Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Comics Review: "PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #5" Has a Kick-Ass Ending

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #5 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Matteo Buffagni
COLORS: David Curiel
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel
DESIGN: Melina Mikulic
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni
36pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (November 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.  Letterer Clem Robins and colorists Laura Martin and David Curiel complete the sequel's creative team.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society pits Edison against “The Icarus Society,” a secret society of geniuses who are all richer than Edison.  And now, he is caught inside the club's internal rivalries and blackmailed into hunting for the treasures of one of the most legendary locations of all time – Shangri-La.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #5 opens in the airspace of Balochistan (a region that covers Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan).  There, in a fleet of helicopters, a mercenary force heads for Shangri-La.  With their help, Felix Koffka intends to steal the legendary city of its treasures and stand astride it much as he does The Icarus Society.  And he plans to rid himself of Edison Crane, and Felix believes that he is winning because he is smarter than Crane.

But both Crane and Shangri-La are full of deadly surprises.  And this time Koffka may have really flown too close to the sun.

THE LOWDOWN:  I have described the two comic book series that make up the Prodigy franchise as spinners of conspiracies, legends, myths, and lore that could rival cable network, The History Channel's “Ancient Aliens” television series.  Now, the fifth issue of The Icarus Society brings this astounding series to an end.

I can't get over the fact that Mark Millar is a wealthy executive for one of the world's most influential and most powerful media companies (Netflix), yet he still writes comic books.  And he writes such great comic books, such as this final issue of The Icarus Society.  It is obvious that Millar is still engaged with his readers because he is always challenging our notions and expectations.  He is still turning out these incredible comic books that always do the opposite of what is expected and offer genuine shocks and surprises.

Seriously, this is the good stuff.  Artist Matteo Buffagni saves all his explosives and blows up this story right in our faces with widescreen art and cinematic storytelling.  He gives Millar's story so much energy and makes this final showdown feel lethal.  Buffagni makes sure we understand that many characters will pay the highest and deadliest of prices.  David Curiel's colors make the art pop off the page, dazzling our imaginations.  Clem Robins uses his letters to deliver a pound-your-ass soundtrack, with its strains carrying on past the last page.

What a blast Millar, Buffagni, and company have delivered in Prodigy: The Icarus Society #5, with its diabolical villain, queen of a lost world, and exquisite retribution.  And I don't want to forget the tease at the end.  Girl, the next Prodigy series will rock all the casbahs.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://www.netflix.com/
https://twitter.com/netflix
www.imagecomics.com
https://twitter.com/ImageComics


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Comics Review: "LORD OF THE JUNGLE Volume 3 #1" is a Good Start

LORD OF THE JUNGLE VOLUME 3 #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Dan Jurgens
ART: Benito Gallego
COLORS: Francesco Segala
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Gary Frank
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2022)

Rated Teen+

“The Bleak Zone”

Tarzan is one of the most famous fictional characters in the world.  Tarzan was an orphan and the archetypal “feral child,” and in this instance, he was raised in the African jungle by great apes.  Tarzan was born a noble, John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, but he rejected civilization and lived in the wilds of Africa as a heroic adventurer.  Tarzan was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and first appeared in the novel, Tarzan of the Apes, which began serialization in All-Story Magazines in 1912, before it was published in book form in 1914.  Tarzan would go onto to be a multimedia star, appearing in films, on television, and in comic books.

The latest Tarzan comic book is Dynamite Entertainment's Lord of the Jungle Volume 3. It is written by Dan Jurgens; drawn by Benito Gallego; colored by Francesco Segala; and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.  The story involves an event that occurred in the early years of Tarzan's adventures.

Lord of the Jungle Volume 3 #1 opens in the 1950s, onboard a merchant vessel just off the coast of Africa.  One of its passengers is Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle.  Staring out at the storm-tossed ocean, Tarzan's mind returns to the days before his birth, as well as to times later in life – boyhood and early adulthood.  A past wrong must be made right, no matter what manner of beast or obstacle stands in Tarzan's way.  For now, there are thieving men standing in the way of his reunion with an old friend.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Lord of the Jungle Volume 3 #1, which is only the first issue of a solo Dynamite Tarzan comic book that I have read.

Writer Dan Jurgens has had a four-decade career in American comic books of solid work as both a writer-artist and a writer.  As a storyteller, Jurgens understands the processes of telling stories in the medium of comic books, which shows itself here.  Lord of the Jungle Volume 3 #1 reveals the familiar story of Tarzan's past with lots of teasing about the connection of his past with whatever is going to happen in this series' present.  With each page, Jurgens made me more interested in this first chapter.

Artist Benito Gallego also delivers solid work here with an alluring storytelling rhythm that encourages the readers to keep going.  It does not hurt that Gallego's drawing style resembles that of the late Joe Kubert.  Kubert's four-year stint (1972-76) as writer-artist and later as writer-only of DC Comics' Tarzan comic book series is considered by some to be among his best work.  Colorist Francesco Segala captures the varied moods of this story's settings, both in time and locale, and letterer Carlos M. Mangual brings a sense of drama with his stylish, shifting fonts.

Lord of the Jungle Volume 3 has potential.  I rarely read Tarzan comic books, but I think that I will return to this one for the second issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Tarzan comic books will want to read Lord of the Jungle Volume 3.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, November 14, 2022

BOOM! Studios Shipping from Diamond Distributors for November 16, 2022

BOOM! STUDIOS

SEP220419 ALL NEW FIREFLY #10 CVR A FINDEN $4.99
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JUL220325 BUFFY 97 TP $14.99
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Dark Horse Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for November 16, 2022

DARK HORSE COMICS

JUL220401 ABE SAPIEN DARK & TERRIBLE TP VOL 01 $29.99
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Dynamite Entertainment Shipping from Diamond Distributors for November 16, 2022

DYNAMITE

DEC200759 ALTERED CARBON ONE LIFE ONE DEATH SGN ED HC $39.99
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IDW Publishing Shipping from Diamond Distributors for November 16, 2022

IDW PUBLISHING

SEP221665 CRASHING #3 CVR A BEEM (MR) $3.99
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JUL221671 USAGI YOJIMBO TP VOL 04 CROSSROADS $19.99

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Image Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for November 16, 2022

IMAGE COMICS

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