2017
http://blacknerdproblems.com/briggs-land-lone-wolves-1-review/
Writer: Brian Wood / Artist: Mack Chater / Dark Horse Comics
Briggs Land has been a sleeper hit from the get-go. It’s the quietly tense crime drama comic that not nearly enough people are talking about despite it being well on its way to television and rightfully so. Every thirty pages feels as taut and thrilling as it would if translated to an hour of Sunday night airtime. And Brian Wood’s latest chapter, “Lone Wolves”, is no different.
The first issue of this new story arc in the Briggs Land saga centers around Isaac Briggs, a veteran home from the battlefield figuring out how to adjust. A simple walk in the woods, exploring old family forest trails turns into a tense situation really fast. Isaac could potentially be one of the most intriguing characters that has yet to be explored until now. Even in this first issue, you can already see Wood slowly pulling back this character’s layers through the eyes of his nephew, James. Wood’s trademark political elements are a bit heavy handed and possibly not for everybody, but still manages to add to the flavor of this tale, making it uniquely American.
Visually, Mack Chater’s artwork has not missed a single beat. The slightly muted color palette brings about an art house quality to the narrative that makes it easy to see why this would have gotten optioned for television so quickly. In fact, AMC would be completely out of their minds to not maintain this same style of color, an opportunity they missed out on with The Walking Dead.
Bottom Line: Briggs Land is back, hitting the ground running as if it never left. Granted, given the current sociopolitical climate, the politics of the story may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the tense setup for things to come and the spotlight on Isaac Briggs makes the book worth the read.
9.5 Worst Nature Hike Evers out of 10
Reading Briggs Land? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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Writer: Brian Wood / Artist: Mack Chater / Dark Horse Comics
Briggs Land has been a sleeper hit from the get-go. It’s the quietly tense crime drama comic that not nearly enough people are talking about despite it being well on its way to television and rightfully so. Every thirty pages feels as taut and thrilling as it would if translated to an hour of Sunday night airtime. And Brian Wood’s latest chapter, “Lone Wolves”, is no different.
The first issue of this new story arc in the Briggs Land saga centers around Isaac Briggs, a veteran home from the battlefield figuring out how to adjust. A simple walk in the woods, exploring old family forest trails turns into a tense situation really fast. Isaac could potentially be one of the most intriguing characters that has yet to be explored until now. Even in this first issue, you can already see Wood slowly pulling back this character’s layers through the eyes of his nephew, James. Wood’s trademark political elements are a bit heavy handed and possibly not for everybody, but still manages to add to the flavor of this tale, making it uniquely American.
Visually, Mack Chater’s artwork has not missed a single beat. The slightly muted color palette brings about an art house quality to the narrative that makes it easy to see why this would have gotten optioned for television so quickly. In fact, AMC would be completely out of their minds to not maintain this same style of color, an opportunity they missed out on with The Walking Dead.
Bottom Line: Briggs Land is back, hitting the ground running as if it never left. Granted, given the current sociopolitical climate, the politics of the story may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the tense setup for things to come and the spotlight on Isaac Briggs makes the book worth the read.
9.5 Worst Nature Hike Evers out of 10
Reading Briggs Land? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
Are you following Black Nerd Problems on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or Google+?
Writer: Jason Aaron / Artist: Salvador Larroca / Marvel Comics
So, as much as I like Jason Aaron’s Star Wars book, this reviewer regrets to inform you that The Screaming Citadel mini series is still happening. For some reason. Don’t get me wrong… Dr. Aphra is a pretty fun character, but honestly, this story has exceeded its usefulness.
Issue #32 marks part 4 of this bizarre crossover event that doesn’t do a good job of easing in readers that haven’t picked up the other title this book is working in conjunction with. All of the things that Aaron does well are still there. The interactions between Aphra’s droids and Team Skywalker are hilarious. The action beats are all quick and witty with characters that keep everything fun. The problem is that this whole adventure doesn’t really strike me as epic enough to justify a five issue run. Honestly, Vader Down the whole story arc a while back about Princess Leia trapped in Rebel Jail was more compelling than this creepy queen and her mutant parasites.
Salvador Larroca’s artwork has definitely improved in places since the last issue. There’s more attention to detail and Edgar Delgado’s inks definitely gel well with Larroca’s art style. There’s a great scene of Han Solo looking particularly creepy that should be a sort of Easter egg delight if you’ve ever seen Harrison Ford in Temple of Doom.
Bottom Line: Aaron has been very good to a storyline that really doesn’t deserve the fanfare that Marvel tried to sell. All the things that make a good Aaron book are all there so it’s not bad, per se. It’s just…why?
7.5 Dark Beast Chewbaccas out of 10
Reading Star Wars? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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Happy birthday to The Last Centurion Arthur Darvill! Bitten by the acting bug at a young age, the son of a puppeteer and an organist joined youth theater at 10, and made his […]
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