Dodging Bullets # 2

G’Day Crusaders,

This is Dodgy in the mix bringing you the second Dodging bullets, highlighting indie comics from 2000AD, Valiant, Dark Horse, Albatross Funnybooks and IDW. Check out these books from your local comic book store.

Lobster Johnson: Pirate’s Ghost # 2 by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi with art by Tonci Zonjic. Proudly Published by Dark Horse Comics.

An ambitious young news reporter is kidnapped by mobsters and a man who daydreams (all the time!) about pirates and what is the connection since the appearance of a ghostly pirate ship? Will the Lobster solve the case in time?

I love the crime noir feel in this book, it is set in the 1930’s and it looks like it’s set in the time. I enjoyed the pacing, as the story is not rushed and at the same time not dragged. The writers do a great job with dialogue, keeping the readers engaged with suspense, in particular between all the Lobster and his men looking for clues and the mobsters dealing with the reporter and Ward’s dreaming! The art style reflects the Â Golden Age of comics, the art reminds me of Bruce Timm or Darwyn Cooke. This is part two from a three-part story arc so it is a PULL!

Namwolf # 1 by Fabian Rangel Jr. with art by Logan Faerber and Brennan Wagner, letters by Warren Montgomery. Proudly published by Albatross Funnybooks.

It is the year 1970 and America was in the middle of war. Â It’s there where we meet Marty Spencer, a newly recruited young man positioned in the dense jungles of Vietnam. Marty’s inexperience and lanky appearance showsÂ that he is out of his depth in Jungle Warfare, Â his commanding officer and fellow soldiers also question his participating in the war. Well little do we know, Marty has a dark secret that cause help the cause or hinder it.

I really enjoyed the flow of this book, not a lot needs to be explained within Â the story yet it is informative without being too wordy. The art by Faerber is fantastic, a bit confronting at first with the dotted eyes and cartoonish noses. Once you overcome that it’s really good, I appreciate how everyone is distinguishable making it easy for readers. The colors are also a standout, especially in the feeling of the jungle horror scenes which look awesome.

This is a PULL, Do ya’self a favor and check it out!

Optimus Prime # 6 by John Barber with art by Kei Zama and Josh Burcham, letters by Tm B. Long. Proudly published by IDW Publishing.

I am a lifetime Transformers fan! I watched the 80’s animated series religiously and owned numerousÂ figures as a child. In circa 2002, Hasbro releasedÂ the commemorative G1 figures (which I bought) at the same time Dreamwave Productions released their Transfomers comic line which focused on the G1 characters I love and I was captivated and reignited Â my appreciation of TF comics.

What I love about this Optimus Prime series is the fact there are G1 characters I am familiar with (with the mix-up of newly added characters) however, they are not how I remember them. Such as Arcee from the kind caring Autobot from Transformers: The Movie to a deadly assassin and the loveable Wreck-Gar is a major douche with a sinister agenda! The actions of the Junkions are now their own undoing, the Decepticon ally Soundwave turns the tide by freeing the enslaved Sharkticons and attack their former masters’ spiral ship! How long will Wreck-Gar and his matriarch Rum-Maj hold out against the coalition before surrender?

Barber does a phenomenal job with the story as he takes us to Cybertron’sÂ past, when Optimus Prime was known as the police officer Orion Pax and as he deals with adversity and even in the present Optimus is also questioned by his peers. Transformers fans and comic fans alike will enjoy this instant PULL,Â so you better ask your local comic book store for the previous five issues before you jump in! It’s a damn good story and too damn good to miss! I loved the art since the first issue, the inking isn’t as heavy as previous issues making it easy to see what is going on.

Britannia: We who are about to die # 1 by Peter Milligan with art by Juan JosÃ© Ryp and Frankie D’armata, letters by Dave Sharpe. Proudly Published by Valiant Entertainment.

The return of Valiant’s first detective Antonius Axia in a new story by the original creative team of the series back in 2016. There is an epidemic across ancient Rome involvingÂ young people behaving insanely, is the cause supernatural and canÂ Axia uncover it in time? The reputation of him being a Detectioner causes skepticism and scrutiny from those he’s trying to help, or are they the suspects?

This is a PULL because Mulligan again throws us into another ancient murder mystery, I appreciate there is bewilderment as there are a lot of unanswered questions Â that will be answered furthermore within this four issue mini-series. Ryp is an artistic genius as he makes the human face consistent so you can identify who’s who and throughout this book his art is sharp and clean so it is easy to follow and his splash pages are gorgeous. The added colors of D’armata amplify and put the stamp on the level of quality Valiant are now known for, in particular I love the background colors.

This is Sherlock meets Game of Thrones, if you’re a fan of the like you will absolutely love this new Valiant masterpiece!

2000Ad # 2028 by various writers and artists, this long running anthology series is Proudly publishedÂ 2000AD.

This prog offer us five stories includingÂ Judge Dredd, Defoe, Brink, Scarlet Traces and Cursed: The Fall of the Dead World.

Judge Dredd: Harvey part 5 is written by John Wagner who is the co-creator with art by John McCrea and Mike Spicer. Robots have replaced Judges in Mega-City One, the reception of these “Robot Judges” are well received. Will Dredd conform to this new rule? This has proven to be an interesting storyline as Dredd knows the risk of machine vs human tech will have its defects. Â Defoe: Diehards part 3Â by 2000AD alumni Patt Mills with art by Colin MacNeil, years after London burned Titus Defoe is still on the hunt for zombies, we see a young man struggle with the separation from the undead as Defoe kills his recently turned mother. The third story isÂ Brink: Skeleton Life part 6 by Dan Abnett with art by Inj Culbard,

Scarlett Tracers: Cold War: Book 2 part 6 by Ian Edginton with art by D’Israeli Bridget Ms Linton

Cursed: Fall of Deadworld part 6 by Kew-W with art by Dave Rendell

Four of the Five books are on my Pull List and all Five Star Rating! Any thoughts, please click the comment fields below!

Dodgy is a Senior ContributorÂ for Comic Crusaders spanning from Comics, Music, Manga, Action Figures and more.. He is also the proud host of the Indie Comic Podcast Flipside Focus and Marvel Comics Podcast on No-Prize Podcast and VP of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network.

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Author Profile

Shane Tydeman

The Wonder from Down Under,
Dodgy is a senior contributor to Comic Crusaders. Co-Host of The Yeah-Nah Wepa Show! An advocate of indie comics and is creator of Indie Comics podcasts Flipside Focus, Sunderkatz and Think Indie Podcast!

An unapologetic movie fan, NBA fan, action figure, trading card fan! Also an advocate for Depression awareness!