#IReadsYou Review: SHEENA, Queen of the Jungle #1

SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE VOLUME 2 #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Stephen Mooney
ART: Jethro Morales
COLORS: Dinei Ribero
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Rose Besch; Arthur Suydam; Joseph Michael Linsner; Carla Cohen; Stephen Mooney; Leslie Leirix; Lucio Parrillo; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Rated Teen+

Sheena originally created by S.M. “Jerry” Iger and Will Eisner

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle is an American comic book character.  She first appeared in the British magazine, Wags #46 ( January 1938), and was created by legendary American comic book creators, Will Eisner and S. M. “Jerry” Iger.  Sheena made her first American appearance in Jumbo Comics #1 (Fiction House, cover dated: September 1938) where she was a mainstay until 1953.  Sheena was also the first female comic book character to star in her own series.  A “jungle girl heroine,” Sheen was an orphan, like Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan, who had adventures featuring African natives, wild animals, and white hunters and villains.

Dynamite began publishing Sheena comics in 2017 with a series that ran ten issues.  Dynamite is debuting a second series, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, Volume 2.  It is written by Stephen Mooney; drawn by Jethro Morales; colored by Dinei Ribero; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  The story finds Sheena investigating the strange goings on in a cutting-edge bio-dome.

As Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, Volume 2 #1 opens, Sheena awakens in a swanky hotel in Val Verde.  Apparently, the Cardwell family has come calling again.  It seems they are behind a huge scientific project, a “bio-dome” in the middle of the Val Verde jungle.  It is an amazing synthesis of the natural world and the man-made world of the future, but the first travelers into the dome have disappeared.

That is where Sheena comes into the picture.  With her friends:  Yaqua, Chim, and Pete held out as ransom, of a sort, Sheena enters the bio-dome to find the missing people.  The walled-off jungle however hides violent death, many mysteries, and human trickery and deceit.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Sheena Queen of the Jungle Volume 2 #1, which is the first Dynamite Sheena comic book that I have read.  I think I did read Marvel Comics' two-issue version of its adaptation of the 1984 film, Sheena (which starred the late Tanya Roberts in the title role).

Stephen Mooney, Jethro Morales, Dinei Ribero; and Taylor Esposito, the creative team behind the recent comic book miniseries, Bettie Page and the Curse of the Banshee, slide right on into Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Volume 2, delivering deceit, trickery, and murder mystery most foul.  Mooney's script is a reader-grabber right from the first page, and by the end of this first chapter, that script practically held me hostage right along with Sheena.

Stephen Mooney can draw good girl art with the best of them, but his graphical storytelling is as strong as the illustrations are pretty.  Dinei Ribero also delivers pretty colors, but it can turn pretty dark when Sheena starts finding bodies.  Taylor Esposito's lettering tosses around the humor just before dropping in all the shocking reveals.

I'm totally surprised, as I really didn't expect a lot from this new Sheena series.  I thought it might be mildly entertaining, but this first issue makes me anxious for the next issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Sheena will want to try Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Volume 2.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can purchase the SHEENA Queen of the Jungle Vol. 1 trade paperback from Amazon.

https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------

#IReadsYou Review: JENNIFER BLOOD VOL. 2 #5

JENNIFER BLOOD VOLUME 2 #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Federici
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Jeff Eckleberry
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS:  Joseph Michael Linsner; Lesley Leirix Li; Juggeun Yoon; Ken Haeser; Vincenzo Federici; Jimmy Broxton; Lucio Parrillo; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2022)

Rated Teen+

Jennifer Blood created by Garth Ennis and Adriano Batista.

“Bloodlines” Chapter Five: “There Goes the Neighborhood”

Jennifer Blood is a a comic book character created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Adriano Batista.  A suburban wife and mother by day, Jennifer Blood is a ruthless vigilante by night.  Born “Jessica Blute,” she took her mother's first name, Jennifer, and created the alter ego, “Jennifer Blood, and sought revenge against her father's family for the death of her parents.  The first Jennifer Blood comic book series ran for 36 issues from 2011 to 2014.

Jennifer Blood returns from the dead in a new comic book series, Jennifer Blood Volume 2.  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Federici; colored by Dearbhla Kelly and lettered by Simon Bowland and Jeff Eckleberry.  In the new series, someone is acting like Jennifer Blood, who is supposedly dead.  And this “copycat” loves to kill criminals just like the original did.  Her killing ground is Bountiful, Utah – a town run by and for criminals.  Bountiful (population 4302 ) is where the U.S. Department of Justice sends the most infamous East Coast mobsters into the federal “Witness Protection Program” (WPP).

Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #5 (“There Goes the Neighborhood”) opens in Bountiful in the wake of the slaughter of FBI agents in Salt Lake City.  They were the agents that were responsible for overseeing Bountiful.  There killer?  Jennifer Blood!  Or maybe not.

Alphonso “Don” Giallo – the former overboss of Newark, NJ who is now the boss of Bountiful – believes that the true killer is Giulietta Romeo, the top assassin for the Neopolitan Camorra.  Giallo brought her to Bountiful to hunt Jennifer Blood, and he made her Sheriff Giulietta.  Now, thanks to some video evidence, the don thinks his hired assassin is the killer she was hired to take out.

On the other hand, Giulietta believes that she has solved the mystery of Jennifer Blood's identity.  The real question is can she live long enough to prove her theory?

THE LOWDOWN:  In July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #5.  This is the fifth Jennifer Blood comic book I have read, although I had previously heard of the series.

Unfortunately, Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #5 is the final issue of this current series.  I say “unfortunately” because the series got better with each issue.  After reading the first issue, I wasn't sure if I would like Jennifer Blood Volume 2 over its entirety.  However, writer Fred Van Lente always offered something new and made each issue seem better than the previous.  He made reading about Jennifer Blood killing a lot of people every issue fun to read, and in Giulietta Romeo, he had a great secondary lead and foil

The art and storytelling by Vincenzo Federici perfectly fit Van Lente's depraved comic tone and madcap violence, and the colors by Dearbhla Kelly were the perfect accompaniment with its spurts of blood.  And throughout, Simon Bowland and Jeff Eckleberry's lettering was the soundtrack of sacrifice to mob violence and bloody revenge.

If you haven't read it yet, and you like comic books like The Punisher, then, Jennifer Blood Volume 2 is for you, dear readers.  In the meantime, I will hope that we get a third volume of this fun craziness.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Jennifer Blood will want to read Jennifer Blood Volume 2.

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can buy a copy of the JENNIFER BLOOD: BLOODLINES VOL. 1 trade paperback here at AMAZON.

https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: JENNIFER BLOOD VOL. 2 #4

JENNIFER BLOOD VOLUME 2 #4
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Federici
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Jeff Eckleberry
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS:  Joseph Michael Linsner; Lesley Leirix Li; Juggeun Yoon; Ken Haeser; Vincenzo Federici; Lucio Parrillo; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2022)

Rated Teen+

Jennifer Blood created by Garth Ennis and Adriano Batista.

“Bloodlines” Chapter Four: “Me Time”

Jennifer Blood is a a comic book character created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Adriano Batista.  A suburban wife and mother by day, Jennifer Blood is a ruthless vigilante by night.  Born “Jessica Blute,” she took her mother's first name, Jennifer, and created the alter ego, “Jennifer Blood, and sought revenge against her father's family for the death of her parents.  The first Jennifer Blood comic book series ran for 36 issues from 2011 to 2014.

Jennifer Blood returns from the dead in a new comic book series, Jennifer Blood Volume 2.  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Federici; colored by Dearbhla Kelly and lettered by Jeff Eckleberry.  In the new series, someone is acting like Jennifer Blood, who is supposedly dead.  And this “copycat” loves to kill criminals just like the original did.  Here, the stomping ground is Bountiful, Utah – a town run by and for criminals.  Bountiful is where the U.S. Department of Justice sends the most infamous East Coast mobsters into the federal “Witness Protection Program” (WPP).

Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #4 (“Me Time”) opens in Bountiful – population 4302.  At the local library, Hercules hopes he can find a book to read.  At the local hospital, he tries the book out on his boss, Alphonso “Don” Giallo – the former overboss of Newark, NJ – the comatose former overboss.  Also in the hospital is Giulietta Romeo a.k.a. “Sheriff Lafayette,” still hunting Jennifer Blood.

Enter FBI Special Agent Latisha Adams from the Salt Lake City branch.  She is kind of like a zookeeper at Bountiful.  And she says it's “Piss Day.”  Would Jennifer interfere with that?  Plus, a lead on the true identity of Jennifer Blood.

THE LOWDOWN:  In July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #4.  This is the fourth Jennifer Blood comic book I have read, although I had previously heard of the series.

I'll say the same thing about Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #4 that I said about the first three issues.  It's a fun read and a funny read.  Every time I think that series writer Fred Van Lente offers his best issue yet, he finds a way to top that.  Well this fourth issue is the penultimate issue of the series, which is a shame.  I could read another few issues of this.

The art and storytelling by Vincenzo Federici perfectly fits this story's depraved comic tone, and the colors by Dearbhla Kelly are once again spot on.  Simon Bowland's lettering continues to be the soundtrack of sacrifice to mob violence and bloody revenge.  So, dear readers, get onboard this series.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Jennifer Blood will want to read Jennifer Blood Volume 2.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER #5

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER, VOL. 1 #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Dan Abnett
ART: Alessandro Miracolo
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Joseph Michael Linsner; Alessandro Miracolo; Max Fiumara; Sebastian Fiumara; (Rachel Hollon cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Dejah Thoris and John Carter are characters that first appeared in the serialized novel, Under the Moons of Mars (The All-Story, 1912), written by Tarzan creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs.  When it was first collected and published in hardcover, the novel was re-titled, A Princess of Mars (1917), the first of Burroughs' “Barsoom” novels, which were set on Barsoom, a fictional version of Mars.

Dejah was the title character of A Princess of Mars, the princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium.  John Carter was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who was transported to Mars via “astral projection” where he got a new body that was similar to the one he left behind on Earth.  John made several trips back and forth between Earth and Barsoom, and Dejah and John were married and had two children.

John Carter first appeared in comic books in the early 1950s, and Dejah has become a prominent comic book character since 2010 via Dynamite Entertainment.  Now, the star-crossed lovers are the stars of Dynamite's new comic book, Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.  The series is written by Dan Abnett; drawn by Alessandro Miracolo; colored by Dearbhla Kelly; and lettered by Simon Bowland.  The series finds Dejah and John caught in a war to save Mars from an ancient race, “The Longborn,” that has returned to reclaim the planet, and their surprising ally, the rogue scientist, Rotak Gall.

As Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #5 opens, Rotak Gall finds out that his allies from outside of time, The Longborn, are not easy to please.  Meanwhile, Dejah and John continue to fight impossible odds in the time-lost palace of Dar Shadeth.  Having escaped into the random folds of time, they must survive … if they are going to survive the coming struggle.  Decaying emissaries of evil are searching for the perfect host, which could be … John Carter.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #5, the fifth issue of the series that I have read and only the fifth Dejah Thoris or John Carter comic book I have read.

In Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter, writer Dan Abnett offers a comic book that gives off traditional serial fiction thrills.  A quick and delightful read, I always find myself wanting more by the time I reach the last page.  Also, Artist Alessandro Miracolo and colorist Dearbhla Kelly get stronger with each issue.  I highly recommend Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter to fans of Dan Abnett's comic book work.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Dynamite's Dejah Thoris and Barsoom comic books will want to try Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: UNBREAKABLE RED SONJA #1

UNBREAKABLE RED SONJA #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Jim Zub
ARTIST: Giovanni Valletta
COLORS: Francesco Segala with Agnese Pozza
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Rated Teen+

Red Sonja is female high fantasy and sword and sorcery hero.  She first appeared in Conan the Barbarian #23 (cover dated February 1973) and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith.  Red Sonja was loosely based on “Red Sonya of Rogatino,” a female character that appeared in the 1934 short story, “The Shadow of the Vulture,” written by Conan the Cimmerian's creator, Robert E. Howard.

In 2005, Dynamite Entertainment began publishing comic books featuring differing versions of the character.  The latest is Unbreakable Red Sonja.  It is written by Jim Zub; drawn by Giovanni Valletta; colored by Francesco Segala; and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.

Unbreakable Red Sonja #1 opens in a lost time and place and with an obsession.  The story moves to the present, in the Hyrkanian town called “Thyner's Roost,” west of the Talakma Mountains.  Here, Red Sonja is in a tavern – drunk and fighting would-be paramours.  Here, Red Sonja's past and present will collide and come together for a journey into forbidden magic.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Unbreakable Red Sonja #1, which is one of many, many Dynamite Red Sonja comic books that I have read.

A decade ago, I was reading a lot of comic books written by Jim Zub, but I have not read any of his recent Marvel Comics work.  Some of this work included a stint writing Conan the Barbarian comic books for Marvel, and Unbreakable Red Sonja #1 reminds me of old Marvel Conan comic books.

Artist Giovanni Valletta's illustrations here remind me of old Marvel Conan, as does Francesco Segala's atmospheric colors.  Even letterer Carlos M. Mangual, who has done some Marvel work, gets in on the Marvel vintage Conan vibe.  And that's a good thing.  I like vintage Conan.

I'm intrigued by this first issue, intrigued because all the creative elements work.  We'll see as far as the long term.  I'll wait for the second issue before I drop a grade.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Red Sonja comic books must read Unbreakable Red Sonja.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

--------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: DIE!NAMITE Lives Volumes 2 #3

DIE!NAMITE LIVES VOLUME 2 #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Carratù
COLORS: Kike J. Diaz
LETTERS: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Arthur Suydam; Joseph Michael Linsner; Dave Acosta; Kendrick Lim;
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2021)

Rated Teen+

DIE!namite is a series of zombie apocalypse comics from Dynamite Entertainment that utilizes some of the publisher's most popular characters and licensed properties.  The latest is DIE!namite Lives!  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Carratu; colored by Kike J. Diaz; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  In the new series, Vampirella and the remainder of Project Superheroes look for a new savior, and that could be Ash Williams (star of the 1992 film, Army of Darkness).

DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #3 opens in Hawaii where flesh-eating superheroes take on evil zombies.  Red Sonja, Peter Cannon, Black Terror, and Scarab battle a squad of Frankenstein lookalikes that Sonja should be able to control, except she can't.  Cannon reasons that they must be controlled from a satellite, but this deduction may be playing into Captain Future's hands.

Meanwhile, Vampirella, Pantha, Miss Fury, and Tabu have arrived at a local “S-Mart” warehouse.  Here, they hope to obtain that copy of Necronomincon Ex Mortis, the book that can stop this zombie plague, a book that Pantha bought online!  Standing in their way, however, is S-Mart's most famous employee, Ash Williams, and he is too loyal to allow looters inside!

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #3, which is the first issue of this series that I have read.  In fact, this is the first DIE!namite comic that I have read, although I've known of the series since it first began.

