Rumble #5

There are so many awesome things going on in comics right now but 99% of it is happening on the side lines of the big two. My favorite series are coming out of Darkhorse, Image and Boom Studios, smattered across a myriad of smaller labels. Rumble is on that list of favorites. John Arcudi and James Harren make such a amazing duo. Harren's artwork suits the story so completely that I just can't imagine this story existing in any other form. There are always so many books where I feel the artist and writer lacked an understand for each other. Perhaps communication errors because the story and the illustrations felt so disconnected; as if you were reading two separate books.

Rumble is the  ultimate supernatural action series with just the right amount of witty comedy. I'm always shocked and thrilled whenever physical comedy is pulled off in a comic. It's a sign of a truly gifted illustrator. Arcudi writes these perfect moments which you can see translating to film very easily because it's relying completely on physical movement and circumstances. There's a subtly to it and Harren gets it spot on.

As for where this story has gone, I've come to really enjoy Rathraq more than I thought I would. Who would have thought a giant warrior scarecrow could be so endearing? More-so than that, I really enjoy this world of demons and gods. It has more fun than the average story and sometimes reminds me of Vertigo's Lucifer series. I keep remembering a specific little gargoyle character but I read Lucifer so long ago his name escapes me. At any rate, you should check out Rumble as this issue wraps up the first story arc. Great time to get onboard.

Exclusive Interview with Alex De Campi

I am so excited to bring you this interview. Writer Alex De Campi's career has spanned different types of media but I think us ladies in the comic world particularly look up to her work in the comic industry. In the past she's brought us IDW title Smoke, her Eisner Award nominated manga from Tokyo Pop Kat and Mouse, and the acclaimed European release Messiah Complex. Currently you can see Alex's name on two very exciting new series. Archie vs Predator has made a lasting impression on a generation of Archie readers both new and old, while her exciting collaboration with comic giant Carla Speed McNeil  No Mercy has released simultaneously. Issue one of both series are available in stores now! I wanted to discuss both series with Alex so without further pandering on from me here is the interview!

TFQ: Alex, you've been busy! What is it like to work on two stories so drastically different?

Alex: It's actually lovely to work on very different stories. They work different muscles, as it were -- I don't know how some writers stay in the same genre their whole life. I suppose "my" genre is Thriller, but it's nice to break that up with a slasher/comedy like Archie vs Predator. Some of the creator-owned work can be very tiring/demanding. Not that I don't put my all into work for hire, but No Mercy -- I'm juggling about 10 different plot lines / characters. And the spy book I just finished writing, we're doing a lot of very innovative visual storytelling in it. It all looks easy on the page, but you have to work very hard to make it look easy.

TFQ: Is it hard to write in someone else's imagined world with iconic characters like Archie and the Riverdale crew? What kind of challenges did you face?

Alex: A good writer is a chameleon. We do our research, soak up the characters, and then disappear into them. I read about 4,000 pages of Archie comics in prep for this (Archie kindly sent me a whole pile of giant digests) and so by the time I sat down to write the kids, it was pretty easy. I tend to write the zanier, edgier Archie characters of the late 40s and 1950s, they're my favourites. And I can write Betty and Veronica aaaall day.

TFQ: How did you come up with the ideas behind No Mercy? We're there any real life events that inspired this book?

Alex: I've lived outside the US for a large part of my life, and I did a lot of stupid things overseas as a teenager that probably should have gotten me killed, or at least bitchslapped REALLY hard. So much of writing is taking a feeling or an experience and just tweaking it a little more, pulling at a dangling thread a little harder, and saying "what if?" What if I had gotten what I deserved? What if my luck ran out? And now I'm older, and understand more about the nature of tragedy and its after-effects, so I'm stronger at writing it... the little moments, they're the ones that count.

TFQ: I am a die hard fan of Carla Speed. How did you hook up with her on this project and what was the collaboration process like?

Alex: We had worked on a couple projects together, had friends in common, and I thought she drew the greatest teenagers in the world (see: Finder: Voice). So we were hanging out at Baltimore Comicon one year and I was talking about No Mercy and how I couldn't find the right artist for it and there was this pause, and then she just said, "I'll draw it". Obvs I said "sure", then excused myself, went into the bathroom, shut the stall door and happy danced silently for about five minutes straight!

