days is almost in the middle. It has a great build-up and the overall quality of the storytelling is nicely high with one flaw - the long building up the story suddenly ended in smoke. The finale is quick and leaving us in the dusk of the battle, with some individual note and a lot of questions. Was this the end of the battle? What happened next? What happened with the rest of the US troops? We know a little bit from the introduction, but the actual story feels there is one before the last issue missing. The art is decent, it looks OK but it also has its flaws. The german helmets and uniforms are depicted with great liberty, sometimes too much great because there are panels where on the first look I wasn't sure if that is US troops or German ones. Also, there is overkill on explosions -when few volleys from mortar fell or there are few shots from ONE canon, all hell breaks loose and it looks like in the middle of the B-52s bombardment. Those are no minor flaws. The story could be finished in a better way, the art could be a little more realistic/less-confusing because the story feels very real. But the comic is still very good, especially on WW2 comics standards....more
(4 of 5 for excellently-written horror comics with not-so-excellent art) I got a tip for this from my friend Kanál Honzy Potměšila when we did Hallowee(4 of 5 for excellently-written horror comics with not-so-excellent art) I got a tip for this from my friend Kanál Honzy Potměšila when we did Halloween podcast on horror comics. Kanál claimed this is his Halloween guilty-pleasure. I didn't understand that I did not know the story and the art seemed old and repulsive like some angry hobo. But I promised to give it chance and now I get it. The guilty-pleasure. First the pleasure - it's brilliantly written. I was surprised by how the story is executed. The idea, which is super simple, is crafted with precision, the dialogues are on a good level and the panel work and the scenes are very skilful and clever. Then the guilt - guilt of admitting that I really enjoyed comics which have this kind of art. The art which looks genuine bad. The inks, the colours. Bad. But as I said before, the composition of the scenes and working with them in panels is weirdly on a much higher level than the art itself, and at the end that helps to move the reader through the comics and helps to liquefy the atmosphere based on good writing and pour it, super chilled, into your veins. Thank you Kanál, this was a very nice experience....more
(2 of 5 for the pain! The horror! Of reading this comic.) Mom, can we have silent Hill? No, we have silent Hill at home. Silent Hill at home: THIS. The st(2 of 5 for the pain! The horror! Of reading this comic.) Mom, can we have silent Hill? No, we have silent Hill at home. Silent Hill at home: THIS. The story is classic nightmarish horror and how it is presented/executed it would better work as a movie, not a comics. But well, here we are. The first thing interesting (not in a good way) is art. it has its nice moments, but as a whole it is crap. It looks like some "I will go on Kickstarter with this and be famous" starting hack, who just overdone everything. High plasticity (for both better and worse), chaotic scenes/sequences and people look terrible almost in all art styles. What, what art styleS? Yeah. This one tight fit story is done in different art styles by I guess the different artist. It goes up and down, better inks and colours on 2nd chapter, people are at least bit stiff in almost all of it, the only thing which is common for all is that unnecessary "worn off" filter. I don't know if changes in art have an artistic purpose, but they are annoying. I wonder how this terrible accident happened, looking at the bios of the authors. I know, we all were on that party were everybody overdone it a bit, but we usually decide not to die and sleep it off, not to create a comic book. Well, maybe creating comics to accompany video game is trickier than it looks. But it is definitely horror. If not by its content surely by reading experience....more
(3 of 5 for "Verne meets Indiana Jones", at least that says my only one note) Except with Sara and Sentient, every other TKO book reaffirms my opinion (3 of 5 for "Verne meets Indiana Jones", at least that says my only one note) Except with Sara and Sentient, every other TKO book reaffirms my opinion that they can produce few good (almost exceptional) things, but they need to pay for that making much more terrible ones. Doctor Fang is not that terrible, but it's not good either. It reminds me of a mix of bold Indy's adventures mixed with the science of Verne's fantasies and the worse part of European adventure comics. The art is not exactly bad - I'd like better scenes and technical work with panels, but the colouring is pretty nice. The story is very bland by my taste. It has good moments, the dialogues are nice, but I wasn't enthused a bit. And my enthusiasm (or rather the author's skill to get it from me) for the story is an important thing. And even this is the action-filled and quite dynamic thing when I try to recall my feelings about reading that story, I got boredom. I don't know what creative team's pitch was here, but I ain't swingin' on that....more
