Joe Golem | Occult Detective #1
One thing to be said about Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden is that they never disappoint. The first issue in the 5 part mini-series, everyone’s favorite occult detective is back at it again in The Drowning City. Joe continues his work tracking down the weird and obscure through the gritty streets of New York City in 1975 with the help of the gentleman adventurer Simon Church, but this time something big looms in the horizon of the half-sunken city streets. An old relic long lost, a madman lurking in the watery depths of the once great city so good they named it twice, and an old magician with a pension for channeling the dead being dragged into the strange underbelly of it all. What will Joe get himself into this time, and how will it all end? The signature art styling of Mignola gives this story a familiar, yet eerie feeling that we all know and love from his previous work, but with a bit of mid 70’s noir twist.
Rating: 3/5 (The story is a bit hard to follow at first, but gets easier the further along you go.)
B.P.R.D. | The Devil You Know #10
In this issue, we see the gang continuing their fight against the hell that has taken over New York City. With everyone fighting on different fronts, this issue’s main driving point is Andrew Devon’s own struggle with the anger he carries. Unable to let the negative emotions go, he becomes compromised in a way that places the entire team in jeopardy. As the fight rages on, Varvara finally reveals herself to the team which leads to a blazing showdown between the demonic little girl of your nightmares and the sword-wielding exorcist Ashley Strode. With art by Lawrence Campbell and written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie, this issue gives the anxious feeling that the previous nine issues have been leading up to, and something tells me we
Rating: 4/5
American Gods | My Ainsel #6
The 6th installment of the American Gods comic series leads us in colorful detail of the continuing adventure of Shadow Moon and Mr. Wednesday as they travel across the country in search of like-minded old gods to fight the brazen and vapid gods of new. With art from Scott Hampton that seems as surreal as reading the book, it brings the story written by Neil Gaiman to life each month, giving us faces to put to names. Still on the run from Mr. World and his goon squad of technologically driven suits, Wednesday and Shadow find their way to South Dakota, traveling through the “backstage” world after a close call with Mr. World’s men to find Whiskey Jack and Johnny Appleseed. Much to Wednesday’s dismay, the pair refuses to provide any aid aside from a new, less conspicuous vehicle for him and Shadow to continue on their way. The writing style and otherworldly characters continue to draw us in every month, and Shadow’s reality warping adventure is nowhere close to done yet.
Rating: 5/5
She Could Fly #3
Following the events of Mayura’s death, the snarky and ever troubled Luna meets Bill and Verna who make a warm introduction by holding our young protagonist hostage in the basement of her own home as her blissfully ignorant family goes about their day upstairs. It’s a conspiracy smorgasbord this issue, with the almost dangerously unhinged Bill managing to convince Luna to help him with perfecting his own flying device based off the one Mayura had built previously. Paranoid delusions and government acquisitions abound as the truth behind what EDI had been developing comes to light, and Luna finds the diary of her late hero, realizing they had more in common than she may have initially thought.
Rating: 2/5
