BotTalk Reviews

Void Rivals Needs To Support Its Wife And Kids! It does and it continues here with issue # 16! Void Rivals is Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s sci-fi comic that tells the tale of two crumbling planets linked by a “Sacred Ring” (it’s not Halo), their peoples at war for generations. When a member of each culture are stranded together, the two find they must put aside their differences if they want to survive. This story takes place in the so-called “Energon Universe”, Skybound Entertainment’s initiative to relaunch properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe within a shared universe that also happens to include the original characters and setting of Void Rivals. In this sixteenth issue, we get Cobra-La VS the Skuxxoid! Darak VS his father! And Solila VS Handroid’s helpful advice! No Transformers though? Welllll… maybe. The last page is a cliffhanger that will certainly raise some questions. The main action here is the Cobra-La VS Skuxxoid fight, which ends in a fatality! I’m not cer...

Sisko arrives on ancient Bajor.  Eventually he is taken in and learns the language.  And over the course of years becomes a respected advisor and a source of fear as well.  He is a source of wisdom and tries to guide the Bajorans and begins to see things, perhaps, as the Prophets see them.   This is an interesting issue.  I have to say I'm not crazy about the idea of Sisko having such an effect on the history of Bajor. You could say that time is a circle to the Prophets and Sisko, so it ends at the beginning and begins at the end.  And I usually enjoy such storytelling.  But I'm not especially crazy about it here.  We'll see where this goes as the story continues.   six out of ten.

The USS Cerritos has had a successful second contact with a pulp sci-fi civilization that was easily handled by all involved, though later Beckett Mariner muses on their very subservient robots… Meanwhile in another sector!  A metastability bubble has expanded and consumed a whole star cluster! It contains a small universe that would throw our universe into unstable chaos and death! The Cerritos rushes in to try and save the universe while the rest of Starfleet is on its way to do more with bigger more advanced starships! Great issue, just great, it could’ve fit in the fifth season easily, the story takes place not long after the first episode, as evidenced by Sam Rutherford ruminating on his alternate self who was a full cyborg and we now see him lightly contemplating if he should do that as that’d make him an even more efficient engineer. One thing I liked about the show, and they do this here, is when the story includes more than just the lower deckers, and in fact shows them a...

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer), Tom Reilly (artist), Jordie Bellaire (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : Clutch is trying to gather his bearings in the Cobra base and contact the Joe team when he ends up in line and hearing the next part of Cobra Commander's plan - to kidnap Dr. Venom/Dr. Archibald Monev who is slated to testify before Congress on his Brainwave Scanner.  Cobra Commander claims there is a mole and he is attacked but he fends off the assailant and drops him into a (literal) snake pit (and he knows it's an agent from Cobra-La, unknown to the rest) and Cobra Commander claims he already has allies picking up the doctor.  At the Pit, Duke and Risk are still fighting till Stalker stops them and reminds them they are a team (and putting out the classic Stalker leadership).  They receive a message from Clutch informing the Joes of what Cobra is doing.  In D.C., it ends up the Doctor is already in the hands of Cobra but the Joes are able to stop t...

As B'Elanna Torres grapples with her new position as Captain of the Defiant, O'Brien approaches her about destroying the self-replicating mines he created several years ago.  Meanwhile, Worf strips his son of his honor and sets him on a course to restore it.  He must complete three tasks.  He faces a member of the house of Martok and his aunt, defending their attacks but unable to retaliate as part of the ritual.  The Defiant begins to destroy the mines over Karemma when a Section 31 ship intervenes.   I appreciate this book coming back to Alexander and trying to undo some of the damage done to his character during the Day of Blood event. Of course, he must undertake a complicated Klingon ritual to restore his honor.  Karemma is a planet we've seen before on DS9.  The Defiant story I'm curious to see where it takes us.  The self-replicating mines have been on O'Brien's mind since his introduction in this book.  It is something I still take i...