What can I say?  DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #3 is fun.  I didn't expect much from it, but I previously suspected that I could like a DIE!namite comic book because I enjoyed DC Comics DCeased #1 when I read it a few years ago.  DIE!namite seems similar to DCeased.  Here, writer Fred Van Lente offers a breezy read with just enough craziness to hold the reader's attention.  I bet this series will really read nicely as a trade paperback.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of DIE!namite will want DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: BARBARELLA Volume 2 #2

BARBARELLA VOLUME 2 #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Sarah Hoyt
ART: Madibek Musabekov
COLORS: Ivan Nunes
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Derrick Chew; Carla Cohen; Mike Krome; Edu Menna
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2021)

Rated Teen+

Barbarella is based on the creator created by Jean-Claude Forest

“Agent of Chaos” Part Two: “The Price of Freedom”

Barbarella is a female, French, science fiction comic book hero.  Created by the late French comic book writer-artist, Jean-Claude Forest (1930-98), Barbarella first appeared in a comics serial for the French publication, V Magazine, in the spring of 1962.

When Éric Losfeld collected the serial in a book entitled, Barbarella (via his Èditions Le Terrain Vague), it became the first adult or pornographic comic book.  In 1966, American publisher, Grove Press, published an English-language edition of Losfeld's book as a graphic novel.  After Barbarella was adapted as a 1968 film directed by Roger Vadim and starring Jane Fonda, Grove Press published a second edition of Barbarella using a photo of Fonda as Barbarella as the cover.

In 2017, Dynamite Entertainment began publishing original English language Barbarella comic books.  The latest series is Barbarella Volume 2.  It is written by Sarah Hoyt; drawn by Madibek Musabekov; colored by Ivan Nunes; and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.  In this new series, Barbarella travels to the planet Camelot to solve a mystery involving slavery on what is supposed to be a paradise.

Barbarella Volume 2 #2 (“The Price of Freedom”) opens with Barbarella, Taln, and Vix, recently arrived on the planet, Camelot.  They need to travel to an island where a nanite signal is causing problems.  It's up to Barbarella to unravel a mystery in order to save a secretly enslaved populace on what is supposed to be a literal paradise.  But what happens when people who don't know they are enslaved are suddenly set free?  It's not what you might think, dear readers...

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Barbarella Volume 2, which is the first issue of the title that I have read.  In fact, I have not previously read any of DE's Barbarella comic books, or any Barbarella comics, for that matter.

Barbarella Volume 2 is footloose and fancy free, which is to say that it is a fun read.  First, the art by Madibek Musabekov is fantastic and is some of the best science fiction comic book art that I have seen in a few years.  Actually, that dude draws the heck out this comic, and Ivan Nunes' coloring is a roaring blaze of beautiful red and orange hues.  The lettering by Carlos M. Mangual is, of course, good.  It all comes together to turn this comic book into eye-candy.

Barbarella Volume 2 #2 is a beautiful graphics package.  I honestly did not know what to expect from it, but this intriguing story and the gorgeous art make me want more.  And I'll highly recommend it to you, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Barbarella will want to try Barbarella Volume 2.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: JENNIFER BLOOD VOL. 2 #3

JENNIFER BLOOD VOLUME 2 #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Federici
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Rated Teen+

Jennifer Blood created by Garth Ennis and Adriano Batista.

“Bloodlines” Chapter Three: “Play Date”

Jennifer Blood is a a comic book character created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Adriano Batista.  A suburban wife and mother by day, Jennifer Blood is a ruthless vigilante by night.  Born “Jessica Blute,” she took her mother's first name, Jennifer, and created the alter ego, “Jennifer Blood, and sought revenge against her father's family for the death of her parents.  The first Jennifer Blood comic book series ran for 36 issues from 2011 to 2014.

Jennifer Blood returns from the dead in a new comic book series, Jennifer Blood Volume 2.  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Federici; colored by Dearbhla Kelly and lettered by Simon Bowland.  In the new series, someone is acting like Jennifer Blood, who is supposedly dead.  And this “copycat” loves to kill criminals just like the original did.

Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #3 (“Play Date”) opens outside of Bountiful, Utah, population 4302 – a town run by and for criminals.  Bountiful is where the U.S. Department of Justice sends the most infamous East Coast mobsters into the federal “Witness Protection Program” (WPP).  One of the criminals enjoying life in Bountiful is former drug trafficker and Border Patrol agent turned heroin smugger, Marco Martinez.  Today, he has delivered a U-Haul truckload of Spanish-speaking migrants to an abandoned army base located outside Bountiful.

These migrants believe that they are beginning a new life, but they're actually here to be targets.  The Mafia dons of the criminal-run town of Bountiful have gathered together for “the Hunt,” the annual event that pits the East Coast mob against the West Coast mob to see who can track down, kill, and tag these innocent, unknowing human.

In this most dangerous game, however, a third player has entered this year's competition: Jennifer Blood!  Her targets are the mobsters and she plays for keeps.  Now, mob assassin, Giulietta Romeo, will at last come face to face with her elusive prey.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #3.  This is the third Jennifer Blood comic book I have read, although I had previously heard of the series.

