Geek-Girl #0
Actuality Press
Created and Written by: Sam Johnson
Artist: Sally S. Thompson
Letterer: Jaymes Reed
Inlay Page Letters: Kris Johnson
Reviewer: Robert McClelland
Summary: When 'Little Miss Popular' Ruby Kaye lands a pair of super-tech glasses (invented by brainiac college geek Trevor Goldstein) in a game of Strip Poker, she's granted flight, super-strength, and - due to a flaw in the glasses' programming - super-klutziness!
And this is just the beginning of the changes the glasses will wreak on Ruby...
Review: For a cheap price of 2.50 for a debut comic such as Geek-Girl, I have to say that that is a fairly good price. A price that all comics should be as they used to be instead of close to 5 bucks. Sam has been hyping Geek-Girl a long while now, so if by some mysterious way you haven't heard about this new super chick. Then... Well.. Either you've been under a rock or just been paying attention elsewhere. And if there is a lesson to be learned in all this after you've finished reading this. The lesson would be to not be drunker then a skunk while having a special pair of glasses for high stakes during a strip poker game. Because otherwise, you're just gonna feel like a real idiot when you finally remember things a few hours after you wake up. Personally there's a part of me that wouldn't have minded seeing what Trevor's sister did to him when she tried on his specially made glasses. I know I would certainly be more careful to not let a little kid handle another pair of those in the future! I kind of wonder if Sam having Ruby and her friend make out in order to get those glasses was really all that needed however. Now I could be wrong on that bit of thinking.
I do like how at the start of the story we see Ruby having fun with her new little toy, and then it gradually going into the classic origin telling. My only real problem with Geek-Girl however is the art. Normally I'm the type who tends to like what he sees and rarely has an issue with the art. But for me, its like Sally's art consists of only using only a pencil for any of it and seemingly not putting in a great deal of effort. Making it seem kind of half assed. Excuse my language on that. So if anything, I would consider taking this back to the drawing board and going for a far better effort. Because honestly, this kind of art would more than likely be coming from someone with little experience and is only just starting out. Now yeah, granted I could be wrong on that. And while wanting to get the girl of your dreams by making these special glasses sounds good in theory, you really shouldn't be wanting to steal another man's girl. But in this case, considering how the competition is towards said dream girl. I imagine our Inventor wouldn't have much convincing to do. You know when a creepy dude comes and pops up from out of no where, it can't be a good thing. All in all, I think Ruby had a pretty decent first outing as Geek-Girl. I imagine if she had any knowledge of what our young Inventor had in mind for the glasses, she would either somehow use it to her advantage or just tell him and he would probably try and reap what rewards there may be. Which if done right wouldn't look as douche baggery like. So if you think you can give this a shot despite the art and I imagine there would be some who wouldn't mind it. Then you'll definitely want to give this a try to see for yourself just how well our new Heroine does.
2 out of 5 Stars
Editor's Note: To get yourself a copy of Geek-Girl #0, head on over to the website!
Actuality Press
Created and Written by: Sam Johnson
Artist: Sally S. Thompson
Letterer: Jaymes Reed
Inlay Page Letters: Kris Johnson
Reviewer: Robert McClelland
Summary: When 'Little Miss Popular' Ruby Kaye lands a pair of super-tech glasses (invented by brainiac college geek Trevor Goldstein) in a game of Strip Poker, she's granted flight, super-strength, and - due to a flaw in the glasses' programming - super-klutziness!
And this is just the beginning of the changes the glasses will wreak on Ruby...
Review: For a cheap price of 2.50 for a debut comic such as Geek-Girl, I have to say that that is a fairly good price. A price that all comics should be as they used to be instead of close to 5 bucks. Sam has been hyping Geek-Girl a long while now, so if by some mysterious way you haven't heard about this new super chick. Then... Well.. Either you've been under a rock or just been paying attention elsewhere. And if there is a lesson to be learned in all this after you've finished reading this. The lesson would be to not be drunker then a skunk while having a special pair of glasses for high stakes during a strip poker game. Because otherwise, you're just gonna feel like a real idiot when you finally remember things a few hours after you wake up. Personally there's a part of me that wouldn't have minded seeing what Trevor's sister did to him when she tried on his specially made glasses. I know I would certainly be more careful to not let a little kid handle another pair of those in the future! I kind of wonder if Sam having Ruby and her friend make out in order to get those glasses was really all that needed however. Now I could be wrong on that bit of thinking.