TFQ: Just for fun, what are you reading right now? What are you absolutely in love with from today's current comic trends?

Alex: What I'm reading: The Tale of Genji (Royall Tyler translation). Man Without A Face: the autobiography of Markus Wolf.

Oh! Comic books. I'm afraid I'm not going to surprise anyone -- I read Saga and Wicked/Divine like everyone else. I just finished mainlining all the books of of Gisèle Lagace's Ménage À 3, which is so fun and addictive.

ARCHIE VS PREDATOR #2 IS AVAILABLE MAY 20th!!

NO MERCY #2 IS AVAILABLE MAY 6th!

Royal Jelly: April 29th 2015

Floppies:
Jem & the Holograms #2
Bitch Planet #4
Rumble #5
Spread #7
Hellbreak #2
Silver Surfer # 11

HC:
Sword of Glass

Manga:
Dorohedoro #15

I can tell you right now that I'm most excited for my hard cover edition of Sword of Glass from Humanoids. This is what I'd been looking the most forward to this month. I was very lucky to interview artist Laura Zucherri about her award winning illustrations! You can check that out HERE.

From Image we've got the release of one of my favorite current series! Rumble #5 is out Wednesday. If you haven't checked out Rumble, you should start as soon as possible. John Arcudi and James Harren have combined their talents once again to create an exciting supernatural story to keep you salivating for more. Quite possibly one of the most unique supernatural adventures I've ever read. I always look forward to getting my copy!

BigViz is finally spitting out the fifteenth volume in my favorite Manga series Dorohedoro. This horror story about wizards has made me laugh, cry, shout and beg for more.  You see what I'm dealing with this week!? A truly AWESOME Wednesday night for this girl.

Please feel free to interact, comment and tell me what you are most looking forward to, what you think of these books and more! I love interacting with those who are passionate about comics. It makes my day whenever I receive a comment or email!

Manifest Destiny #14

This is still one of my favorite on-going series. I never read an issue of Manifest Destiny and feel as though I've been cheated like I do with many current series. Enough happens in each issue to make the pick up of singles worth while and I'm always excited to see what the monster of the month will be.

It occurred to me, and others via facebook, that not a whole lot of people are reading this book and that makes me sad. There must be plenty of other people out there reading this, maybe it's just a bunch of people who I don't know. I had someone remark last night as I posted a pic of recent issue #14, that they had never heard of the series and couldn't understand why there would be monsters since it appeared to be a historical piece. He's not wrong but it's a historically based piece with monsters. Perhaps the genre classification is making it difficult for people to pick up the book?

 I was glad to see at least one facebook friend who's been giving the series the attention it deserves. She says she always tells people about the buffalo centaurs, while I have always been quite taken with the giant frog beasts, naturally. Yet no matter where your taste runs in horrific magical creatures, there's something in it for you no doubt. The series has seen a wide array of monsters and creatures that devour, poison, and hypnotize to name a few. Giant mosquitoes, deadly fauna that turns people into fungal/plant zombies, and recently crazy bird-like creatures that rip people to shreds. Rest assured, I know there is a monster perfectly tailored to your own personal nightmare. I guess that means I have to ask you, why haven't you read Manifest Destiny?

The Legend of the Scarlet Blades

Last week Humanoids released this beast on the English speaking world. The story centers around a one-armed Ronin with no memory of his past. Italian artists Saverio Tenuta started working with Les Humanoids in 2006 when the first four volumes of Scarlet Blades had been published. Initially I was completely taken by the tortured beauty of the book. The whole book looks as if it was painted with blood for all the red that was used.

There are a lot of familiar looking characters in this book, the spirits may remind you of the spirits in Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. From my paltry knowledge of Japanese mythology, these artistic interpretations are based on ancient accounts. That being said, isn't it pretty!? In this story there is a character who was born disfigured and has rebuilt her body using magic. During her rituals many of these little white spirits appear and that greatly reminded me of the kodama (little tree spirits) in Princess Mononoke. Additionally, the giant wolves which threaten the people of small villages in this fuedal Japan, may remind you of the giant wolves in Miyazaki's masterpiece. However you will find stark differences between them, I can't help but think Tenuta was greatly influenced by Miyazaki. I have to say I enjoy Tenuta's linx-eared wolves a great deal more aesthetically.

