Corey's Comic Corner Edition 23 - Review of Archie vs The World #1, Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #1, Silver Surfer Ghost Light #1, Batman: One Bad Day Catwoman #1 and Series Review of Poker Face
Corey’s Comic Corner, etc. - 23rd Edition
Pull up a chair, put your glasses on and focus if you can.. It’s time for a new week of reviews, recommendations, life changing conversation and mostly not boring banter……
It's Sunday morning and a beautiful, balmy 45 degrees outside in ROC as I come to you live from the couch. Coffee in one hand, dog sleeping to the right. Everything is as it should be to start the day. It feels like Spring compared to the -3 degrees we woke up to yesterday morning! We officially reached -8 overnight on Friday. Gotta love Rochester this time of year. The highs and lows can only be compared to Britney Spears' Instagram. You just never know what you’re going to get!
Image Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/04/politics/chinese-spy-balloon-us-latest/index.html
Continuing the weirdness we have experienced over the past 24 months or more, the Chinese had decided to fly a spy balloon over the US in what they are saying was a complete accident and force majeure. The balloon, said to be as wide as 3 buses and entered U.S. airspace on January 28th, 2023. After much debate from both sides of our government it was eventually shot down over water along the East Coast on February 4th, 2023. We have no idea what kind of intelligence or information the balloon had gathered at this time but it’s believed the military will salvage what they can and examine any equipment. Of course almost immediately after it was shot down China vowed to take whatever actions they see fit in response to this aggressive act by our country. haha. You just can’t make this stuff up??!! The year is young. Who knows what the rest 2023 has in store for us. Aliens? Flying cars? Will Florida finally break off from the mainland?? We shall see!
COMIC BOOK REVIEWS
“This week I had a chance to read Archie vs The World #1, Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #1, Silver Surfer Ghost Light #1 and Batman: One Bad Day Catwoman #1”
Silver Surfer Ghost Light #1
Written by John Jennings
Pencils by Valentine De Landro
Rated T for Teen
Available now!
A new Silver Surfer series introducing a brand new character in the Marvel Universe and their backstory. Who is Ghost Light and why has the Surfer shown up in distress about his awakening?
This was a fun read. What starts out as a couple siblings exploring places they are not supposed to at their new home turns into the possible reincarnation of their lost uncle and possibly another cosmic being similar to the likes of the Silver Surfer. It’s a nice little introduction to what appears to be a new Super-Hero or Anti-Hero in the least. Of course this first issue ends with the Silver Surfer showing up and demanding the teens tell him why they have awakened his long dead friend and hero and with that we’re forced to wait for the next issue. It’s enough for me though! I’m very curious to see what happens next. It’s a quick, light and mellow read with very straightforward and simple art but it all works. Definitely worth a read if you are a Silver Surfer fan!
Archie vs The World #1
Written by Aubrey Sitterson
Pencils by Jed Dougherty
Rated T for Teen
Available now!
A new one shot story set during an alternative timeline in the Archie universe. Equal parts Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Dragon Ball Z makes up this story about the search for water and Veronica during End of Days. This Archie is bad to the bone!
This was a fun little read. I almost wish it was broken up into a mini-series versus a one shot because I would have loved to see more of this world. First off, the art and pencils are great! Doughtry does some fine work making Archie and crew look bad-ass! Muscles, action, adrenaline. It’s just a really fun artistic style and perfect for this post apocalyptic story. The writing is fun too. It’s just a really fast paced, action based story that moves quickly towards its climax. Definitely fun to read and again, I just wish there was more to sink my teeth into!
Bloodline Daughter of Blade #1
Written by Danny Lore
Pencils by Karen S. Darboe
Rated T for Teen
Available now!
A new series introducing the day walker Blade’s one and only daughter, Brielle. Raised without having known her father or the powers she might come to gain, Brielle is thrown into a world of mystery and Vampires in which she must now learn to live in and survive.
Bloodline made her first appearance over the past year and has shown up a couple times recently. With the new Blade movie scheduled to be released some time over the next year and Marvel's renewed focus on casting younger actors it’s the perfect time to introduce her origin story to the masses. It’s a pretty basic setup. Girl finds she has powers, Mom doesn’t know she knows. At some point they are jumped by a vampire and forced to fight it off thus opening up dialogue about Brielle’s power, her fathers history and the real story leading them to where they are now. It’s a good start but I think most readers, like me, will be even more excited about Blade showing up in the next issue. Still Bloodline looks to be a fun new addition to Marvel comics and I'm sure it won’t be long until she’s also featured in the MCU.
Batman One Bad Day - Catwoman #1
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Pencils by Jamie McKelvie
Rated M for Mature
Available now!
A new one shot in a series of one shot’s each featuring a different Batman Villain. This story revolves around the infamous cat burglar, Catwoman, while she’s on a mission to recover a broach her mother was tricked into selling years ago at a pawn shop. Taking a look back at Catwoman’s childhood and how it played a role in her fragile and suspicious psyche.
I absolutely loved this story. A few of these one shot’s were hit or miss but this particular story really nails Selina Kyle both as a child and later as the villain we have come to love. Wilson writes this issue as if she’s been in Catwoman’s mind right along. It’s a story of loss, hope, redemption, mystery and even has a nice little twist I didn’t see coming. Batman of course makes an appearance and becomes an important part of the narrative. There is also a very interesting villain as part of the story too. The story really fires on all cylinders. The art is great too! McKelvie’s pencils are sharp, clean and refined. It’s just a great book in general and one I highly recommend if you are a fan of Catwoman.
MOVIE RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK!!
Poker Face
Distributed by Peacock
Created and written by Rian Johnson
Rated M for Mature
Available now on Peacock!
A few weeks back I had Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion on Netflix as my recommendation of the week so it was a no-brainer when I learned he was launching a similarly themed series on Peacock with another hugely talented cast. More mystery, murder, whodunit fun! Not only is this show getting rave reviews but it’s just a lot of fun to watch. Natasha Lyonne has been popping everywhere as of late and she always plays an interesting and funny character. Adrien Brody, Chloe Sevigny, Nick Nolte and Ron Perlman also star among many others. Popular review website Metacritic currently has this series listed as a must watch and thus far it’s living up to the hype with me. Check it out! Let us know what you think.
That’s it for this week! Hopefully you enjoyed this edition of Corey’s Comic Corner, etc. We’d love to hear from you! Drop us your thoughts, comments, questions or whatever is on your mind and If you haven’t been in to POP ROC recently what are you waiting for?? Do it!!
Until next week……
Corey Newell
“Just a guy who loves comics and stuff”
⁃ Independent blogger, dad, dork, comic nerd and pop culture lover hailing from Spencerport, NY