Edge of Empire

Edge Of Empire: A Penny Dreadful Review

            High adventure! Magic! Cleavage! These are just some of the wonderful things that await in Rod Espinosa’s Edge of Empire series. Three exceedingly powerful baronesses with odd names and odder abilities rescue their friends from dungeons, undead hordes, gladiators, lecherous captors, and much, much more.

            This series focuses mainly on the adventures and less on character development and differentiation. It is very exciting, but I’d like more backstory on these incredible baronesses. Perhaps in future volumes? I look forward to learning more.

            The settings are lush and gorgeous, the monsters are frightening, and it is a pleasure to watch the baronesses fight, for more than one reason. I definitely recommend Edge of Empires to any with a love of adventure.

            I give Edge of Empire three and a half gears out of five. Very well done, Mr. Espinosa! I demand more!

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Butterfly Gate

Butterfly Gate: A Penny Dreadful Review

A brother and sister stray from their nanny whilst hunting butterflies. They stumble upon a mysterious gate guarded by a stone idol. Quite by accident, they discover that blood opens the ancient door. They glimpse the wonders beyond, but it shuts in their faces before they can truly experience the gate’s eerie magic. They need more blood, and Nanny has lots…
Butterfly Gate is told by Benjamin Read and Chris Wildgoose with no words. There is only art. It is beautiful. It is also incredibly disturbing. This is the sort of thing a toddler could “read” to you, but I would not put this into the hands of a child. They might get ideas.
The style might remind you of the style of the True Grit comic adaptation or other projects. That would be because both the writer and the illustrator worked on that comic and, according to the aethernet, have been quite busy living the dream and being amazing. This project – I’ve only seen the first issue – is one of several ongoing sequential art projects at Improper Books, a fantastic indie publisher in the UK. As a Steampunk, I recommend investigating their work. It has the twisted, fairy-tale quality that makes Butterfly Gate so enchanting.
Four and a half gears out of five all around. This is brilliant, gorgeous, and terrifying. I highly recommend picking up Butterfly Gate from www.improperbooks.com

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Clockwork Angels

Clockwork Angels: A Penny Dreadful Review

          A benevolent dictator called The Watchmaker rules over the land of Albion with his destiny calculators. A young man named Owen Hardy is tossed on the waves of fate, the tempest around him pulling him in strange directions.
          Clockwork Angels, a comic written by Kevin J. Anderson, based on a story and lyrics by Neal Peart, is an adventure on every page. The hero's path is odd, unexpected, and harrowing. The adventure-seeking Steampunk will not be disappointed.
          Yet there is a dreamy quality to it all, including the tragic scenes of violence between The Watchmaker and his nemesis The Anarchist. The art by Nick Robles is warm, impressionistic. Almost every panel could be taken out of context and put on a gallery wall.
          I enjoyed Clockwork Angels quite a lot. I award it four gears out of five. I suggest a visit to your nearest comic store immediately in order to obtain a copy.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather

Steampunk Red Riding Hood

Steampunk Red Riding Hood: A Penny Dreadful Review

            The worst wolves are often human. In Rod Espinosa’s Steampunk Red Riding Hood, he keeps you guessing. If you are looking for a straight re-telling of “Red Riding Hood” with some Steampunk decoration, this isn’t what you want. Mr. Espinosa uses the familiar tale as a jumping off point and presents something new and fun.

            Little Red and her grandmother protect villages from a pack of anthropomorphic talking wolves. There are some really cool fight scenes, and I love Grandmother’s house, which is less of a cabin in the woods and more of a tank/caravan armed with sonic bombs. Upon returning to her home, Little Red encounters the real wolf: her brutish, abusive father. I won’t say anything more about the plot, or I’ll spoil it.

            I love this little comic. It doesn’t go where the reader expects, and I quite enjoy the fantasy world Rod Espinosa created here. I give it four and a half gears out of five. I demand a sequel!

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Legenderry

Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Trouble stumbles into the Scarlet Club in the person of a young woman pursued by several burly clones of unknown origin. The owner of this club, a Steampunk version of Vampirella, takes exception to the invasion. Accompanied by Britt Reid, who happens to be the Green Hornet, she sets out to unravel the mysteries surrounding the young woman. Legenderry, a new title from Dynamite, is dynamite!

            The story is exciting and entrancing. I would expect nothing less from writer Bill Willingham. A seasoned storyteller, he keeps the reader guessing and turning the pages. Each panel is a surprise leading deeper into the strange mystery surrounding the young woman and her disappeared sister Sonja. I love it. The balance between exposition and action, the characterizations, the referential twists and details – every aspect of this story is superb. Sergio Davila’s art is breathtaking. Incredible detail and vivid action pop off the page from unexpected angles. He is truly a master of his genre.

            I give this comic four and a half gears out of five. It’s solid, brilliant, and exactly what one would expect from an all-star cast of writers and artists. It’s gorgeous and fun to read, an absolute must for any Steampunk fan of sequential art.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny: A Penny Dreadful Review

            In the early 1800s, the United States of America purchased a giant, mysterious block of land. Tasked with recording and cataloguing this wilderness, Lewis and Clark explored parts of what would become the western United States. Of course, the historical journals we are taught about in school neglect to mention a tribe of enormous bison/human hybrids, parasitic plant zombies, and other unseemly creatures…

            Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics have combined to produce a fascinating take on American history. Behold: Manifest Destiny. The brainchild of Chris Dingess, who must be a very twisted person, this comic is unlike anything you have ever seen. There’s a secret mission, lots of action, and more than a nod to American History. Yes, Sacagawea is a character in the comic, and she is even more badass than her non-fictitious historical counterpart.

            This strange and engrossing story is brought to life by the dynamic art of Matthew Roberts and the vivid, almost tropical, colorwork of Owen Gieni. The dialogue almost isn’t necessary. Each panel is gorgeous, awe-inspiring, terrifying, or all three.

            I give Manifest Destiny four and a half gears out of five. While not exactly a Steampunk title, it is an alternative history worth having. I highly recommend this comic.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather