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Comic Review: Deus Ex Universe: Children’s Crusade

August 11, 2016 By Keri Honea 1 Comment

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided releases just next month as a sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and I can assure you that the hype is real. This is definitely high on my personal radar for the year as well as a good chunk of the SGR staff and gamers across the globe. The sequel is based upon the aftermath of the “Aug Incident” that occurs in DXHR, but there are plenty of questions in between DXHR and DXMD. We know that Adam Jensen is working with Task Force 29 of Interpol to stop terrorism on both sides of the Aug Conflict, and we know that he’s actually a double agent trying to unearth who is pulling the strings behind the Conflict as well as Interpol. But how did he get there? And how bad is the Conflict? Deus Ex Universe: Children’s Crusade comic from Titan Books answers all of those questions.

The comic series starts in the middle of things, with Jensen already a member of the Task Force, but he’s a rookie. No one on the team fully trusts him yet, especially a couple of Aug Haters. Jensen is also already partnered with Alex Vega, another main character from the upcoming game. She’s kind of his partner in the sky in this story, though, one who taps into his augmentations to send information and get a literal eye as to what is going on. They have to play their cards right, though, as Interpol has no idea Jensen is secretly investigating them for moles. Everything Alex does to tap into Jensen and Interpol has to be done with the utmost discretion, or Jensen is likely a dead man.

During a routine operation, the Task Force learns that the Aug Terrorists are using children for their warfare tactics. Some they’re turning into bombs via their augmentations, and others they’re arming and sending them into anti-aug rallies. Jensen doesn’t want to hurt any of the children, but also has to find out who is manipulating them and why. This 5-part series covers this one mission Jensen has, develops characters we’re going to come in contact with in DXMD, and shows that nothing is what it seems.

Obviously, the Illuminati are behind everything all over again, but the question remains how they are pulling the strings and who is doing the pulling. It’s not enough to know that the Illuminati are involved; Jensen has to learn who are aligned with them. At the end of the series, the reader learns the identity of one of many of the members, which is fairly surprising over the scope of the story.

The story and art are absolutely amazing, especially the artwork. I could take so many different screenshots of the art to use as wallpapers for 50 different devices, easily. As breathtaking as the art is (bravo John Aggs!) it was the image below that made me laugh out loud.

If you played DXHR, then this should look familiar to you, as this is the screen that pops up (without the word bubbles) for the hacking mini-game. It cracked me up that they were so devoted to the game itself of Deus Ex, not just the story, that they included this when Jensen had to hack his way into a building. I personally loved the hacking mini-game, and I can’t wait to hack all the things once again in DXMD.

After completing this mini-series yesterday, I’ve been telling as many Deus Ex fans as I know to pick this comic up. I don’t think it will be imperative to read before playing the game, but a lot of background information will be filled in. Plus, it’s nice to get a sample of what Jensen will be dealing with as well as the horrors of humanity. For those who never played the first game, though, you will want to pass on the comic. Very little background information is provided on Jensen and the events of DXHR, requiring readers to be fans of the game before diving in to the comic.

Comic Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops III #1

November 4, 2015 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

There seems to be a comic for every new game release these days. Many don’t surprise me, but a comic series for Call of Duty: Black Ops III most certainly did. I haven’t played a CoD game in years, but I always remembered the story to be minimal, and outside of the Zombies mode, I expect Black Ops III to be just as minimal. But okay, here’s the backstory to the game, I guess.

I had no idea what to expect with this comic series, but I can assure you that this first issue was not it. Except for what happened at the very end, the series appeared to be individual Black Ops missions run by the main characters from the game. At least I assume they’re the main characters from the game; perhaps they aren’t, and each issue is about different Black Ops agents running different missions.

The end of this issue suggests that all of the Ops and therefore issues will be connected to one particular faction/agency/terrorist, but I suppose it’s always possible that it won’t be either.

In case you can’t tell, the issue left me largely unsatisfied.

It features a bro-team of four doing what Call of Duty bros do best–shoot first and ask questions later. All that was missing was a bro fist bump or a bro hug. There was laughter, a few sexist comments, and loss of life. It was just like playing a game of CoD online with young kids.

