Image Round-Up - May 29th 2013

The Image Round Up column aims to get some words down on every single Image Comics book published for the week. This weeks reviews are handled by William Tournas, Ricardo Guajardo and Hansel Moreno. He'll be dropping non-spoilery reviews the day before the books are available so you can best make up your mind on what to buy tomorrow. We offer this service because Image has been putting out some amazing content lately and it will be nice to shine a light on every single title they produce. This week our intrepid team looks at Chew #34, Clone #7, Five Weapons #4, Mind The Gap #10, and Morning Glories #27.


This week after deciding which school better fits our needs Five Weapons #4 is declared the COVER OF THE WEEK! Read William's preview for more info!


The reviews are graded according to the following scale:

Must Read. -- Do not miss this hot piece of comic action!
Buy It. -- For memories sake.
Check It. -- This is a toss up. Up to you really.
Byrne It. (skim it on the rack). -- Look at it but don't leave with it.
Avoid It. -- Steer clear.

Chew #34

Story by: John Layman
Art by: Rob Guillory

Hansel Moreno: Chew has really taken a darker turn as the series continues to it's conclusion, currently slated for 60 issues. At first Tony Chu and John Colby were FDA agents on the trail of illegal chicken dealers. Chicken became illegal when a terrible canse of Bird Flu wiped out a great deal of the earth's population. The comic has incorporated a myriad of food related powers, distant alien planets in ultimate peril, and a cannibal "Vampire" collecting power.

Tony is back on the hunt for the Vampire and Colby is secretly meeting with Savoy, who in turn is secretly working with Olive (Tony Chu's Daughter). 

A huge round of applause to John Layman and Rob Guillory. They have taken these characters, each with a distinct drive and motivation, and given each of them time to shine. At first Tony was our focus but as they have expanded their cast they have maintained the quality of the book by NOT letting the entire story rely on one person. 

Chew #34 has scenes with such gravitas that I was on the edge of my seat. For a first time reader please do not go for this issue. Chew #1 is available for a $1 or catch up in trades. This series is not to be missed!

Verdict - Must Read!

Clone #7

Story by: David Schulner, Aaron Ginsburg, & Wade McIntyre
Art by: Juan Jose Ryp
Colors by: Andy Troy
Letters by: Rus Wooton

Ricardo Guajardo: The story so far: A soon-to-be family man Luke has his pregnant wife Amelia taken from a clone of himself. Many characters get introduced to help the main character to get his family back in this action thriller comic. Of course what doesn't know is that the bad guys have released a more superior clone version after him and to eliminate any who gets in the way.

After catching up with the story I felt like this comic would work better as a summer blockbuster movie as it gave me vibes of over-the-top action & political intrigue as well. While some comics pull the action well, this one in my opinion felt like an odd story to be told in a comic book. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to like the title, but this issue made me shake my head in disbelief dispute the medium it was told in. The art by Juan Jose Ryp was fine but i thought it was too detailed that didn't fit the tone of the book as the comic got more outrageous by each page. Andy Troy's colors were rich and filled with the right style but i felt it couldn't hold the issue together. In the end, I can't help be disappointed by the cliffhanger & the execution as the premise has a lot of potential to be entertaining.

Verdict - Avoid It.

Five Weapons #4

Writer/Artists: Jimmie Robinson
Colourist: Paul Little

William Tournas: The twists, turns and intrigue continue in the latest issue of this fan-favourite series.

As we reach the penultimate issue to this series, more secrets come to the light about characters backgrounds and motivations. The noose also continues to tighten around our lead character Enrique as he stands in "Tyler Shainline".

Jimmie Robinson continues to weave an entertaining tale in his high school drama with a twist. Each issue has a mini story itself built in with the overall arch, as Enrique takes on the leader of each Weapon Club.

The use of bright colours by Paul Little gives the series a happy feeling considering it's a series about Assassin's in training. The art by Robinson has Manga-esque feel to it, which suits the lively tone of the book.


This series has been a gem since the beginning and depending on the outcome of the next issue I would love to read another series if possible.


Verdict - Must Read!

Mind The Gap #10 

Story by: Jim McCann
Art Bb: Rodin Esquejo & Dan McDaid
Cover by: Rodin Esquejo
Variant Cover by: Sonia Oback


Ricardo Guajardo: Story so far: A daughter from a rich family is mysteriously killed by a hooded person whom is hired by someone she knows. Many characters are involved, some suspicious more than others, as our main character searches for the truth behind her attack in this supernatural/mystery/drama comic.

I have to give credit to Jim McCann for writing a great complex tale filled with a large cast of characters, which isn't easy in comics, especially for including a recap page that only helps new readers that want to jump into the story but fill them in on what's happened too. The twists & turns  for the characters kept me on edge as my suspicions were proven wrong each time as the pages ran out to the cliffhanger. The character dialogue was witty & plot progression was paced perfectly as I kept wanting more to read after I finished the comic. The art & colors were rich in tone & sometimes vibrant as it was totally giving all the characters looks more personality. I was very pleased with the book and implore folks that want something different from the usual storytelling in comics.

Verdict - Must Buy.

Morning Glories #27 

Story by: Nick Spencer
Art by: Joe Eisma
Cover By: Joe Eisma
Variant Cover by: Jenny Frison, Rob Guillory, Shawn Martinbrough, Jamie McKelvie, Nick Pitarra, Emma Rios, Christian Ward

"THERE IS NO BEGINNING"

Hansel Moreno: Have you read Morning Glories before? 

YES? : Excellent. Buckle up because this issue is going to school you.

NO? : STOP! ALTO! Do not read this issue. Pick up the first trade or at least issue #26 to get a basic primer of this mind bending series.

This is a DOUBLE SIZED issue to kick off the second season of Nick Spencer's and Joe Eisma's

Verdict - Must Buy.

Related Posts