Red Sonja/Tarzan #3 - A Review

The time-traveling hunter known as Eson Duul has set his sights on the Greystone family. Now, Red Sonja and Tarzan are in a literal race against time. Fortunately, The Greystroke family is far from defenseless, as the son of John Clayton is known to the great apes as Korak - their word for killer! And he does not stand alone in the battle against Duul and his forces, even without his father and the She-Devil With A Sword!


Red Sonja/Tarzan #3 is surprisingly free of either of its title characters. It is not lacking in action, however, with most of the issue focused on the exploits of Korak, Son of Tarzan, and Windia - an African woman warrior who could give any member of the Dora Milaje a run for their money.

Those who have enjoyed this series so far will find the third issue contains more of the same spirited writing and action-packed artwork.The only real flaw, and I admit this is a nitpicky one, is that I expect to see more of Red Sonja and Tarzan in a book called Red Sonja/Tarzan. Thankfully, the final pages promise that in plenty next month.

The Final Analysis: 7 out of 10. Old-fashioned pulp action, marred only by our title characters being largely absent from this issue.

Red Sonja/Tarzan #2 - A Belated Review

United across time and space by an enemy who seems to have the power to breach those same boundaries, The Lord of The Jungle and The She-Devil With A Sword form an uneasy alliance... though this is not the first time the two have crossed paths, though neither remembers the first time they met and came to blows...


Again, real life had gotten in the way of my reviewing this wonderful little mini-series, sure to appeal to fans of both Red Sonja and Tarzan. Gail Simone's script captures the essence of both characters perfectly. This is unsurprising, given Simone's long association with Sonja after 18 issues of the monthly comic and the Swords of Sorrow event, which gave her ample opportunity to indulge her obvious love of pulp fiction. Hopefully we'll get to see Jane in action by this series' end as well.

Walter Geovani proves the perfect partner in this. Again, this is unsurprising, given Geovani's long history of drawing Red Sonja and other pulp works for Dynamite Entertainment. Attention must also be paid to the colors of Adriano Augusto and the letters of Simon Bowland, which are equally amazing. Again, I say it - this is a wonderful series, sure to appeal to fans of both Red Sonja and Tarzan as well as anyone who enjoys a ripping yarn.

The Final Analysis: 8 out of 10. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but that is their loss.

Wonder Woman/Conan #6 - A Review

Diana has returned home to Themyscira, but she cannot help but feel guilt for leaving the warrior Conan behind to fight the battle she helped to start. Still, Conan is armed with The Lasso of Hestia, but will even that enable him to face an army of darkness alone and save a single city? And will he truly have to fight alone?


Wonder Woman/Conan #6 proves a perfect conclusion to one of the most enjoyable mini-series in recent memory. There's little for me to say about the series beyond this without sounding like a broken record. Great art. Great story. And if The Powers That Be at Marvel Comics have a damn lick of sense, they'll recruit Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti to helm their new Conan book in 2019.

The Final Analysis: 9/10. 

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 4, Episode 12 - Honey, I Shrunk Team Flash

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

Cisco and Ralph get cut down to size when they confront a metahuman with the power to shrink what he touches. As Caitlin and Harry work to restore them, Joe must deal with his own metahuman menace at home - a newly telepathic Cecile! Meanwhile, in Iron Heights, Barry discovers that Big Sir is innocent of the crime that sent him to prison and puts Team Flash to work on proving it.


Influences

The Atom comics of Gail Simone (general goofy tone and the character of Dwarfstar), The Shawshank Redemption (Barry makes reference to it, the general theme of Barry trying to help Big Sir, Big Sir's eventual escape), The Simpsons episode Lisa The Iconoclast (the use of the word "embiggen"), the movie Ant-Man (the fight scene with Cisco and Ralph piloting a drone and Dwarfstar throwing objects at Iris and Harry as he enlarges them) and the movie Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (title, general goofy tone)


Goofs

As Cecile points out, it beggars belief that the metahuman criminal of the week also just happens to be the robber for whom Big Sir was mistaken for 15 years earlier. We don't care what Harry says about how there are no coincidences.

Iris is wrong - embiggening IS a word according to The Oxford English Dictionary.


Performances

Bill Goldberg has a hell of a presence as Big Sir.

