BotTalk Reviews

More thrills! More shocks! More new arms! The bold new era for the Autobots and this book continues! Robert Kirkman, chief architect of the Energon Universe, writes the flagship Transformers title and Jason Howard takes over as regular penciler for this new story arc with Mike Spicer on colors. Howard had previously drawn issues # 13 and # 14 of this book, along with many covers. In this thirty-sixth issue, a new Superion is born! Doctor Arkeville proves his worth! Starscream prepares a plot! And Beachcomber searches for a new purpose! What is it with Skybound and giving people new arms? Optimus, Rom, and now Superion… I dunno. Anyhow, as practically EVERYONE expected, Thundercracker becomes part of Superion in this issue! And uh… well, there’s not a lot of fanfare to it, actually. It’s just treated as something Thundercracker could already do. Off-panel upgrades from Wheeljack, I guess? I dunno what I expected, maybe Cobra-La to have the Enigma of Combination or something, but it just...

CONAN & DRAGONERO part 5 (of 7): Ice & Flames (chapter two) The gems within the deceased dragon have teleported Conan of Cimmeria, Ian Aranill... and the dragon's remains to the Hyborian Age of Conan in THE DESERT OF SHEM. The dragon's carcass lies near the Mountains of Fire (where the magic gems were originally mined/extracted). Conan and Ian fight lizards to get to the dragon's corpse, they discover that the gems were taken. Conan finds a bone pendant. Near the City of Shushan, Conan asks a merchant if he knows the owner of the necklace. After brawling with the locals, Conan gets his answer: nameless savage Cannibals (the Zugite cult?) who are living in the mysterious ruins of Kuthchemes (from Black Colossus). Conan mentions Zug (the ancient god) and Thugra Khotan (the dark sorcerer who had reigned in Kuthchemes three thousand years ago). Conan and Ian reach the towering ivory dome of Thugra Khotan. Inside the dome, the stolen mystical jewels turn the leader of th...

Novel by Cody Walker Cover by Ben Marra Spoilers! Spoilers!  Since 1962, Atlas Industries (a multi-billion dollar corporation) has been the leading name in Rebirth Engineering. Atlas manufactures new reanimated sentient beings (second-class citizens known as Patchwork people/Patchworks/Patchies) made up of body parts of different corpses stitched together. This is the first election where Patchies are able to vote and Senator Edgar Bates is up for reelection, the Senator hires a Patchie journalist... Ms. Brynn Drew (a Patchwork person made from four different women), he wants to know what goes on behind the scenes in the creation of Patchies at Atlas Industries (one of his big money donors to his campaign) and the struggles that Patchwork voters (who live in slums) experience. During her investigation Brynn will encounter a grave-robbing duo, an in-house Atlas Industries motherly figure that helps new Patchies upon Rebirth (since the process eliminates previous memories), two pleas...

The Gorilla soldiers of General Ursus sniff out the cloaked Predator (an alien Yautja warrior) and shoot at it. The injured Predator kills even more soldiers and disappears. Ursus decides to team up with Arch (the American National Space Administration astronaut) to find George Taylor. Arch gives one of her fuel cells to Ursus. Cornelius and Zira discover the Predator out like a light and patch him up. Ursus and Arch reach the Statue of Liberty (a gift from France, Planet of the Apes (the original novel) was written by a French author). Mutant controlled Gorilla soldiers (a platoon previously sent by Ursus into the Forbidden Zone (the ruins of New York City)) attack Ursus and Arch! Cornelius, Zira and their new Predator compadre arrive to save Ursus and Arch from the crazed soldiers.  What I did like: Dr. Zaius appears on one page! Fantastic covers by Stonehouse, Christopher Campana/Cam Smith/Rachelle Rosenberg, Dave Wachter and Mike Henderson/Nolan Woodard! What I did not like: St...

Adam is questioned about what happened.  He tells the detective he is a werewolf and he killed the people at the party.  He also shares what really happened to his older brother, that he killed himself.  As the detective takes Adam away he gets into an argument with his father.  He tears away the medallion from his neck and transforms into a werewolf in front of everyone.  The cops open fire but it has no effect.  He begins cutting down everyone in sight.  His father hides as the massacre continues and emerges from his hiding spot to find the Wolf Man standing over him. I feel like this is the first issue of this mini-series I have connected with.  No more beating around the bush.  Things are laid out clearly.  Adam is a werewolf.  His older brother killed himself and their father covered it up.  He then transforms in full view of everyone in the police station and goes on a rampage.  Will Adam, as a werewolf, kill his fat...

Creators : Dan Watters (writer), Marco Ferrari (artist), Pierluigi Casolino (colorist), Rus Wooton (letteter) Story :  Matt Trakker meets up with Dusty Hayes in New Orleans to stop someone with a mask on from hurting people.  Matt and Dusty talk a lot about the past and more details emerge on how everything is connected.  Miles Mayhem (leader of V.E.N.O.M.) ended up putting a dangerous mask on a random individual to distract Matt while Mayhem goes and does something else.  Writing :  The beginning jumps right into the story with very little carry over from the previous issue.  We get another classic mask character (Dusty Hayes) introduced along with his jeep, Gator, (though it doesn't change to a boat this time).  The end of the issue also brings in Buddie Hawks too.  And Miles traveling to Boulder Hill, NY was a nice inclusion as well.  Overall, while most of the issue is Matt and Dusty trying to help Buddie, there is a lot of talking about ...

