A Blast From Years Past!
Hosted by that Derrick Crow guy!
Pantalones, TX: Zombinata
Archaia Entertainment
Writer: Yehudi Mercado
Penciler: Yehudi Mercado
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: The gang goes out for all hallows eve and discovers the deadly secret to Pinatas, and what you don’t do to them on Halloween!
Review: This wasn’t a very long story, none of these are really, but that’s okay. They’re all meant to get kids into comics and provide, fun, free, all ages’ adventures. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But did this story step up in those requirements? Actually, yeah, I found myself really digging this little ragtag adventure. I know nothing of the comic Pantalones, TX in which this story is set in but I’m always down for something new.
The characters were all genuinely likeable; the art is alright, not my favorite but entertaining. The characters also seemed to have personality, AND they have a damn Corgi on their team! That’s my favorite dog, and instantly won me over. If you’re into some kid friendly zombie fun, and just a fun story overall, check this out if you ever come across it. It’s free.
Final Score: 4 Pantalones out of 5
Cow Boy: Hallow’s
Archaia Entertainment
Writer: Nate Crosby
Penciler: Chris Eliopoulos
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: The now famous Cow Boy runs into another famous cowboy of sorts, or vigilante I should say in the form of Billy the Kid. And the exchange is not exactly what you’d be forgiven for expecting.
Review: I’ve liked what little of Cow Boy I’ve read so far throughout the years, but this one while it WAS good, it had nothing to do with Halloween. And no comic has to even be on Halloween, but the cover and title of the story invokes the idea that it’s going to be Halloween related. The whole short story is mostly some conversations between Billy the Kid’s sidekick, Cow Boy, and then Billy the Kid himself; very little action in this one. Overall, I thought the story was pretty solid and hope Billy is seen again in the main series as an ally of sorts. But I do wish comics would stop advertising they’re “a part of something” that they’re clearly not once you actually get into it.
The characters of each of these figures are likeable, and the art is pretty good. I like Eliopoulos’ style quite a bit. If you’re really big into the Cow Boy series then this is a pretty nice addition to the collection, but perhaps it’s not the best introduction to the series.
Final Score: 2.5 Sibling Outlaws out of 5
New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes
Red Circle Comics
Writer: Ian Flynn
Penciler: Ben Bates
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: The older generation of heroes have a reunion under the house of one of their friends. It’s like a big ole family get together, with their kids having a blast. But not everything is sunshine and roses when you have a history of beating bad guys…
Review: I’ll be honest; I actually did not go into this with very high expectations. On the outside, it looked pretty generic but man was I completely surprised. I really wanna jump on the New Crusaders series now. When there is an older generation of heroes and a younger generation, very rarely anymore do we get to see the actual family dynamics that come with being lifelong teammates and friends; even in retirement. When they would mention other heroes who hadn’t shown up for the banquet, it actually made me feel good inside because already there was this rich history being introduced that I barely see anywhere else.
We didn’t really get to spend time getting to know the characters themselves, I’m sure that will come in time, and the art is pretty generic for a cartoony style story. The costumes too, feel much uninspired, and only added to my original low expectations. I am glad though, that I ended up really enjoying this and cannot wait to read more.
Final Score: 4 Old School Crusaders out of 5
Archaia Entertainment
Writer: Yehudi Mercado
Penciler: Yehudi Mercado
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: The gang goes out for all hallows eve and discovers the deadly secret to Pinatas, and what you don’t do to them on Halloween!
Review: This wasn’t a very long story, none of these are really, but that’s okay. They’re all meant to get kids into comics and provide, fun, free, all ages’ adventures. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But did this story step up in those requirements? Actually, yeah, I found myself really digging this little ragtag adventure. I know nothing of the comic Pantalones, TX in which this story is set in but I’m always down for something new.
The characters were all genuinely likeable; the art is alright, not my favorite but entertaining. The characters also seemed to have personality, AND they have a damn Corgi on their team! That’s my favorite dog, and instantly won me over. If you’re into some kid friendly zombie fun, and just a fun story overall, check this out if you ever come across it. It’s free.
Final Score: 4 Pantalones out of 5
Cow Boy: Hallow’s
Archaia Entertainment
Writer: Nate Crosby
Penciler: Chris Eliopoulos
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: The now famous Cow Boy runs into another famous cowboy of sorts, or vigilante I should say in the form of Billy the Kid. And the exchange is not exactly what you’d be forgiven for expecting.
Review: I’ve liked what little of Cow Boy I’ve read so far throughout the years, but this one while it WAS good, it had nothing to do with Halloween. And no comic has to even be on Halloween, but the cover and title of the story invokes the idea that it’s going to be Halloween related. The whole short story is mostly some conversations between Billy the Kid’s sidekick, Cow Boy, and then Billy the Kid himself; very little action in this one. Overall, I thought the story was pretty solid and hope Billy is seen again in the main series as an ally of sorts. But I do wish comics would stop advertising they’re “a part of something” that they’re clearly not once you actually get into it.