It's a brief thing, but Richard Brooks - who plays Warden Wolfe - does get a quick scene where he shows the steel of the character from the comics as he warns Barry against viewing the other inmates as human beings. It also turns out to be a nice bit of foreshadowing for the end of the episode.


Artistry

The effects work for the shrinking/growing objects is top-notch, and rivals that of the Ant-Man movie.


Flash Facts

The episode title is taken from the 1989 movie Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, in which an inventor's children and his next-door neighbor's kids are accidentally hit by the shrink ray he's working on.

Iris thinks that Cecile might have inherited mind-reading powers from a mystic totem she got from her grandmother. This is a reference to Mari McCabe from Visen, who got her powers in this manner.

This episode reveals that Big Sir's real name is David P. Ratchet. In the original comics, it was Dufus P. Ratchett.

Kord Industries opens a new state-of-the-art research facility in Central City. In the comics, Kord Industries is the business owned and operated by Ted Kord, who is also a non-powered, inventor superhero who goes by the name The Blue Beetle.

The character of Sylbert Rundine first appeared in The All-New Atom #2 (October 2006) and was created by Gail Simone and John Byrne. Using the alias Dwarfstar, Rundine became "The Anti-Atom" using his shrinking powers for acts of evil. Before being given a size-changing belt by a mysterious woman, Rundine was a rapist, a serial killer and possible cannibal who preyed on the women of Ivy Town University. He became the arch-enemy of Ryan Choi - a professor at Ivy Town University, who became the second Atom, following in the steps of the original Atom, Ray Palmer.

Apart from being a metahuman who shrinks and enlarges objects rather shrinking/enlarging himself through technology, Sylbert Rundine appears to be the same sleazy sort of criminal he was in the comics, albeit it more of a thief than a killer. Joe West says that Rundine has a long history of prior arrests for breaking in and entry.

Barry makes reference to the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Based on a short story by Stephen King, the story tells the tale of two men who find spiritual redemption in prison thanks to a series of common acts of kindness.

Harry uses the word "embiggening" in describing the effect of the altered Speed Force Bazooka. Embiggen is a word first introduced to the English language in The Simpsons episode Lisa The Iconoclast. Embiggen means "to make larger". It was made up for the show as an example of a fake word that sounds real, but has since then be added to The Oxford English Dictionary. This officially makes embiggen a perfectly cromulent word. (Cromulent was another word created by The Simpsons, which means "adequate" or "acceptable".)

This episode originally aired on the same day that the trailer for Ant-Man and The Wasp was first released on-line.Ant-Man and The Wasp are two Marvel Comics heroes who have the same powers as Dwarfstar.


Technobabble

Caitlin says that Cecile's heart rate is 170 beats per minute and there's no sign of dark matter in her amniotic fluid.

Caitlin hypothesizes that Cecile's newfound telepathy is a side-effect of her pregnancy and that the changes to her body chemistry have activated latent dark matter that has been in her brain since the first STAR Labs particle accelerator explosion. She says it's something like gestational diabetes.

The camera system at Iron Heights Prison is analog-based. 

The only forensic evidence tying Big Sir to the murder at Mercury Labs was the fact that the bullet casings for the projectiles that killed the guard matched the cartridge-size of a gun that Big Sir owned. Barry notes that firearm identification like that is prone to errors and it's practically a junk science.

The Kord Industries research facility is outfitted with super-speed motion detectors, sonic-vibration defenses and laser beams that don't freeze. (Presumably these safeguard were designed to thwart Zoom, Black Siren and Captain Cold)

Caitlin notes that a lot of factors can make eye-witness testimony in a line-up situation unreliable.

Cisco identifies one of Sylbert Rundine's models as the DARPA's HTV-3X aka The Blackswift - an experimental hypersonic cruise vehicle.

Ray Palmer uses dwarf-star alloy to power the shrinking capabilities of the ATOM Suit.

Rundine's power allows him to shrink the space between atomic bonds, removing the gravity particles and dark energy rather than shrinking matter to scale. The human body could not be shrunk directly - otherwise people would lack the strength to hold up their own skeletons. When Rundine embiggens an object after shrinking it, he refills it with the same combination of energy that he originally extracted.

Harry builds a reverse polarity dwarf star matrix to restore Ralph and Cisco to normal size. He mocks the name Ray Palmer came up with for the ATOM Suit and questions if "electron degenerate sub-atomizer" was taken.