I'll say the same thing about Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #3 that I said about the first two issues.  It's a fun read and a funny read.  Writer Fred Van Lente offers his best issue yet.  In fact, I could read a miniseries worth of this issue, and I enjoyed the confrontation between Blood and Romeo.

The art and storytelling by Vincenzo Federici perfectly fits this stories emphasis on cruelty and bigotry, and the colors by Dearbhla Kelly splash tag-colors and gore all over the pages.  Simon Bowland's lettering continues to be the soundtrack of sacrifice to mob violence and bloody revenge.  So let's keep going, dear readers.  Jennifer Blood is turning out to be quite good.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Jennifer Blood will want to read Jennifer Blood Volume 2.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: RED SONJA Black White Red #3

RED SONJA BLACK WHITE RED #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Gail Simone; Dearbhla Kelly; Jonathan Lau and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
ART: Walter Geovani; Soo Lee; Jonathan Lau
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Sean Izaakse; Jonathan Lau; Lucio Parrillo; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Robert E. Howard

Conan the Barbarian #23 (cover dated: February 1973) saw the debut of a high fantasy, sword and sorcery heroine, Red Sonja.  Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith, Red Sonja was loosely based on “Red Sonya of Rogatino,” a female character that appeared in the 1934 short story, “The Shadow of the Vulture,” written by Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), the creator of the character, Conan the Cimmerian.

Red Sonja remained a fixture in comic books from then until about 1986.  In 2005, Dynamite Entertainment began publishing comic books featuring differing versions of the character.  One of those is Red Sonja Black White and Red, an anthology comic book featuring stories from well known comic book writers and artists, with the art presented in black, white, and red.

Red Sonja Black White and Red #3 is comprised of three stories.  The first is “Dawn of a Crimson Day” by Gail Simone, Walter Geovani, Dearbhla Kelly, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  Next is “Small Tales” by Dearbhla Kelly and Soo Lee with Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  The final story is “Ssshhhhh!” by Jonathan Lau, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and Dearbhla Kelly.  I'll review each story separately.

THE LOWDOWN:   Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Red Sonja Black White and Red #3, which is the second issue of the title that I have read.

“Dawn of a Crimson Day” by Gail Simone, Walter Geovani, Dearbhla Kelly, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou:
Except for two panels near the end of the story, “Dawn of a Crimson Day” is a pantomime comic that offers up an origin story for Red Sonja.  Gail Simone's script is intense and angry, and I could feel some of it tapping at my heart.  The art by Walter Geovani surges and flows like a rushing stream, and Dearbhla's beautiful colors are fiery and lights this story so that even those far away can see it.

“Small Tales” by Dearbhla Kelly and Soo Lee with Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou:
“Small Tales” opens in Hyrkania where Red Sonja encounters a girl named Rua, who happens to be the She-Devil with a Sword's biggest fan.  Now, Red Sonja has to teach the girl how to be a hero.

“Small Tales” is a good story with a nice point about the life of hero.  Soo Lee's art expertly captures the runaway imagination of a fan about her champion.

“Ssshhhhh!” by Jonathan Lau, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and Dearbhla Kelly:
This story finds Red Sonja attempting to claim a bounty by slaying a dragon, but things are not what they seem.  “Ssshhhhh!” is a confusing story with nice art, and while it is filled with visually striking moments, this mostly pantomime story does not interest me.

It is not hard for me to pick a favorite story of the three offered in Red Sonja Black White and Red #3.  The Gail Simone, Walter Geovani, Dearbhla Kelly, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou project called “Dawn of a Crimson Day” really stands out in this issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Red Sonja will want to try Red Sonja Black White and Red.

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER #3

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER, VOL. 1 #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Dan Abnett
ART: Alessandro Miracolo
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Joseph Michael Linsner; Alessandro Miracolo; Sebastian Fiumara; (Rachel Hollon cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Dejah Thoris and John Carter are characters that first appeared in the serialized novel, Under the Moons of Mars (The All-Story, 1912), written by Tarzan creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs.  When it was first collected and published in hardcover, the novel was re-titled, A Princess of Mars (1917), the first of Burroughs' “Barsoom” novels, which were set on Barsoom, a fictional version of Mars.

Dejah was the title character of A Princess of Mars, the princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium.  John Carter was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who was transported to Mars via “astral projection” where he got a new body that was similar to the one he left behind on Earth.  John made several trips back and forth between Earth and Barsoom, and Dejah and John were married and had two children.

John Carter first appeared in comic books in the early 1950s, and Dejah has become a prominent comic book character since 2010 via Dynamite Entertainment.  Now, the star-crossed lovers are the stars of Dynamite's new comic book, Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.  The series is written by Dan Abnett; drawn by Alessandro Miracolo; colored by Dearbhla Kelly; and lettered by Simon Bowland.  The series finds Dejah and John caught in a war to save Mars from an ancient race, “The Longborn,” that has returned to reclaim the planet, and their surprising ally, the rogue scientist, Rotak Gall.

As Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #3 opens, Dejah Thoris, Queen of Helium, is a prisoner of Rotak Gall in Dar Shadeth, a ruined palace from ancient days that is also far from civilization.  However, where she is in Dar Shadeth is “outside of the present” because of Gall's use of “arcanotech.”  Dejah will learn that “The Longborn” have new plans for her, and Gall is activating those plans.

