True Believers: The Criminally Insane - Absorbing Man #1 (re:view)

Welcome to a whole new adventure with... a comic for your dollar! This time I'm bringing origin realness in the form of Absorbing Man as they take on Thor. Let's dive in!

It's so strange getting to know of Absorbing Man's origin as he's so interwoven in the stories I've read since my early teens. He's taken on countless Heroes, leader of the Wrecking Crew supervillain team and he's Titania's bae. I've never actually given much thought to his background much until now and oh boy, oh boy, was I not disappointed!

The characterisation of Loki is of course very on point in that they're always into their scheming ways and this is nothing no less in bringing Thor down. Loki would have been able to get away with it if wasn't for those meddling ummm... Thor!

I love that there's thought to Thor's method as he wrestles with the Absorbing Man as he thinks of his techniques rather than a straight-out duke-fest. It's wonderfully illustrated as he takes to using his powers to inadvertently deals with his obstacles. The supporting characters seem to be taking more of a forefront with Hobbs wanting the scoop (ya can't just leave it out and come looking for trouble!) and Jane (gone are the days when she is the damsel in distress).

Okay, time for Absorbing Man! There are great visuals to their abilities in that they become the material of whatever they touch (given the name - duh). I love that they just jump straight into the action after being given powers from Loki without questioning it. Two snaps to a supervillain who has ambitions! They actually have more realistic goals of becoming mayor of sorts rather than the detrimental need to take over the world.

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It provided a huge character leaps for existing and new characters rather than to take them down a root of... here's a new character - fight! 

True Believers: The Criminally Insane - Absorbing Man #1 (originally printed as Journey into Mystery volume 1 #114)
Stan Lee - writer
Jack Kirby - artist
Chic Stone - inker
Sam Rosen - letterer

True Believers: Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary - Power Man and Iron Fist #1 (re:view)

A dollar for your comic! Luke Cage is on a rampage through Iron Fist's home to look for Misty Knight. It's not going to be that easy he will find... Let's dive in!

I don't think it was intended for a comedic opening but I sure did find it humorous that it opens up with Colleen staying over at Iron Fist's property as her place getting remodelled, but of course, Power Man busts through the wall and it would seem Iron Fist is now due for some remodelling as well. 

Anyway, there's that argument to be had if Power Man really turned full villain which was the impression Colleen was under as she has to work with the brute force of Power Man and she does make work of him... werk! It's interesting to see the dynamic as instead of having two titans thug it out. It's actually quite refreshing to have thoughts panned out their moves during a tussle and flight might just be the best option especially knowing what you're up against which is what Colleen does. 

This also applies to Misty as her thoughts are on display... come to think of it, it is a thought-focused comic as all three (Colleen, Misty and Iron Fist) uses their thoughts to compose their strategy as they know they are at no feat of Power Man's strength.

The emotions on the characters' faces are beautifully displayed from the sense of urgency from Colleen to the penultimate moment when Power Man almost rinses the air out of Iron Fist. The moment captured in his eyes was so strong that my wig flew into the next universe. 

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I feel that this layers Luke Cage's character with so much depth and continue the very mystery of what ends up with the loved ones that he so needed to capture Misty Knight for. 

True Believers: Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary - Power Man and Iron Fist # 1 (originally published as Power Man Vol 1 #48)
Chris Claremont - writer
John Byrne - Penciler
Dan Green - inker
Annette Kawecki - Letterer
Francoise Mouly - Colourist
Archie Goodwin - editor 

True Believers: X-Men - Karima Shapandar, Omega Sentinal #1 (re:view)

Welcome to a whole new adventure with... a comic for your dollar! X-Men are bringing us a blended smoothie of love story/thriller and comedy as Neal Shaara tries and uncovers the mystery behind the disappearance of his brother. Let's dive in!

I vaguely remember Neal being in Xtreme X-Men many of a years ago but never really got to know him as I do now. The juxtaposition of the past and present nicely interweaves the genres of the thriller in the past and the comedy of the present which masterfully actually provides comic relief from the intense sensations that the past brings.