The characters of each of these figures are likeable, and the art is pretty good. I like Eliopoulos’ style quite a bit. If you’re really big into the Cow Boy series then this is a pretty nice addition to the collection, but perhaps it’s not the best introduction to the series.
Final Score: 2.5 Sibling Outlaws out of 5
New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes
Red Circle Comics
Writer: Ian Flynn
Penciler: Ben Bates
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: The older generation of heroes have a reunion under the house of one of their friends. It’s like a big ole family get together, with their kids having a blast. But not everything is sunshine and roses when you have a history of beating bad guys…
Review: I’ll be honest; I actually did not go into this with very high expectations. On the outside, it looked pretty generic but man was I completely surprised. I really wanna jump on the New Crusaders series now. When there is an older generation of heroes and a younger generation, very rarely anymore do we get to see the actual family dynamics that come with being lifelong teammates and friends; even in retirement. When they would mention other heroes who hadn’t shown up for the banquet, it actually made me feel good inside because already there was this rich history being introduced that I barely see anywhere else.
We didn’t really get to spend time getting to know the characters themselves, I’m sure that will come in time, and the art is pretty generic for a cartoony style story. The costumes too, feel much uninspired, and only added to my original low expectations. I am glad though, that I ended up really enjoying this and cannot wait to read more.
Final Score: 4 Old School Crusaders out of 5
Spacehawk: The Superhuman Enemy of Crime
Fantagraphics Books
Writer: Basil Wolverton
Penciler: Basil Wolverton
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: Spacehawk must travel to a Pirate Planet to save a team of marooned Space Cops, and the resulting action is both intriguing and horrifying.
Review: Wow, this WAS a wholly different beast than any of the other books I ended up reading. On every conceivable level; this was no rated R book, but not entirely sure if it was one most parents would consider allowing their kids to read. Personally? I think the kids could handle it, but it’s whatever. The story, along with the art, is like one big time capsule back to the 60s. Obviously I wasn’t born then, but I have read comics from the era and I’m pretty sure this was purposely meant to invoke that.
And in fact, I think it did a better job at doing it than most comics actually from that era. I don’t know anything about Spacehawk outside this story, so if he has a long history I wasn’t aware. The amount of space craziness in this was a welcome addition to as we just don’t see much like that anymore. The art was great, and while all the characters were one-note the adventure was pretty fun. I recommend.
Final Score: 4 Hornisaurs out of 5
Axe Cop #0-4 + The Night Monster
Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Malachai Nicolle
Penciler: Ethan Nicolle
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: The summary is in the title, the Axe Cop goes around chasing down criminals in all sorts of weird and glorious fashions.
Review: I’m not 100% on how long Axe Cop stories really are, I don’t read the web comic nor have I bought the physical editions yet (or seen the animated series, I’m REALLY behind), BUT I am very much aware of the absurdity behind it all. And that ain’t a bad thing, especially when you consider this all literally comes out of the mind of a little kid, you have to admire all the unique, creative things that come out of this. The best part even is the characters in this world play it completely straight and it’s a lot of fun. One thing I never realized though that even for a little kid Axe Cop is decidedly dark. I guess it just goes to show that sheltering your kids really won’t do a ton of good if their committing toddler mass murders in their comics and not batting an eye about it.
The art is great, and I really commend the older brother Ethan for coming up with this idea. It’s fun inventive and obviously allows him to really stretch his art to the limits and beyond. You really have to be well versed in order to get a lot of this illustrated right and it look good. Fortunately, he pulls it off and turns this into a recommended introduction to Axe Cop. And it’s free.
Final Score: 3 Avacado Cops out of 5
Ernest & Rebecca: The Haunted House
Papercutz
Writer: Guillame Blanco
Penciler: Antonello Dalena
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: Minus Ernest, Rebecca meets some new friends who offer her 3 challenges to get into their friends group. And so the trials begin…
Review: This was surpisingly heartfelt. I’m not sure what else to say, so I’ll try. Despite not having Ernest in it, I thought Rebecca held up well on her own very nicely. She is a little girl who acts just like a little girl, but is also not completely oblivious to the adult things going on around her. The bullies, too, weren’t complete jerks which I really fount touching. There is talk of a Haunted House in this issue, but we never see it. And I did have a problem with that, as the story seems to end too abruptly, but at the end of the day what I read was familial troubles leaning in the background on our characters just trying to have fun.
And that was very surreal. I may just be behind on everything in the world, but it did seem very fresh and heavy. I think, overall, this story reminded me of a Studio Ghibli short set in a Studio Ghibli world. That’s pretty high praise. The art too is astonishing and again adds to that whole Ghibli compliment. I am definitely picking me up some more Ernest & Rebecca.
Final Score: 4.5 Challenges out of 5
Fantagraphics Books
Writer: Basil Wolverton
Penciler: Basil Wolverton
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: Spacehawk must travel to a Pirate Planet to save a team of marooned Space Cops, and the resulting action is both intriguing and horrifying.