Meanwhile, John Carter fights through Gall's “Black Pirate Synthetics,” hacking and slashing to find Dejah so that he can rescue her.  But what is John's part in Gall and The Longborn's plans?

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #3, the third issue of the series that I have read and only the third Dejah Thoris or John Carter comic book I have read.

I found the first two issues of Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter to be likable, although I thought the second issue was stronger.  I enjoyed this third issue so much that I wish I could read more of the series right this very moment.  The art by Alessandro Miracolo still reminds me of the kind of art that readers would find in a Flash Gordon comic book, and that is appropriate.  Miracolo's art and Dearbhla Kelly colors sell the idea that this story takes place on a faraway world full of action, adventure, aliens, monster, hybrids, and ancient gods.  This is pure, lovable primordial science fiction and fantasy.

Writer Dan Abnett, a veteran comic book scribe, kicks the story into the next gear once again.  With each issue, Abnett raises the stakes, and this third issue offers a shocking and frightening vision of the immediate future for Dejah and John.  Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter is a thoroughly enjoyable read, and this third issue suggests that the fourth might be even more exciting.

I highly recommend Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter to fans of Dan Abnett's comic book work.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Dynamite's Dejah Thoris and Barsoom comic books will want to try Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: JENNIFER BLOOD VOL. 2 #2

JENNIFER BLOOD VOLUME 2 #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Federici
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS:  Joseph Michael Linsner; Lesley Leirix Li; Juggeun Yoon; Lucio Parrillo; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Rated Teen+

Jennifer Blood created by Garth Ennis and Adriano Batista.

“Bloodlines” Chapter Two: “Fireworks on the Green”

Jennifer Blood is a a comic book character created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Adriano Batista.  A suburban wife and mother by day, Jennifer Blood is a ruthless vigilante by night.  Born “Jessica Blute,” she took her mother's first name, Jennifer, and created the alter ego, “Jennifer Blood, and sought revenge against her father's family for the death of her parents.  The first Jennifer Blood comic book series ran for 36 issues from 2011 to 2014.

Jennifer Blood returns from the dead in a new comic book series, Jennifer Blood Volume 2.  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Federici; colored by Dearbhla Kelly and lettered by Simon Bowland.  In the new series, someone is acting like Jennifer Blood, who is supposedly dead.  And this “copycat” loves to kill criminals just like the original did.

Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #2 (“Fireworks on the Green”) opens in Bountiful, Utah, population 4302 – a town run by and for criminals.  You see, Bountiful is where the U.S. Department of Justice sends the most infamous East Coast mobsters into the federal “Witness Protection Program” (WPP).  Now, the population is dropping because someone is killing off the mobsters, one by one.  Could it be the legendary boogeyman, Jennifer Blood … or a copycat?

Alphonso Giallo a.k.a. “Don Gaillo,” the former overboss of Newark, NJ and current boss of Bountiful, has called in Europe's top female hit-man, the notorious Giulietta Romeo.  Giulietta is hot on Jennifer Blood's trail and is even reading Jen's “war journal.”  However, crooked former federal judge, The Honorable Whtilock Jebediah Barrister III, a rapist who also traded sex for lighter sentences, is ready to strike a bargain for helping Giulietta.  As the Bountiful Homeowners' Association's annual Fourth of July celebration, “Salute to America,” occupies the townsfolk, Jennifer or her copycat seeks to make deals of her own.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #2.  This is the second Jennifer Blood comic book I have read, although I had previously heard of the series.

I'll say the same thing about Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #2 that I said about the first.  It's a fun read and a funny one.  Writer Fred Van Lente seems to be having fun creating a number of oddball mobsters and depraved criminals and, so far, they are every bit as interesting as Jennifer Blood.  Van Lente also offers some funny plot twists to go along with the insane ways in which he has Jennifer kill the mobsters.

The art by Vincenzo Federici fits the violence, and the colors by Dearbhla Kelly are a splash of red and blue hues that emphasize the gore.  Simon Bowland's lettering is the soundtrack of sacrifice to mob violence and bloody revenge.  So let's keep going, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Jennifer Blood will want to read Jennifer Blood Volume 2.

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: RED SONJA Black White Red #2

RED SONJA BLACK WHITE RED #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Jonboy Meyers; Jeff Parker; David F. Walker
ART: Jonboy Meyers; Natalie Nourigat; Will Robson
COLORS: Jonboy Meyers; Natalie Nourigat; Will Robson
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau; Natalie Nourigat; Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jonboy Meyers; David Nakayama; Tabitha Lyons (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2021)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Robert E. Howard

Conan the Barbarian #23 (cover dated: February 1973) saw the debut of a high fantasy, sword and sorcery heroine, Red Sonja.  Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith, Red Sonja was loosely based on “Red Sonya of Rogatino,” a female character that appeared in the 1934 short story, “The Shadow of the Vulture,” written by Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), the creator of the character, Conan the Cimmerian.

