Barnstormers

Barnstormers was published in Summer and Fall of 2022 as a 5 part Comixology Original. It was written by Scott Snyder with Tula Lotay drawing the scenes. Barnstomers is an adventure and romance story that is set in 1923. The barnstormer era in American history had WWI pilots offering civilians joyrides in the sky for a small fee. One of those pilots was Preston Pike, who has flown his way across the U. S. Southeast scrounging for customers. When a telephone operator tells him that there will be a big crowd waiting for him in nearby Barnville, Preston races over.  Instead of eager clientele, he finds himself crashing into a wedding and the bride to be decides to make a getaway in Preston's plane. Along the way, the two of them bond and become romantic with each other.

This was an enjoyable story that is quick to read.  I thought it was awesome that the bride decided to bail on her wedding. She had an arranged marriage with a man she did not love and when the plane crashes into the reception area she believes it is a sign to run. The style of the illustrations is modeled after adventure comics from the 1920s which I thought was fitting. The bright colors used by Dee Cunniffe gave the story a relaxed feel.

The final issue will not be released until tomorrow, April 4, 2023. 

The Black Ghost

The Black Ghost is a 5 part Comixology Original by Alex Segura and Monica Gallagher. All 5 issues were  published in May 2021 in one volume by Dark Horse Comics and it promises a continuance of the story at the close of #5.  

Our main character is Lara Dominguez. She is a troubled Creighton cops reporter obsessed with the city's debonair vigilante - the Black Ghost. With the help of a mysterious cyber-informant named Lone, Lara has inched closer to uncovering the identity of the Ghost. But as she searches for the breakthrough story that she desperately needs for her paper, Lara navigates the corruption of her city, the uncertainties of virtue, and her own personal demons. The question is whether she can overcome those demons to write spectacular news stories.  

Lara is a fantastic character.  She is a lesbian vigilante of color but her sexual orientation and race do not figure into the story. Lara not only is a journalist but she also teaches a GED class. She is an alcoholic and this prevents her from advancing in her life and career. Another character that I liked was Ernesto who is one of Lara's GED students. He lives in the Dregs and unfortunately gets beat up because of his involvement with her.  Milano's bartender Molly and Lara's boss Maggie are also characters who were interesting and added depth to the story. Crime chieftain Barnabas is the villain of the story and Lara's former classmate Kelly works for him.. All of these characters would make for a fantastic long comic series.

The Black Ghost was a fun read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Book of Evil

The Book of Evil is a Comixology Original by Scott Snyder. Part 1 was published in October 2022. The book does not have the feel of a comic but rather an illustrated story about four young friends growing up in a strange future. In this future, over 92% of adolescents become psychopaths when they reach puberty. The four friends embark on a journey across America looking for a safe haven. As they search for this utopia, they find terror behind every corner. At this time, only two installments of the series have been published. #3 was supposed to have been published last month but I cannot find it.

The story was eerie as were the drawings by JOCK. The characters are supposed to reside inside the yellow yolk lines drawn on roads. If they leave the yolk, they get punished. If they get punished bad enough then they cannot become human.  All of the characters are named after famous authors such as Homer, Poe, Milton, Elliott, and Blake which must mean something. I just don't know what it is.

I must admit that I had a hard time following the plot. It seemed to me that the entire first entry only showed the reader what this strange world entailed. I also read part 2 of the series and have come to believe that this series is not for me. I will not be reading any future installments. The story was too weird for me but I know that there are comic fans out there who will enjoy it. 

The Vision

The Vision #1 is a graphic novel about an android called Vision.  This android, sometimes called a "synthezoid," was built by the villainous robot Ultron created by Hank Pym. Originally intended to act as Ultron's son and destroy the Avengers, Vision instead turned on his creator and joined the Avengers to fight for the forces of good.  Part 1 collects the comic series 1 through 5 and was published in 2015 by Marvel.

The Vision wants to be human so he goes to the laboratory where he was created and he builds a family. There is his wife, Virginia and two twin teens Viv and Vin who look like him. They also have his powers and share his ambition to be ordinary. However, they have the power to kill. Ordinary, huh?

I found it amusing that this family always flew to wherever they were going.  If they wanted to be ordinary they should have walked or drove a car.  However, the kids flew through the air in order to get to school and, yes, they were seen in the air by students. It was also pretty amusing to see the kids try to learn the subjects everyone has to take in high school. Virginia would quiz them daily to ensure that they were doing well. Their power to kill, though, could not be turned off and we see Virginia and the twins use their powers of force when they were threatened.

This was a fun story so I will be getting the subsequent novels.

New America

New America is a Comixology Original political thriller that explores the future of a divided nation. Curt Pires is the author of this three part series.  The story of the New America is set in a near-future landscape where a group of secessionists have broken away from the U. S. and created a new nation. They hope that it will be a utopia but an outbreak of violence makes it look just like the old America. Is this a foreshadow of what could come to Americans in the real world?

The story begins with the end of the old America with a partisan Congress, problems at the border, white supremacists and a crazy President Trump. The New America, though, is not any better. While the new president is African American, he uses power just like the white ones did. The politics is the same. The exception is that there are now armed guards everywhere throughout the nation. Citizens of the old America are seen as terrorists. 

This is a depressing comic. There wasn't much plot movement to keep me interested in the story but I kept reading because I expected a big ending. I didn't get it but perhaps that is the point. Separating the different factions in our country will not work. We have to talk to each other. 

Census

Census is a 5 part Comixology Original comic by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman. It is advertised as a horror comedy by the publisher. I have read the first 4 installments of the series and the final part will be published January 17, 2023. The story is about Liam Malone who takes a job as a census taker for $32 an hour. Liam has no ambition in life. After six years attending college he has not been able to obtain a degree and is looking for any job other than cleaning up human waste. While riding a bus in New York City he sees a sign that says "Good pay, flexible hours, no experience necessary" so heads over for an interview and gets a job working for the Census Bureau. What Liam doesn't know about this new job is that he will be counting demons for the Underworld census. He has to count and register all of the demons, djinns, changelings and other supernatural beings in New York. Liam learns that to get the job of a lifetime you sometimes have to sell your soul.

The idea for the story is rather creative but with Liam meeting female supernaturals who rape him for his blood, this is obviously written by a man. A woman writer would never create a character who is unappealing physically but cannot fight off the women who want him. The adolescent stuff aside, Census is hilarious. The reader sees Liam going door to door, never knowing what he is going to find when that door opens. Liam's home situation is also hilarious. He shares an apartment with two other men and they alternate who gets to sleep in a bed and who has to sleep in the bathtub. One roommate is always shown naked sitting on a toilet so the adolescent element continues throughout the story.

Each installment of the comic shows Liam coming across different types of creatures. For example, in part 2 he comes across a group of leprechauns that he must register. I enjoyed the story and wish it could keep on going. However, there is only one more release before this comic ends.

4 out of 5 stars.