Nerd Culture Podcast

For my review this week I am looking at issues 1 & 2 of the digital comic Collateral – Dear John. A big thank you to the writer Matt Nicholls who got in contact with me to review his comic. If you would like me to review your comic please get in contact and I am more than happy to do it.

A debate I have heard in some comic forums is the one between digital and paper comics. I am not 100% sure why but I just feel I can get more comfortable reading a comic anywhere so prefer paper comics. If I had an iPad or similar portable device my opinion would probably change.

But enough about comic reading preference and onto Collateral – Dear John. When thinking about comics, thoughts about superheroes is usually not too far behind. Collateral delves into a world of superheroes but from a different perspective, the perspective of a normal family dealing with the consequences of living in Vacant City, a city filled with superheroes. I enjoy reading stories that take on a different perspective so this was right up my alley. I give credit to Matt for taking this interesting concept and writing a compelling story. After reading the first two issues I am curious to see where the story is heading and cannot wait to read more issues.

The artist on Collateral is Lee Taylor and I really enjoyed the black and white art style used throughout the comic. There are many panels throughout the first two issues with no dialogue which really gives Lee’s art the chance to shine. You can really feel the emotions portrayed in those panels.

I highly recommend giving Collateral a read and give the first two issues 3.5 Lukes.

If you are interested in reading Collateral please click this link to Comixology and you can purchase each issue for the low low price of $1.99, which is great value.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Collateral, please comment below or contact me via twitter @bennykane1983.

For my next review I will be looking at the Image title Lost Vegas by Jim McCann and Janet K Lee.

Benny

Episode #64 features:

Nerd Culture News: The X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer & 2 scripts for ID4 2

5 minute Popcorn Junkies: The Fifth Estate & Blackfish

Contest of Champions: James T Kirk vs Han Solo

Azerothian Times: Account wide Professions, Scalable Instances & Warcraft: The Movie

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For my review this week I am taking a look at the Justice League of America 12 issue series Justice.  A big thank you to David for providing the reading material for this review.

The Justice League is the ultimate DC team book containing some of arguably the best super heroes in comics comprising, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Aquaman and The Flash to name a few.  Justice was not my first visit to the Justice League.  A few years ago I picked up a collection of the original Justice League comics.  Although it was interesting to read the original issues like so many things from the past they have not aged well (for example, there is a kid constantly clicking his fingers).  Thankfully Justice is from 2005 so it is far more modern.

Justice is written by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger.  The story in Justice is fairly complicated and hard to explain in a paragraph but the best way to explain what a reader is in for is by looking at the splash pages at the end of the book which tells you that this book is going to be a super hero vs super villain showdown of epic proportions, which is an exciting proposition.

I did enjoy reading Justice but I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had more knowledge of the DC Universe.  Although I did recognise many of the heroes and villains, there were many characters I was not aware of.  I believe I will be able to appreciate Justice more after doing more Justice League reading.  This is by no means a slight on the writers.

On the other side of the equation the artwork in Justice is stunning.  Alex Ross and Doug Braithwaite have done an exceptional job in drawing this book.  In my year or so of reading comics on a regular basis I have noticed that I pay more attention to story then art but Justice is one title where from the first page the art had the majority of my attention.  Words cannot do justice (terrible pun I know) to the artwork.  There were some emotional moments throughout the book and the facial expressions captured the emotion beautifully.  Although it is a different style, the artwork is on par to Finding Gossamyr (reviewed in Free Comic Book Day reviews).

I give Justice 3 Lukes.  In time after doing more reading I believe the rating would go up.  If you are completely new to the DC Universe I do not think this is the best place to start but if you are well versed in all things DC give it a go.

I would love to hear your feedback about Justice and suggestions on other Justice League of America stories I should read.  Please comment below or you can contact me via Twitter @bennykane1983

Quick Fire

If you are not reading East of West written by Jonathan Hickman published by Image Comics you should be.

For my next review I will be taking my first step into digital comics by looking at Collateral – Dear John by Matt Nicholls and Lee Taylor.

Benny

Episode #63 features:

Dust Jacket: Hyperion by Dan Simmons

5 minute Popcorn Junkies: Gravity, Jour de Fete, The Color of Magic & White House Down

Interview with Dan Slott, the writer of Superior Spider-Man, thanks to Armageddon Expo

And the winner of our Madman Entertainment Giveaway!

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Welcome to the forty-fourth instalment of Who Review, my ongoing quest to review all available episodes of TV’s longest running SF series, Doctor Who. This week, we see the introduction of a new recurring villain and the arrival of the Doctor’s most popular companion in The Time Warrior.

EPISODES

The Time Warrior

BROADCAST DATES

15 December 1973–5 January 1974 (4 Episodes)

THE DOCTOR

Jon Pertwee

THE COMPANIONS

Sarah-Jane Smith

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