The God Machine HC – Review

Issue: The God Machine HC
Writer: Chandra Free
Artist: Chandra Free
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: 2010
Pages: 160
Price: $24.95

“Stricken with grief from the death of his girlfriend, Sith, Guy Salvatore struggles to make sense of his world. He’s plagued with hallucinations of monsters that torment him with outrageous requests. Enter Satan: a strange, old man who implores Guy to call upon his latent power to break through his world’s plane to rescue Sith, who he claims is floating aimlessly in and out of dimensional planes known as the “Dream Worlds.” But is Satan to be trusted?”

Artwork: 5.0 out of 5
The only thing I knew about this book before diving into it was how GORE-Geous is was going to be. I will admit though that what took it a notch above most is that Chandra took the time to create every element on every page. The color work reminded me of Dreamkeepers, in that it was just perfect on every page. Free’s style has a seems to be a great mix of the SLG titles with a small hint of Manga here and there. I loved the character designs from page to page, and of course the little demons were my favorites. Overall this is a book that looks as better than most on the market, and the amount of talent on the pages shines through even the darkest of panels.

Story: 4.0 out of 5
I honestly had no idea what to expect from this book, other than how great it would look. The story was something that I felt came out of the pages of my youth. Being a teen in the 90′s I saw the Goth scene like how it was portrayed in this book. I do not know if that is what Chandra was after, but to me it made sense. So within that regard, and much like with the Gothology books, I felt a special place for this book. At times the dialogue did feel a little choppy, but overall it was a solid read, until the “To Be Continued” end! ARGH!!! It was getting so good and then… BOOM! The overall concept is a lot of fun, the execution is great and the real treats are the small jokes that you find here and there throughout the book.

Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
While I do think this book might be cornered into a specific market, I think as a comic lover it should be looked at by all. The horror elements, mixed with all the emotional twists and combined with the the perfect style of art make this book a winner. So while I sit here and wait for Volume 2, to find out what is happening with my dearest new friend Guy, I think it’s about time you stepped out from the shadows to go and pick this one up. Like I said, the easy crowd is the Squee, JTHM, Lenore bunch, when it is the ones who read Brian Wood or Terry Moore who need to be giving this one a serious look. Now… when can I have Volume #2?

If you would like to buy or know more about The God Machine HC you can find it at http://www.archaia.com/

Witch Doctor #1 – Review

Issue: Witch Doctor #1
Writer: Brandon Seifert
Artist: Lukas Ketner
Colors: Sunny Gho
Special Medical Consulting: Karen Anderson
Publisher: Image (Skybound)
Release Date: July 2011
Pages: 28
Price: $2.99


“Meet Vincent Morrow, a doctor looking for a vaccine… for the apocalypse! In this stand-alone first issue, a family needs Dr. Morrow’s help with their son’s illness: Demonic possession. But when Morrow attempts an experimental cure, he discovers the boy’s disease isn’t all spinning heads and pea soup – it’s like nothing you’ve seen before! Horror gets a brain transplant in WITCH DOCTOR, the book WARREN ELLIS calls ‘Mental.’”


Artwork: 4.0 out of 5
I knew I needed to see this book just based on the cover art alone. Now let me tell you a few things I liked about this issues art, the colors popped off of every page. The “exorcism” scene at the beginning of the issue was just drop dead GORE-Geous and the demons were bad ass. My only downside was that I didn’t think the human cast stay as consistent as they could have. However it didn’t take anything away from this issue it was easy on the eyes.


Story: 4.5 out of 5
I didn’t know what to expect here. Somehow I had missed out on the #0, so now I have to go find that, but this issue was very solid. It actually reminded me of Hellblazer, but there is a team instead of just one. The dialogue had the perfect mix of action and humor that put a smile on my face. The pace was great, but the real reason I loved this was because of the one-shot feel. If this mini is a series of self-contained issues I will be very happy, because it worked so well here.


Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
Fantastic artwork with a killer story easily make this book worth your $3. Yeah I said $3, not $4. So go out now and buy this book, I’ll wait…Good now that your back you can see how right I was. I love the character designs, colors and humor that this issue had in it and I know you will too. This is going to be a great mini, that easily has the potential for more.