It’s a ROMlution! Or a Romvolution? Rom the Space Knight is here in issue # 33 of Void Rivals! Void Rivals is Robert Kirkman’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 thirty-third issue, Darak and Solila make formal acquaintance with Rom the Space Knight and his partner, the organic blob known as Carpet! Also, Cobra-La is still there and we catch up with Skuxxoid as he arrives on a new, very-familiar planet! Who’s this Rom guy? You know! Rom! The Space Knight! Yet another Hasbro property folded into the...

And now the conclusion to the first arc that begins Academy’s life as a comic even as paramount foolishly has cancelled the show on streaming! And having learned that the team works better when they communicate clearly with each other, they make contact with the aliens and all work together to help bring the shield generators back online.  And our cadets learn the importance of first contact and interpersonal working relationships.  And Starfleet of the 31st century takes important steps towards a positive restoration for the future. So the art is the weakest part of the story, but it’s a kind of classic comic style as well which I think fits the tone of this arc’s conclusion, where the beginning was a darker more chaotic style and here in 5 it’s more lighter and orderly while we see the cadets get it together and help these aliens. But I’m probably just nitpicking at this point, reading all five together would absolutely make this whole story make better visual sense. But it’...

Jim Zub's Cursed Shores Beyond part 2: An Isle of DREAD The Briney Wren (Captain Quinn Corvaxis' ship) has been utterly destroyed by an unnatural storm. Conan the Buccaneer, Valeria, Morley and the rest of The Red Brotherhood disembark on a strange isle and find cadavers trapped in crystal obelisks (like mosquitoes in amber).  Conan and co. enter the adjacent jungle, Valeria encounters a baby herbivorous dinosaur, it rejoins its herd. Three large theropods attack! Rodriguez (an homage to the colorist) is bitten in half, the herbivores start a stampede. Conan kills one of the theropods, Valeria does the same, the third one opens Conan's back with its claws. The rest of the pirates kill the third theropod. Conan and co. drink coconut water and eat the theropods. Captain Quinn talks of his experiences on Captain Gunnet O'Bryan's Glory-Bae and the DawnyHawk. Morley spins a tale about an invisible man with glowing red eyes. While on guard duty, Morley robs Valeria of her...

Creators : Joshua Williamson (writer),Tom Reilly, Andrea Milana (artists), Lee Loughridge (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer) Story : Flint, Beachhead, Lady Jaye, and Shooter are fighting some Cobra S.N.A.K.E (System: Neutralizer—Armed Kloaking Equipment) Battle Suits as training and officially reveal their name as Night Force.  Hawk/Zartan fights the Baroness after the events of last issue and he issues an order to capture her but she gets away.  Baroness was able to see something was wrong with Hawk.  He orders the Joe team to take her out.  Cobra Commander reveals his upgrades to Crystal Ball's D.I.R.E. (Dread-Inducing Responsive Energy) Tech and his new "left hand" Major Medusa.  On her yacht, the Baroness is confronted by Night Force but tries to explain and that anyone who talks to her will probably be killed.  The rest of the Joes show up to help the Baroness with Flint surprised to see Autobot Hound but then he releases Night Force's own surprise - G....

Having commandeered the Omega, Kirk receives a message from the Tellarite ambassador, asking him to liberate their planet from The Emerald Chain.  The Omega arrives and destroys the orbiting base.  Suddenly the Challenger, under command of Admiral Sato arrives and attacks the Omega.  Zed manages to disable the Challenger's systems and makes a proposal to Kirk and Sato.  Work together.  Kirk and Sato meet face to face. A lot happening here, and at the same time, little.  Decades have passed since Kirk took the Omega.  We see bits of Borg technology in his body.  Sato is now old and grey.  But their confrontation feels lacking.  Sato spent all this time tracking down Kirk, cleaning up his mess and trying to work through the repercussions only for Zed to steal the moment.  I hope next issue we see Sato and Kirk put their long conflict to bed with a satisfying conclusion.   six out of ten.

SOLOMON KANE: THE LION ERRANT part 2: Love and Hate  The Chauragarh Fort in the Satpura Range. Chandra Shah ((????-????), Prince Vir's uncle, Dalpat Shah's younger brother and the master of the horse archers) informs his sister-in-law (the dowager queen Rani Durgavati) that Ramih Khan (Mughal general, regent of Sidhi) will be invading Garha. The Narmada River Valley. A mysterious black-maned Asiatic lion has been Solomon Kane's companion for six consecutive days. Qara Bahadur Khan (the occupying governor who serves the third Mughal emperor, NOT Baz Bahadur the last Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate) invites Kane to the palace of Jahaz Mahal in Mandu (now in Madhya Pradesh). The Chauragarh Fort. Kalyan Shah (Prince Vir's future father-in-law and the Master of the musketeers) will be arriving soon. Vir Narayan ((1545-????), son of Durgavati) tells his betrothed (Kamla Devi, daughter of Kalyan Shah) that he will not be fleeing from the army of the two Khans (Asaf & Ramih)....