Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Review: The Midas Flesh #1


Publisher: BOOM! Box
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb
Letterer: Steve Wands
Cover Artist: John Keogh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2013

Earlier this year, BOOM! Studios unveiled their new imprint, BOOM! Box, which allows creators to create unique and outrageous content simply for the love of comics and storytelling. Writer Ryan North, artists Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb along with letterer Steve Wands kick off the fun with The Midas Flesh #1. What does this sci-fi adventure have to offer readers?

In this first issue, Ryan North presents two parts of a story. The first introduces us to a small crew of space-travelers: Joey, Fatima and Cooper. Cooper is the dinosaur on the cover. He’s a Utahraptor to be specific. I had to look that up. In the second, we see how the roots of this tale rest in ancient Greece. King Midas, Silenus and Dionysus are all true to their roots. Even with my personal tolerance for Greek mythology being rather low, I was pleased with how North used these elements. I didn’t feel overwhelmed with ancient references.

North deserves a lot of credit for pacing in The Midas Flesh. We get a solid idea of the character’s personalities and the relationships between them. The two halves of this story are given roughly the same amount of attention, which is more than enough to pull you in. Just as it’s all about to come together, the issue ends.

Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb give the book an animated and expressive look. Even with North’s narrative, Paroline and Lamb’s visual storytelling shouldn’t go unnoticed. Just from a design standpoint, a few elements standout: the crew’s spaceship, the Prospect, and Cooper, both in his spacesuit and glasses and tie.

The Midas Flesh fuses together the mythology of ancient Greece, futuristic space travel and a techie dinosaur. This is exactly what BOOM! Box is all about. There’s a sense of wonder here that perfectly captures what the sci-fi genre is about. Discovering how the various elements tie together will bring you back for issue #2. Judging from this first issue, we're going to hear a lot about The Midas Flesh and BOOM! Box come 2014.

Verdict: 4/5

This copy of The Midas Flesh #1 was provided by BOOM! Studios.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Preview: Hit #4


Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Bryce Carlson
Penciller: Vanesa R. Del Rey
Colorist: Archie Van Buren
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover Artist: Ryan Sook
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2013



There’s no honor among thieves, and the same goes for crooked cops… Beaten, bloodied, and betrayed in an abandoned junkyard, the end looms near for Slater as Blair reasserts his control over the Hit Squad and exacts his plan to bring Los Angeles to its knees.

Preview: Imagine Agents #3


Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Brian Joines
Artist: Bachan
Colorist: Ruth Redmond
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover Artist: Khary Randolph, Matthew Wilson
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2013



Elliot is kidnapped and Dapple’s sinister plan is in full effect. With imaginary friends from all around the world gathering together, mankind may finally lose the upper hand. IMAGINE agents, Terry and Dave, may not have the wits to save the day, but with the help of Elliot’s mother and imaginary friend, they may just have a chance.


Preview: The Midas Flesh #1


Publisher: BOOM! Box
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb
Letterer: Steve Wands
Cover Artist: John Keogh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2013



WHY WE LOVE IT: We have been having so much fun with writer Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics, To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure) on ADVENTURE TIME that we couldn’t resist the opportunity to publish a new original idea of his. And it is original.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: We’ve all heard of The Midas touch. You know, the Greek Mythology about the man who did a number on himself by wishing for everything he touched to turn to gold? Who better to turn that tale on its head with a heavy dose of sci-fi than Ryan North? Also, did we mention the Utahraptor?

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Fatima and her space crew have decided to return to Earth—a planet completely sectioned off, abandoned, and covered in gold—to find out exactly what happened to this once thriving planet and see if they can use that knowledge against the evil empire that’s tracking them down. As luck would have it, they just landed the most powerful weapon in the universe: some ancient dead guy’s body.