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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Treasures From The ComiCombs Issue #39: Hadrian's Wall, Southern Cross, Worst X-Man Ever


September is off to a good start as our second Wednesday this month continues with some really cool new releases. I have a couple new #1's and the highly anticipated return of one of my favorite books from 2015. If that wasn’t enough for you, this week I have the winner of our duel review between Fade to Black and Crawl to Me.



Hadrian's Wall #1 (Image)

If you’re a fan of detective fiction like I am, this one is sure to catch your eye. Hadrians Wall is a locked room murder mystery from Image that I’m pretty excited to check out. If Rod Reis' cover is any indication of the art that lies within the pages of this book, there will surely be some amazing panels throughout. 



The Forevers #1 (Black Mask Comics)

This has been a great year for amazing books from lesser known publishers and the reason I do this is to bring them to the attention of as many people as possible. The Forevers is one of those books; it has a really cool premise and that cover art…amazing.
“Live fast. Live forever. Five friends struggling on the brink of stardom sacrifice everything in a black magic pact that brings them all the wealth and glamour they ever wanted. Years later though, the 'glow' is fading. But when one of them dies, and they feel a surge of magic rise amongst them, they soon realize that they all share in the power of the glow. And when a member of the group decides to kill the rest and claim the glow for their own, they suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives. As they search for the killer's identity, each of The Forevers must face the macabre reality of the lengths to which some people will go to be adored, and to make certain that the spotlight never fades...”



Southern Cross #7 (Image)

If you ever wondered why I’m such a fan of Image, it’s because of books like this one. Southern Cross was a big hit with readers so the wait for issue #7 has been a long one. Volume one of this series made it on the list of 2015's best books here at the Overlook Theatre. Becky Cloonan did an amazing job with the script on this title and Andy Belanger's art was fantastic. I can’t wait to see what the team has in store for us with the second arc.
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X-Men has been one of my favorite comics since I was a kid. The series always seemed so relevant when it came to social issues throughout its publication history. Unfortunately with Marvel spending more of their time focused on movies, the X-Men series has had a rough road. Since Marvel doesn’t own the movie rights to the X-Men, they’ve done all but kill off the X-Men and that day is creeping up on us. So when this limited series showed up, I was quick to grab it from the shelf.



X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever

This limited series stars a brand new mutant with a very…unfortunate power. This book deals with our “hero” trying to find his place within the world of mutants with his power set. There are some funny moments throughout this book and it’s a nice change from the mostly depressing mood that has been a part of the X-Men books for years. This story is a fun read with a great ending so give it a shot. 
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Last week was the start of a new duel review featuring Fade to Black and Crawl to Me. While both of these books sounded pretty cool, one of them fell short. The winner of this weeks duel review is Crawl to Me.



Crawl to Me (IDW)

Fade to Black had an interesting plot that held a lot of promise but unfortunately it just wasn’t executed very well. The dialogue hurt this book the most. It all felt so forced on the stereotypical group of characters and they were all just so bland and irrelevant. It really fell apart in the final act and everything felt rushed to an ending that was predictable down to the *sigh* that was my reaction to the book. 

Crawl to Me nailed it. My biggest gripe with this book was the inconsistencies with some of the art. It was easily overlooked though as most of it fit the tone of the book perfectly, dark and emotional. This story left me feeling disturbed and that’s not something that usually happens, well done Alan Robert. It’s such a visceral experience and the ending was perfect. This was a well thought out story that brought everything full circle. I highly recommend reading this book; it definitely deserves a spot in any collection.
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That wraps it up for this week. There’s a lot of good content this week so be sure to support your local shop! Make sure to be back next week where we’ll have another set of books squaring off in another duel review and even more new releases to fill your appetite for comics!


-The Creature of the ComiCombs

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