I do like how at the start of the story we see Ruby having fun with her new little toy, and then it gradually going into the classic origin telling. My only real problem with Geek-Girl however is the art. Normally I'm the type who tends to like what he sees and rarely has an issue with the art. But for me, its like Sally's art consists of only using only a pencil for any of it and seemingly not putting in a great deal of effort. Making it seem kind of half assed. Excuse my language on that. So if anything, I would consider taking this back to the drawing board and going for a far better effort. Because honestly, this kind of art would more than likely be coming from someone with little experience and is only just starting out. Now yeah, granted I could be wrong on that. And while wanting to get the girl of your dreams by making these special glasses sounds good in theory, you really shouldn't be wanting to steal another man's girl. But in this case, considering how the competition is towards said dream girl. I imagine our Inventor wouldn't have much convincing to do. You know when a creepy dude comes and pops up from out of no where, it can't be a good thing. All in all, I think Ruby had a pretty decent first outing as Geek-Girl. I imagine if she had any knowledge of what our young Inventor had in mind for the glasses, she would either somehow use it to her advantage or just tell him and he would probably try and reap what rewards there may be. Which if done right wouldn't look as douche baggery like. So if you think you can give this a shot despite the art and I imagine there would be some who wouldn't mind it. Then you'll definitely want to give this a try to see for yourself just how well our new Heroine does.
2 out of 5 Stars
Editor's Note: To get yourself a copy of Geek-Girl #0, head on over to the website!
Legend of OZ #1 [single issue]
Big Dog Ink
Writer: Tom Hutchison
Penciler: Allison Borges
Colorist: Kate Finnegan
Reviewers: Derrick Crow and Robert McClelland
Summary: In a Western version of the Land of OZ, we see how thing have gone since Dorothy arrived and later had the misfortune to run across the Witch of the West.
Derrick's Review: I am at least assuming how things went after her encounter with the Witch of the East... I honestly have no idea what is going on in this issue. I’m not even sure what to fill this review with such little info given to us in this entire issue. The most information we’re given in this issue is the recap that Dorothy landed in OZ with her barn, she stepped out in her cowgirl gear and was given the Wicked Witch of the East’s ruby spurs and pistols to travel with. She went on down the yellow brick road and made some friends along the way, finally making it to the Emerald City where the Wicked Witch was waiting for her.
We then move to another part of OZ where someone asks what happened to Dorothy and the Witch (good on them, I want to know as well) but we’re told that is an answer that will come to us when we’re ready. We then move back to the Emerald City where a woman called Jinjur… sorry, GENERAL Jinjur is having some unknown men mine the underbelly of the nearby caverns for emeralds. And I have to call her general, or this one-dimensional female dog will throw me behind bars for even failing to mention it, I know because I’ve seen her do it.
The Scarecrow, we find out, is also behind bars for some unknown reason, is this the same Scarecrow that traveled with Dorothy on her journey? I imagine so… in an image earlier in the book we’re shown some of the friends Dorothy made on her travels and this version of the Scarecrow certainly looks like she in this image. Yes, this version of Scarecrow is a woman, a mute Native American woman, which isn’t terrible but we learn nothing about her. Why she’s behind bars, does she have the abilities of a Scarecrow? I don’t know, we also see that the Lion is also in jail, and it’s an actual male lion that wears make-up… okay then.
The problem with this book is that it drops you cold turkey into the story and bypasses what is probably the most interesting part of the story with Dorothy’s initial journey that is apparently still ongoing… I guess. We’re introduced to several characters that are given no personality except for one, General Jinjur who is a total b-word. See, the more I write this review I keep wondering to myself if this comic isn’t a sequel series to another western-style OZ story, perhaps the one that actually showcases Dorothy’s adventure? If it is I wish they would tell me instead of expecting me to already know the ins and outs of this world.