(4 of 5 for impressive noir-ish short Two-Face story) This was a recommendation from Matěj, and even if some "wise" man said that short stories don't w(4 of 5 for impressive noir-ish short Two-Face story) This was a recommendation from Matěj, and even if some "wise" man said that short stories don't work for comics, this (and many more, obviously) do. It was fun and the premise, as simple as it is is both clever and fun. And I go that nice feeling I read more pages than I actually did. This felt like a full-two-issue story, not 11 pages front-to-back. And that I appreciate....more
(2 of 5 for graphically repulsive terrible executed short story) I was not sure what to write here, but the sony did that for me. This comic is much th(2 of 5 for graphically repulsive terrible executed short story) I was not sure what to write here, but the sony did that for me. This comic is much the same as the game. Something which could be great totally failed on some important decisions. Like "Is it a good idea to release it on poor performing PS4?" or "Is a good idea to employ complete hack artist on this comics?". The art on this comics looks terrible. I won't go into details because it's not "shaming" case, so I will not waste my energy here. And the story. As I was finished, looking back the story is not bad. On the contrary, it's quite nice. But the execution is bloody murder. At first, it's chaotic, all over the place like the author has a hard time to decide what this would be about but fear not to start making it. The last nail into its coffin is awful dialogues. Stiff, boring, generic, simply just awful. And that's the shame because that last few pages show how this could be a whole lot better. ...more
(4,5 of 5 for this simple hollow-earth old-gods story) I love the idea of the world inside of our Earth and the unimaginable discoveries they can be ma(4,5 of 5 for this simple hollow-earth old-gods story) I love the idea of the world inside of our Earth and the unimaginable discoveries they can be made there. And this myth so much fits the Hellboyverse. I like Mike's take on it and this time he made a simple story, take his hollow Earth, the hyperborean remnant, the Frankenstein's creature from Hellboy in Mexico and created something adventurous, connectin all that beautiful shards of Hellboyverse here and there. This is the reason why I love Hellboyverse. You have this almost standalone story, but if you know the world around, it feels much more real. Steinbeck is a very "Hellboy-ish" artist, so no complaints on that front. Yes, I'm a sucker for underground exploration and uncovering the forgotten history and places, but I'm surprised how much I enjoyed the Frankenstein underground. ...more
(4 of 5 for a set of short spooky stories from Hellboy's binge "vacation" in Mexico in 1956) I like short stories from Hellboyverse, but some of these (4 of 5 for a set of short spooky stories from Hellboy's binge "vacation" in Mexico in 1956) I like short stories from Hellboyverse, but some of these were maybe too short. Hellboy's unintentional five-month-long binge in Mexico is surprisingly rich ground for some nice Hellboy-ish stories. Hell, I read this in one breath and it was fun. And it was nice to see Corben's art (which sadly recently got its definite amount in our world), pouring atmospheric scenes - Corben is master of that, his houses, ruins, moors, woods, crypts, cemeteries are gloomy and spooky like no-one else's. Which is a good tradeoff for all that weirdly looking humans he does :-). Hellboy in Mexico is nice looking addition to Hellboyverse and great fun to read. ...more
(4 z 5 za hezký příběh o mladém Hellboyovi) půlnoční cirkus je příběh s přesahem a kontextem do Hellboyversa, který tam je zakomponován velmi citlivě, (4 z 5 za hezký příběh o mladém Hellboyovi) půlnoční cirkus je příběh s přesahem a kontextem do Hellboyversa, který tam je zakomponován velmi citlivě, házejíc udičky fanouškům i relativně novým čtenářům. Malé zklamání je v tom, že je opravdu krátký a tím pádem nemůže zabrat - sotva se atmosféra vygraduje, zavírá se krám. Což je škoda - vizuální stránka totiž vtáhne během několika okamžiků, Fegredo a Steward za to opravdu umí vzít....more
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