The comic is, of course, named after the titular character Karima Shapander who provides a thick layer of storytelling in that being taken over from a force higher than her in that her love for Neal transcends that of her ultimate demise. Breaks my heart! There is such a beautiful action sequence that becomes a repose in the middle of the comic which comes at a very nice surprise (particularly with the subdued ambient tone of the past).

The present offers great comedy genius with laugh out loud moments. I don't remember a single X-Men comic that disperses such laughter in such bursts and I'm living for it!

What I learned about the character of Neal: he's a lady's man and he has daddy

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It's been masterfully written and a blend of genres was beautifully done

True Believers: X-Men - Karima Shapandar, Omega Sentinal No 1 (originally printed as X-Men Unlimited #27)
Chris Claremont and Joe Pruett - story and script
Brett Booth and Ron Lim  - pencils
Scott Elmer, Michael Kraiger, Rich Perrotta, Cliff Rathburn, Rod Ramos and Vince Russell - Inks
Kevin Somers - colours
Sharpefont & PT - letters
Jason Liebig - edits
Bob Harras - chiefs

Annihilation - Scourge Alpha #1 (re:view)

Welcome to a whole new adventure with... a cosmic scourge takeover! A mysterious force seems to have taken over the armies of Annihulus and Blaastar as they both join forces to try and overcome them. Let's dive in!

Something comes to mind when I think the scourge and that is the Marvel Zombies. The only difference though is that the scourge doesn't seem to retain the same intelligence instead that is replaced by the inertial need to serve a higher being. They can pretty much turn others into one of them by umm... exerting tentacles out of the mouths that envelops the face of the adversaries. It does sound peculiar at first but it is done in effect that it sends chills down my spine. There are several moments which happen where it just focuses in with colours that really accentuates the horror. Oh gosh and the Revengers (not the superhero team in Thor Ragnarok)!

The writing and development accentuate the story forward with battle feeling so intense that it makes the threat real. This comes with Annihulus having to put his differences aside and quickly his former self becoming a thing of the past. The comic relief is offered none other than Nova who provides the slight respite of the incoming problem.

The standout characters come out of Blaastar and Annihulus who shows a lovely contrast between the two with Blaastar being noble in aiding Annihulus troops when wounded yet Annihulus is very much "death" to all that goodness out there. The camaraderie does have fun to it as they battle their way through the forces. 

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This introduction to a strong crossover event shows a great offering in that Annihulus has to call upon desperate measures of his enemies to overcome an even greater enemy. 

Annihilation - Scourge Alpha #1 
Matthew Rosenberg - writer
Juanan Ramírez & Cian Tormey - artists
Federico Blee - colours
VC's Cory Petit - lettering 
Josemaria Casanova - cover

True Believers: Empyre - Mantis No 1 (re:view)

Welcome to a whole new adventure with... a comic for your dollar! This time I'm bringing you origin goodness in the form of the Vision and Mantis. Let's dive in.

And so the story begins with giving us some hex realness with her amazing po-wah! It's ended with her trainer Harkness giving us chic psyches which actually befittingly and beautifully transitions into the next story in which takes place outside Earth. This employs a unique style of storytelling of origins which I really love. I'm wondering if there is actually room for characters being able to revisit their origins in a meta way which will also offer fresh insights but that's a whole other conversation.

It's pretty interesting to see Vision's origins as the original Human Torch as he was an android that was also part of the Invaders. From that, I'm not really clued up and this does offer a fresh undertaking of the origin which flows well in an Avengers comic. Same could be said for Mantis but it's only the groundworks of her origins that was placed into view but not her full. In fact, it was also in part a Skrull vs. Kree origin story which was actually something else that I was consciously aware of but did not know of how it came about.

The artwork is amazing with great visuals especially coming off the strong origin stories of the Vision and Mantis. The staffs that they hold to travel back into their times offers a gorgeous and unique way of providing hot strong semblances of art against the backdrop of space visuals.

