Mood:
caffeinatedTopic: Comic Books - New
TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3179: As mentioned in yesterday's blog, Tina and I have been revamping the 'home office' to allow both of us to work from the same location. Thus it's taken me a little bit of time to get back on a 'review' blog schedule. I don't want to neglect this review aspect of my Blog, so am back to presenting another one today... Today's post is a review on the second issue of a comic book series that I have already blogged about before, (click here for that review blog.) At that time I had a few questions about the limited series. Those questions were being answered by this 2nd issue as well as a letter from the publisher. So what is this issue about? Well..first, I suggest you read my in-depth review of issue #1 via the link above, so you don't feel like you came in late. Then here is what issue #2 is about per Onrie Kompan: "Without giving too much away, Issue #2 picks up where Issue #1 left off. In the aftermath of the Korean Navy's victory at the Battle of Okpo, the Japanese invaders are now determined to assassinate Admiral Yi. One man claims he can get the job done. His name is Baron Seo." Onrie also tells me that: "...We will resume production on Issues #3 and #4 starting in August. The same team will be working on the book. The first trade will be released in Summer 2011." So what's 'My Take' on this second issue? Front Cover: Beautiful artwork, colors and copy text. Inside Front Cover Page: A LOT of copy text, but this is very helpful for someone who is just picking up this series for the first time. PLUS it is a refresher to those that read the earlier issue a while ago. Splash Page: Not a splash page per se...It starts right in on the action. Interior Pages: The action continues, the cast is rounded out and fleshed out. The continuation of the storyline was well thought out, and the really nice artwork continued from the first issue. I really believe that it is the coloring that is setting this series apart from many others though. Even though there is blood because of the battle scenes, it is not over the top in coloring. Great job here by Adriana De Los Santos! The Inside Back Cover: Shows the cover to the upcoming issue #3. Good preview cover page! Back Cover: Basically a promo page for what this 'Limited Series' is about. Plus a link to the comic book's web site. Good promo piece. So, after all of the above...what is 'My Take' on all of this? Well...First of all, I was pleased to see this issue come in for possible review. As stated in the review blog on the 1st issue, I hadn't known about the Imjin War between Korea and Japan during this time period of 1592 - 1598. I found that the even though the action took place on the battlefields, that the blood 'n guts of war didn't spill over into the pages of this comic book series too much. I believe as I said above, that the excellent coloring kept this bloodletting from getting out of hand on the printed pages. The storyline and spoken words by the characters seemed to fit the scenes and the actions being taken. I was kept busy in reading the story by Onrie Kompan. The artwork by Givoanni Timpano really fits this genre of story as I stated before. The lettering by Joel Saavedra was set a little smaller in font size than what I am used to, but it didn't detract from the artwork. Plus it actually 'drew' me more into seeing the artwork in this font size. Again, as stated in the earlier blog post of mine, this storyline is written in the viewpoint of the Korean side of the conflict, and I am not a historian of that part of the world. However, the presentation of the storyline and the contributions by the artist, colorist, and letterer makes for good reading. I look forward to seeing the continuation of this storyline. I am not for sure of the total number issues in this limited series. However, there is supposed to be a trade paperback in 2011 for those that prefer to read TPBs. I would grade this 2nd issue of the Limited Comic Book Series with a 'Near Mint' (NM) 9.4 out of the 10.0 Grading Scale. That's because I don't give anything above that grade when selling 'comic books' like this one in our own online comic book shop! It is that good IMO. My only question would be the time between now and #3 some time in August. However, if the next issue is of the same quality that this one is...then it would be worth waiting for! Especially since it is only $2.99 cover priced! So in the meantime, where can YOU pick up a copy? Here's what the self-publisher tells me: "Your blog readers can go to Yisooshin.com/purchase. The book is now available in stores in NYC. (Midtown Comics, Jim Hanley's Universe, Roger's Time Machine, and Forbidden Planet)." Talking about Onrie, here is a brief bio about him: "Onrie Kompan received his B.A. in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago and is the recipient of multiple grants from the Weisman scholarship. YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER is Onrie’s first professional entry into the world of comics. He spent the last three years doing research on the subject and has journeyed all the way to South Korea in order to bring admiral Yi Soon Shin’s story to life. During his travels, Onrie befriended historians and military advisors from the Republic of Korea Army and Navy." The above is pretty much what I have to say about this '2nd issue in this Limited Comic Book Series. Now YOU can have your say AND be interactive with Onrie Kompan at the Facebook Fan Page for this series. I have 'liked' this Fage Page already, of which I am suggesting YOU to click and 'like' also. My thanks to Onrie Kompan for bringing this 2nd issue of thee series to my attention! AND My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,175 total posts in number! ~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com
http://www.comicbookscircus.com/
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