The art is gorgeous and rather detailed. Where the story severely lacks, the art beautifully makes up for it. It’s crisp and clean and detailed and makes my eyes happy with movement given to the characters right down to their facial expressions. The colors given the book is a very bright tone that is easy on the eyes and most welcome enhancing the visual experience and complementing the art style well. It mixes browns and greens quite nicely and nothing looks a mess.
Overall this story just isn’t interesting. Perhaps later issues can change my mind on the matter, but as far as an opening issue goes this just doesn’t do its job of hooking me. Which is sad, because I do like Wizard of OZ and I’m totally open to reinventing it to fit another genre of storytelling altogether.
Final Score: 1 Wicked Witch out of 5.
Robert's Review: And a hello to you all folks! You might recall when I joined Jesse on his review of the 3rd issue of this book. And I thought I would do it again for the first issue along side Derrick. And first of all, I definitely have to agree that Jinjur is one heck of a b-word. I do have to admit though, after having seen more of Kate Finnegan's colors I can definitely see why a friend both Derrick and I have seems to really enjoy her work. Although one thing I've noticed is a bit of inconsistency with Tin Man's hands. As it seems like at one point he's wearing gloves and then in another he's not. Is this just something that was unintentionally done or just some sort of thing I'm failing to see? And yeah like Derrick mentions, readers do get dropped right into basically what feels like the middle of the story. Of course at the beginning of the book we get a bit of brief back story into what's already happened with past events. So as best as I can tell, Tom is just using some creative writing to change the original story up.
Which is pretty cool on his part and makes things make a bit more sense with the whole Wild West theme that BDI has going on. Readers will probably get a chuckle out of the fact that Jinjur wasn't entirely competent when it comes to Scarecrow. Got to love her resourcefulness! Like I mentioned in my review for issue 3, I honestly enjoyed the Mice Warriors and it was great to see their first appearance here in a fairly awesome fashion. And boy is the Wicked West one ugly woman! I don't think even a facelift would do much for her! My impression of Glinda is that while she seems a lot more competent then her movie counter part from years back, she still seems fairly unwilling to do anything. While I get wanting the ones you sent out on a journey to be able to handle things themselves, you should still be at least willing to give some help instead of just sitting back and allowing things to get all mucked up. Part of me is unsure why a Lion would be wearing make up.
I imagine at some point there will be an explanation for that. Unless he's got some weird side job as a clown in this world. Another thing I'm wondering about, is why the Wizard doesn't do anything either to keep things from being taken over. Including himself. I know my crazy self would be doing something about it! But I think I can trust Tom and his reasons for how things are and I'm more than willing to go along for the ride. Plus, I like how he writes Tin Man to be a fairly mouthy kind of guy. As it definitely seems Jinjur needs to loosen up and I think Tin Man is the perfect man for the job. Although hopefully it won't wind up with him dead when all is said and done! So if you're ready to feast your eyes on some pleasant art and colors as well as finding your footing with what you'll be reading. Then come on down if you haven't already and get to reading!
3 out of 5 Stars
Editor's Note: To grab yourself a copy of The Wicked West #1, head on over to Big Dog Ink's website!
Big Dog Ink
Writer: Tom Hutchison
Penciler: Allison Borges
Colorist: Kate Finnegan
Reviewers: Derrick Crow and Robert McClelland
Summary: In a Western version of the Land of OZ, we see how thing have gone since Dorothy arrived and later had the misfortune to run across the Witch of the West.
Derrick's Review: I am at least assuming how things went after her encounter with the Witch of the East... I honestly have no idea what is going on in this issue. I’m not even sure what to fill this review with such little info given to us in this entire issue. The most information we’re given in this issue is the recap that Dorothy landed in OZ with her barn, she stepped out in her cowgirl gear and was given the Wicked Witch of the East’s ruby spurs and pistols to travel with. She went on down the yellow brick road and made some friends along the way, finally making it to the Emerald City where the Wicked Witch was waiting for her.
We then move to another part of OZ where someone asks what happened to Dorothy and the Witch (good on them, I want to know as well) but we’re told that is an answer that will come to us when we’re ready. We then move back to the Emerald City where a woman called Jinjur… sorry, GENERAL Jinjur is having some unknown men mine the underbelly of the nearby caverns for emeralds. And I have to call her general, or this one-dimensional female dog will throw me behind bars for even failing to mention it, I know because I’ve seen her do it.