Review: Wow, this WAS a wholly different beast than any of the other books I ended up reading. On every conceivable level; this was no rated R book, but not entirely sure if it was one most parents would consider allowing their kids to read. Personally? I think the kids could handle it, but it’s whatever. The story, along with the art, is like one big time capsule back to the 60s. Obviously I wasn’t born then, but I have read comics from the era and I’m pretty sure this was purposely meant to invoke that.
And in fact, I think it did a better job at doing it than most comics actually from that era. I don’t know anything about Spacehawk outside this story, so if he has a long history I wasn’t aware. The amount of space craziness in this was a welcome addition to as we just don’t see much like that anymore. The art was great, and while all the characters were one-note the adventure was pretty fun. I recommend.
Final Score: 4 Hornisaurs out of 5
Axe Cop #0-4 + The Night Monster
Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Malachai Nicolle
Penciler: Ethan Nicolle
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: The summary is in the title, the Axe Cop goes around chasing down criminals in all sorts of weird and glorious fashions.
Review: I’m not 100% on how long Axe Cop stories really are, I don’t read the web comic nor have I bought the physical editions yet (or seen the animated series, I’m REALLY behind), BUT I am very much aware of the absurdity behind it all. And that ain’t a bad thing, especially when you consider this all literally comes out of the mind of a little kid, you have to admire all the unique, creative things that come out of this. The best part even is the characters in this world play it completely straight and it’s a lot of fun. One thing I never realized though that even for a little kid Axe Cop is decidedly dark. I guess it just goes to show that sheltering your kids really won’t do a ton of good if their committing toddler mass murders in their comics and not batting an eye about it.
The art is great, and I really commend the older brother Ethan for coming up with this idea. It’s fun inventive and obviously allows him to really stretch his art to the limits and beyond. You really have to be well versed in order to get a lot of this illustrated right and it look good. Fortunately, he pulls it off and turns this into a recommended introduction to Axe Cop. And it’s free.
Final Score: 3 Avacado Cops out of 5
Ernest & Rebecca: The Haunted House
Papercutz
Writer: Guillame Blanco
Penciler: Antonello Dalena
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: Minus Ernest, Rebecca meets some new friends who offer her 3 challenges to get into their friends group. And so the trials begin…
Review: This was surpisingly heartfelt. I’m not sure what else to say, so I’ll try. Despite not having Ernest in it, I thought Rebecca held up well on her own very nicely. She is a little girl who acts just like a little girl, but is also not completely oblivious to the adult things going on around her. The bullies, too, weren’t complete jerks which I really fount touching. There is talk of a Haunted House in this issue, but we never see it. And I did have a problem with that, as the story seems to end too abruptly, but at the end of the day what I read was familial troubles leaning in the background on our characters just trying to have fun.
And that was very surreal. I may just be behind on everything in the world, but it did seem very fresh and heavy. I think, overall, this story reminded me of a Studio Ghibli short set in a Studio Ghibli world. That’s pretty high praise. The art too is astonishing and again adds to that whole Ghibli compliment. I am definitely picking me up some more Ernest & Rebecca.
Final Score: 4.5 Challenges out of 5
Vamplets: The Legend of the Ghost Pony
Action Lab Comics
Writers: Gayle Middleton and Dave Dwonch
Pencilers: Amanda Coronado, David Dwonch, Bill Blankenship
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: Destiny Harper and her esteemed partner in taking care of the Vamplets, the giant walking cockroach Rasket, must entertain the children with the tale of the Ghost Pony.
Review: This is a nice introductory to the series of Vamplets. It shows off all of the characters and some of the weird things that go on in their creepy little town. It also gives us a glimpse into some of the stories to come, with continuing adventures involving the Ghost Ponies. I like Rasket and Destiny, but they’re the only two featured prominently throughout this. I also found the Legend of the Ghost Pony to be pretty clunky but, eh, it’s whatever. It was definitely unique.
The art style is very manga inspired and I really dig it, I think it fits the tone of the series nicely. For a fun little romp, Vamplets isn’t a bad choice but I just don’t think this one is entirely for me.
Final Score: 3 Ghost Ponies out of 5
Action Lab Comics
Writers: Gayle Middleton and Dave Dwonch
Pencilers: Amanda Coronado, David Dwonch, Bill Blankenship
Reviewer: Derrick Crow
Summary: Destiny Harper and her esteemed partner in taking care of the Vamplets, the giant walking cockroach Rasket, must entertain the children with the tale of the Ghost Pony.
Review: This is a nice introductory to the series of Vamplets. It shows off all of the characters and some of the weird things that go on in their creepy little town. It also gives us a glimpse into some of the stories to come, with continuing adventures involving the Ghost Ponies. I like Rasket and Destiny, but they’re the only two featured prominently throughout this. I also found the Legend of the Ghost Pony to be pretty clunky but, eh, it’s whatever. It was definitely unique.
The art style is very manga inspired and I really dig it, I think it fits the tone of the series nicely. For a fun little romp, Vamplets isn’t a bad choice but I just don’t think this one is entirely for me.
Final Score: 3 Ghost Ponies out of 5