I have no idea if this is how every issue is going to be presented, especially since the ending already teased a brand new locale and mission for next month, but the next issue really needs to tie it together quickly with a semblance of a running plot line. This first issue was great for a side mission found in CoD, but as a comic where you expect a deeper story, it reads as shallow as the video game itself.

At least the art was as stunning as what you’d find in a CoD game as well.

The first issue of Call of Duty: Black Ops III comic releases today, November 4, 2015 at retail and via Dark Horse comics digital.

A digital review copy was received from the publisher.

Comic Review: Mirror’s Edge: Exordium #2

October 14, 2015 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

One thing I really enjoyed from the first issue of Mirror’s Edge: Exordium was how it did not assume that the reader knew a flying flip about the world of Mirror’s Edge or its characters. The second issue has built upon this lack of assumption and continues to draw in the reader with intrigue and a desire to know more about both Faith and the City of Glass. With Issue #2, the plot surrounding Faith heats up, but for whatever reason, the art has fallen rather flat.

Faith’s choices are spiraling around her as she’s letting her pride get in her own way, but a least she knows how to carry that chip on her shoulder without being a bitch about it. She’s strong, she’s opinionated, but she gets things done without making a scene in front of the people she’s furious with. Does she talk to them maturely? Oh hell no, which creates the drama. But at least she’s not throwing her toys around the room, claiming to be a victim, or blaming others for her problems.

It’s hard to really analyze or dissect the storyline without delving into spoiler territory, so I won’t even try. Just know that the tale really winds up, Faith and Noah both are unraveling a bit due to their choices, and we learn just how awful a person Dogen really is. From the very last panel, I have a theory of what he’s really doing to Faith, but I’m keeping it to myself for now.

The art, however, is a big disappointment. None of the characters appear to be three-dimensional, so they all come across as very flat in a 1970s/1980s comic book style. Even the colors are drab, so nothing pops off the page and strikes me as stunning. On several panels, Faith’s face takes on a different shape, even on the same page. The best example of Faith is on page 4, and the rest of the pages look like someone else handed in the pencils for the heroine. The next and last time her face remains consistent and like the Faith we’re used to seeing is page 15. When comparing the artists between the issues, the names are different, which could 100% explain why.

I like my comic books to have amazing art; without the art, I might as well just have a short story or a novel. I sincerely hope we go back to the Mattias Haggstrom/Robert Sammelin duo that we had in the first issue, because the art and colors exhibited there are light years ahead of what we have in Issue #2.

Art aside (I’ll shove it aside for now), Mirror’s Edge: Exordium continues on a dark, deep path that they set out from the first issue. I am still excited to see where this comic series goes, not to mention, what decisions Faith decides to make that lands her in the position she is in at the start of Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst.

Mirror’s Edge: Exordium #2 is out today, October 14, 2015.

Digital review copy received via publisher.

Comic Review: Assassin’s Creed #1

October 14, 2015 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

I’m an unapologetic fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. It’s true I haven’t loved everything about it, but I think that only proves that I can see the series’ flaws as much as the good points. The franchise is moving into the comics realm for their extended lore, and this first issue has as many flaws as it has strengths.

With the AC series, there has always been this struggle between getting the present day as interesting as the Assassins of the past. I think most can agreed Desmond Miles was a very flat, uninspiring character. As such he was unlikable, and not many cared what happened to him at the end of Assassin’s Creed III. People liked Connor more than Desmond, and Connor was an incredibly poorly written character. In this comic, Ubisoft is trying once more to create a more interesting present day character than the past Assassin with Charlotte de la Cruz.

This first issue was all about Charlotte, who she is, what she’s trying to do, and how she gets involved with the Assassins and Abstergo. The comic doesn’t even reveal her ancestral Assassin’s name in this first issue, that’s how much they want the readers to focus on the present times over the past. However, they need to soften up Charlotte a bit, because right now, the writers appear to have confused “strong woman” with “bitchy,” which is always a huge complaint of mine when writing women.

