My Week in Comics: April 23, 2010

Just realized I had an Epic Fail moment just now. Hopefully these reviews shift my karma back to the good side of things. But I digress...let's see what I got myself into this week!

It’s been a while since I’ve read some honest-to-goodness, self-contained comic stories, and I appreciate Nova for bringing some of that to the table again. With that said, it’s a pretty straightforward Nova #36, where we discover the fallout from the Realm of Kings one-shot. Lots of things happen here that make little sense unless you read other books (a common Marvel occurence), so the reveals were pretty jarring. Dr. Necker in particular seems to be living up to her name...how you interpret that is up to you!

Thankfully, Rich took the reins and steered it his way here, in some of the strongest showings he’s had since...jeez, even I’ve forgotten. This ish shows he isn’t called Nova Prime for nothing. It’s another good issue from Abnett and Lanning and newcomer Andrea Divito. Huge props for the awesome Mike Deodato cover. That’s full-size, giclee-worthy art right there. This one’s a 4 out of 5.

Queen Sonja #6 has barons Too Dumb to Live, treachery, and our She-Devil with a Sword not giving in to peer pressure. What’s up with medieval peasants and their near-ravenous delight in seeing their queen married? I’m sad that Mel Rubi didn't staying long, but my love for Red...I mean Queen Sonja made me take a chance at this new story arc. But all I saw were bloody beheadings and armies pwning lesser n0obs; par for the course, nothing to write home about. It’s 3 out of 5.

Whaddaya know? Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki is again my featured comic for the week, and for good reason: it’s still awesome.

Issue two dials it down for some slice-of-life, with an uneasy truce with Makoto, best friend problems and finding out what it’s like juggling being a normal high school student and being a freaking ninja. Oh, and Elena joins the cast too. Slumber party!

But I gotta say, I just love Makoto here. She’s so straight-up kung-fu crazy that she steals the spotlight in every scene she’s in. It’s all good, though with the comic being called Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki, you’d expect more love for Ibuki, yeah? Still, she has her awesome and heartwarming moments here. I hope our little ninja gets to show what she’s really made of in the coming issues.

As for the art, Omar Dogan’s work still floors me for the simple fact that it’s manga style done right. Comics who do business using manga-style art become either poorly done parodies or well-meaning messes. Dogan’s art, however, is my kind of style. Clean and really fun to look at, which makes for a great comic.

Sorry, Ibuki, but this ish is making me drool for an SF Legends: Makoto right now. But you can thank her anyway, since you get a 5 out 5 from me!


Great comics all around. UDON's looking mighty tasty to me these days! Liked what you see? Think I’m batshit insane? Drop me a comment and let’s talk about it. Thanks for reading!