In the end, this story is a dramatic one, but also a book you will find a great deal of trouble with in terms of putting it down. I was taken with it's beauty but the story itself is one that will leave a last impression.

Royal Jelly: April 22nd 2015

The weekend is over but you know what that means? Time for a new pull list. Here's what I am looking forward to:

Floppies
Nightbreed 12
Curb Stomp 3
Lazarus 16
Manifest Destiny 14
Invisible Republic 2
Kaptara 1
The Empty 3

HC
The Realist

It's really a big Boom and Image week for me personally. I've got my two favorite Boom series Nightbreed and Curb Stomp to look forward to while Image throws me some favs with Manifest Destiny and Lazarus. Image launches a new title called Kaptara this week. It's a science fiction adventure where a crew becomes stranded on distant planet Kaptara. Chip Zdarsky from Sex Criminals is going to take you for this while ride as illustrator. He's joined forces for this one with writer Kagan McLeod.

Archaia Boom is releasing iconic illustrator Asaf Hanuka's autobiographical webcomic The Realist in an awesome Hard Cover edition for the first time in English. This is a book filled with shocking and seductive images. I'm a huge fan of The Divine which is being release for the first time English by First Second later this year, so I'm looking forward to reading this piece.

Run Love Kill #1

Horrible way to open a review but: I'm not sure why I wasn't completely taken with this story. I love science fiction, I love action and adventure, so why wasn't I completely sucked in. My mind was trailing off quite a bit. I loved the artwork, that is certain but I feel as though I hadn't fully grasped onto what this world was all about. I didn't feel seduced by the escapism like I normally do. This sort of thing sometimes happens to me with monthlies.

Succeeding with monthly serials means overcoming some large challenges and hurdles. Some mini series often strike me as being best released as a whole rather than a monthly for the simple fact that there is not enough of the story in one issue to fill a readers imagination. I feel that this is what happened here. Towards the end of the story, I became more attentive yet couldn't help but feel a little indifferent. I wasn't completely absent from my day to day life which is a sign that this opening issue wasn't a complete success.                                                                                              

I will read the rest of the series because I am a fan of Eric Canete's work. I hope the story will live up to his art. I can't say I was familiar with the name Jon Tsuei except that I heard he worked on Comic Book Tatoo which I remember glancing at because I was intrigued by the fact it centered around Tori Amos (big fan in my young years). I can't remember his contribution.

As a side note, I can't quite tell why people keep comparing Run Love Kill to Blade Runner. The story didn't strike me as being reminiscent of a Philip K. Dick novel, which leads me to believe that people relate things to what they see on a screen more-so than what they have read (besides the fact that I'm sure fewer people than I could guess, have probably read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep... maybe they read the comic). If Philip K. Dick had written this story, I would expect to know the characters much better in the first few pages and have a keener sense of how this world worked.

Although this review seems horribly negative, I am not simply dismissing the book right off. I do think it has potential, I just wish there was a little more of the book for me to firmly grasp. Such is the life of a monthly serial.

Exclusive Interview with Andrew MacLean on ApocalyptiGirl !!

So there's been some buzz on the interwebs about Andrew MacLean and his first full original graphic novel. The post apocalyptic adventure is slated to be released in May by Darkhorse (You can currently pre-order online for June 2nd). I kept seeing the cover in various spots over the last few months and decided to contact Andrew because I HAD to read this book. Lovely chap that he is, Andrew let me read the story in full and he even discussed how he brought his vision to life.

Having finished the book I have to say it's put Andrew on my list for future artists/creators who I am keeping a close eye on. I love this book, love the artwork and the vision behind the story. It is a charming twist on the typical apocalyptic story, full of hope and beauty. The story follows Aria and her companion Jelly Beans the cat, on an adventurous mission which involves dangerous locals. She hopes to return home but must complete a specific quest. This is definitely on my list of top books for 2015!

TFQ: This is first, full length original graphic novel, written and illustrated by yourself,. How do you feel about that accomplishment?

Andrew: Feels good! I really like writing for myself and really really liked the freedom of the longer page count. And even though it was a ton of work, coloring it myself was nice too because you get to kind of compete your own vision rather than hand it off to another artist.

TFQ: Can you tell me a bit about the development of ApocalyptiGirl?