Charlotte starts the comic off playing a virtual reality video game that is obviously an Animus made for consumers so Abstergo can find out who has blood ties to Templars and Assassins. As she bounces back into the real world, Charlotte is hardly a likable person. She’s your stereotypical angry woman with a giant chip on her shoulder who is ready to blame everyone for her problems but herself. She didn’t get the job because she’s not the interviewee’s daughter. She’s not rich. She’s not part of the 1%. Her life sucks. Oh wait, but she’s awesome because she steals money from a slumlord while at her banking job to help a woman take care of her daughter. It’s okay to commit a crime when it’s against a despicable person, right? Yeah, no.

I’m not a fan of Charlotte at this point.

Thankfully, Charlotte gets roped in by the Assassins and plunges head first into the Animus and we “meet” her ancestor during the witch trials at Salem. And for once, Charlotte has to learn to really play the game instead of bitch about how the game is played. No, she can’t change what her ancestor would have done. No, she can’t scream about how unfair life is, because life isn’t always fair. Maybe this experience will make her more likable. At least, I really hope so.

It’s an interesting start to the comic, and I’m curious to see where it will go from here. I also hope that the art continues to be as beautiful as it is here, as the art is this comic’s best asset thus far.

Assassin’s Creed #1 releases on October 14, 2015.

Digital review copy received from publisher.

Comic Review: Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen #1

October 7, 2015 By Keri Honea 1 Comment

So here we go again; another Tomb Raider comic from Crystal Dynamics and Dark Horse. I almost didn’t read it. I was so close to being that person who refused to give this series another chance. How does that saying go? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I wasn’t going to be fooled twice. But then I remembered I’m not a complete jerk, this is a new series, it has a new team behind it, and everyone and everything deserves a second chance. I’m so glad I got over myself and read this issue, because this, Crystal Dynamics, is how a Tomb Raider comic should be. Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen has blown all of my expectations out of the water.

Okay, I admit my expectations were super low, but I still came away wanting to cheer with excitement.

First of all, the colors are bright, vivid, and completely jaw-dropping. Michael Atiyeh has always done amazing color with the Tomb Raider comics, and maybe it’s the different artist for the pencils that makes Lara just pop on the page. I wish I didn’t have an NDA with these comics so I could show exactly what I’m talking about between the colors and art of LCFO and TR. As I scroll through my digital review copy, I can’t help but stare at Lara’s eyes, even on the small panels, because the art and colors make them simply come alive.

Story-wise, this Lara Croft is in Crystal Dynamics’ Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, their top-down four-character puzzle titles. Lara is a beloved employee of a prominent museum in London, she’s known for being badass, and she’s essentially the British female Indiana Jones that Lara has been known for. The tale starts off with Lara scaling a cliff while looking for one of Carter’s falcons (Carter was her partner in the previously mentioned games), and then quickly moves to Lara chasing down a possessed museum curator who has stolen a priceless artifact.

See? This is how you make a Tomb Raider comic.

Lara is being adventurous, there’s no one to tell her that she’s scaring them, she’s proud of who she is, she’s bold, she’s smart, there’s a bit of supernatural at play, and best of all, there is no Yamatai or the blasted Sun Queen. There’s no dead companion rising from the ground and telling her to go save his sister. There’s also no defined plot just yet, as this is the first issue. We know the curator stole the artifact and the villain behind it is rather demonic, but we don’t know who he is, what he wants with the artifact, or how what happens to Lara at the end happens. But hey, that’s more than enough to keep me intrigued to find out.

I admit it; I’m more stoked about a story that isn’t about the Yamatai and doesn’t have people questioning how Lara is able to save them from horrific things. It really didn’t take much to be pleased about this new comic, and yes, everything could get messed up down the line. The Yamatai could weasel their way back in. But for now, I am incredibly hopeful that it doesn’t go down a wrong path, and we keep with this Crystal Dynamics version of Lara Croft.

The first issue of Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen is available today at retail and digital via Dark Horse. Pick it up for a really fun Lara Croft story and the art. Just…just enjoy that amazing art.

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