A week of reviewing.

After last week's decision to go through my dropbox and read through some issue 2's (and an issue 3), I found myself wanting to continue in that vein and kind of clear out my dropbox.

This meant devoting my time to reviewing comics for Pipedream Comics.

Unfortunately, due to the amount of time it takes me to write a review (ten - fifteen minutes a might as I put my kids to bed), it sadly meant only a limited number could get done in a week. That said, the last week at least saw me hammer out three assessments of my thoughts.

The first title which I reviewed was Chasing the Dragon #1 from Magma Comics, Heavy Metal Magazine's new comic imprint. Now, I'll be honest, In find this comic was a bit of a struggle to get through and though I've put a positive spin on the review, it was difficult to find those good points. 

The issue I had with it was the story. The world and the seeming idea of it came across as interesting enough; a slave finding his way into a spotted revolt against a tyrant. However, I found that as I read it was hard to confirm that this was even the case. I do think that what this specific issue could have benefitted from would have been be the first issue covering the '20 years ago' scene at the beginning and then issue 2 focusing on the present day events. My opinion is that doing this would have allowed sufficient exposition to prevent the confusion I had and maybe answer some of the questions I ended up with (although what do I know). 

Of course, Chasing the Dragon does have its good points, with the art being the main factor. I really thought that Menton3's (which I assume is some sort of online persona title) really gives the issue atmosphere with his art, allowing the world to feel authentic in that Dragon filled, medieval way I think it should.

By the end of this read I was torn. I think it's a series which has potential (as long as the questions I finished this issue with are answered in the next) but if i were advising myself, I'd probably hold out until the trade and see which way the wind blew (ideally not extinguishing the Dragon's flame).

Next up I reviewed for Major Holmes and Captain Watson #1-3 by Jeff Rider and Ismael Canales (just in time for it's final issues kickstarter) and, suffice to say (as the review aludes), I really enjoyed this series. While the mystery seems complex in a Sherlock Holmes kind of vibe and interesting enough on it's own, I really loved the characters in here. This new Holmes, Watson and the rest felt really ... well, real, as all the characters came across as really fleshed out and likeable (well, except maybe Mycroft). The villains also were intriguing as I found myself questioning who were the ringleaders of this Moriaty group and whether it was Moriaty himself (because if Holmes can cheat death, why can't his nemesis).

Meanwhile, the art had this really traditionally English vibe to it which I enjoyed. It very much reminded me of the Paul Cornell Knight and Squire comic in its visual tone. Also, the action sequences were really engrossing and, in some way, made up for the slightly clunky pacing of the story needing (well, in my view) to maintain exposition of the ongoing case.

For me this was another contender for the Pipedream top 50 of 2021 (shocking how many we've had so far this year) and I really want to get a hold of issue 4 to see how this plays out.

Then came my final review for the week, which Brigantia #1 and 2 by Christopher Mole and Melissa Tender. Now, I feel that I let my bias creep in with this one initially and that I wasnt expecting much from it. This (and the fact that others had near immediate release dates) is most likely why I kept pushing it downstream. However, I feel Brigantia deserves an apology from me for this because, when I actually got around to it, I found these issues to actually be a pretty good read.

Now, Brigantia isn't perfect as I felt that more backstory was needed for both the hero and villain in order to make them more compelling. However, I found the story engaging enough and, probably most importantly, it felt like Brigantia was incredibly inspirational as I was reading through, like it was Superman or Spider-Man (depending on the publisher you think of).

For me though, it is the art that really drew me in, particularly that of the issue two artist Harriet Moulton. This is because I thought that, while the artwork in both issues is unique and gorgeous, Moulton's work on her pages were really something extra.

In the end, I'm glad I read these comics and hope that it'll be a lesson to me in future not to be so dismissive. As for Brigantia in particular, it certainly is something I'd like to check out future issues of, if for nothing more than that art.

So, that's been my last week's worth of reading. Now that my review has gone down considerably, I'm gonna be spending the next couple of weeks working on some bigger reads, a two trade review which will follow a mass catch up read of the entirety of Miskatonic High.