Chrono-Cat #1 Review

 Writer: Stu Perrins

Artist: Armando Zanker

Rating: 6 of 8

Chrono-Cat #1

In fiction, there's nothing quite as tricky as time travel. When it's done well, you get stories like the original Time Machine or Goodnight Sweetheart. There, the rules of time travel are relatively simple and, because of it, they're pretty easy to follow. But when it's done badly, the rules are far from simple and because of it, the story becomes a lot harder to both follow and enjoy.

Thankfully, Perrins has crafted a pretty simple tale that, for the most part, flows rather well and is rather easy to follow. The issue follows the titular Chrono-Cat, a formerly ordinary lab cat which, through a bizarre accident, became so much more.

Now, he uses his enhanced abilities to fight crime and, with the help of his friends at the lab, travel through time to prevent any more havoc being wrought. For the most part, they seem to do pretty well, though time will tell if it stays that way.

Though most of the issue flows well, it does drag a bit towards the end as Luther, the hero's enemy, recounts their respective origins before their latest battle. Not only did it slow down an otherwise brisk story, but it also didn't make sense, as he doesn't have any reason to recount their origins, especially when the two of them are already rather familiar with each other. Besides that, there's also a notably political joke, which just doesn't fit given the rest of the issue.

Despite all of that, it's still a pretty good issue, with some suitably vibrant art and some rather expressive characters, especially it's lead. There's also a very cartoonish moment where Chrono-Cat punches a T-rex, pushing it's face inward like an accordion. Though it's not as good as many others on the stand, it doesn't have to be and, for the most part, just focuses on what it is: a time travel tale about a super-cat.

Sentinel #8 Review

 Writer: Alan Holloway

Artist: Andrew Richmond

Rating: 5 of 8

Sentinel #8

When it comes to a story, there's nothing wrong with a little convention. Yes, telling the same kind of story in the same way can get a little tiring and while a bit of experimentation can help to spice things up, you can have too much of a good thing, which is definitely the case here.

Although the reader already knows the story's fictional, if none of it's actually real for the characters themselves, then it's a lot harder to be invested in the story. Due to a series of reveals throughout the issue, it's hard to tell if most of it's actually real and because of that, it's a lot harder to get invested in any of the stories.

If not for that, it would be a pretty generous slice of superhero action, with some heart warming visual callbacks to Jack 'King' Kirby, like the above image's use of his signature Kirby Krackle. Despite this, I have a number of problems with it, too, as some characters, like the Grimm Reaper (above) can look a lot smaller than they should. When this happens to a villain, especially, it's a lot harder to take them seriously.

Then, nearly halfway through, there's a scene where a man and woman leave the cinema, but initially, you wouldn't realize that one of them was a woman and it's only a few panels later that it's made clear. Later on, we see a meeting between the heroes and the Queen of England and, thanks to Richmond, she looks remarkably like the real thing.

Overall, this is a very mixed issue that, with some artistic changes and less narrative experimentation, could've easily been a lot better.

 

Detective Comics #1039 Review

Writers: Mariko Tamaki and

T. Rex

Artists: Viktor Bogdanovic,

T. Rex and more

Rating: 7 of 8

Detective Comics #1039

There's more than one kind of sickness. There's the sickness of body. The sickness of mind - and perhaps worst of all, the sickness of the soul. Though, like the mind's sickness, it can't be seen on the surface, it's still one of the deadliest kinds. It's the failing of a man on a core, spiritual level and is usually harder to treat than nearly any other kind.

It's a sickness that affects many of Gotham's people and Hue Vile is no exception. As we see in both Tamaki and T. Rex's tales, there's something less than human about the Mayor's assistant (which makes him a perfect fit for politics). He has the ability to infect other people, making them give into their violent impulses. They, too, can infect others, so it only adds to the vicious cycle.

Like a parasite, he feeds on the suffering of others and, to sate his hunger, Vile seeks out violence wherever he goes - and in a city like Gotham, it's a veritable feast. It's why it's to his benefit if the battle between vengeful millionaire Roland Worth and Batman continues. Worth blames Wayne for his daughter's death and, while he's focused on him and his alter ego, his eyes are off the true culprit.

Like a lot of the previous issues, the issue features a backup that nicely complements the main tale. Though we learned a lot of what we needed to about Vile from the main tale, this goes some way to explaining just how he stayed under the radar for so long and goes into more detail as to just how horrific his story really is. 

Though there's a steady amount of horror throughout the issue, there's also plenty of action as well, as Batman and Huntress face Worth, Vile and a mass of Penguin's thugs. Bogdanovic delivers some incredible action, wrapped in a glowing red backdrop and billowing smoke. He also brings a wonderful intensity to the various characters, especially the ones at the center of the tale. Ultimately, whether you're more of a fan of action or horror, you're bound to find something to dig your teeth into. 

 

Ordinary Gods #1 Review

 Writer: Kyle Higgins

Artist: Felipe Watanabe

Rating: 7 of 8

Ordinary Gods #1

Does familiarity breed contempt? For some, it can be one of the most comforting things in the world; while for others, it can be frustratingly repetitive. Does a story lose it's power because of it, or does it only grow? 

Ordinary Gods tells a very familiar tale, of a young man struggling with his inner demons, as he's thrust onto a path he'd already been walking. It tells the tale of an endless war between two sets of immortal gods, as one fights for conquest and the other for humanity's freedom.

Spanning multiple eras, it's a war that results in just as many deaths, though never any permanent ones - at least for the gods. The issue starts as it means to go on, with a wave of death and destruction unleashed upon a Japanese gang's HQ. As you read it, you think you know what the story is, but before the scene's even over, Higgins pulls the rug out from under you, twisting your perspective of the scene. It's a rather effective bait and switch, that also serves as some early foreshadowing.

After that, Higgins flashes back even further, to a time before the war, when their pantheon was still united. Their realm was divided into thirteen territories, all named after their various gods' ''qualities''. Though most of the imagery here fits, like Sorrow, some doesn't, like Strength, which I think should've been Cunning or Inspiration, due to the imagery used.

Other than that, though, Watanabe's art is remarkably vibrant, with characters' emotions evident by not only their expressions, but also their silence. The action, too, is bursting with that same vibrancy, energy and just as much gore as you might expect. Despite its' familiar tropes and premise, it doesn't lose any of its' effectiveness.  

Parasomnia #1 Review

 Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Andrea Mutti

Rating: 6 of 8

Parasomnia #1

What are dreams but hope and fear? The stranger at the heart of this tale has plenty of reason to be afraid. Living on the streets, he has little place to call home and when he finds somewhere to rest his head, one group of men harass him into leaving.

But he still dreams. He dreams of a whole other life, one where he's a fearsome, ruthless figure, hunted while he hunts for his lost son. Though he faces many foes in the search, he dispatches most of them with ease. But the true challenge doesn't lie in their blades - it's in his heart.

It's not fully clear whether these dreams are just that, or memories of a life gone by. While, in the real world, a woman cries as she sees him, while another tends to someone in a deep sleep of their own. In the dream world, Mutti delivers a number of fast and fluid action sequences, filled with blood, speed and ferocity.

The only criticism I have is the inconsistency of the colours. In the dream world, sometimes it's a lot more bright and vivid, while at others, it's a lot paler and I just don't understand why that is. I also think he could've done a better job of making the two worlds stand apart. As it is, there's not much of a visual contrast.

Other than that, though, it's a pretty good debut. Bunn has a lightness of touch that really helps it flow and perhaps because of that, it's very easy to follow.