Indie Comic Review: Blackfire #1

"The Hottest Chick in the Game returns"...

Previously…

For a while now Advent comics has been putting together the indie comics equivalent of Crisis on Infinite Earths. It has featured several characters from outside of the Advent universe and at the same time cleverly introduced new in-universe characters. One such character is Blackfire, elemental hero and "Hottest chick in the game" so let's get into it with the Blazing Brown boss b****. But first...

*Spoiler that ish*

Situation

Our story begins with our heroine in the hospital, though thankfully she’s not injured. Her former partner Seawolf is recovering from an ass-kicking and two bullets to the dome. We get some backstory on their first meeting as well as Blackfire’s early beginnings. We learn that she was the parents of a pair of geneticists, who adored her. At a young age, she contracted a rare blood disease and in order to save her, her parents had to give her away to the super-agent government organization C.H.A.N.G.E. From that point on she’s a teenaged weapon for the United States government. Her flashback is interrupted when a group of villains calling themselves Force Majeure burst through the wall like the Kool-Aid man with the sole purpose of collecting SeaWolf’s body and killing anyone who gets in their way. Of course, this doesn’t sit well with Blackfire who makes a valiant effort to stop them despite being outnumbered seven to one. She battles with the gang of criminals until she gets some help from an unexpected source and can turn the tide of battle.

Story

Tony Kittrell has created a universe chook full of, colorful characters and pain-bringing powerhouses. His use of modern phraseology also doesn’t sound forced or corny, like when Blackfire blasts Foxfire away and says “Bitch Bye” invoking a sort of Misty Knight meets Beyoncé vibe. Kittrell has a great grasp on each character’s individual voice, which is very impressive considering he has so many of them in the Advent universe. The great part of this issue is that even the flashback sequences feel organic, Blackfire is speaking to her unconscious friend about why he’s so important to her and they definitely had a Batman and Robin relationship in her younger days, a team-up I’d be very interested in seeing some time in the near future.

Pictures

Florentino Cuevas and J. Brown do a good job of bringing these characters to life. Advent has an old-school, 90’s feel that makes even the newest of characters feel familiar. The fight scenes are very well done and have a lot the panels subtlety recreate iconic scenes from the big two but don’t outright bite from them. The coloring again has a 90’s nostalgic quality to them that, again, creates an air of familiarity with characters the reader may not know. It’s another very impressive thing Advent manages to do often and well.

Real

I’m a big fan of this comic book universe and if there is anymore Blackfire around the corner you better believe I’m game.

PURCHASE

As always if you enjoyed the review please take the time to support! You can purchase noth digital and physical issues here!

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This review was written by Ra'Chaun Rogers on behalf of Concept Moon Studios. If you enjoy his comic reviews click here for more!

Indie Comic Review: Black Star Line #4

Previously…

I once had a discussion on twitter about being political in comics and this person was of the opinion that if a comic book is too political or “preachy” that readers would get mad and that this is bad writing. I’m going to let all you Moon maniacs at home take a very wild guess what this guy was about and what his ideological leanings might be. Now with that in mind, I went and read Advent comics Black Star Line #4: “We the People” the tale of the Alt-United States of America and freedom fighters who are trying to turn it from “Great” to “Best”. But before that…

*Spoiler that Ish*

Situation

Our story begins at a maximum-security prison where a group of rebels fighting mechanized death machines to gain access to one of the prisoners. We meet the operatives who are undertaking this mission and they fall into the various character classes that inhabit most band of hero’s’ stories since these particular missions require special skills. After they retrieve their unlikely quarry they steal away to a “city” if you can call it that, as the buildings are barely standing, and the roads are once again made of dirt. The group stands in the ruins of what was once the city of Chicago where they meet the leader of the resistance. From there we get a glimpse of the opposition to the Confederacy a white supremacist governmental system that now has control over what’s left of the USA. And as their name suggests they affect the aesthetic of the antebellum south, with all its stark racism and affected refinement. As the first issue winds up, we learn that their leader holds the protection of his race and the Confederacy over that of any familial connections he may have, this may prove to be his undoing.

