Comics

Review: ‘The Victories’ #2

Published

9 years ago

June 6, 2013

Cannibal villains. Faltering heroes. Super teams merging into mega superheroes. Magic bullets for the killer of men, women, children and dogs. There is literally so much going on in this issue that has me utterly fascinated. There are hooks on every page. The innovation and creativity in characters alone makes it worth reading. Every hero that appears on-panel grabs my full attention and I want to know more about them. The Victories #2 is great comic book reading – pass it on.

WRITTEN BY: Michael Avon Oeming
ART BY: Michael Avon Oeming
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: June 5th, 2013

Like I said above, I want to know more and more about this ravaged world. Every character feels rich in texture and established, even the dead ones. Every little mention of a previous battle or altercation makes me more and more curious. Water wars, the hero Atlantis death, Jackal’s attack on global infrastructure, a shadowy council’s personal angel of destruction, etc. The regular people perspective is just as engaging for readers. Daily food rations lines, no planes or trains, and loved ones across country. These are examples of what things we take for granted and how crippling it would be to life as we know it. The subplots are as thought-provoking as the main ones. I want to know what will happen next and want to savor the long form story all at the same time.

Creator Michael Avon Oeming is truly showcasing all his skills as a storyteller. The art is superbly dark yet the splashes and flashes of color by Nick Filardi ensure the eyes take in every moment. The only misleading part of the whole book is the cover, which is a minor gripe. This would have been more appropriate on last issue (maybe a back cover focusing on each hero each month?) The villains look truly scary and ominous. Escaped cannibal villain Tarcus is truly menacing looking. You would never want to meet his horned, dead-eyed face to face. Can he even be stopped? The Victories try after another team (Zodiac, a team that merges into a mega-hero? Genius) and others have tried.

What has happened to this world and the way normal people and heroes cope is captivating storytelling. The highest compliment I can pay to any form of storytelling is this: I have no idea what’s going to happen next and I can’t wait to find out.

4.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Your Friendly Neighborhood Brady

Lonnie Nadler

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Comics

David Dastmalchian’s ‘Count Crowley’ Comic To Make a Return in 2022

Published

1 week ago

December 23, 2021

Meagan Navarro

Actor David Dastmalchian‘s comic book mini-series Count Crowley is one big ole love letter to the days of the horror host, centered on the “reluctant midnight monster hunter” Jerri Bartman and her adventures as both horror host and monster slayer.

Lucky for us, Jerri is set to make her return this spring with a new comic.

THR reports that Count Crowley: Amateur Midnight Monster Hunter will arrive on March 23, 2022, from Dark Horse Comics. It sounds like Jerri’s received a monster hunting job promotion since the last comic’s Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter, which our own Jason Jenkins called “one of the best damned comics currently haunting your local comic shop.”

“The 1980s-set series centers on Jerri Bartman, a once-rising TV journalist who moves back to her hometown in the Midwest after washing out of her career due to struggle with alcohol. After taking over as the host of a midnight monster show, she learns that monsters are real. Now she must take a crash course in monster hunting to protect those she loves from a vampire who is coming to town.”

“With no promise of more Crowleys, I still wrote Jerri’s story and took her further into her quest to defeat the ‘bad’ monsters while defending the ‘good’ ones,” says Dastmalchian. “Writing about her internal struggles, her family stresses, her battle to find her true, authentic, and actualized self all helped me navigate the strain of the lockdown and my depression throughout the pandemic.”

Fresh off his breakout role as Polka-Dot Man in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Dastmalchian promised a more “stumbling, fumbling, courageous” monster hunter in Jerri’s upcoming adventures.