Harry turns The Speed Force Bazooka from 401 into an "embiggening" bazooka. He does this with the dwarf star matter (which was still in Rundine's apartment) and improves upon Ray Palmer's schematics.

Caitlin suggests a biochemical treatment targeting the pituitary glands to cure Cisco and Ralph, like flooding them with human growth hormones. Harry says that would only speed their degeneration.

Central City has their own weather service - CCWAS - The Central City Weather Service Agency


Dialogue Triumphs

(Cecile has just read Caitlin's mind about the gender of her child, to Caitlin's shock.)
Cisco: Boy/girl. That's 50-50. Let's test your skills for real. What number am I thinking of?
Cecile: (looks at Cisco.) Three. 11. 25. Three again. Bulbasaur.
(Cisco, who has been leaning on the counter this whole time suddenly loses his balance and nearly falls out of his chair.)
Cecile: What the hell is a Bulbasaur?

(Harry is making a case for getting Barry out of prison needing to be Priority One for the team) 
Harry: As a former prisoner, I can tell you-
Cisco: No. That was gorilla prison.
Harry: Gorilla prison is worse! They throw their scat at you!

Mayor: Believe me, no one is breaking into this building anytime soon.
(Suddenly, the building is surrounded by yellow light and disappears.)
Mayor: (quietly) I hate this city.

Big Sir: What you're peddling? It's dangerous.
Barry: Wait, what's dangerous?
Big Sir: Hope. I've been in here long enough to understand that in prison, Hope is the most dangerous thing.
Barry: Wait, did you get that from Shawshank?
Big Sir: (chuckles) No. I got that from being in prison.

(Sylbert Rundine runs away down the alley.)
Cisco: Joe, he's getting away!
Joe: I think we have bigger problems.
(Joe looks down at Ralph and Cisco, who are both now just barely taller than a soda can on its side.)

(Harry sighs as Caitlin leaves to put Ralph and Cisco in the hamster cage.)
Cecile: Harry, this is not your fault.
Harry: Yeah, well it kind of - (realizing what just happened) Don't read my mind! Okay?!  What am I thinking now?
Cecile: (looking grosssed out) Oh God!
Harry: (triumphant) Great!

Warden Wolfe: Your friend may look like a man, but he's unquestionably a monster. Everyone here is a monster. And if you insist on continuing to bait them, I guarantee you... you will get mauled.

Harry: I failed! Because I'm stupid! Alright? Too stupid to help Allen's friend! Too stupid to fix you or too stupid to stop DeVoe!
(Harry is zapped by a tiny-sized Vibe blast.)
Harry: Ow! What was that for?!
Cisco: Believe me. I'd punch you in the arm if I could!
(Harry makes a back-handed slap gesture at Cisco but stops himself from swatting the shrunken Cisco.)
Cisco: Look, I know you're not used to going up against someone you can't outsmart like DeVoe, but you really are stupid if you think you're too stupid!


Dialogue Disasters

Joe: Sylbert Rundine.
Iris: Why does every villain in this city have a name that sounds like it came out of a comic book?

(Iris is walking and there's a sudden squishing noise.)
Iris: (disgusted, turning to look at her feet) Who spit gum on the floor?
(Caitlin looks down and her eyes widen in horror as she gasps. Iris has stepped on the shrunken Ralph.)
Ralph: I'm a gumshoe! Not gum on a shoe!


Continuity

Joe didn't have a crib for Iris when she was a baby. He just put her on some cushions.

Joe and Cecile are having a baby girl.

Cisco thinks Bulbasaur is the cutest Pokemon.

Harry refers to his time in the prisons of Gorilla City from 313.

Harry says they have no new evidence to clear Barry and The DeVoes have not moved outside of their home, as far as they can tell, in the past week.

Barry plays poker with several other prisoners, including Big Sir and the former Mayor Bellows. Mayor Bellows was last seen in 404. He makes reference to having tried to kill Barry and Joe in that episode.

Big Sir was sent to prison for shooting an unarmed man 15 years earlier - a security guard at Mercury Labs. Sir claims that he was the same height and build as the real killer and that he just happened to be there and the police found him trying to administer first aid to the guard.

Big Sir's full name is David P. Ratchet.

The new mayor of Central City is a woman.

Technology companies in Central City are robbed at nearly 30 times the national average. This puts Central City at second place, behind Star City.

Kord Industries establishes a new research and development facility in Central City that is stolen by Dwarfstar in the middle of its grand unveiling.

Sylbert Rundine has several prior convictions for breaking in and entering.

Sylbert Rundine goes by Bert. The e at the end of his last name is silent.

Sylbert Rundine owns a 1970s Chevelle.

Cisco and Ralph are shrunk down to a height of two inches.

Iris tries calling Ray Palmer and The Waverider but isn't able to get a hold of them. She is, however, able to get a hold of Felicity Smoak, who tells her about how Ray Palmer's ATOM suit works and about the dwarf star material Ray used to power it.

The last sample of dwarf star matter PalmerTech had was stolen from a PalmerTech facility in Central City on October 10, 2017 - the same day that the bus metas were created.

The theory is that Slybert Rundine was carrying the dwarf star matter on his person while riding the bus and that it merged with the dark matter to given him the same powers as Ray Palmer's ATOM suit.

STAR Labs has a hamster cage.

Dr. Sharon Finkel - last seen in 406 - agrees to put Cecile and Joe through couples therapy.

Joe thinks about a pink elephant to keep Cecile out of his head.

Ralph and Cisco are moved from the hamster cage to the LEGO model of the crime scene where Iris was meant to die in Season Three.

Harry turns The Speed Force Bazooka from 401 into an "embiggening" bazooka.

The embiggening bazooka destabilizes Cisco and Ralph on an atomic level.

Barry says prison pudding tastes better than outside world pudding.

Big Sir dreams of going to Jiaju - a tiny village in China, very secluded. The monks who live there all take a vow of silence.

Aaron Miller was an inmate at Iron Heights who studied in the law library at Iron Heights. He tried to help another inmate with his appeal. Miller was stabbed to death after the appeal failed. 

Iris is nowhere near as good a cook as Joe, but she can brew decaf herbal tea.

Slybert Rundine refuses to make a plea deal to officially confess to the murder that Big Sir took the blame for.

Barry uses his powers to take Big Sir out of prison and leaves him in Jaiju, China.

Harry updates the big board of bus metas.  Thus far the count is eight.

1. Kilgore - technopathy
2. Hazard - luck manipulation
3. Elongated Man - stretching.
4. The Weeper - tears are a psychoactive drug
5. Black Bison - animation of effigies
6. Brainstorm - line-of-sight telepathy
7. Fallout - radiation emission
8. Dwarfstar - size control of other objects.

Warden Wolfe reveals that he had a second hidden camera installed that was always aimed at Barry's cell after he started asking questions about Big Sir's case. That camera revealed to Warden Wolfe that Barry is The Flash. The episode ends with Wolfe drugging Barry and contacting Blacksmith about having another metahuman to sell her.


The Fridge Factor

Cecile's new telepathic powers are mostly used for cracking sexist jokes about how nightmarish it would be for a man to have his girlfriend know what he is thinking.


The Boomerang Factor

Purists may complain that Warden Wolfe - a hardass who routinely tortures the metahuman inmates under his charge in the comics - is depicted here as being willing to deal with a criminal like Blacksmith. In the comics, Wolfe is a Javert figure rather than a crooked cop. 


The Bottom Line

A solid episode, surprisingly enough. The comedy stays on just the right tone and keeps switching levels before any one of the subplots becomes too annoying, though Iris still has the leadership abilities of a wet sock. The special effects work is fantastic and there's some solid performances from all involved. Well done.

Wonder Woman/Conan #5 - A Review

The good news is that Diana's sisters on Themyscira have finally located just where in time and space their princess has become lost. The bad news is that their window of opportunity to save her is limited. Now, as a band of Amazons enter the world of Hyboria, Diana and Conan must struggle to survive a while longer as they plot just how two shall save many from a duo of blood-thirsty war goddesses.

There is little I can say about this issue that will not spoil it's rather shocking and historic conclusion. I can say that if you're a fan of Wonder Woman's supporting cast and miss the many Amazons that used to be a regular part of the series... or wished we had seen more of the Amazons in the Wonder Woman and Justice League movies, you would do well to check out this issue. Simone and Lopresti are knocking it out of the park and if there's any justice in this world they'll be brought on to handle Conan's adventures when he moves to Marvel Comics in 2019.

The Final Analysis: 10/10.

Crosswind #6 - A Review

Chicago Hitman Cason Bennett and Seattle housewife Juniper Blue have finally come face-to-face. No mean trick given that the two of them had their souls switched between their respective bodies. Unfortunately, they have little time to bond over the strangeness of the situation, with Juniper's abusive husband, Cason's rival in The Outfit and the man responsible for setting this all up converging on Juniper's home looking for revenge.


Crosswind #6 proves a strong ending to what has turned out to be the first season of the series. I'm not quite sure how they'll continue on from this conclusion but I can't wait to see how they do so. Gail Simone's writing has rarely been wittier. Cat Stagg's artwork is phenomenal. And Simon Bowland does a fantastic job making the text readable and not covering up too much of the artwork.

If you missed out on this series, don't despair. The TP will be out in a few short weeks!

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. A great conclusion to a great season!

Wonder Woman/Conan #4 - A Review

Free from the slave ship that would have been their watery grave, Conan and the mystery woman he calls Yanna have returned to the town which saw them made into gladiator slaves. Two blood-thirsty goddesses have sworn to destroy the city for their refusal to fight to the death and Yanna cannot abide such a thought. Conan is less concerned, but agreeable to aiding the woman... provided he gets a much needed drink first.

Hilarity ensues as the two endure hangovers, over-amorous barmaids, marriage proposals, indecent proposals and the inevitable bar-fight, as "Yanna" begins to recall something of her past and who she truly is...


There are some who object to the idea behind Wonder Woman/Conan on general principle. More may likely join that group based on this issue's revelation that "Yanna" is unable to handle strong drink as well as Conan. I say this is a hilarious comic and that Gail Simone is doing a fantastic job capturing the essence of both characters, giving us a Conan who possess the same dry wit seen in Robert Howard's original stories.The artwork is equally fantastic, making this one enjoyable book.

The Final Analysis: 8 out of 10.

Wonder Woman/Conan #3 - A Review

Free of the slave ship that was their prison but now stranded at sea without provisions, Conan and his newfound companion - who he believes to be Yanna, a lost love from his youth - face a slow and lingering death. The eyes of the gods are upon them, however, but the salvation of one will require the doom of the other or else unleash greater suffering yet on an innocent town!

Halfway done and it's still no clearer than when it started if Yanna - the girl from a tribe of all women, whom Conan remembers from his youth - is the Diana we all know and love. In the end, it matters little, but the mystery and the related flashback story is an intriguing bonus to the epic tale that Gail Simone spins of how "the two greatest warriors of this or any age" were brought together by bored gods for the sake of a wager.

Robert E. Howard purists may blanch at the idea of gods taking such an active role in the world of Hyboria, but the tale is well within the oeuvre of Roy Thomas' Conan tales and works well on those terms. Throw in the fantastic artwork of Aaron Lopresti, the well-balanced inks of Matt Ryan and a vivid color job by Wendy Broome and this is one comic worthy of both the Conan and Wonder Woman brands.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Crosswind #5 - A Review

The mystery behind how Chicago hitman Cason Bennett and Seattle housewife Juniper Blue switched bodies has been revealed... to Cason's rival, Cruz. Now, as two sinister revenge schemes spiral toward completion, Juniper must save herself and Cason's lady-friend while Cason deals with Juniper's abusive husband once and for all.



There is little I can say about this Crosswind at this point that hasn't already been said. Suffice it to say that Gail Simone has turned a cliche sitcom premise on its head, exploring the fine details of just what it would be like for a man and a woman in the modern world to switch bodies without descending into cheap jokes about shaving and erections.

Don't worry, we do still get a few cheap jokes (it IS a Gail Simone story, after all) but the story also has a serious sense of depth to it. That same sense of depth is found in the detail-driven artwork of Cat Staggs, who proves a perfect partner to Simone's brand of dark lunacy. It will be a crime if this book doesn't get multiple Eisner Awards.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Crosswind #4 - A Review

Somehow, Chicago hitman Cason Bennett and Seattle housewife Juniper Blue have swapped souls. Both found themselves in unfamiliar surroundings with Cason having to throw together dinner for Juniper's abusive husband and his boss and Juniper putting her cleaning skills to the test covering up a crime scene. Unfortunately, things have become even more complicated, as one of Cason's associates - a rival assassin named Cruz - just learned that Cason was sleeping with his fiancee and is out for blood...





With every passing issue, Crosswind gets better and better. Cat Stagg's beautiful photo-realistic artwork gives the series the perfect neo-noir aesthetic. Gail Simone's script is full of the dark comedy and thrilling action her fans have come to love, while deftly avoiding the usual cliches that body-swapping stories engage in (i.e. a man having to learn how to use make-up). Indeed, the end of this issue features a fascinating interview between Simone and transgender writer/actor Charles Battersby regarding those cliches and how Crosswind aspired to move past them.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. A Must Read!

Clean Room #18 - A Review

The Clean Room is back under Astrid Mueller's control. Yet even that patch of sacred ground may not be enough to protect her, her allies or humanity from The Entity's invasion of our reality. Is this humanity's final hour?!
There is little to say about this issue beyond my being sorry it took me so long to get around to reviewing it (Tax/Con Season - am I right?) Clean Room was a unique horror title unlike anything we've seen before in American Comics. Hopefully this will not be its final hour and we'll get to see the Second Season suggested by the sales blurb on Comixology. Still, if this must be the end, it is a fantastic and fitting one.

Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. If you haven't been reading it, get the first TP now! 

Clean Room #17 - A Review

The Entities have unleashed their first major offensive upon our world. It is the moment that Astird Mueller has been preparing for all her life, yet she isn't leading the attack. Instead, she is saving her most loyal follower and her fiercest detractor from the mind of the madman who has taken over The Clean Room...


I apologize for the relative brevity of this review but there's little I can say without giving away the game. How do you describe the ocean to someone who doesn't know what water is?

I can say this. Clean Room is easily the strongest new horror title to come out of Vertigo Comics in years and it is some of the finest work to date from Gail Simone, Walter Geovani and Quinton Winter. If you haven't been reading it, do yourself a favor and get the back issues. You'll thank me later.

Clean Room #16 - A Review

I've seen some critics besides myself complain that Clean Room has been taking too much time in building its tension. While slow-boiling thrillers are an acquired taste (personally, I love them) and I can sympathize with the annoyance of waiting three months for a resolution of issue #14's amazing cliff-hanger, I can't help but scoff at that criticism after reading Clean Room #16. Because this is the issue where everything started to pay off!


I can't say much about this issue to the uninitiated. Suffice it to say the page above - in which an infant possessed by demonic forces explains their plans for humanity - is probably one of the least disturbing and least spoiler-filled in the issue. If you're a horror fan, you NEED to be reading this series!

Clean Room #15 - A Review

I was happy to see Clean Room #15 on the solicitations for this week. Of course I'm always pleased when Clean Room comes out but after the cliff-hanger ending of Issue #14 two weeks ago, I was particularly anxious to see how things would continue. Imagine my surprise then that Clean Room #15 is an interlude, focused not upon our usual protagonist but on a woman named Mary who - much like Chloe Pierce - is plagued by disturbing visions of a dead loved one.


Gail Simone's story this time gives us a different view of Astrid Mueller's organization but the writing is as engaging as ever. The change in the point-of-view is further enhanced by the contributions of guest-artist Sanya Anwar. While as talented as Walter Geovani and Jon Davis-Hunt, Anwar presents the story in a style that sports a different aesthetic, marking this story as something notably unique but equally enjoyable. Quinton Winter further alters the visual flow, taking over the coloring duties and instituting a subtle palette shift as Astrid's organization moves into Mary's life.

Clean Room #14 - A Review

Journalist Chloe Pierce had set out to destroy self-help guru Astrid Mueller. That was before Chloe discovered the true purpose of Mueller's empire and the existence of the alien entities that sought mankind's destruction. Now Mueller is trying to recruit Pierce as her second-in-command, bringing Chloe in to confront Mueller's entity-possessed niece. The arrival of one of Mueller's stalkers only complicates matters...


Just when I thought Clean Room couldn't get any more disturbing, Gail Simone has topped herself. Walter Geovani - Simone's partner on her recent Red Sonja run - proves a perfect replacement for the series' original artist, Jon Davis-Hunt. Geovani and colorist Quinton Winter prove quite the dynamic duo when it comes to bringing Simone's scripts to life. If you're any kind of horror fan - even if you don't like comics - you should give Clean Room a try.

Clean Room #12 - A Review

Having survived an assassination attempt (for which the would-be assassin is SO apologetic), self-help guru Astrid Mueller must now contend with the hostile take-over of her organization. Meanwhile, in The Clean Room itself, journalist Chloe Pierce must contend with an entirely different kind of invasion and perform a miracle of sorts to save the world!


I think my future reviews of Clean Room will have to discuss whole story arcs rather than individual issues. The story that Gail Simone has woven here is so complex that it defies easy summation in monthly recaps. Suffice it to say this is a fantastic horror story that is sure to please fans of the genre.

This is apparently Jon Davis-Hunt's final issue on the series and I shall be sad to see him go. Simone has praised Davis-Hunt as an equal partner on the series on Twitter and it cannot be denied that his gorgeous artwork (backed by the fantastic color art of Quinton Winter) was as much a draw as Simone's writing. Hopefully someone equally talented will be coming on-board next month.

Leaving Megalopolis: Surviving Megalopolis #6 - An Advance Review

The rescue mission that saw the only survivors of a disaster that turned the world's greatest heroes into madmen and the people of their once proud city into savages has gone south. Now the survivors' only chance lies with the most unlikely of allies - Megalopolis' super-villains, kept safe these many months in a secret underground prison...


I think it says a lot about this series that I skipped reviewing the fifth issue because there was no way I could summarize it without spoilers and no imagery I could comfortably show as a preview. Such is the demented nature of the Leaving Megalopolis series. What Gail Simone, Jim Calafiore and Jason Wright have created here is easily the best story to ever combine superheroes and survival horror in any medium.

My only objection to this story - and it is a minor one - is that the ending is not quite so satisfying as the original and, by design, you have to have read the original mini-series to fully appreciate this one. That being said, the door is left open for future installments and I for one hope we shall see them,.

Leaving Megalopolis: Surviving Megalopolis #6 releases on September 28, 2016. 

Ask for it at your local comic shop or purchase it on Comixology.com.

Clean Room #11 - A Review

Astrid Mueller is still in seclusion as a sinister Evangelic group makes a power play to take over her organization. At the same time, The Entities Astrid has devoted her life to fighting are preparing to go to war over the torture of one of their own. Only reporter Chloe Pierce has a chance of stopping that battle, thanks to a secret of her own. But could it be too late for her to turn the tide?
It's growing increasingly difficult for me to summarize each individual issue of this series in a way that makes sense to the uninitiated. Such is the complexity of the universe Gail Simone has crafted in a surprisingly short time. Her tales are matched in complexity by the vividly detailed artwork of Jon Davis-Hunt and the vibrant colors of Quinton Winter. I've said it before and I'll say it again - if you are any kind of horror fan, you need to be reading Clean Room.

Clean Room #10 - A Review

Following her near death and miraculous salvation at the hands of one of the entities she's devoted her life to studying and destroying, Astrid Meuller has gone into seclusion. As a shadowy Christian organization attempts a hostile takeover of Meuller's organization, her underlings try once again to recruit her chosen successor - journalist Chloe Pierce. But Chloe wants nothing to do with Mueller's empire apart from destroying it - particularly now that they've captured her friend, the benevolent entity Spark.

Clean Room is becoming increasingly difficult for me to review. There are only so many words of praise I can keep applying to this wonderful little book.  Gail Simone, Jon Davis-Hunt and Quinton Winter have crafted a true masterpiece of horror and you're a damned fool if you're not reading it.

Clean Room #9 - A Review

For most of her life, Astrid Meuller has been fighting a war against other-worldly entities that few people notice and even fewer can fight. Now, on death's door following an assassin's attack, she has asked that Chloe Pierce - an enemy of sorts who is one of the only other people she trusts to be competent enough to continue her work - be brought to the Clean Room, which the entities are unable to enter under normal circumstances.  Unfortunately, Chloe brought an univited guest with her - an entity called Spark, who she believes to be far more benevolent than the manipulative Meuller...

If you aren't reading this book by now, I don't know what I can say that will convince you of your folly. What Gail Simone, Jon Davis-Hunt and Quinton Winter have created is easily the most original and best crafted series to come out of Vertigo in some time. Clean Room is a must read for all lovers of the strange and unusual.