Andrew: Like the majority of my story ideas, it started as a simple drawing with no real purpose other than to be something (hopefully) nice to look at. Often when I create a one-off character like that I start to get curious about who they are and wheels start to turn somewhat absently and before long I start to realize I'm on to something I actually want to explore more. From there, I think of the type of world they might be in and what other characters populate it. But really once I get a clear idea of what all that is, the characters have already started to decide what they want to do for themselves. Which is an artsy-fartsy way of saying, I don't really have a clear idea of how it all comes together.

TFQ: So why a cat?!
Andrew: When I lived in New Jersey, just outside of NYC, the area I lived in was home to a sort of "crazy-cat-lady," and all her cats would travel around with her as she walked the street, and many of these cats rode along with her sticking their heads out of a partially zipper up wheeled suitcase. Very happily too! They legitimately seemed to PREFER riding inside a piece of luggage. I just always thought that was really funny, and early on I thought of Aria as a kind of 19 or 20 year crazy cat lady like the one I knew in Jersey. The idea being that Aria had created these relationships with the cats out of loneliness in the solitude of the apocalypse. But eventually I realized a relationship with just one cat would be more charming than a whole bunch. So, just Jelly Beans. - When I named him Jelly Beans, I was literally just eating a bowl of jelly beans. That's all. Nothing special.

TFQ: I feel like your work is strongly influenced by many of my favorite artists. I see a bit of Brandon Graham in your work. Can you tell me a bit about the artists who inspire you?

Andrew: I don't generally site Brandon Graham as an influence, but I think we soak up bits and pieces of things from everywhere and I do like his work so there very well could be some of him in there. But otherwise, I used to site Mike Mignola, Grabiel Ba, Fabio Moon, Toby Cypress, Rafael Grampa, Sam Bosma, but after a time its hard to keep track of what your taking in. I like a lot of things I'm seeing from all the folks in the indy scene, what I refer to as SPX stuff, modern animation is getting real fun, tumblr brings me a ton of European comic artists that are just amazing. But other than that, I wanted ApocalyptiGirl to have a bit of a Manga vibe, so I was looking at a lot of Katsuhiro Otomo and Taiyo Matsumoto at the time.

TFQ: What's next for you after Apocalyptic Girl?!

Andrew: I'm going to do more work on my Head Lopper comics. That's my main focus this year. I hope to finish out the arch I started in 2013-2014. Other than that I have a few odd ball one shots I'm doing with folks and maybe some other things I'm still ironing out.

Royal Jelly: April 15th 2015

Things are finally getting back to normal for me so hopefully my pull list will be a bit more spot on! Somehow I managed to forget a few things over the last few weeks. That's what moving does to you. Anyway here's what I'm looking at. You should check them out as well.

Floppies:
Dark Gods #5
Archie vs Predator #1
The Kitchen #6
D4VE #3
Chrononauts #2
Fade Out #5
Shutter #11
Run Love Kill #1
Thor #7
True Believers Old Man Logan #1
Spiderman and the X-Men #5

HC
The Filth Deluxe Edition
Legend of the Scarlet Blades
Girl in Dior

Allow me to start by say that everyone should be reading Ryan Ferrier's D4VE. This comic has brought me much joy since it's made it's way to publication through IDW. Very witty, insightful and full of comedy.

There of course are my usual pulls, but there are a few new things I'd like to bring to your attention!! ATTENTION!! YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT ERIC CANETE'S RUNLOVEKILL! I really enjoy Eric Canete's artwork and I get excited about his projects. Why does the cover look all CGI crazy? Well this creator owned comic features designer Leonardo Olea's 3D model made specially for the comic. What a catchy title for a comic eh?

From Humanoids this week we will see the release of The Legend of the Scarlet Blades. I started reading this earlier this week and it is not to be missed. Humanoids continues to release breathtaking material from around the globe. The book will be released in the typical Humanoids hard cover which feel like it ought to cost a lot more than $29.99. Humanoids has been literally taking over my shelf space for the past two years.. I need more shelves. They look so hot.

French artist Annie Goetzinger's Girl in Dior is finally making it's way to North America after it's impressive and celebrated French release. It follows the story of a young reporter who ends up working for Christian Dior.