Story

I recently reviewed Tony Kittrel’s Blackfire #1 a superhero comic with style and action. This is a very different affair; this comic would give the aforementioned anti-political comics crowd hives as it blatantly discusses the idea of rebellion from a white supremacist nation and I am here for it. Kittrell is pulling no punches in this, he is a black man that takes issue with the current climate if the country and imagines what it will become if it is allowed to persist. There are some great things in this comic like a scene where a character drops a stainless-steel double door fridge on one of the death machines, harkening back to an old interview by rap group The Lox. The heart of this book, however, is how direct Kittrell is about what he feels and how the message of the story might give the reader food for thought. This book is harsh, the N-word is used a bit and while not excessively it does hit hard so be forewarned about that.

Pictures

Sherard Jackson and Rafael Dantas Gomes do a good job of bringing this story to life, there are some really cool robot designs that appear to be homages to Cain from Robocop also the costume designs for the Resistance soldiers put those of the rebel alliance to shame, this wasn’t a superhero affair so nothing gaudy and grand here, except the Civil war era attire that confederacy wear day-to-day, which actually look very apt for this dystopian race-based society. The design to that effect turn the Confederate motif into something of an American Nazi affair (yes, I know there are American Nazi’s) in the same way that sci-fi constantly imagines the terror of Europe as a consummate big evil, this comic swaps them out for their American counterparts as they were and it adds to the thought-provoking nature of this book.

Real

Go pick up this book especially if you are black or another person of color. That is all.

PURCHASE

As always if you enjoyed the review please take the time to support! You can purchase digitally here!

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This review was written by Ra'Chaun Rogers on behalf of Concept Moon Studios. If you enjoy his comic reviews click here for more!

Indie Comic Review: Vigilance #1

Previously…

Last time, I decided to review a supernatural romance comic that was completely out of my wheelhouse and to my surprise I didn’t hate it. Today I’m getting back to my superhero roots with Vigilance published by Freestyle Comics and Short Fuse Media, the tale of a strange visitor who is taken in by one of Earth’s premier heroes and made into its next champion. But first…

*Spoiler that ish*

Situation

Our story begins with an explosion. A crater on U.S. soil that alerts the U.S. military and their champion Justice. In the crater, he finds a humanoid woman who we will later be known as the eponymous Vigilance. She is taken in by the military and Justice as she learns the language and acclimates to the planet. We then get a montage of her showing us what she can do, no-selling bullets, flying at Mach 4, surviving a large explosion and lifting an aircraft carrier to name a few showings. Next, we come to Senator Chet Stout, who much like Senator Finch in Batman vs Superman, doesn’t trust the alien immigrant. He clearly shows what side he’s on when he threatens a reporter’s life after she questions his distrust of Vigilance, go figure. Finally, an invasion from the stars touches down in a major American city and our heroine send’s the vanguard flying with an uppercut that would make Popeye proud. She is then confronted by the queen of the alien armada who seems to be more powerful than she appears.

Story

Writer Micah Cox crafts a simple and familiar tale, which is not a bad thing in this case. We’re not seeing any reinventing of the wheel here. I know that some people may have an issue with the whole Superman analog, but I enjoyed this. Sometimes you just want to read a straight forward superhero story, no hidden messages, no mixed genre’s just a straight-up story of heroism and Vigilance does that well. We get a sampling of what Vigilance can do and what she’s looking for out of life before she gets a real threat. The need for purpose is prevalent in this book and it leads to some interesting questions, but most importantly, why did Vigilance come to earth? I have a feeling we’re going to find out in the next few issues and I’m sure it will be an interesting read.

Pictures

Valdeci Nogueira and Veronica Smith do a good job of breathing life into this story. The character designs are fairly good and the costume designs are even better. Nogueira does a great job of drawing up an iconic suit for Vigilance while Smith’s use of simple color patterns creates a subtle yet iconic color scheme. I also dig the harness attached to Vigilances cape it gives a more para-military feel to her character and gives us an idea of her suit’s origins. The design of Queen Ma’al, while somewhat sensual is also formidable, here we have this alien queen in a skin-tight bodysuit, exposing her cleavage to the world and I can’t help but think that this fight is probably gonna level the city and personally I want it to.

Real

I enjoyed this comic, after having read varying types over the past month its nice to get back to my bread and butter and see that old fashion superhero comics aren’t dead. I’m definitely looking forward to more.

PURCHASE

As always if you enjoyed the review please take the time to support! You can purchase both physical and digital issues here!

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This review was written by Ra'Chaun Rogers on behalf of Concept Moon Studios. If you enjoy his comic reviews click here or more!