Time to devastate and brutalize?? Uh, sure. With Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals having launched Skybound’s Energon Universe, noted writer/artist rolled-into-one Daniel Warren Johnson takes the reins on the linchpin of this initiative, the flagship Transformers comic series! Well, he maintains the reins on the writing of this series at least, as does Mike Spicer on colors. Jorge Corona has taken over regular penciling duties with a style all his own. In this sixteenth issue, the two Decepticon factions clash, Cliffjumper joins the Autobot resistance on Cybertron, a new Autobot joins the ranks on Earth, and Laserbeak discovers what Soundwave had sent him to look for! So Devastator and Bruticus go at it, right? Yes. For like… two panels and a splash. Their fight is a mere backdrop to the character dramas unfolding during the smaller Decepticon skirmish. It was honestly kind of disappointing considering how it was built up (and the covers dedicated to it.) Soundwave and Starscream fight some...

A catalogue accompanying the exhibition at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.  Edited by Peter Maresca and Brian Walker. What you'll actually find inside this mysterious "Companion Catalogue": Photos: Cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller at his drawing board in 1955, Ernie with a group of Nancy and Sluggo vinyl dolls, Ernie in 1948, Ernie reading a Nancy Dell comic book by John Stanley and Dan Gormley in 1959 and Ernie at a Red Cross fundraiser. A nice Preface by Caitlin McGurk, Curator of Comics and Cartoon Art at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Nancy and Me by Ernie Bushmiller from Collier’s Magazine (September 18, 1948) Ernie Bushmiller’s famous self-portrait for Martin Sheridan’s 1942 book, Comics and Their Creators. A drawing of Ernie Bushmiller dreaming by Bushmiller from 1945. The Life and Times of Ernie Bushmiller by Brian Walker The first appearance of Nancy from the Fritzy Ritz daily comic strip, January 2, 1933. Original art from around 1935 ...

Creators : Larry Hama (writer), Chris Mooneyham (artist), Francesco Segala (colorist), Sabrina Del Grosso (flatter), Pat Brosseau (Letterer) Story : Serpentor-Khan and Destro fight it out in the streets, with Destro getting the upper hand.  Serpentor-Khan's troops head to the hospital and fight both the G.I. Joe Ninja Force and the Dreadnoks, working together.  Destro shows up and sends the Baroness away.  At the community center, Cobra Commander's stand-in fights off Destro, who easily sees through the ploy and heads inside, with the Ninja Force and Dreadnoks backing him up. Writing :  Not a lot of plot advancement here as 2/3's of the issue are pretty much fights between Destro and his enemies.  However, they are some pretty neat fights, with Destro getting to get some quips into his opponents and prove how tough and resourceful he truly is.  It does feel as if Hama is winding down this arc with another issue or two left before going into his next arcs....

Void Rivals has The Touch! It does and it continues here with issue # 15! Void Rivals is Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s sci-fi comic that tells the tale of two crumbling planets linked by a “Sacred Ring” (it’s not Halo), their peoples at war for generations. When a member of each culture are stranded together, the two find they must put aside their differences if they want to survive. This story takes place in the so-called “Energon Universe”, Skybound Entertainment’s initiative to relaunch properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe within a shared universe that also happens to include the original characters and setting of Void Rivals. In this fifteenth issue, Hot Rod and Springer reunite for the first time! Darak runs interference for his new giant robot friends! Pythona and the Skuxxoid cross paths! Proximus recovers! And Solila reaches her destination! Sooo, another staggered advance of subplots? Yes! There’s a lot of different perspectives to focus on here, so Kirkman does...

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer), Tom Reilly (artist), Jordie Bellaire (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : Picking right up after last issue, Rock 'n Roll is down and the Joes are cornered but Duke comes in on a Cobra F.A.N.G. to help out.  Despite a valiant fight, Cobra is able to head off with the Shard/Energon Tech, though Duke is able to recognize Mercer. Cobra Commander sends in his elite "Valkyries" to finish the job (who kill any wounded) and remote detonates the laser guns so they aren't captured (upsetting Destro as he didn't know that feature was built in).   In the hospital, we find out Stalker and Cover Girl have pretty serious injuries, Rock 'n Roll is dead and Clutch is missing in the rubble.  General Hawk introduces Guerrero La Caza aka Risk, a CIA operative (seen last issue) to the team, upsetting Duke and they get into a fight.  Back at Springfield, Destro would like some more answers about the origin  of the Energon Tech but Cobra...