Ripper's Spot

1. Doctor Tomorrow #3 (1997) has one font mistake and several moments of characters looking off model. Though the main problem is the script being too bland.

2. Tranformers: Robots In Disguise #1 (2012) is overly crowded in the group shots. Also this issue feels like both a continuation of previous narratives and like it is "made for a trade." Finely it seems more like a "talking heads" generic political science fiction story with Transformers characters.

3. Inhumans #1 (1998) has some lettering that is too similar to the backgrounds of certain panels. Also the exposition is a bit heavy-handed. Last but not least I have to point out that except for some set-up questions nothing happens.

4. The Sentry #1 (2005) has inconsistent character designs and proportions. Also The Sentry is overpowered and labeled with mental illnesses that are not correctly displayed. Thus he is a boring and insulting character. Finally despite being the start a limited series it instead fee…

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    Jeff Lemire's writing continues to be exceptional in the area of characterization. Though there is a weak point involving how one of the heads of Omen acts before and during a meeting with another evil suit. As for the visuals the color palette and texture for the "Now" moments are not as good as the "soon" moments. However, on the whole I found this issue to range from stunning to relatively great. Finally the font style and positioning of the text mix with the visuals in a way that makes the reading experience (or at least mine) feel like watching a movie.
   Very Recommended!

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  This is a great opening issue in-spite of how it ends in a way which will work better when collected. As for the narrative it works for those who read summaries and those who don't. (Though in this case the summary was a bit confusing regarding if Neela is now Timewalker or if Ivar was being referenced.) This first issue is also accessible as a jumping on point even if one has not read other series such as Ivar, Timewalker.

   Finally the interior art is a treat in the areas of line work and perspective. The former showcases a great balance between sharp and smooth, and the latter is amazing when Faith meets Ank.

  Recommended!

This episode feels like Sailor moon only during the transformation and due to certain elements like character designs. Otherwise this feels like some other kind of anime such as X. I mean the tone is way darker than necessary. In fact it is so dark in tone that I literally thought the first broken mirror scene would result in a bloody bit of self-harm for the generic possessed schoolgirl.

 Sailor Moon to me is and has been romantic, dramatic, goofy, and fantastical. Thus from my viewpoint this episode was made with no understanding of the franchise.

   Questions! How much worse will it get? Will future episodes start feeling episodic and not like cut up bits of movies? When do the Sailor Stars get introduced? Does anyone else think they basically okayed the wrongness of hitting loved ones in this episode when Usagi responds to Chibi-Usa after being hit?

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   There are four problems I have with this issue. Said problems involve the summary recap, the placement of the summary, perspectives during battle scenes, and a bit of dialogue. The foremost problem is how wonky the perspective choices are for each battle. For example the page after the summary suggests Aric and his troops are descending in one panel and yet they are ascending in the next panel. This problem happens on all of the pages depicting battle.

   As for the other problems they are less impactful. For example the bit of dialogue is a relatively subtle repetition in something said by the leader of The Burnt. While the summary problems are more nitpicks in that I just feel that the summary recap could have been strong at its end, and the placement feels a little disruptive.

  Despite these problems I have to say that this is still a relatively high-quality issue in every other way.

  Barely recommended!

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  This issue's supplemental scholarly essay is pretty strongly written. However, it is a bit hard to follow in certain areas. As for the actual narrative it is high quality on the whole. Though I noticed the texture is a little weaker in certain places, such as the crotch leaf of the fake Apollo. While another example of weak texture occurs with the character "Baba." Her wrinkles look a little different in each panel.

   Speaking of differences there seems to be a little bit of a color palette problem in how Elissa and her henchmen are presented. It is not so bad that I would call it intentional, or white-washing, yet it is definitely an inconsistency.

    Finally the story is wrapped up a little more neatly than I would have liked in regards to Elissa's fate.

   Recommended!