Archie Vs Predator #1

I wasn't the biggest Archie fan as a kid. I did read some of the Digest, of course they were my parent's digests and other abandoned magazines and comics from the baby boomers collected from yard sales, etc. I never really got why people were so crazy about Archie, especially Betty and Veronica (I never really got why people were always comparing me to Veronica either but that's another story). What was so great about Archie? The stories never really appealed to me but I appreciated what others saw in the stories. When this title was announced, I got pretty excited because well, I can get behind anything horror. That is something those wholesome kids pretty much belong in (stay tuned for my review of Sabrina #2).

The whole story starts our pretty tongue in cheek as one would find fitting. It doesn't take long for Veronica to get involved in a contest in which zainity ensues. It's already been released that the kids end up leaving Riverdale for a vacation so I don't feel I'm spoiling anything by saying so. The rest I will leave for you to find out.

As far as first issues go, I was pretty entertained and I am soo anxious to see what happens to the kids when they come face to face with a predator. I'm hoping Veronica pulls some punches or goes all hero and saves the crew but I'm sure Archie will end up in the spotlight, even as sole survivor. Ooo.. a little grim eh?

The whole series totals four issues written by Grindhouse celeb Alex de Campi! Darkhorse is delivering this goodie to a store near you this Wednesday (that's April 15th!).

All-New Hawkeye #2

I said I would keep you updated on Jeff Lemire's Hawkeye run, so I'm making good. Turns out of course that Lemire can't leave creepy alone. You know that awkward, squishy feeling you get in your chest when you see something just not quite right... like deformed children hooked up to machines for GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT. Maybe I'm the only one who gets that feeling but it happened with Sweet Tooth and it's happening now with Descender. Looks like Hawkeye is making me feel the same way. Awkward squishy.

There's a lot less of Aja's style in this issue. Most of the issue focuses on flashbacks from Clint's childhood which become relevant to present day. Therefore Ramon Perez's watercolor floods the pages. This style fits the tone of the flashbacks as memories flood over Clint while he struggles to find Kate and these mysterious science-experiment-freak-kids. Innocent as they are assumed to be, I'm going to er on the side of caution and assume they are CHUDs...because they look like CHUDS.

On a whole other plus side, have you taken a good look at this cover? Is it not awesome!? There is a frog!!! Seriously loving this rosy pink. It's like a color from the sky before twilight. What's that saying? "Pink sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Pink Sky at night, sailors delight." It's the dawn of new and dangerous adventures for Hawkeye as we say goodnight to Fractions run.

Reanimator #1

My history and love of the Reanimator movies happens to be prolific. I remember the first time I saw it, I remember the first person who recommended I see it and I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing the first time I watched it. I remember buying it from a giant HMV in Ottawa, the rest I'll keep to myself as both have mention of x-boyfriends and really, who cares about those specifics.

I couldn't be more thrilled with the new comic book series. The scripting is witty and captivating. I can hear the actor Jeffrey Combs's voice clearly in my mind as I read the lines of Dr. Herbert West in print. It's not the first time that the story has made it's way into comic form. Dynamite has published different variations stories of the Reanimator several times and they go down in absolutely expertly told Lovecraftian history. The original story written sometime in 1921. Take that modern science fiction. You throw some Cuthulu in there and what is there to complain about!? Nothing really...well... one minor complaint, another damsel in distress, another female love interest and why would anyone fall in love with creepy old Herbert West?! This is where suspended belief really comes into play.

All in all the artwork is pretty typical for Dynamite Comics. Randy Valiente is not really barking up my artist tree but he's clearly talented however, a little uninspired. I guess if Paul Pope or Tyler Jenkins drew every comics, I'd probably be in dead and in my own little slice of heaven. So what are you gonna do? All in all, fun read. The mini series ends at four so check it out before it's over!

The Metabarons

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that I am a huge fan of Alejandro Jodorowsky, yet I only became a fan last year when my friend Nevs Coleman recommended I read a few titles. It was an instant hit with me as I love tragedy, comedy, drama, and stories about awful, awful people. Make no mistake that there are rarely any GOOD characters in the most popular of Jodorowsky's stories. Although you may be able to say that this is because there are so few good people in real life, I feel that Jodorowsky simply amplifies selfishness (and all other human emotion) to create the ultimate drama. Maybe he's a little pessimistic, I do like to think that people are MOSTLY good... maybe. All that aside, Metabarons is really no different and full of the crazy drama I've come to expect from Jodorowsky. It's no surprise that this story is particularly brutal.

