Tomb Raider II #1 Written by Mariko Tamaki
Art by Phillip Sevy
Colors by Michael Atiyeh
Cover by Agustin Alessio Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 17, 2016
Cover Price: $3.99
My first memories of the Tomb Raider franchise are of an exaggeratedly buxom young woman in an outfit that was more bikini than khaki expedition wear. Several video games and a couple of films later, I was not any more impressed than I had been originally. The stories were good, the game play entertaining, but it always seemed a bit sexist. Yes, I know that was probably the point, but I prefer to have a story rest on its content rather than mammary glands. But it’s comics like this one, Tomb Raider II #1, that redeem the franchise for me.
Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison is a cornerstone in the Star Wars expanded universe. It is a game changer that produces one of the most intense reads. I have read a lot of Star Wars expanded universe media, and there are a bunch of great novels and comics out there that have explored the depth of the in-universe history of the galaxy from a variety of viewpoints. But Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison has to be one of most superior examples of providing a different perspective – in fact, I think it is perhaps one of the best Star Wars graphic novels I have ever read.
Haden Blackman is the writer for this magnificent publication, and despite the fact that he has had his critics in the past; he truly delivers the good with Ghost Prison. Initially known for his criticized work on Star Wars Galaxies, and his praised efforts on The Force Unleashed multimedia project (the first series especially), Blackman provides a narrative for a perspective from the New Empire, in a dazzling fashion that will tug you emotionally in places, and have you rooting for what we’ve traditionally considered the villains of the Star Wars galaxy.
I chose to review Doctor Solar: Man Of The Atom, Volume 2 because I really wanted to believe that Jim Shooter still has it. The “it” that I’m referring to is Shooter’s ability to create brilliant comics like the kind Marvel published with him in the 80s. I was still a young kid when Shooter was in his prime, but his contributions to comics are still felt to this day. That being said, when Shooter returned to Doctor Solar in 2010, the result was average at best. The first volume of Doctor Solar, Man Of The Atom was convoluted and utterly perplexing. With volume 2, I hoped that somehow, Shooter had turned it around. Fortunately, this time around the result is better, but not by much.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