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  This issue progresses the seasonal arc by only by a very small amount. By that I mean only a fight, a re-powering, and an escape happen. As for the art it is okay if you like pencils and inks that don't look fully aligned. Finally while the coloring and lettering are okay they are not enough to make this a good issue.

   Not Recommended!

1. Daredevil #1 (2011) is very contradictory in how it presents the titular character. One story presents him denying being Daredevil and the other has him basically exclaiming he is Daredevil.

2. Flash #100 (1995) has so many things wrong with it including proportions, reliance on prior issues, and lack of set-up for the conclusion.

3. Starbrand #19 (1989) is a talking head final issue that is hard to follow and falls apart when the narrative is analyzed.

4. First Strike #0 (2017) is a non-starter for this crossover of toy properties in comic book form.

1. Superman/Fantastic Four: The Infinite Destruction (1999) is a bit frivolous, but it is overall an entertaining story. Recommended for kids and those looking for a good 90s comic book.

2. Flash #74 (1993) is provides logical reasoning for how each character reacts to the return of 'Barry Allen.' The logic also is streamlined enough to keep the narrative hopeful and kid-friendly.

3. Flash #79 (1993) is a key story with good art and mostly strong writing. I say "mostly strong writing" due to there being one to two moments that I don't agree with.

4. Flash #77 (1993) has a great observation on how super speedster can be limited by physical locations. It is also a fun issue to read.

This episode is weird on a few levels. One of which is how naive and off-guard the scouts are after several weird past events have led to villains attacking people. Case in point they did not know about the rooftop mirror Nelehenias that the outer scouts fought. Shouldn't monster attacks like that be in their local news at the least? I mean multiple witnesses were there. Also the unusual behavior Mamoru exhibits after that eye problem last episode is never really thought on.

  Another bit of weird is little things like why they (the production team) lifted bits from the manga? I mean the storylines are so different at this point that it really fails to work. Take for instance the unanswered question of what happened to Hotaru's Dad? For that matter why include the Manga rapid aging in such a compressed way? It just seems like they were padding this episode while riding by the seat of their pants and maybe less of a budget to work with.

   Speaking of the production, and anim…

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   This is an awesome work from the range of the colors to the superb characterization. In fact the characterization is so good that I have already fallen in love with the cast. As for the colors and art they very much have a realist range about them. Finally the supplemental material written by Eric Heisserer is very informative.

  Extremely recommended as something that should be purchased, read, and added to pull lists.

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   This issue continues with the problematic storytelling seen in the first two issues. For those that have not read either the previous issues or my reviews of them the major problem is the pacing. At times the pacing is slow as a snail in order for a long-winded backstory to be exposited and then we get a too fast action sequence. There is very little good characterization, and practically all the dialogue is exposited.

   Another flaw is the position of one caption box with one word is too seperate from the rest. This causes the whole page to feel like it is ruined since the pause is overly long. The last problem is that while the art is okay, the flashback pages look a little rushed in the area of texture and dreary choice of color palette.

   Not Recommended!

1. The Flash Volume 8 Zoom Softcover (2016) is by and far the worst Reverse-Flash story I have ever read. It both uses the retcon of Eobard Thawne (alias Professor Zoom alias the Reverse-Flash) killing Barry Allen's mother and totally wrecks everything else. It sloppily combines the histories and motivations of Eobard Thawne and Hunter Zolomon (Zoom) while reducing Eobard to a would-be dictator. In other words it is a perfect example of why I do not recommend the majority of "New 52" stories.

2. Both the Nick Fury and Doctor Strange stories from Strange Tales #158 are not recommended. Both are too text heavy even by Silver Age Standards. Not to mention the art for Doctor Strange seems to be a little bit too static. Though the Nick Fury art is a little better it suffers from a lack of background and the text telling us what we are seeing. Finally both feel like incomplete experiences.

3. Speaking of issues that have two characters starring in seperate tales we also have T…