Fatherhood

When a father sets out to get the doll and make his daughter smile, he fails miserably.  The pressure makes him crack and he enters an imaginary 'noir world' where he is strong enough to handle the problems that crush him in everyday life.  FATHERHOOD is an emotional tale about how much love your heart can hold, how much love it takes to break a man, and what happens when you lose your grip on reality because you are clutching that love too tight.

I’m not going to lie, as a father myself, this was both a wonderful and tough book to read.  As you would expect, stories like this are some of the strongest emotionally written.  So right off the bat, I have to praise Ryan Lindsay for putting his heart into giving us this story of Fatherhood.

The concept of the book itself is pretty straightforward, but certainly very powerful.  What I really enjoyed about it was how well it still managed to present such a topic in the comic medium.  The story may largely intend to focus on playing your heart strings, but one can still expect a good amount of action and grit as well.

Visually, I was quite pleased with how the comic was done.  The artistic team comes together to give us good, clean artwork to lead us through the tale.  In particular, I was a big fan of the color changes in the darker scenes which really helped give an almost film noir feel to it.

Regardless of whether or not you can relate to what it feels like to be a father, everyone can appreciate this kind of story.  The emotional side coupled with the intense journey of the primary character are definitely worth the read.  Whether or not I had the personal bias of being a father, this is one I would suggest to pick up.

For more information on the Fatherhood comic or other content, check out Challenger Comics.

 

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.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Rainbow Dash

This is it! The always awesome Rainbow Dash in her own showcase adventure! 

During a performance with the amazing Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash runs afoul of a sinister cloud and things get 20 percent more out of hand.  Now, with her wings and pride hurt, Rainbow must find a way to bring happiness back to Ponyville before everypony’s consumed by fear and sorrow.  The second installment to the ongoing MLP Micro-Series, from writer Ryan Lindsay and artist Tony Fleecs, is sure to be the most awesome thing you read!

Continuing with the trend that began with the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has put out a micro-series which individually focuses on the exploits of the “Mane Six.”  With this second installment of the series, we delve into a tale of woe starring the radically cool Rainbow Dash.  A joy sucking cloud has made its residence over Ponyville, but try as she may, it seems as though nothing Rainbow does will dissipate the nere-do-well nimbus.  At first I was rather skeptical of the MLP franchise, but this issue has really opened me up to something totally out of my comfort zone.  In all honesty, this was a breath of fresh air compared to all of the hyper-violent series I normally read.    

Now, when you have the big team books, character growth and sometimes even the whereabouts of some of the team-members tends to get lost in the fray of the over arcing stories of the series.  Which is one of the great things about these micro-series.  They allow a writer to let a character grow in their own solo adventure without one of the other main characters taking over the spotlight.  That’s exactly what Ryan Lindsay has done with this issue.  He shows a different side to Rainbow Dash, that she’s not just all bravado.  With stellar art by Tony Fleecs, that really makes this issue pop, we’ve got a real hit on our hands here.

As much as I enjoyed this issue, there were a few points where the dialogue got a little forced.  Times where the wording just didn’t sound right and other times where the words seemed a little too big for a kid’s comic.  Maybe not so much words, but certain phrases that even I got tripped up on.  However, don’t let my troubles with the English language deter you from a great read.

All-in-all, I’d have to recommend this as a read.  Ryan gives Rainbow Dash a bit more depth and delivers a harrowing tale of selflessness.  So, go grab your copy now because it’s sure to explode off the stands like a sonic rain-boom.  For more info on where to pick up this issue, visit the IDW 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.

The Devil is in the Details

This book from Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, edited by Ryan K Lindsay, collects essays about Marvel’s Daredevil from some of today’s best writers about comics. It is slated to be published in early 2013, Diamond order codes will be made available once solicited.

Created in 1964, Matt Murdock has a long and storied history which this book unpacks and discusses through a variety of concepts covered over decades of comics. This book is the definitive guide to Daredevil and his entire world. Articles include:

• ‘Daredevil’s Origin’ by Will Murray discusses how Marvel came to publish a character named Daredevil.
• ‘Daredevil: Not Ready for Primetime?’ by M.S. Wilson discusses how Daredevil works better as a character on his own rather than integrated with others.
• ‘Daredevil and the Missing Father’ by Forrest Helvie delves into the concept of fatherhood in Daredevil’s creation.
• ‘Grabbing the Devil by the Horns’ by Matt Duarte looks at the early rogues of Daredevil’s
• crime fighting days.
• ‘Being Mike Murdock’ by Tim Callahan is an interesting take on the imaginary brother Mike
• Murdock.
• ‘The Life and Times of Foggy Nelson’ by Christine Hanefalk deconstructs the life of Matt
• Murdock’s best friend.
• ‘When Things Fall Apart in Hell's Kitchen: Postcolonialism in Bendis's Daredevil’ by Jon
• Cormier is an educational look at the role the location plays in the book.
• ‘There Will be Blood: Daredevil’s Violent Tendencies’ by Henry Northmore considers the
• effects of Daredevil’s violent adversaries.
• ‘Science Fact!’ by Stéphane Guéret, Manuella Hyvard, Nicolas Labarre, and Marie-Laure
• Saulnier considers the realistic possibilities of Matt Murdock’s unique medical situation.
• ‘Blind Dates and Broken Hearts’ by Ryan K Lindsay investigates the deep and treacherous
• love lives of Matt Murdock.
• ‘Daredevil: Intermediate Superhero Film Making’ by Geoff Klock is a discussion about the
• 2003 movie adaptation.
• ‘Daredevil and Spider-Man: Dark Alleys and Bright Lights’ by Vinny Murphy is an analysis of
• the relationship between Daredevil and Spider-Man.
• ‘What Fall From Grace? Reappraising the Chichester Years’ by Julian Darius looks over the
• much maligned Chichester run from the 90s.
• ‘Daredevil and Punisher: Polar Opposites? ‘ by M.S. Wilson investigates the themes
• connecting Daredevil and the Punisher.
• ‘.22 Caliber, A Girl's Gun: Vanessa Fisk & Freedom of Action’ by Kevin Thurman discusses
• the role of Vanessa Fisk in the Bendis/Maleev run of the 2000s.
• ‘The Only Way Is Down – Brubaker’s Saga as 70s Cinematic Noir’ by Ryan K Lindsay
• analyses the Brubaker/Lark/Gaudiano run against the cinematic noir cornerstones of the 70s.

A variety of topics and approaches are presented in this book. This is a creation all about Daredevil
by people who love Daredevil, featuring a Foreword by ‘Born Again’ editor Ralph Macchio.

Sequart Research & Literacy Organization is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting
comic books as a legitimate artform. Our mission is twofold. First, we promote research into comics-related topics, publishing books, producing documentary films, and maintaining online resources that encourage comics scholarship. Second, we promote comics literacy by promoting the medium and encouraging others to experience the unique artform known as comic books.

We have published books about Watchmen, the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Batman and X-Men
films, as well as producing documentaries about Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, Chris Claremont, and
the Image founders.

Ryan K Lindsay is a writer of comics and about comics. He has had words featured in comics from
IDW, Marvel, Action Lab, ComixTribe, and Challenger Comics, as well as published non-fiction with
CBR, Sequart, and Crime Factory.

For more details or information please contact Ryan K Lindsay. He can be reached on:
email: ryanlindsay82@gmail.com or Twitter: @ryanklindsay

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Daredevil and related characters are trademarks of Marvel Comics. This
book is not endorsed by Marvel Comics.