Uncanny Very Near Mint

Uncanny Very Near Mint is a tie-in series to the graphic novels. It features origins! Break-ups! And even more junk! 24+ pages of all new material not found anywhere else!

The Good

I definitely appreciated getting some history on the main characters of Very Near Mint.  The geeky humor and amusing character interaction I enjoyed in the first book is strong even in this short extra book.

The Bad

After reading Volume 1 of the main series, this one just left me itching for more.  But to be fair this is just a tie-in, so I can get past that by picking up Volume 2.

The Summary

This is a fun little supplement to the full graphic novels that’s worth grabbing for the quick read.  It did its job well in giving some neat background info to characters I’ve already grown to love. 

For more on Justin Peterson and his work, check out http://www.verynearmint.com/

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book in exchange for this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions belong 100% to the individual reviewer. 

Very Near Mint Vol. 1

Sam Jones and Colin Turner own the Splash Page, a pretty rad comic shop. They have a new employee, Nate, and Colin's ex-girlfriend, Mackenzie, is back in town. Everything seems like it's pretty great. That is, until this week’s new comics don't show up, and a rival comic book shop opens across the street, and all hell breaks loose.

The Good

How could I not enjoy a book like this as a comic fan and all around geek?  It’s practically a graphic novel of “a day in the life of comic shop owners”, but with an interesting fictional book twist.  I personally appreciated what I felt was a Clerks influence, in both characters and humor.  I also like that it does a good job of taking stereotypes from comic fandom but not overdoing it.

The Bad

It’s too soon to make any overall opinions of course, but thus far I haven’t found anything I wasn’t keen on.

The Summary

After reading Volume 1, I can honestly say I wish I had known about it during its infancy so I could have possibly funded the Kickstarter.  Even though I try not to make judgements so early, I think Very Near Mint is a series I could find myself a fan of.  The amusing story line backed by the clean art have set a good foundation right from the start.

For more on Justin Peterson and his work, check out http://www.verynearmint.com/

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book in exchange for the review. All thoughts, comments and geeking out belong 100% to the individual reviewer.

Bellanova Redstar: Space Girl 4199 at the Edge of the Universe

 “CRASH IMMINENT CRASH IMMINENT”

“SHIT!  Shit! Shit! Shit!”

So begins Issue #379 of Bellanova Redstar: Space Girl 4199 at the Edge of the Universe.  Bellanova Redstar is the Captain of a ship in search of a rogue exploration probe.  She crashes into an alien planet and is caught up in a story that seems to be part Planet of the Apes and part Barbarella, including a scruffy space explorer captured by aliens and a jail sex fantasy come true.  This is an indie comic that claims to have the longest title in comic book history, but it doesn’t take an exceptionally long attention span to appreciate this story.

PROS: It is a nice, simple basic story.  One that any young male going through puberty would appreciate.  The art is story-driven, without a lot of “artwork for the sake of artwork” that you sometimes encounter, but it does have some delightful quirks to it, such as the alien with a light switch in its shoulder for god-knows-what purpose.

CONS:It is a short, simple basic story.  You read it so quickly, you are left wondering ok ... what’s next?  Although the story has a cliffhanger ending, there is no evidence on the publisher;s web page that there are any issues of this comic available, making me believe that this was a one-shot deal.  The artwork is as basic as the story, with detail given to the main characters and little else.  Also, there is no evidence of this being an actual series, so if you end up wondering what happens next, you are left with only one option: consume vast quantities of adult beverages, re-read this comic and go to sleep; I am sure your drunken dreams will fill in any blanks.

All in all, I would have to say it is worth a look, worth a quick read, and worth checking out their website for some of their other products, which look at least equally, if not more intriguing than this comic.  Check out their website at www.adventuringcompany.com, and their facebook page at www.facebook.com/adventuringcompany.

Until next time, Peace out!

8^) Jim

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