THINK TANK – CREATIVE DESTRUCTION / GODZILLA – OBLIVION / ALIEN – DEFIANCE [Reviews]: They’re Coming Out The %$*&$ Walls!

Greetings once again, fellow readers! Another weekend over, another week about to start; you know what that means. It’s comic time. Time to dive right in and see what we’ve got premiering this week, and sort out which ones are worth your money, time, and bandwidth.

Without further ado, let’s dive right in:

***EARLY REVIEW – In stores tomorrow, 4/6/16***

The latest series of Top Cow’s sci-fi action comedy Think Tank has arrived – news I greeted with no feelings whatsoever, being completely unaware of the earlier series’ existence. I’ve no idea how I’ve missed this: Think Tank is excellent, and worth reading, especially if you’ve never read this series before.

Telling a tale of a vaguely dystopian future — yet one firmly rooted in the real technology and R&D that military and civilian contractors are presently engaged in developing – we find the characters inhabiting this secret DARPA think tank, led by the incorrigible former child prodigy Dr. David Loren, hard at work developing future-tech for future wars… but meanwhile, an evil genius is assaulting the very oldest of America’s technology: its infrastructure. Can they be stopped? Can Dr. Loren annoy everyone in the military industrial complex? Is there a connection? In answer to all the above questions; probably.

Matt Hawkins (Necromancer, The Tithe) and Rahsan Ekedal (Echoes, Solomon Kane) both return for this, their fourth Think Tank series, and it’s a blast to read. Relying heavily on narration, this issue leads us through the cluttered thoughts of the hyper-sane genius realist, and socially inept idiot that is the main character, Dr. Loren; someone his cohorts makes excuses for and the top brass suspect. Ekedal’s clean lines and cartoonish style simplify what could be an other-wise confusing tale, whilst imbuing the book with the frenetic energy of a screwball comedy. If you’re looking for something unique on the stands and have never read Think Tank, then it’s probably about time you did. 4/5 Bibles.

“Cardinal” Brooks here, with yet another IDW Godzilla book review, this time written by Joshua Fialkov (I, Vampire) and drawn by Brian Churilla (Hellbreak). And at long last, I finally get to really hate something I’ve read and/or reviewed. Congregation! This book is almost complete and total crap. Although the writing isn’t terrible, the story is one we’ve seen one too many times, like a bad sci-fi Netflix flick with even worse special effects. Not to give anything away…oh, hell. Who cares? Here’s the plot: scientists create portal: ✔️. A team goes through said portal: ✔️. Team runs into trouble and people die: ✔️. Team runs back into portal  and at the last second something bad follows them through and more people die!

Snooze alert! And here’s the artwork summed up: I hate it. It’s messy, inconsistent and simplistic, with nary a flourish anywhere. If you’ve read any of my “roast” reviews, then you know how I feel about sloppy linework. Even those huge Godzilla fans like fellow GHGers Dana and Ryan Scott need not waste their hard-earned cash… 1.5/5 Badzilla Bibles.

***EARLY REVIEW – Street Date: 4/27/16***

“In space, no one can hear you scream.” With that tagline, a franchise was born. Four movies (well, five, if one counts Prometheus. But let’s not, shall we?), two crossover movies, a game, and several spoofs later, the Alien resurgence is back, with a new comic series from writer Brian Wood (The Massive, Rebels) and illustrator Tristan Jones (Mad Max:Fury Road). This comic series follows the adventures of a new space badass, Zula Hendricks, as she attempts to protect the earth from xenomorphs.

The comic does an excellent job of mimicking the cold dread of the crew and soldiers as they wander the corridors of a ship, not knowing where the danger is lurking. And thanks to the illustrations, the two dimensional aliens are just as creepy on the page as they are in the screen. The sound effects can get a little distracting (“thllk” makes me think of old Batman episodes, and “brrrt” made the 10-year old in me crack up), but they don’t take away from the foreboding tone set when the xenomorphs finally appear. If you’re a fan of Alien at all–or need a new fix after playing Alien: Isolation–this is a good one to pick up. 4/5 Bibles.

Confession time: it’s been awhile since I’ve read Aquaman. When the “New 52” started, Geoff Johns started an amazing Aquaman run that was great to read, but once he moved on, the quality hit a snag. While Parker’s wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good: it was just there. Dan Abnett (Guardians of Infinity) and Brett Booth (The Flash) pulled Aquaman out of that perdition, and put him back into “good” standing; but it’s still missing something that keeps it from the highs that Johns had crafted. Abnett has a great understanding of Aquaman (and Mera), but his side characters needed work, and a bit more focus.

I love a good pun, but this book was pun-tastic, and the first two acts of the book left like they were trying to find their sea legs (pun intended). By the third act, however, Abnett found his footing, and actually builds plenty of excitement for what might happen next, creating a great jumping-on/off point before DC’s “Rebirth” initiative arrives later this year. Perhaps expectations were high for Issue #50, but the introduction of the Atlantis Embassy, “Spindletop”, was a very nice addition. Booth’s artwork has always been hit or miss for me, but it was more hit in this issue. If you’re a general fan of his work, you’ll most likely enjoy his art here. His faces always look a bit off, like something someone might draw while bored at work. 3/5 Bibles.

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