REVIEW: Shadowman, Volume One: Birth Rites

PLOT: There's a million dreams in the Big Easy. But now its worst nightmare is about to come true. As the forces of darkness prepare to claim New Orleans as their own, Jack Boniface must embrace the legacy he was born to uphold. As Shadowman, Jack is about to become the only thing that stands between his city and an army of unspeakable monstrosities from beyond the night. But is the mantle of Shadowman a blessing, or a curse? And what is the true cost of his otherworldly power?

REVIEW: I have been a huge fan of all the Valiant titles thus far that I've read, and I didn't expect anything different from this. Shadowman proves to be the darkest title that I've read from this line so far, and that's saying something considering the titles that surround it. Bloodshot has consistently been a very dark title since the beginning, but even this shows that Valiant can get even darker that it already has. The story is actually very great too, finding Jack Boniface searching for answers about his past, his family, and his new life. The power of Shadowman is only tapped on in this volume, as it serves mostly as an introduction, but it seems that the threats he could face soon will be near apocalyptic. The villain is Darque, and he only appears for a few frames but will be the big challenge that Jack will face in the next volume. I really enjoyed this story, and it's really easy to hop right into. Also, the art is beautiful yet haunting, with the main villain Mr. Twist of this book being consisted of sacrificed flesh. His powers seem to be to take control of anyone he can get his flesh into, but I'm sure there is more to be discovered as he turns out to be a part of a bigger plan. I also like the monkey that resides in Darkside, which is where Shadowman and others draw their powers from. In the end, this is another brilliant entry into the Valiant line and you can consider me a fan of the Shadowman. Must read for fans of Valiant, and darker comics, this is the original kind of work us graphic novel readers are looking for.

WRITING : ( 9 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 10 / 10 )

STORY : ( 9 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 9 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )

REVIEW: Bloodshot, Volume Two: The Rise and the Fall

PLOT: Bloodshot is finally free of the memories that have haunted him since his awakening - but now even greater mysteries remain. Who was he before he was transformed into a walking weapon? And just what purpose did he serve for Project Rising Spirit? Now, a rogue PRS scientist has told Bloodshot the location of the answers he needs - and they're buried deep within an off-the-grid, savagely fortified black site that will rain hellfire down upon anyone who dares trespass. And, once he's inside, he may just discover that he's not the only indestructible killing machine PRS ever dreamed into the world... What is Project Rising Spirit's true function in the Valiant Universe? Who will answer for their crimes? And what darker secrets yet await in the recesses of their classified compound?

REVIEW: This volume of Bloodshot furthers the tie into Harbinger which makes me really happy and now I'm super excited for Harbinger Wars. Again our new dark hero Bloodshot dismantles his enemies piece by piece with a powerful body that's merely at half capacity for nearly the whole volume. I particularly love this series over the others in Valiant because it's a lot darker than the rest of them. It's a dark hero who reminds of someone like The Punisher or Deadpool. The fact that the story is tying into that of Harbinger and will likely turn into an insanely awesome crossover event, definitely makes it even cooler to me. Blood is in the title of the comic, and there is definitely no shortage of the real thing on the pages. Most of the comics on Valiant are somewhat violent, but this one is above and beyond the rest. I'm really loving all of these Valiant heroes and the more and more I read I'm discovering that they are all vital pieces to the Valiant universe and each plays their own role. One of the villains in this volume is called Gamma and it's not because of radiation, but she's like a giant grandma that feeds off the fears of children, in this case, psiot children. It's actually a pretty good villain and though it's a bit comical, I really enjoyed it. Any adult comic that can validate the existence of an evil grandma villain, has to be good. Also, the art again is absolutely phenomenal and draws one into the story so easily.

WRITING : ( 8 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 9 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 9 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )

REVIEW: X-O Manowar, Volume Two: Enter Ninjak

PLOT: Agents of the alien race known as The Vine have been living in secret among us for centuries, and now they've just been activated for one final mission - purge the Earth of all human life! An invasion fleet is on its way and the only weapon in existence powerful enough to defeat it is the X-O Manowar armor. To pinpoint The Vine's weaknesses, Aric will need to enlist the help of the master weapons specialist charged with taking him down - the feared and formidable Ninjak. But, first, Aric will have to convince him that his masters in British Intelligence have sold humanity into the hands of the enemy...

REVIEW: I read the first volume of X-O Manowar right before I started reviewing books on here, but I looked it up on my Goodreads account to see what I had said about it to maybe flesh out my thoughts here. Unfortunately for you, and for me, all I had to say about X-O Manowar, Volume One: By The Sword was "Space and I just never get along..." with a 3-star rating. I have to say that I had forgetten that I didn't like the first volume so much, because this volume was really cool. I have been very pleased with the series coming from Valiant comics recently that we're getting in at my library. Stuff like Harbinger and Bloodshot have been awesome, and there's still a few more I haven't read the first volumes for. What these books have is really great action in terms of multiple panels without dialogue and fights that destroy faces and produce blood. I love some adult violence in my comic books from time to time, so it's really nice to see that with a simple enough story to get into. This volume was a little more entertaining than its predecessor and I think it was because there were enemies after the armor and main character, as opposed to the first one only being about the journey of our main character and the armor choosing him, along with his eventual escape. I'd recommend any of the Valiant comics to any readers of adult graphic novels, and X-O Manowar is probably the strongest entry for sci-fi/fantasy.

WRITING : ( 6 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 8 / 10 )

STORY : ( 6 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 6 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 6 / 10 )

REVIEW: Bloodshot, Volume One: Setting the World on Fire

PLOT: Your name is Angelo Mortalli. Your brother is trapped behind enemy lines and on the verge of - no. That's not right. Your name is Raymond Garrison. You've retired from the dangers of the field, but a desperate plea from your oldest friend plunges you into a vicious firefight that - no. That's not right, either. You are Bloodshot. You are the shade of gray that freedom requires. The perfect confluence of military necessity and cutting-edge technology. A walking WikiLeaks. A reservoir of dirty secrets that could set the world on fire. And you've just been captured!

REVIEW: Never before had I heard of the character Bloodshot, but you can imagine by the cover above I had to pick it up and at least see what it was about. I have to say I was quite surprised with how awesome this was. I reviewed the first volume of Harbinger a couple weeks back (also new from Valiant), and said how that was surprisingly good as well. Where that one has the goods, this one has all the same elements but maybe a notch up higher on the scale. Bloodshot is a straight up bad ass, and when he finds out that all he's been fighting for what was merely a dream, he lets loose on anyone who stands in his path to redemption. I particularly loved the cells where Bloodshot had been shot or injured, and he was regenerating and bringing himself back to live. Just truly cool, hard adult violence in the comic and I always love to see that. I cannot wait to see what a second volume has in store, and the covers for the issues in here were amazing. I would definitely recommend Bloodshot to any fans of action, science fiction, both, or blood, because this comic has it all.

WRITING : ( 8 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 9 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 10 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )