Review by: Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Developers: SuperBot Entertainment, SCE Santa Monica Studios Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Genre: Fighting One of the most revered and respected franchises in video games today is Smash Bros, the Nintendo fighting game brawler. Pitting classics characters such as Mario, Link, Starfox and more into a battle arena was in an instant recipe for […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Joshua Dysart Artist: Phil Briones Publisher: Valiant Entertainment Website: www.valiantentertainment.com In the last issue, we saw Peter Stanchek, the young psionic harbinger, escape from Harbinger Foundation and its leader, the immensely powerful Toyo Harada. This issue, we see some of the fallout from that, as well as what is to come for […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Robert Venditti Artist: Lee Garbett Publisher: Valiant Entertainment Website: www.valiantentertainment.com Valiant’s relaunch of books have, so far, proven to be a roaring success, especially X-O Manowar. The Visigoth warrior Aric, time displaced in modern times and bonded to the X-O Manowar armor, hasn’t had it easy as of late. The Vine, the […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: Matt Wagner, Diana Schutz Artists: Matt Wagner, Tim Sale, Arnold and Jacob Pander, and Bernie Mireault Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Release Date: December 2012 Website: www.darkhorse.com FOR MATURE READERS In the first omnibus for Grendel, which I reviewed here on Pastrami Nation, we read about Hunter Rose, the original Grendel. A cold, calculating […]
By Nolan Patrick Smith- Pastrami Nation If you are a fan of Japanese animation, also known as anime, then you most likely heard of a violent little series called Berserk. A well-known manga (Japanese comic book) and anime, Berserk was created by Kentaro Miura and instantly became a hit. When it was announced that Berserk would be getting the anime […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: David Lapham Artist: Mike Huddleston Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Website: www.darkhorse.com FOR MATURE READERS Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s critically acclaimed novel, The Strain, was an instant hit. It was the first in a trilogy of books depicting one of life’s biggest supernatural fears: vampires. Not the sparkling vampires seen in […]
Reviewed by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writers: Justin Jordan and Patrick Zircher Artist: Patrick Zircher Publisher: Valiant Entertainment Website: www.valiantentertainment.com In 1992, Shadowman blasted on the comic scene, and wow did he make an impact. One of the most memorable characters out of the Valiant Universe, Shadowman went on to cross media success with two highly rated video games and […]
By Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation (Apple Valley) Action flicks are the bread and butter of the film industry; there is no denying that. We love to go to the theatre, check our brains at the door, and witness overdone explosions, thousands of bullets, and tougher than cheap beef jerky heroes. So, can you achieve this when the action hero in […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Mike Richardson Artist: Stan Sakai Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Website: www.darkhorse.com Stories are one of the greatest things to be passed on by humanity, generation to generation. One of the greatest stories is the legendary tale of the 47 Ronin as they avenge the demise of their disgraced master. It’s one of […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: Paul Tobin Artist: Juan Ferreyra Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Website: www.darkhorse.com Don’t let the cover scare you away: Colder, at least this first issue, isn’t a spill your guts, blood to the gills book, but it is definitely a horror book. The latest in a strong of original horror books from Dark Horse, […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Grant Morrison Artist: Darick Robertson Publisher: Image Comics Website: www.imagecomics.com In the first issue of the odd yet fascinating world of Happy!, we saw one time cop now turned hit man Nick Sax in the worst situation. Having been shot after a hit gone wrong, he was in a mob hospital with […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Nick Spencer Artist: Riley Rossmo Publisher: Image Comics Website: www.imagecomics.com Just in time for Halloween comes a gripping, violent tale of a mad man on the path to wellness, but is that even possible? From the team of Nick Spencer (Morning Glories) and Riley Rossmo (Green Wake) comes Bedlam, a blood soaked […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: Grant Morrison Artist: Darick Robertson Publisher: Image Comics Website: www.imagecomics.com When the teasers for this book hit the ‘net, it left many wondering what to expect. All we knew was that Grant Morrison (We 3, Superman) would be at the helm, and that Darick Robertson (The Boys) would bring the story to life […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: Michael Avon Oeming Artist: Michael Avon Oeming Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Website: www.darkhorse.com I have been saying it all year: Michael Avon Oeming’s The Victories was going to be HUGE! I mean, look at what Oeming has done already: Powers, Hammer of the Gods, Bastard Samurai to name only a few (all of […]
Now that Avengers Vs X-Men is in the record books, Marvel Now is here. The first series to come out the gate is the Uncanny Avengers, a book that boasts a half X-Men/ half Avengers roster. Now, the idea is kind of out there, but seeing one name as the writer put my fears at ease: Rick Remender. Along with […]
With the massive Avengers Vs X-Men having just wrapped up, it seems most Marvel books are feeling the effects of it. Not so with Daredevil-End of Days: the eight issue miniseries takes place in the future of the Marvel Universe, right to the day Daredevil dies. This is a book I have been waiting on, as the premise sounds great […]
The New 52 hasn’t been a really big hit with me, I want to be honest with that right at the beginning. I was picking up Justice League, Aquaman, Batman, Green Lantern, and so on at the beginning. Soon, that changed to only picking up Batman and Animal Man, and eventually I ended up dropping all my DC titles. Yet, […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Matt Wagner Artists: Matt Wagner, Tim Sale, David Mack, Duncan Fegredo, Mike Allred, Guy Davis, Teddy Kristiansen, Ashley Wood, Mike Huddleston and Dean Motter Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Release Date: July 2012 Website: www.darkhorse.com FOR MATURE READERS Thirty years ago, a single man shook the world of comics: a solitary man donned […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Fred Van Lente Artist: Clayton Henry Publisher: Valiant Entertainment Website www.valiantcomics.com Out of all the books Valiant has producing, Archer and Armstrong has been my favorite. Though only having two issues out before this issue, I was immediately hooked by it. The drunken immortal, the fish out of water prodigy, the buddy […]
Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Greg Capullo Publisher: DC Comics Website: www.dccomics.com Out of the big seven in regards to the New 52 relaunch, Batman stayed the most familiar. Sure, his costume changed a tad bit, but it was Bruce Wayne under the mask once again with his son Damien as Robin. The Batman title has been on fire as of […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Steve Pugh Publisher: DC Comics Website: www.dccomics.com When the new 52 hit last year for DC Comics, there were two titles I was excited for the most: Aquaman and Animal Man. Now, you might be thinking: Animal Man? Why not Superman, or Batman, or Justice League? Well, because an Animal […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Dough Mahnke Publisher: DC Comics Website: www.dcomics.com To many who know me, it is no secret that I am a HUGE Marvel fan. But when the New 52 started last year for DC, I gave it a shot, and after a few issues I dropped all the titles. I loved […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation I have seen trailers for ParaNorman since last year. When I saw the first one, which had a very odd song choice for the trailer and nothing to really grab the audience, I thought it was an easy pass. Then, the more I saw of the film, including the giant witch head in the […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Fred Van Lente Artist: Clayton Henry Publisher: Valiant Entertainment Website: www.valiantcomics.com The summer of Valiant brought back four classic Valiant properties: X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Bloodshot and Archer & Armstrong. Now, I was familiar with three of those titles, but I have never read Archer and Armstrong. When I heard about the relaunch, […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith- Pastrami Nation Writer: Michael Avon Oeming Artist: Michael Avon Oeming Release Date: August 15th, 2012 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Website: www.darkhorse.com Michael Avon Oeming is one those comic book creators that grabs your attention right from the get go. I own much of his works, from his crazy popular Powers, the bloodier than hell Bastard […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: Jamie S. Rich Artist: Mike Norton Release Date: August 8th, 2012 Publisher: Image Comics Website: www.imagecomics.com Mike Allred’s Madman is an independent staple in the comic industry. The zany world of Frank Einstein is one of the most original, colorful worlds seen on the four-color page. The Atomics are a part of this […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith Writer: Evan Dorkin Artist: Jill Thompson Release Date: August 1st, 2012 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Website: www.darkhorse.com Back in 2005, Beasts of Burden took home a prestigious Will Eisner Industry Award for Best Short Story. In 2010, it received another for Best Publication for Teens. If you are reading this and still have no clue […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: Malachai Nicolle Artist: Ethan Nicolle Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Website: www.darkhorse.com I first heard about Axe Cop in late 2010, and wow, was I blown away. Created by brothers Malachai and Ethan Nicolle, the book did something I had never seen: it put a child in the writer’s chair. You see, Malachai was […]
Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation Writer: John Layman Artist: Rob Guillory Publisher: Image Comics Website: www.imagecomics.com FOR MATURE READERS A death defying, tough as nails, secret agent rooster; if that premise doesn’t scream about the originality in comics, then I don’t know what does. Spinning out of one of Image Comic’s critically acclaimed titles, Chew, we now get a […]