A Wildstorm comic book podcast for Wildstorm addicts by Joe Soliz and Benjamin Murphy!
(No Spoilers)
Where Sparta U.S.A. frustrated the heck out of me, in the end Garrison was successful in underwhelming me. I tried to give this book the benefit of the doubt but ultimately it was just your average comic.
Did we get more fun Francesco Francavilla art? Absolutely! Plus we get some great action scenes but that’s something that this series has delivered since the beginning.
“Bad Medicine 1 of 4: The Broken Heart of the World” (No Spoilers)
Well, it’s no secret that I write this review within a day of hearing about the demise of the Wildstorm imprint. So needless to say, it made reading this bitter-sweet. It was a really good issue but now more than before do I really feel like I’m reading about the end of the world.
The reveal of who Aeon may seem to most that it came out of left field. But one thing about World’s End is that it definitely has catered to long-time fans. Even after hearing the villain’s true name, it was a little insert a few panels later that solidified for me who it really was. Since we already got to see many of the major Wildstorm villains appear in World’s End I had no idea who this might be. I was a little underwhelmed but I think it’s cool that Beechen took something left over from a past Wildstorm book and decided to use it here.
(No Spoilers)
The nightmare for Agents Mulder and Scully continues as the threat increases substantially in this issue. Niles and Jones have gone from making this feel like an X-files episode to feeling more like an X-files movie.
The layouts and the pacing take on more of a widescreen feel in this issue. Mandrake’s art seems to be getting better and I like some of the huge establishing shots he illustrates. Plus, like I’ve mentioned before, we don’t have a particular vampire character we’re following so Mandrake takes the vampires we do see and seems to give us only teases of them. Whether it’s in shadows or close-up shots, he truly gives them a beast-like quality. This is a departure from the way Niles has presented them in the past which was a mixture of the human and animalistic traits. But again, I think it’s the lack of a main vampire character (so far) that drives this notion.
“Beware the Ides of March” (No Spoilers)
Stuart C. Paul and Christian Duce deliver another beautiful issue in this intriguing mini-series. Paul’s writing is flawless and Duce’s art continues to be amazing as we get arguably one of the most unique takes on one of the most infamous assassinations in history.
Paul’s skills as a writer shine here as the pacing is excellent. He is able to pack so much story into these issues so far that I really feel like I’m getting my money’s worth reading this comic. In a 32-page comic that only has 22-pages of actual story (standard because of the ads) you feel like you get twice as much story. I’d liken it to what Adam Beechen is doing over in Wildcats.
