LNH/REVIEW: Kid Review's Roundup - July 2014

[Andrew Perron]

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PREHISTORIC PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

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   ><><><> | <><><><  || K I D     R E V I E W ' S ||  ><><><> | <><><><
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   ><><><> | <><><><  || R * O * U * N * D * U * P ||  ><><><> | <><><><
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   ><><><> | <><><><  ||       July     2014       ||  ><><><> | <><><><
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   ><><><> | <><><><  || By:     Andrew     Perron ||  ><><><> | <><><><
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In This Issue:
     The Great Alice #1-7
     Godling #40-41
     Jolt City #22
     Orphans of Mars: To Bell the Cat #4
     Powernaut 1969 #6-9
     Ripping Off King Arthur #193-199

Also Posted:
     Chevalier: The Queen's Mouseketeer (July)
     The Continentals (July)
     Cover Gallery #22i-23i
     Godling's World #10
     Mighty Medley #7
     The Super Wizard From Space #48

And of course, after making a big call for feedback last time, I
completely fall behind on the group myself. Ha ha OH WELL. x.x Let's
just get July's reviews done, and then maybe I can catch up before it's
time for September's...

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The Great Alice #1-7
"The Offer", "The Wish", "The First Encounter", "The Stairs", "The Next
Encounter", "The Skates", and "The Down Time"
A Miscellaneous [MISC] series
by James Mason

"James Mason returns! This time, he's got the first seven chapters of a
new story, returning to his themes of empowerment, transformation, and
cat people."

"Those who are into magical girl series will probably be familiar with
Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a vaguely Watchmen-esque deconstruction of
magical girl series. What James is doing here feels like the equivalent
of Kingdom Come, reconstructing these elements back together in a new
way, a thoughtful exploration of mentors, wishes, and energy skates. I
like it, and I look forward to seeing what else he does with it (hint,
hint)."

Godling #40-41
"The Fall of Godling part 3: All-New, All-Different!" and "The Rise of
the New Godling part 1: Trial By Fire"
A Miscellaneous [MISC] series
by Jochem Vandersteen

"Now that Quentin Alexander is no longer Godling, the gods can choose a
new candidate - Hollywood superstar Mark Brant! But can charm, charisma
and movie magic stand up against the diabolical plans of the Dark Monk?"

"Mark, the new Godling, is an interesting character - different from
your standard stuck-up celebrity stereotype. He freely admits that he's
kind of shallow, loves adulation, and is probably not the right choice
for this, but heck, if the gods want to give him power and even more
fame, then sure! Personally, I like him, and I'm hoping when Quentin
steps back into the role - because c'mon, guys, Jochem's does archetypal
stories - he stays on, in a sort of Superboy or Steel role."

Jolt City #22
"October Surprise!"
An Eightfold [8FOLD] series
by Tom Russell

"Jolt City spins out of control, as the decisions Derek has made catch
up with him - and the decisions Martin has made catch up with the city!
The October Surprise War! The plans of FEVER! Plus, the murderous
revenge of time itself!"

"Okay, so first: THE DYZEN'THARI OMG OMG OMG"

"Second, this issue feels different from previous issues - in a good
way. Everything seems to be firing on all cylinders, in terms of
character and in terms of plot.

"As for character... You know how Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne feel when
they're written by someone who understands what it's like when two
competent people spend years working together and seeing each other rise
and fall? That's how Tom wrote Derek and Martin in this issue, only
lower-class and pervy. Amazing. And they're not the only ones to
benefit; Lacy Trimmer, Knockout Mouse, Pamela Bierce, Becky Glass, and
others all feel - not just more three-dimensional, but more the kind of
people that make you want to explore those dimensions. (Dr. Fay, of
course, doesn't need it; she's as fabulous as ever.)"

"As for plot, it's pretty intense. The mob war unwinds like a deranged
Rube Goldberg machine, running on fear and greed - and turns out to be a
sidebar to an even bigger conflict! The stakes build up in a way that
feels natural, each step coming out of what came before. (AND THE
DYZEN'THARI OMG)"

"And just, everything feels more... I don't even know how to define it.
Lighthearted? In the non-mob parts, perhaps, but it's just as intense as
ever, and the mob storyline balances that out. Yet neither part stops
that feeling of... hm. Fun? Let's go with fun."

Orphans of Mars: To Bell the Cat #4
An Eightfold [8FOLD] series
by Tom Russell

"Augh these damaged BABIES. I just want to hug them all. HUG THEM ALL."

"Anyway, Ress is the biggest focus of this issue, and she gets tons-o-
development. Tom does an excellent job making her someone you can
empathize with while still doing shitty stuff. Of course, the shittiness
is relative, considering what Nerrine did to her."

"Speaking of which - the issue where it happened felt a bit... vague on
whether what went on there was rape. Or, rather, whether or not the
narrative *considered* it rape, because it really seriously was.
Thankfully, this issue confirms that yes, that was intentional, and it
is not something Nerrine is getting off with scot-free. Mind you, the
Daughters' culture is so fucked-up that in terms of shitty power plays
it only ranks about halfway up the scale - arguably, Ress herself has
done worse. Of course, that doesn't excuse it, and man. I just want to
hug them all, and get them as far away from each other as possible."

"I don't know what's going to happen in this series, long-term, but Tom
is doing an excellent job of getting me to care."

Powernaut 1969 #6-9
"You Need To Learn What Hypergaard Is!", "Who Here Can Hunt?", "Can We
Just Call Ourselves Powernauts?", and "Gah! They Can See Us!"
A Superhuman World [SW10/WWW] webcomic
by Scott Eiler

"The Power Patrol discovers the four-dimensional world of Hypergaard and
its hyperlegends - including the cross-era lifetime-snatching terror of
the Hyper-Piper!"

"Scott's going into some strange, disturbing, fascinating territory in
this storyline, and I approve. I especially like the 'you are like
knives to us' thing - an entirely reasonable extension of the
'multidimensional' concept - and the appearances of young versions of
characters we've seen be important later."

Ripping Off King Arthur #193-199
A webcomic [WWW] series
by Arthur Spitzer

"The really interesting part of this is what happens with strip #200,
and I'm definitely going to be reviewing that next month/actually
probably next week, but the build-up here - with Dr. Deadbeat's demented
plan, and the proto-mechanical-webcartoonists - is fascinating."

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, just get back on the horse and get going.