Review Roundup, Q3-Q4 2018
December 26, 2018 Jamey Alea 0 Comments
I have been continuing to write about comics. Turns out that’s something I love to do! Here’s the reviews I’ve been publishing over at WWAC for the past few months. I’ve really found a home there and it feels great! I’ve also become not only our new Pubwatcher for Lion Forge, but also our resident Adventure Time superfan, so that’s exciting. (Note: This post and several of these reviews contain spoilers for the Adventure Time finale.)
Moth & Whisper #1 Delivers Intrigue and Heart
Moth & Whisper is described by their publisher, AfterShock, as “a Young Adult cyberpunk thriller starring a genderqueer super-thief,” and if that’s not enough to get you on board, I don’t know what to tell you.
The book immediately introduces us to two of the most talented thieves the world has ever seen: the Moth, a mistress of disguise who could be anyone on any street, and the Whisper, an artist of stealth who could be right under your nose without you realizing it. While they’re known to the world as rivals, they’re secretly lovers, and when they go missing, their teenage child has to take up both their mantles if they want to find them.
Jen Hickman Talks About The Cyberpunk World of Moth & Whisper
Moth & Whisper is one of the newest titles that will be coming out soon from AfterShock comics and is a tale of crime, intrigue, glamorous thieves, and a genderqueer protagonist that has to take up the family business(es) if they want to save their family. We had a chance to talk with artist Jen Hickman about the book, their processes and inspiration while working on it, and what we can expect in the future!
Beyond the Adventure Time Finale: Season 11 #1
As a long time fan of Adventure Time since season one, the finale last month was a bittersweet event for me. It’s a show that means a lot to me, and even though I was so happy with the way things wrapped up, I felt a profound sense of loss. After being there for me for ten years, I had to come to grips with the fact that it wouldn’t be anymore.
So when it was announced that Adventure Time would continue in comics form, with the new arc being called “Season 11,” I felt both excited and relieved. But I also wasn’t sure what that meant! How much would it actually feel like a new season of the show? How faithful would it be to the continuity? Would it let us see what happened with some of the plot threads opened in the finale? I was so excited about Marceline and Princess Bubblegum getting together and Simon returning, but I also felt slightly cheated that all this great stuff happened right as the show ended, so I couldn’t enjoy what Ooo was like after these changes.
Adventure Time’s The Beginning of the End Crashes Through Ooo’s History
When this miniseries first started coming out in May, several months in advance of the long-scheduled Adventure Time series finale, I knew it was going to be an emotional ride. With a title like The Beginning of the End, it definitely felt like it was going to be a send-off. And that’s exactly what it is, in its own special Adventure Time way.
So what is The Beginning of the End actually about? Well, when Finn accidentally breaks a time oath he didn’t realize he made, he gets pulled into the fourth dimension as punishment. Even worse, his fate is that he’ll be “removed from time” and all his heroic deeds will be undone, leaving Ooo in peril! Meanwhile, while Finn is busy having existential realizations about his life, Princess Bubblegum is enlisting help from the citizens of Ooo to build a time machine that can send Jake into the fourth dimension to find his brother and bring him back!
An Adventure Time Fan’s First Look At “Marcy & Simon”
Good news for fans of Adventure Time! Since the series ended in September, Boom! Studios just keeps announcing more Adventure Time comics, so we can continue getting our fix of what’s going on in Ooo. Even better news: the latest comic announcement is particular exciting for many of us. Marcy & Simon stars the fan favorite vampire queen and her oldest friend, who recently recovered from a rough 1,000 years of being the brain-scrambled Ice King.
Full disclosure: nobody is more excited about this announcement than me. I have an extremely soft spot in my heart for Simon Petrikov, over whom I have been crying since he was first introduced in the 2011 holiday episode. (By the way, who promises a wholesome holiday special featuring our favorite characters wearing ugly Christmas sweaters and then uses it to introduce that kind of tragedy? Why do you want to hurt me in this way, Adventure Timewriters?)
Comics I Read While Recovering From Surgery
Hi, my name is Jameson Hampton, I’m a critic for Women Write About Comics, and I recently went under the knife for my gender affirming surgery! (Yay!) Now that I’m in recovery, I’m trying to make the best of it: I have air conditioning during this heatwave, I have care packages from some dear friends, and I have a whole pile of comics that I can finally catch up on while I’m off from work! Here’s what I’ve been reading while I’m putting myself back together!
As I mentioned, I’m also the new official Lion Forge Pubwatcher at WWAC! What does that mean? Pubwatches are monthly updates that we run for different comics publishers that include short reviews of their new releases and an overview of what’s been going on with their brand lately. I’ve taken the reins for Lion Forge, known for its graphic novels and the Catalyst Prime superhero universe, which is overseen by Gail Simone. My first three pubwatches are already out if you’d like to check them out, and I’ll be continuing to do one every month! The highlight of my first three months is Rodney Barnes’ Quincredible, which is probably my favorite new comic of 2018! It’s just phenomenal!
Introducing: Lion Forge Pubwatch, October 2018