There is something wonderful about the dark seedy underbelly of the city in J. Michael Straczynski and Ben Templesmith’s Ten Grand #1. A dangerous place where Angels inhabit strip clubs and demons crawl out of the very walls that surround us, it’s also the home to supernatural investigator Joe Fitzgerald. We are living in his story, and although it doesn’t feel altogether new it is – without a doubt...

Mark Millar is not a subtle writer by any means, notorious for several excessively violent publications including Kick-Ass, Nemesis and more recently, Supercrooks and The Secret Service. Which is why Jupiter’s Legacy was such an unexpected title: though violence is not absent, the book is a beautiful albeit melancholy tale of superheroes and their legacies. Less focused on shock value and more on exploring what it...

reMIND is clearly a labour of love. It is the brainchild of Jason Brubaker who is both the writer and artist on the two volumes being reviewed here. He has been living with this story for years, and it shows in the obvious enthusiasm and skill with which he renders his tale. The story is—at first—about a woman named Sonja living in world mostly like ours, but...

I try not to judge books by their cover but with Robyn Hood vs. Red Riding Hood’s unevenly drawn, scantily clad heroines battling on the cover of this one-shot, I had my doubts before I even flipped a page. Grimm Fairy Tales is a Zenescope staple, a collection of re-imagined fairy tale characters, heavily weighted towards super sexy female characters who also bring the violence in these modern retellings....

There is perhaps no genre of game less known for its storytelling acumen than that of the fighting game. So, you would be forgiven for discounting a digitally-published comic book based on such a game. Yet, to write off Injustice: Gods Among Us at face value would be a mistake, because what could have been an easy cash in is actually an intriguing, if flawed, "what if" tale of...

The Kill Shakespeare boys are back with a new chapter of their epic tale based on Shakespeare’s works and characters. The Tide of Blood #1 does not disappoint, blending a strong story and art that picks up right where the last volume left off. Poor Romeo is haunted by nightmares in the form of giant phantom versions of fellow Prodigal rebels, punishing him for his lack...

Image Comics, in keeping with the wildly popular Walking Dead series, has released a completely Governor-focused comic in an effort to get new readers and fans who have only dabbled before up to speed. Hence, The Walking Dead Governor's Special packs plenty of Governor-related content as well as his origin story, but little more than rehashes of content we've already seen before. The Walking Dead #27 finds a reprint...

Read a review of Willow Wonderland #4 here . The true villain is revealed and as is so often the case, the clues to their identity were there all along if you looked closely enough. Thankfully, it wasn't so obvious that the twist was spoiled too soon in the story (at least for me) and the big fight scene in this issue was a great climax to...

Read a review of Hellboy in Hell #3 here . There are moments when comics transcend the informality of their medium, bringing weight and depth to a story uncommon in most titles. Hellboy in Hell has achieved this, building the mythos of the character and heightening an already stellar backstory with more tension, intricate characters and moral uncertainty. The layers Mike Mignola is...

Steve Rude's art in this Dollar Bill one shot is amazing. That won't come as a surprise to anyone who's familiar with his work, though his appearances in comics have become more and more infrequent. This is a gorgeous issue and his illustrative style suits the era of the story, the glamorous 30s and 40s. Rude's line-work is evocative of actual comics from that time, simple but charismatically drawn...

Read a review of Willow Wonderland #1-3 here. Willow has come to her senses, realizing that she’s spent the past few days just drinking and having sex with Aluwyn. Not a bad way to spend time but not the reason she set off on her quest. She realizes that she can’t continue this way and has to move on to find a way...

Over the past few years it has felt like Image has been experiencing a true renaissance, as they’ve been producing some extremely high-quality comics from both big, established names, as well as quality material from lesser known, newer names on the scene. It was with this state of mind that I picked up Todd: The Ugliest Kid on Earth #1, interested in trying out a new title, which has...

Issue #3 of Hellboy in Hell delves deeper into the mythos of Pandemonium, both Hellboy’s origins and the aftermath of his father, Azzael, granting him the Right Hand of Doom. It seems Hellboy has more than a few evil uncles in his demonic family, princes of Pandemonium who brought down Angels of Destruction when they learned of Azzael’s gift to this bastard child. So unworthy was he in their...

Image Comics is having a renaissance these days, as the books they are publishing are routinely of extremely high quality and calibre, exploring many different genres apart form the standard superhero set. This new book, Blackacre, is a story of intrigue set in the future, when the United States has all but crumbled, leaving in its place a relatively small yet sophisticated community, born of the best, brightest...

I was not following the New Avengers series before the Marvel Now reboot, so I'm not sure how much has changed from the previous storyline alluded to on the first page. It's a pretty intense page though and sounds pretty out of character for these heroes who generally know better than to meddle with such power. Jonathan Hickman has already done interesting things with the main Avengers reboot so...

Read a review of Willow Wonderland #2 here. Read a review of Willow Wonderland #1 here. Even though the last issue ended on a disappointing note, the majority of Willow Wonderland #3 is a pretty carefree exploration of this world's magical regions and creatures. Once Marrak is mystically booted across the planet for taking a demanding tone with Willow, the rest of her time is...

Over the past year, in the course of working for CGM, I’ve found myself dabbling more and more with comics published by Image Comics, which have provided a respite from the more standard super-hero fare published by DC and Marvel Comics. That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed those offerings, but it’s nice to read a comic book that’s a change of pace from the norm, and that’s...

Over the years I’ve read a variety of Brian Wood’s offerings, and for the most part have enjoyed his stories, and in particular his deft work at building strong characters. This new book focuses on a future world where world sports have become even more prevalent and important than in today’s world, and where the most successful athletes are mega superstars, to a degree that would make today’s...

Read the review of Hellboy in Hell #1 in the December/January issue of Comics and Gaming Magazine. I was pretty excited to read Hellboy in Hell #1, the triumphant return of Big Red, and was even more excited that it turned out to be such a great issue. Mike Mignola was back at the helm, writing and illustrating the first Hellboy story since his epic death earlier...

Francesco Francavilla's art is so great. A noir sensibility with a heavy dose of Mazzucchelli style line/shadow work, his covers look straight out of 60's film posters and pulp novels. This is the first dedicated title for The Black Beetle, a character created by Francavilla. He handles all aspects-- writing, directing, artwork, colouring-- only lettering is done by someone else. It’s an impressive undertaking previously showcased on his...