The Scarecrow, we find out, is also behind bars for some unknown reason, is this the same Scarecrow that traveled with Dorothy on her journey? I imagine so… in an image earlier in the book we’re shown some of the friends Dorothy made on her travels and this version of the Scarecrow certainly looks like she in this image. Yes, this version of Scarecrow is a woman, a mute Native American woman, which isn’t terrible but we learn nothing about her. Why she’s behind bars, does she have the abilities of a Scarecrow? I don’t know, we also see that the Lion is also in jail, and it’s an actual male lion that wears make-up… okay then.
The problem with this book is that it drops you cold turkey into the story and bypasses what is probably the most interesting part of the story with Dorothy’s initial journey that is apparently still ongoing… I guess. We’re introduced to several characters that are given no personality except for one, General Jinjur who is a total b-word. See, the more I write this review I keep wondering to myself if this comic isn’t a sequel series to another western-style OZ story, perhaps the one that actually showcases Dorothy’s adventure? If it is I wish they would tell me instead of expecting me to already know the ins and outs of this world.
The art is gorgeous and rather detailed. Where the story severely lacks, the art beautifully makes up for it. It’s crisp and clean and detailed and makes my eyes happy with movement given to the characters right down to their facial expressions. The colors given the book is a very bright tone that is easy on the eyes and most welcome enhancing the visual experience and complementing the art style well. It mixes browns and greens quite nicely and nothing looks a mess.
Overall this story just isn’t interesting. Perhaps later issues can change my mind on the matter, but as far as an opening issue goes this just doesn’t do its job of hooking me. Which is sad, because I do like Wizard of OZ and I’m totally open to reinventing it to fit another genre of storytelling altogether.
Final Score: 1 Wicked Witch out of 5.
Robert's Review: And a hello to you all folks! You might recall when I joined Jesse on his review of the 3rd issue of this book. And I thought I would do it again for the first issue along side Derrick. And first of all, I definitely have to agree that Jinjur is one heck of a b-word. I do have to admit though, after having seen more of Kate Finnegan's colors I can definitely see why a friend both Derrick and I have seems to really enjoy her work. Although one thing I've noticed is a bit of inconsistency with Tin Man's hands. As it seems like at one point he's wearing gloves and then in another he's not. Is this just something that was unintentionally done or just some sort of thing I'm failing to see? And yeah like Derrick mentions, readers do get dropped right into basically what feels like the middle of the story. Of course at the beginning of the book we get a bit of brief back story into what's already happened with past events. So as best as I can tell, Tom is just using some creative writing to change the original story up.
Which is pretty cool on his part and makes things make a bit more sense with the whole Wild West theme that BDI has going on. Readers will probably get a chuckle out of the fact that Jinjur wasn't entirely competent when it comes to Scarecrow. Got to love her resourcefulness! Like I mentioned in my review for issue 3, I honestly enjoyed the Mice Warriors and it was great to see their first appearance here in a fairly awesome fashion. And boy is the Wicked West one ugly woman! I don't think even a facelift would do much for her! My impression of Glinda is that while she seems a lot more competent then her movie counter part from years back, she still seems fairly unwilling to do anything. While I get wanting the ones you sent out on a journey to be able to handle things themselves, you should still be at least willing to give some help instead of just sitting back and allowing things to get all mucked up. Part of me is unsure why a Lion would be wearing make up.
I imagine at some point there will be an explanation for that. Unless he's got some weird side job as a clown in this world. Another thing I'm wondering about, is why the Wizard doesn't do anything either to keep things from being taken over. Including himself. I know my crazy self would be doing something about it! But I think I can trust Tom and his reasons for how things are and I'm more than willing to go along for the ride. Plus, I like how he writes Tin Man to be a fairly mouthy kind of guy. As it definitely seems Jinjur needs to loosen up and I think Tin Man is the perfect man for the job. Although hopefully it won't wind up with him dead when all is said and done! So if you're ready to feast your eyes on some pleasant art and colors as well as finding your footing with what you'll be reading. Then come on down if you haven't already and get to reading!
3 out of 5 Stars
Editor's Note: To grab yourself a copy of The Wicked West #1, head on over to Big Dog Ink's website!