Neil Raymundo - World Comic Book Review

Deadpool: The Last Days of Magic #1 (review)

October 21, 2016May 24, 2016 by Neil Raymundo

Deadpool: The Last Days of Magic #1
(Marvel Comics, May 2016)
Writer: Gerru Duggan

“Deadpool” is one of a handful of superhero comic books that lean heavily towards contemporary humor and outrageous satire, while remaining in lockstep with American publisher Marvel Comics’ shared and rigid mainstream continuity. It is a setup that affords writers a relatively generous amount of creative freedom. But a problem with many “Deadpool” stories is that writers get so caught up on playing around with this freedom that they overlook conveying a cohesive and meaningful story.

Weavers #1 (Review)

October 21, 2016May 23, 2016 by Neil Raymundo

Weavers #1
Boom! Studios, May 2016
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Review by Neil Raymundo, May 12, 2016

The cover to the first issue of Simon Spurrier’s “Weavers” makes it easy to discern the premise of the comic book. It features a man dressed like the typical modern gangster, surrounded by silhouettes of similarly-dressed people with arachnid-like eyes. The spiders are not symbolic. The comic is about gangsters and spiders. A key issue in the premise of the story is the kind of spiders, and what role they play in the story.

Heartthrob #1 (Review)

March 5, 2017May 6, 2016 by Neil Raymundo

Oni Press, Inc. April 2016
Writer: Christopher Sebela
Review by Neil Raymundo, April 24, 2016

Christopher Sebela’s “Heartthrob” explores second chances, short lives, and shared consciousness. The protagonist is a woman named Callie Boudreau, who was born with a congenital heart disease that gave her a very defined expiration date. We meet the character after a successful heart transplant procedure, where she is shown haranguing the doctor for the identity of the donor.

Out of Line

October 21, 2016April 18, 2016 by Neil Raymundo

Power Lines #1
Image Comics, March, 2015
Writer: Jimmie Robinson
Review by Neil Raymundo, April 7, 2016

In 1921, amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins coined the term “Ley Lines,” which he used to refer to supposed alignments of geographical places of historical importance both man-made and natural, theorizing that these alignments were intentionally created guides to assist in travelling via line-of-sight navigation.

Writer John Michell adopted the concept of ley lines, and bestowed upon it spiritual and mystical significance within the pages of his 1969 book “The View Over Atlantis”. This fictional take on the ley lines has since been used by numerous authors across various media. Some have built conspiracy theories around the concept, most famously novelist Dan Brown in his best-selling book, “The Da Vinci Code” (2003, Doubleday Books).