Red Sonja remained a fixture in comic books from then until about 1986.  In 2005, Dynamite Entertainment began publishing comic books featuring differing versions of the character.  One of those is Red Sonja Black White and Red, an anthology comic book featuring stories from well known comic book writers and artists, with the art presented in black, white, and red.

Red Sonja Black White and Red #2 is comprised of three stories.  The first is “Proelium Finalis” by Jonboy Meyers and Patrick Brosseau.  Next is “Edible” by Jeff Parker and Natalie Nourigat.  The final story is “Listen Close” by David F. Walker, Will Robson, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  I'll review each story separately.

THE LOWDOWN:   Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Red Sonja Black White and Red #2, which is the first issue of the title that I have read.  I have seen listings for it, but did not pay attention.

“Proelium Finalis” by Jonboy Meyers and Patrick Brosseau:
The plot involves “The Lemurians” who return from the bowels of the Earth in a bid to end both the Hyborian Age and the world of man.  They are led by the wizard, Kael Al-Ammon, but the humans are led by Red Sonja.

Meyers makes sure that Red Sonja's hair is red, but otherwise, he uses the color to splash across the pages of his sharp artwork in order to signify violence and gore. “Proelium Finalis” is a beautifully drawn comic book short story, but I'd like to see the team of Meyers and Brosseau smash us in the face with a miniseries version of this.

“Edible” by Jeff Parker and Natalie Nourigat:
The story introduces a tribe of humans that have settled in a valley with which they were not familiar.  Near the valley is a bog, and members of the tribe have gone into the bog and never returned.  The latest missing tribesman is a girl named Tanira or “Tan,” for short.  Once in the bog, Red Sonja discovers that a strange, seemingly unbeatable organism rules the area.

“Edible” is a clever story, and it is probably the closest that anyone will come to an all-ages Red Sonja story that is actually a Red Sonja story.  The pretty art is drawn by Natalie Nourigat in a clean style that readers will generally find in children's comics.

“Listen Close” by David F. Walker, Will Robson, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou:
“Listen Close” is a bedtime story about Red Sonja.  An African-American father tells the story to his red-haired daughter, who wants to be “just like Red Sonja.”  The “She-Devil with a Sword” has been summoned by King Assuman, who promises her great riches if she can rescue his bride-to-be, Ophelia, from a “vile creature.”  But there is more to this rescue mission than Red Sonja has been told...

“Listen Close” is this issue's second clever tale, and it is also blessed by Will Robson's ornate art with its detailed composition.  David F. Walker, who is currently known for his comic book, Bitter Root (Image Comics), offers a nice middle-grade appropriate Red Sonja tale.

It's hard to pick a favorite story of the three offered in Red Sonja Black White and Red #2.  Each story has at least one thing about it that I really like, so I'll just recommend the entire issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Red Sonja will want to try Red Sonja Black White and Red.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER #2

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER, VOL. 1 #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Dan Abnett
ART: Alessandro Miracolo
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Joseph Michael Linsner; Alessandro Miracolo; Sebastian Fiumara; (Rachel Hollon cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2021)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Dejah Thoris and John Carter are characters that first appeared in the serialized novel, Under the Moons of Mars (The All-Story, 1912), written by Tarzan creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs.  When it was first collected and published in hardcover, the novel was re-titled, A Princess of Mars (1917), the first of Burroughs' “Barsoom” novels, which were set on Barsoom, a fictional version of Mars.

Dejah was the title character of A Princess of Mars, the princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium.  John Carter was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who was transported to Mars via “astral projection” where he got a new body that was similar to the one he left behind on Earth.  John made several trips back and forth between Earth and Barsoom, and Dejah and John were married and had two children.

John Carter first appeared in comic books in the early 1950s, and Dejah has become a prominent comic book character since 2010 via Dynamite Entertainment.  Now, the star-crossed lovers are the stars of Dynamite's new comic book, Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.  The series is written by Dan Abnett; drawn by Alessandro Miracolo; colored by Dearbhla Kelly; and lettered by Simon Bowland.  The series finds Dejah and John caught in a war to save Mars from an ancient race, “The Longborn,” that has returned to reclaim Mars.

As Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #2 opens, Dejah Thoris, Queen of Helium, and her forces, the “Helium Warhost,” have traveled far into the distant west to Dar Shadeth.  There, she hoped to confront the rogue scientist, Rotak Gall, who had allied against her with her now-dead rival, the tyrant Kurz Kurtos.  Rotak claims he wants to explain his actions and to make amends.

Dejah takes a calculated risk and trusts him, believing that Rotak could aid in defending against the dreaded Longborn.  She did not expect “the Black Pirates” and Rotak's scheming.  And where is her former hero, John Carter?

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #2, the second issue of the series that I have read.

I found the first issue of Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #1 to be likable, and I like this second issue even more.  The art by Alessandro Miracolo still reminds me of the kind of art that readers would find in a Flash Gordon comic book.  Miracolo's art and Dearbhla Kelly colors create the idea that the story takes place on a different planet simply by making the atmosphere and lighting look like they are part of an alien biosphere.