If you would like to buy or know more about Witch Doctor #1 you can find it at http://skyboundent.com/

The Life and Times of Julius Destructus GN – Review

Issue: The Life and Times of Julius Destructus GN
Writers: Tim Baron, Ben Avery
Artist: Tim Baron
Release Date: 2011
Pages: 186
Price: $14.99

“6 worlds ago, the portal opened. The Realm of Endless Monsters chose Julius; and 6 worlds burned. Tonight, on the eve of his 7th invasion, his treachery will end. And his new destiny will begin.”

Artwork: 4.5 out of 5
Let me give a quick back story on this book. I was at Summit City Comic Con going around and introducing myself to creators when I came across Tim Baron and this book. It was his banner that got me in but while flipping through the pages looking at the art in this book, I knew I had to have it. So it was the amazing designs that pulled me in on this one. I think the scary thing is that I can’t compare it to anything, this book just has such an awesome unique look to it, that it stands on its own. Just on point black and white work, with fantastic character designs, makes my eyes say yum time and time again.

Story: 4.5 out of 5
So I was sold on the art and looking forward to checking out this story. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. The main storyline (there is a second short story at the end) is written in a very different style. Most of it had the feel of a poem, especially when the Kill Dog was around. It just had a rhythm throughout that would take the beat higher and lower as needed. It also had a kind of Grinch feel too it. The role of a Destructus is not an easy one, and the way it was written you easily felt for Julius as he went through these struggles in his life. Oh and really quick, the backup story was a fantastic lyrical delight.

Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
A rarity indeed, especially when you think that I picked it up just based on the artwork, but I knew there was something special about this book. The story had me hooked as soon as I saw the Kill Dog and the way things were going. Okay no wait, I was sold on the opening fart joke. This book is the reason we need to stop and take a look at what people not with a company are doing. I would easily suggest this book to anyone and everyone and that means you the reader of this review as well.

If you would like to buy or know more about The Life and Times of Julius Destructus GN you can find it at http://www.juliuscomic.com/

Green Wake #4 – Review

Issue: Green Wake #4
Writer: Kurtis Wiebe
Artist: Riley Rossmo
Publisher: Image
Release Date: July 2011
Pages: 32
Price: $3.50

“The revelation of Green Wake’s next murder victim sends Morley on a frantic mission against time. All the events in Green Wake begin to converge, combining together to reveal the darkest of its mysteries. But for Morley, there is more than time working against him, and allies aren’t always what they seem.”

Artwork: 5.0 out of 5
Well I don’t really know what is left to be said about Rossmo’s work on this book. I would say GORE-Geous again, but I have before. I would say I had an eyegasm, but I have before. I think all that is left to be said is that from what I have seen of Riley’s work, this is the book he was just perfect for. This issue itself has 2 pages that just made me drop down to my neck and beg for more. The first was a full-page panel that consisted of a murder, and I won’t say no more. The second was the final page of the book, where I just internally wept due to how perfect it appeared before my eyes.

Story: 5.0 out of 5
What is going on here, the mystery is unraveling and I am getting the answers I sought out for so long ago. This issue begins to bring things together, and it does it so perfectly while adding on one final enigma to the events. The dialogue is as spot on as ever, but where this issue excelled was the pacing. There were short downtime moments followed quickly by intense action. This issue was just done right.

Dying Breath: 5.0 out of 5
Making the perfect comic book takes something a little extra. First you need to have the 2 right people for the job(for the most part 2 people work on a book). Second you must have the right idea, so that when a decapitated reviewer reads it, he knows that no one else could fill in for either the story or artwork for that particular issue. Rossmo and Wiebe reached that plateau in this issue and I hope it takes a long time before they think of climbing down. Of course in order to do that Green Wake needs to go past 5 issues. This issue was nothing but solid and I can not wait to see how everything plays out in #5. I can’t even say you should check this out because, you should have been reading this one from the start.


If you would like to buy or know more about Green Wake you can find it at http://greenwakecomic.com/