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The comic forms a unique form of storytelling coupled with great intergalactic visuals that offers a strong foundation for the origin stories of the Vision and Mantis. It ends on strong suspense on how the Skrull vs. Kree origin story links into Mantis's origin.

True Believers: Empyre - Mantis No 1 (originally published as Avengers Vol 1 # 133)
Steve Englehart - author
Sal Buscema & Joe Staton - artists
Tom Orzechowski - calligraphy
Phil Rachelson - Colouring
Len Wein - editor

True Believers: Conan the Barbarian #1 (re:view)

Welcome to a whole new adventure with... a comic for your dollar! This time I'm bringing Conan the Barbarian. The only Conan the Barbarian I know of is Arnold Schwarzenegger so it'll be great to delve into another reiteration of Conan.

The comic delves into the formed relationship Conan have with the leader of a tribe when he sees him pounced by an innumerate amount of enemies (three to be exact). The rest is history!

Let's talk characters! For starters, Conan is quite the character who keeps it real and I find strong admiration in his honesty, valiancy and courage which is beautifully sprawled throughout the comic. The character traits help propels the story and plot along for a poignant ending, which is solidified by his relationship of the character Olav who he helps aid in combat.

The leader Volf of the opposition doesn't seem to share these traits so it's good to see the contrast which accentuates the contrast between them. It's a shame though as this was further explored as they seem to become secondary characters going towards the end.

The art style seems great and the combat seems ruthless and should I say - ahem - barbaric with Conan's swipes and animalistic movements. Character and scenic designs are amazing with strong expressions throughout. One thing I noticed though is the backgrounds are a solid colour of different variations from green to blue to yellow. I tried to link it to what was happening in their respective panels but the mood seems quite different to even link them together.

The second half of the comic takes a turn with flying demons, twists and turns. An introduction of the Shaman and Tara seems to have thrown the comic into a whole new world with literally a history lesson as well as envisioning Conan's future too. This might actually explain the solid coloured backgrounds as a foreshadowing of the trippy adventure Conant and co take in the second half.

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There's a lot of character building to simply fall in love with Conan that yeah, I'm pretty much invested to see where he ends up going next.

True Believers: Conan the Barbarian No 1 (originally published as Conan the Barbarian #1)
Stan Lee - editor
Roy Thomas - writer
Barry Smith - artist
Dan Adkins - embellisher
Sam Rosen - letterer

True Believers: The Criminally Insane - Bullseye #1 (re:view)

Welcome to another world of adventure with a comic for your dollar! The story follows Daredevil as he tackles down a mysterious villain named... Bullseye!

I last read the classic tales of Daredevil in the Mighty World of Marvel in the mid-2000s and actually read each text from panel to panel with such glee. This comic was just that reminder of why I loved reading Daredevil.

The art of Daredevil's movements with that alone offers pure joy to watch him swoosh with his kick and flicks. This becomes more pronounced when he uses his environment to his aid. One scene in particular pretty much defines it for me where he uses a car to his advantage in kicking out the goon out of it. This is in contrast to Bullseye who employs more of a dramatic flair which might explain it as it comes to the final full-page panel.

It's interestingly enough my first time seeing him have a hood which actually does get caught up in the crowd. Cue the Edna Mode's no - uh - hoods!

There's so much going on in this comic with the main story, side story, back story and all kinds of story getting up in that grind. The main story I find becomes deterred slightly by the side story which almost becomes a side thought rather than an afterthought as it was such a brief moment that with one blink you'd miss it. The back story though is beautifully illustrated of how Bullseye comes about which serve to elevate the story even with so much going on in one issue.

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There's a lot to take away from this issue and it's left on a deafening (excuse the pun) cliffhanger!