The history of the warrior Metabarons dynasty is relayed through a conversation between two robots. The senior robot Tonto being a servant of the Metabarons passed down through several generations, explains the mystery of the clan to a younger robot, which he berates for his inferior brain power. It feels almost like Mystery Science Theater 3000 with their banter and commentary as illustrator Gimenez gives us the full picture of what history took place. We see the brutal end of the Castaka's clan where the Metabarons originate. From then on we learn how the prestigious title of Metabaron is passed from Father to Son through each succession. In order for one to claim the title, the father must be killed in battle. Their history is fraught with controversy and compounded with tragedy so no one successor is ever a happy individual. The trials that await each are terrifying as each son is mutilated by their family.

The interesting thing about this story is Jodorowsky's play with gender. He blurs lines and utilizes the infinite possibilities of science fiction to create androgynous and mixed gendered characters. We are in an age where gender is finally being recognized beyond the binary. It's always exciting to see such things incorporated into fiction. I love how Jodorwosky's science fiction takes advantage of the fun one can have with gender within a story. Osamu Tezuka also does this in many of his stories. He plays with gender, androgyny and battles against traditional gender roles. Although I don't wish to make a direct comparison, I do think of one while reading the other for many reasons. One of those reasons listed above. Maybe I'll save that discussion with myself for another day.

Anyway, if you want an epic, brutal space opera with some hilarity throwing there between shocking events then pick up this book. I promise that you will fall in love with Juan Giménez's artwork! It too is shocking.

Royal Jelly: April 8 2015

So I'm back from my mini vacation over the holiday. This is my last day at home fixing up my new place and organizing my comics to look just the way my OCD requires. I thought I'd give you my pull list to break my silence. It's worth mentioning that Convergence #1 of everything comes out this week and that I'm not going to list them all but that every shop will be flooded with them so you shouldn't have any problems getting the ones you want.

Floppies:
Tales of the Reanimator #1 (of 4)
Descender #2
Jupiter's Circle #1
Saga #27
The Walking Dead #140
All-New Hawkeye #2
Old Wounds #1

TP:
Last Man Volume #1

First I want to mention that Last Man is one of my favorite French series and I couldn't be happier that First Second is releasing it for the first time in English! Please check out my interview with creator Balak to learn about this amazing book if you are not already in the know.

Next up Pop Goes the Icon! is releasing John Biven's work Old Wounds. He's mentioned that this project began before Dark Engine. It's very interesting to see the contrast here where Old Wounds is black and white.

From Marvel we are continuing with the All-New Hawkeye. I got to talk to artist Ramon Perez about the first issue. Check that out here.

From Image we have our favorites with Saga #27, and The Walking Dead #140. Jeff Lemire's story or artificial intelligence continues with Descender #2. Mark Millar has a new spin-off out to keep us company until the next story arc for Jupiter's Legacy is released. Make sure you check out Jupiter's Circle. Review coming soon! I'm going for Goran Parlov's cover!

Lastly I wanted to mention that for all you horror fans like me, the Reanimator is back in comic form! Check out this four part mini series called Tales of the Reanimator! Can't wait to see what this 80's horror throwback has to offer me!

UFOlogy #1

So you probably remember me talking about this because Alison Sampson did a special variant cover. It's hidden among every 100 issues but also randomly placed so any shop could end up with a copy. Boom has been doing a lot of interesting things. It's their celebration of 10 years of Boom. Apart from fun covers they've also been releasing some really awesome new series. UFOlogy comes out today. Writers James Tynion IV & Noah J Yuenkel along with artist Matt Fox bring us a story centers around a young Becky Finch and peer Malcolm Chamber. The two are pulled into an extra-terrestrial mystery when Becky is marked by an alien.

What I like most about this issue is the coloring. It takes full advantage of soft purples setting a tone for mystery and keeping you well aware of the limitless space around us at all times. Fox really brings the characters to life with his skillful hand. I love the facial expression within each subtle interaction. The playfulness of both Malcolm and Becky actually reminded me largely of the Finder series by Carla Speed McNeil. I suppose I could be a little bias but I see a strong resemblance within the pictures as well.

Over-all I found this issue to be emotional and action-packed. A solid beginning all around which gives us a little of who the characters are, how they got where they are, some action thrown in there to drive us forward, with a little longing for a mystery solved. You are really going to enjoy this change of pace from my regular recommendations. Enjoy!