Writer Dan Abnett, a veteran comic book scribe, kicks the story into the next gear simply by placing Dejah in Rotak's clutches.  Now, everything is on the line for the main characters, and Abnett amps up the anticipation for the next issue by using John Carter as a wild card.  This second issue is more action oriented than the first issue.  I have to say that I am enjoying Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter more than I thought I would, so I am recommending to fans of the franchise.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Dynamite's Dejah Thoris and Barsoom comic books will want to try Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

---------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: NYX #1

NYX #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Christos Gage
ART: Marc Borstel
COLORS: Jordi Escuin Llorach
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Rose Besch; Fernando Dagnino; Greebo Vigonte; Ken Haeser; Lucio Parrillo
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Rated T+

Nyx created by Tom Sniegoski and Ed McGuinness

“Woman on Fire”

Nyx is a Vampirella comic book character.  She is the daughter of Chaos the Mad God and a human woman, making Nyx half-demon and half-human, but she needs to feed on human life force in order to live.  Nyx was created by writer Tom Sniegoski and artist Ed McGuinness and first appeared in Harris Comics' Vengeance of Vampirella #23 (cover dated: February 1996).  She is a longtime enemy and sometimes friend of Vampirella.

The character now has her own solo comic book series, entitled Nyx.  It is written by Christos Gage; drawn by Marc Borstel; colored by Jordi Escuin Llorach; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  The series finds Nyx dealing with her emerging human side, although her demon side is still powerful and hungry for human life force.

Nyx #1 (“Woman on Fire”) opens in Gainesville, Georgia, where members of the Gulf Cartel are completing a drug deal.  Enter Nyx, weak and famished.  The gangsters think she is vulnerable, but they are about to discover that there is more to this woman than meets the yes … and she's hungry.

Later, Nyx relishes in the things she likes about the human world, vices and pleasures of the flesh.  But a chance meeting at a club offers Nyx an opportunity at a place in the world … and maybe love.  Everything can turn out right, if dear old Dad's world doesn't intrude...

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Nyx #1.

Nyx #1 is a powerful first issue.  Writer Christos Gage uses the action to inform new readers about Nyx – her powers and her hungers, as well as to recap her origin.  There are a lot of good set pieces here, and they help to establish the series' themes going forward, and the story has a captivating quality that works on me.

Marc Borstel's art is also quite good, with an emphasis on tight figure drawing – both human and demon.  Borstel's storytelling is clear, and under Jordi Escuin Llorach's colors, it is also pleasing to the eye, especially Nyx's figure.  Taylor Esposito's efficient lettering moves the story easily through its wild shifts in tone – from violence to lust, human and demon style.

I highly recommend this first issue, dear readers, simply because it is so good.  It might also make you horny for more Nyx.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Vampirella comic books will want to try Nyx.

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: JENNIFER BLOOD #1

JENNIFER BLOOD VOLUME 2 #1 

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Federici
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS:  Joseph Michael Linsner; Lesley Leirix; Juggeun Yoon; Lucio Parrillo; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Rated Teen+

Jennifer Blood created by Garth Ennis and Adriano Batista.

“Bloodlines” Chapter One: “Welcome Wagon”

Jennifer Blood is a a comic book character created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Adriano Batista.  A suburban wife and mother by day, Jennifer Blood is a ruthless vigilante by night.  Born “Jessica Blute,” she took her mother's first name, Jennifer, and created the alter ego, “Jennifer Blood, and sought revenge against her father's family for the death of her parents.  The first Jennifer Blood comic book series ran for 36 issues from 2011 to 2014.

Jennifer Blood returns from the dead in a new comic book series, Jennifer Blood Volume 2.  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Federici; colored by Dearbhla Kelly and lettered by Simon Bowland.  In the new series, someone is acting like Jennifer Blood, who is supposedly dead.  She was killed in prison … where she was incarcerated after killing her uncles and their cohorts.

Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #1 (“Welcome Wagon”) opens in Bountiful, Utah, population 4302.  There is, however, a steady drop in the population.  You see, Bountiful is where the U.S. Department of Justice sends the most infamous East Coast mobsters into the federal “Witness Protection Program” (WPP)  Now, someone is killing off the mobsters, one by one.  Could it be the legendary boogeyman or woman, Jennifer Blood?

In the cozy cul-de-sacs of Bountiful, Utah, a noticeable number of “normal people” have gone missing.  But the missing aren't really normal, and if Jennifer Blood has returned from the dead, is she the only one doing the killings in a town of killers?

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #1.  This is my first Jennifer Blood comic book, although I had previously heard of the series.

I like Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #1, and while the character, Jennifer Blood, might be the titular character, she isn't the only star.  Writer Fred Van Lente seems to be having fun creating a number of oddballs, weirdos, lunatics, super-felons, and murderous freaks, and, so far, they are every bit as interesting as Jennifer Blood.

The art by Vincenzo Federici fits the violence, and the colors by Dearbhla Kelly are a splash of red and blue hues that emphasize the gore.  Simon Bowland's lettering is the soundtrack of sacrifice to mob violence and bloody revenge.  Right now, though, Fred Van Lente is setting the table with platters of crazy violence.  I recommend that you, dear readers, at least give this a try.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Jennifer Blood will want to read Jennifer Blood Volume 2.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).