Published: True Believers: The Criminally Insane - Bullseye #1 (originally published as Daredevil #131)
Marv Wolfman - writer/editor
Bob Brown & Klaus Janson - artists
Michele Wolfman - colorist
Joe Rosen - letterer

Genders: Shaping and Breaking the Binary exhibition at Science Gallery (re:view)

Welcome to a whole new adventure with... genders! I actually went to this exhibition some time ago but what better time (and a lot of it) to get it up in this house. Let's dive in!

The exhibition is a journey I would say into the insights of different artists as they explore gender through their mediums. It's funny as it would seem to be a transcendence from what it would stand for in society or breaking down the notions and barriers. 

The exhibition programme is done in black and white which I'm guessing purposely plays on the irony that gender is not so much of that anymore. It's not about male or female, masculinity or feminity and physical biology but rather that it goes beyond. This is shown in each artist chosen mediums to convey this that each identifies their gender such as Cibelle Cavalli Bastos's IN≠BODY: EXXO/REAL(I)T.Y #aevtardeprogram. 

The exhibition serves as great education and insight into different aspects of genders such as Sadé Mica's Gotta do this first and Grace in the garms which used textile clothing to bind and the chest/breast which many trans men and non-binary people used to deal with body dysphoria. 

Proving more a versatile exhibition, it not only invites attendees to view art in an open way but it also seeks to involve from the virtual reality gaming experience of Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley's WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF THOSE THAT ARE NOT to the social context of the spoken and smell experience of Sarah Jury, Behrooz Shahriari and Rachel Sutela, Elvia Wilk and Sissel Tolaas's nnother.

Gotta do this first and Grace in the garms by Sadé Mica

Ties That Bind by Gaby Sahhar

WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF THOSE THAT ARE NOT by Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley

'... on being allergic to onions', we read Susan Leigh Star by Nina Wakeford

Milik Bersama Rekombinan (Recombinant Commons) by Mary Maggic

True Believers: Annihilation - Omega the Unknown #1 (re:view)

Another dollar for your comic! Ummm... I literally know nothing about or I could say that the character is "unknown" to me (ay? ay?? I'll see myself out). Anyway, the comic follows Omega the Unknown against a band of steel armoured/skinned (not sure which!) aliens as well as a connection he may have to a young person named James-Michael Starling.

It opens with some good ol' beat-em-up with Omega as he knocks and shoots beams from his Omega-symbolled hands which are different... So far so good. Of course, it's not all going to last and he's shut from the behind but the next bit gets interesting (and beautifully done I should say with the colours, expressions and effects). It transitions from him screaming into the young person I was mentioning earlier.

Okay, in terms of Marvel fighting weirdly shaped cycloptic steel assassins, I'd say that's the norm... but the next bit gets a bit trippy (hear me out). It transitions to James-Michael who also seemingly feels the connected pain of being shut from the behind. The parents are quickly killed off and revealed to be robots that self-destruct (umm... okay). It kind of becomes a psychological thriller (without the thriller) wherein by James-Michael confused by the statement is let into psychedelic vertigo where reality and fantasy seem to blur (beautifully done yet again with the effects for show).

More confusion ensues as a fight suddenly erupts in James-Michael's room between one of the alien-beings and Omega with James-Michael seemingly developing the same powers as Omega. So many questions! There's so much mystery that's been tantalised from the start that it left me with so many questions that wanted answers like how is Omega connected to James-Michael, who is James-Michael and why are his parent's robots???

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I mean there are so many questions that needed answering and the issue has done enough to fully invest in getting those answers. The issue is beautifully illustrated with colours with offerings of shadowing and psychedelia. Another thing to note is the use of description of the actions which was an interesting take as so often I usually assume the movements but of course, the actions don't usually move on pages but it's spelt out for you which I found adds another level storytelling to the issue. I also love the slight insinuation that this might all be happening in James-Michael's mind which makes it more for an even more exciting read.

True Believers: Annihilation - Omega the Unknown #1 (originally published as Omega the Unknown #1)
Steve Gerber & Mary Skrenes - writer
Jim Mooney - illustrator
John Constanza - letterer
Petra Goldberg - colourist
Mary Wolfman - editor