The Bunker #2, King Conan #2, The Midas Flesh #3, and Pariah #2

Only two issues in, The Bunker is one of the better time travel comics I've read. Instead of focusing on temporal paradoxes and that sort of thing, the book examines how the characters deal with the information given to them by their future selves. Skillfully written, you're given just enough to keep interested, without being able to figure out what's happening next. Definitely something you should be reading.

This issue was nothing but filler. Conan is lost at sea while chasing a Stygian galley, nearly dies, get press ganged by a slave ship that just happens to have several of his former Kushite pirate associates on it, and they mutiny & take the ship. That's maybe 6 pages worth of story, not 22. I dig everything Conan, but c'mon.

For a comic aimed at a younger crowd, this issue of The Midas Flesh deals with some heavy shit; like civilian casualties in war and command responsibility. They manage to pull it off though and it feels like the books has really hit it's stride.  Sure, it's not the most serious sci-fi book out there, but it's worth checking out.

If you're one of those people who likes everything neatly laid out in-front of you and thoroughly explained, this isn't the book for you. Why all of Earth's vitros have been put onto a space station and who tried to sabotage it are left unexplained, but we begin to learn more about the crew members on board and their varying feelings toward all the non-vitros on earth. Scope it out, but Pariah isn't the thing for everyone.

The GodBeast: Kabuto Mushi MK II

Guess what arrived today? My latest GodBeast order. And, I gotta say, these dudes are fucking sweet. I was initially just going to get an Ultra Corps silver Kabuto Mushi colorway, but as soon as I saw the other colorways, I knew I had to snag a metallic purple & pearlescent black one too. I wish I could have splurged and gotten a pearlescent blue one as well, but cash flow was an issue and it just didn't quite pop like the metallic purple. The joint articulation on the arms is a little unusual; two points at the shoulder and then there's one above & another below the elbow, but not at the elbow itself. It's not terrible or anything, but it takes a little playing around with to get the hang of things. One thing about the pearlescent black colorway, it's actually more of a dark charcoal. The pictures (and name) are a little deceiving, making it seem like it's midnight black, but as you can see below, the color is actually lighter:

I'd have preferred if it was pitch black, but it's not a deal breaker or anything. Speaking of colors, it turns out the metallic purple is fairly close to the purple M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. Not a 100% but close enough to make me want to buy some more off eBay.

Finally, here's the Ultra Corps silver Kabuto Mushi that I was originally there for...

Pretty rad, huh? The Mini Mushi's color seems a little lighter and less metallic then the Kabuto Mushi, but it's passable. All and all, they're a welcomed addition to the Ultra Corps horde.

The Fuse #2, Sovereign #1, Undertow #2, & The White Suits #2

Just the right mix of sci-fi and detective story, The Fuse is one of those solid genre mash-ups. It veers more toward the cop side of things, but there's enough of the sci-fi element to make it more than just a novel setting. With this 2nd issue, the mystery surrounding the dead cablers (the hobos of the future) starts to deepen, and the writing, both story and dialogue, really pop. I'm still not entirely won over on the art, but whatever.

As much as I liked Sovereign, the elements of human culture and history that were blatantly repurposed for the comic kinda bugged me. You couldn't think up anything on your own, so you just took the Mughal empire and British colonialism in India and slapped on some fantasy names & threw in some monsters? Like I said, I liked this book, but it also kind of irked me. 

Don't expect to just pick up Undertow and casually thumb through it. Between the scratchy art and piercing color palate, it can be a bit of an eye melter. I actually really like the art, but it's the sort of thing you need to sit down and soak up. The story's also a little complicated, with two interrelated parts and a handful of flashbacks. Not the thing for everybody, but if you want to sink your teeth into some weird science stuff, this is it.

I dig Toby Cypress work, but they should have gotten someone else to draw this book. The color scheme is fantastic for a noir piece; blacks, whitse, and reds, with the grays done in Ben-Day dots. But, the art is so jangly it detracts from the layout. The pace of the story also seems a little slow, especially for a miniseries that's only four issues long. I'll probably see this out to the end, but I have a feeling I may have lost interest by then.

Onell Designs: Spectre Force Sarvos & random Noboto

When I reviewed the new Ultra Corps colorways from Onell a while back, I'd mentioned how the glow in the dark Spectre Force really weren't doing for me, but there was one exception. Along with the order, I'd snagged a Spectre Force Sarvos, with no intention of writing about it. But, as the past two weeks have rolled by, I realized the dude was too gnarly not to mention:

Fuckin' rad, huh? You know what else is fuckin' rad? I got some swag thrown in with my order:

A golden metallic Noboto. I don't have any idea when this little dude was released or what colorway he's from, but I'm stoked to have gotten him.

