Wonder Woman / Conan review

Quickly put: I really enjoyed Wonder Woman / Conan. Gail Simone does a masterful job of crafting a fantastic fantasy story. Pacing-wise, it's pretty great - it has a bit of a slow start, but builds really, really nicely, weaving in so many excellent elements thanks to the medium (particularly the flashbacks). There are some great themes, setup-payoffs, fantasy motifs, and the relationship / dynamic between Wonder Woman and Conan is excellent. It ends really nicely, too. Solid job, all around.

Plus, the artwork by Aaron Lopresti was just fantastic (and the included covers, including those by The Boys' Darick Robertson, are awesome). The coloring brought the world to life in a stunning way.

I'd love this as a movie, complete with an epic score (RIP Basil Poledouris), but I'm glad we have the story in excellent form as a comic. In a brief exchange on Twitter, Simone revealed she listened to Poledouris score while creating the book, and that makes me love both even more.

Conclusion: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The Omega Men - comic book review

The Omega Men is a wonderful example of a comic book that's an allegory for what's going on in the world today - our obsession with war and materialism, how they drive us, how we're being led by narratives to fight each other, that many see the world in black and white when there are MANY more options, that war and violence beget war and violence.

If we want to break the cycles, we truly need to find other ways.

Excellent pacing, art direction and use of the medium. It's a solid story, for which The Omega Men is HIGHLY recommended.

Scott McCloud's The Sculptor review

I'm a bit conflicted on Scott McCloud's long-awaited graphic novel "The Sculptor," although it's probably actually disappointed. I respect the craftsmanship, artwork, vulnerability and love that went into the graphic novel, but the characters... Though they felt very real and human, they came across as selfish, immature and egotistical (as expected for people in early-mid 20s). I often wanted to slap some sense into them.

On the whole, while I like its overall message - that art is important and can change the world - to a certain extent, it's rather self-indulgent, but not necessarily enough to detract from the overall book. There are some cool ideas and very sweet moments in the book, I just didn't enjoy all of the choices, particularly with regards to the characters themselves.

Rating: Recommended. I enjoyed it more than Bryan Lee O'Malley's Seconds, which is similar in concept, but different in execution. Funny how both are about very talented selfish flawed people (borderline assholes).