Valhalla Cindermane 1

How do you solve a problem like Valhalla?  An escaped Valkyrie from Asgard in modern-day New York City, her trusty battleaxe Synstruck at her side, she tears through the city on her motorcycle in search of her lost love, Tannhauser.  She isn’t looking for trouble, but when the chick hits the fan, things quickly go from bad to Norse.  Mythology like you’ve never seen it before!

Valhalla Cindermane's attempt to end a hostage situation instead sets in motion a chain of events that put her on a collision course with the alien scientist and powerhouse Perilous and lead her into a hail of police officer's bullets.

One can’t help but be curious about the idea of an axe wielding hottie riding a motorcycle, who also just happens to be a Valkyrie.  I know huh, let that soak in for a second.  It’s not quite like anything I’ve ever come across before, but that is a really good thing.  New and interesting ideas are always nice to come across, and Valhalla Cindermane is something worth crossing paths with.  Unless you’re a bad guy, then you really don’t want to run into her.

The first issue of this creative story divides most of its time on introducing two main characters.  We initially of course meet the previously mentioned Valhalla, who is on a reckless quest through New York taking names and kicking ass.  We also learn about Perilous, a scientist from another planet, who somehow managed to survive a trip through a black hole before landing here.  The manner in which it switches from one story focus to another is a little tough to follow at first, but by the end of the book everything comes full circle and ties together the main characters really well.  We also get a small look into one other mysterious character that appears nigh invulnerable, and I’d have to gather is going to be seen more later on as a feature protagonist.

The team that handled the artwork did a really nice job in my opinion.   All the pencil work was clear and concise, illustrating static and action scenes equally well.  The colors were super vibrant and filled every page beautifully, giving a ton of life to the well drawn out story.  One area in particular I have to say really appealed to my visual senses was the back story on Perilous and his home world, but all around everything looked great.

Just out of this first book we’ve already been given quite an intriguing story that leaves us wanting more.  Why is Valhalla here?  What are Perilous’ intentions?  Who’s this possible bad guy?  I really like how they’ve started off, and look forward to seeing what happens next.  This title is a good one to pick up, especially before they sell out again!

For more information on Valhalla Cindermane, check out Enemy Transmission.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

The Equation 1

How can a crippled god, a mad scientist, and a boy who can manipulate numbers end the world as we know it? The answers are in The Equation, Enemy Transmission’s second runaway hit series! The first issue sold out in the blink of an eye – as the second printing is on its way, don’t miss out on the next chapter of this ground-breaking four issue limited-series!

You have to love a comic that can intrigue you just from the cover.  It says a lot just in the fact that it’s been so popular that it went on to a second printing.  Then you throw in a combination of characters ranging from a god, to a mad scientist, to “the first man”.  I have to say with that as an introduction, The Equation had my attention from the start, and kept it right to the end.

So how does this all come together in the first issue?  Not much is known about this supposed “first man” other than the fact he apparently can’t die.  The god is actually one not in the graces of his brethren and somewhat crippled from his fall to earth.  He’s after the “victim” front the book cover, who turns out to be a boy with a mysterious power using numbers.  Unfortunately, our resident mad scientist is also after this young man, and a hectic clash ensues.

The artwork within this fun book is fully b&w and done very clean.  There were a number of pages that could have looked amazing with color, especially with all the fire towards the end.  Even so, the grayscale shading still did a great job of making these areas pop.

Just within the first issue, we’ve already seen a whole bunch of characters and all kinds of action.  I’m very interested in knowing just what this boy can do and why everyone wants him dead.  If this being a second printing isn’t enough to sell you, I’ll gladly confirm that it justified another run.

For more information on The Equation, check out Enemy Transmission.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Call Me Perilous

When an inexplicable madness grips the city, one man, or more than a man, takes it upon himself to put a stop to it before the people tear each other apart.  Enter Perilous, an out-of-this-world hero who’s trying to keep the world safe, all with a little help from his talking gorilla.  That’s right, talking gorilla.  Read the new Enemy Transmission spin-off series Call Me Perilous from writer Michael Kuty and artist Daniel G. A. Goiz, it’s sure to knock your socks off!

Call Me Perilous, not the norm compared to most hero books.  Granted there have been quite a few blue superheroes in the past, but that’s not what makes this different.   I mean, you’ve got a blue guy fighting off rabid civilians, then there’s the talking gorilla, some grudges from the past, vampires and top it all off with Perilous’ “adoptive” daughter.  So much happened in this one issue that, at times, I found it a bit difficult to really get what was going on.  Sure, an origin story is included with this issue, but that didn’t really clarify all of the craziness that transpired.  Maybe there needed to be more origins for some of the other characters introduced.  Maybe I needed to read the series this book was spun-off from.  I don’t know for sure, but it just needs that little extra something to really suck me into the mythos of this universe.

               

 So, despite what I’ve already said, the overall concept was rather interesting.  I’m always one for a good superhero story and this would have been really great, but if only there was a bit more explanation behind some of the things that went on as I’ve mentioned.   I’ve said my piece about the story, but the artwork definitely has it going on.  Everything works really well and all of the characters look great in each panel.  Solid consistency through-and-through is what I like to see and Daniel holds true to form with everything he’s done.  Not trying to be mean here, but the artwork in these indie books are usually hit-or-miss.  Let me tell you that Mr. Goiz is definitely a hit and look forward to what he comes out with next.

 Now, here’s another book that I’m having trouble getting a solid feel for.  It wasn’t terrible, just needs to slow the pace down a bit for people who have never read Enemy Transmission.  There were a few small snags with the writing and by snags I mean the dialog just didn’t seem to flow as well as it could have in certain instances.  Other than that the main thing is there was just a lot to take in all at once, but then again it could just be me. 

Although this wasn’t a hit right out of the gate for me, I still recommend checking it out, especially if you’re already immersed in the Enemy Transmission story line.  As I’ve said, I couldn’t really follow the intricacies of the plot, but the plot was interesting enough that I wouldn’t mind checking out the next issue to see where it goes and if things become a bit clearer to me.  For more info on where to pick up this issue visit the Enemy Transmission website.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.