EGOs #3, Ghost #2, the Returning #1, & Stray Bullets: Killers #1

The conclusion of the new EGOs team origin arc, this issue manages to come up short. The story feels rushed and the dialog's flat. The team's defeat of, arguably, one of the most dangerous villains in the universe is rather blah. It's not terrible, just not up to par with the previous two issues. I'm gonna keep reading EGOs, but not for long if there are more issues like this...

Ghost is picking up a little with the 2nd issue. The White City Butcher and Elisa's deal with the demon Beleth are making things get interesting. Even so, Ghost is just an ok book. Not bad, but nothing fantastic. If you're not into comics revolving around the paranormal, this probably isn't the thing for you.

Everything about the Returning is a near miss. The premise behind the book, the writing, the art; it's all just a little underwhelming. Like, if one of them was great, or two were just OK, I'd probably be on board. A pass on this one.

Not having read the earlier Stray Bullets run, I can't give a comparison, but it's anything like Stray Bullets: Killers, I'll have to scope it out. Mixing suburban family dysfunction and the gritty criminal underworld, the tale had me hooked right away. The art's pretty solid, though some of the facial features appear a little jangly. Not a biggie. Anyhow, you should be reading this.

The Auteur #1, Juice Squeezers #3, Starlight #1, & The Twilight Zone #3

I'm not sure if this is genius or complete trash, but I do know I'll be picking up the next issue. The tale of desperate film producer trying to save his career, The Auteur is chocked full of drugs, sex, and surreal violence. It's definitely not the thing for everyone, even those into more oddball books may be turned off by The Auteur. Like I said, I'll be picking up the next issue, but I'm 50/50 on this book. 

It felt like this issue of Juice Squeezers dragged a bit. I get that the writer is trying to build some tension to the impending gigantic bug-pocalypse, but with some judicious editing, this probably could have been cut down from a four issue series to three. Whatever, this is stiff a fun, goofy read.

If you haven't snagged a copy of  yet, get on it now. The first thing that hits you is the gorgeous art; it has a Moebius vibe to it, but it's more complex and unique then simply being an imitation. The writing is superb, right down to the little kid who makes a Uranus joke to the guy who claims he went to outer space and saved another galaxy. Even if you're not into sci-fi comics, you should give Starlight a read.

I continue to be impressed with the Twilight Zone. The story of Trevor Richmond and the man who became him thickens while several, seemingly unrelated, sub-plots develop. I'd been somewhat unimpressed with the art in the past two issues, but it seemed ti have tightened up with this issue. You should be reading this book.

Onell Designs: The Gamma Conflict - Ultra Corps

After another soul-crushing day spent sitting behind a desk, I discovered my car was dead in the office parking lot; the starter had gone out, so I'll be short a few hundred dollars and I missed my Monday night gaming session. I came home expecting to just get shit faced, but was pleasantly surprised to find a package waiting for me:

Yeup, the new Ultra Corps silver dudes from Onell Designs. You'll have to excuse the shitty photography; it's late & I'm tired and these don't do the swirly silver PVC justice. It seems like more people were focused on the glow in the dark Specter Force, but these are what did it for me. As always, I wish I had more cash so I could have snagged more, but here's what I did manage to get:

Advanced Phaseon Enyriun: I've always been kinda meh toward the Phaseons, but the Advanced comes with a hub set that spiffs up it's appearance and the silver really makes it pop in sort of a campy 50's robot sort of way. On the down side, the legs are a little smushed together and it's a bitch to get the dude to stand up.

Gobon: The Gobon is my least favorite of what Onell has to offer, but I actually found myself wanting one of the Ultra Corps ones. Something about it reminded me of Jaxson from Prophet and I just had to snag it. Unfortunately, the marbling is really grody on this sculpt and it looks like there are huge cracks running down the central casing, but it's still pretty rad.

Axis Buildman Argen MK X: This is the Buildman with a new head and and axis joints thrown in and it looks fucking tough. My only complaint, the ridiculously large knees.

Armorvor & Crayboth: Double trouble. I was bitching earlier about the marbling on the Gobon, but on these two it's spectacular. Really spot-on, these two are must haves.