Indie Comic Spotlight: Velica

In this new feature, we're going to be picking out some of the best new indie comics coming our way soon and today, we're going to be looking at Velica: The next powerful woman in comics? Quite possibly! With some nice art and an interesting story, Velica is shaping up to make some waves in the indie comic circuit.

Originally released in 2008, this is a comic whose readership has done nothing but grow and become more enthusiastic in the last five years. This year, Velica is coming back in a big way relaunching with a new print and distribution deal with Toledo Publishing and making itself known to as many comic fans as it can.

Here's a brief synopsis of the series from the folks at Velica Comics:


"Velica started life as Shauna Saunders, daughter to a brilliant Bio-Technologist named Alexander Saunders. Her mother, Anna Saunders, reluctantly supported her husband’s work, but wanted him to get a job with which he could support the family. She would find solace in Dominic Perrin, Shauna’s “adoptive” uncle. Dominic was the majority shareholder for Alexander’s company. Soon, the relationship between Alexander and Dominic became increasingly strained and ultimately, Alexander paid for his passion with his life. He entrusted his daughter Shauna with continuing his legacy. Now, Shauna fights her dad’s battles in her quest for justice."

Having had a look at some of the beautiful preview pages of the first issues we can tell you Velica's quest takes her to some nasty places, and pits her against some dangerous foes.

This isn't a kids story, let's put it that way.

One of the most interesting things about Velica is how passionate the people producing it are. Ken Johnson created Velica and has since been working hard writing and illustrating it with help from colourist Kirsty Swan. In the past few years despite the challenges that the comic world continues to face, Velica hasn't given up but instead grown stronger. The series is even now aiming to be adapted into a short film. For more on that, click here to go to their IndieGoGo page and get involved!

Velica is currently in the process of reprinting all of its original issues, and preparing a new US series launch for the Spring of 2013. The Velica team will also be appearing at this year's Chicago Comic-Con, so expect some more news around that time. Meanwhile, to keep updated on this exciting new project, you can go to Velica Comic's Facebook page by clicking here or go to their website by clicking here!

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Comic Book Sales: February 2013

Another month has passed in the world of comics meaning we have a fresh batch of comic sales to look over, and some estimated sales figures to go with them. In this article we'll be looking at how some of the new Marvel NOW! titles are faring (including Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy), as well as some of DC's latest New 52 titles (Vibe, Katana and more). We'll also be predicting which Marvel titles could be close to cancellation.

First, here's the top 10 books of last month:

Marvel NOW!: Last Month's New Titles & Marvel's Lowest Selling Books

Last month, as you can see above, the best-selling Marvel NOW! debuts were Uncanny X-Men #1 (which came in at No. 2 with over 175,000 copies sold), and Secret Avengers #1 (which was in at No. 10 with over 85,000 copies sold).

Outside the top 10, the next best selling Marvel NOW! first issue was Nova #1 which came in at No. 14 with nearly 81,000 copies sold. Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 followed closely behind at No. 15 with just over 80,000 copies - impressive for a team not many people knew much about just one year ago.
The Fearless Defenders #1 - Marvel's all-female super-team - was the lowest Marvel NOW! debut of last month, but still came in at a very respectable No. 30 with over 50,000 copies sold.

So, now onto some of Marvel's lower selling titles. These titles may not be on cancellation watch just yet, however if their sales don't pick up a bit soon, then they might not last much longer.
The first, and newest endangered title, is Morbius: The Living Vampire which after just two issues is failing to make an impact on the chart. Last month's second issue had almost 20,000 less readers than the first - coming in at No. 86 - and if the title keeps losing readers at that rate then it is doomed.

Next is the critically acclaimed Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Despite the good reviews the series has been getting, last month's #10 had just 18,000 readers. That's a relatively low number, and with Marvel recently cancelling Age of Apocalypse - a title that sold over 17,500 copies last month - it seems Captain Marvel could be close to the chopping block. Equally close are the final two endangered titles Dark Avengers (which sold just over 18,000 copies) and Red She-Hulk (which sold under 18,000 copies).

DC Comics - The New 52! What's Selling?

Last month, DC released a bunch of new titles in their New 52 line. As you have seen by now, Justice League of America unsurprisingly was the best selling title not just of the new books but also of the entire month - it sold over 300,000 copies which is huge for a comic book.
Unfortunately, it was the only #1 from DC to make a real impact on the chart. The next best-selling debut was Justice League of America's Vibe but that only managed to chart at No. 78 which is a hugely disappointing entry for a new title, particularly one tied with the massively popular JLA.
The same story goes for the next new title Katana which manages to enter at a weaker still No. 80. Both Vibe and Katana sold just over 27,000 copies.
This doesn't fill me with hope for these two series' going forward.

For more on DCs existing low selling titles click here for our article looking at the future of Batwing, Demon Knights and more!

There are two more DC Comics - The New 52 books I want to spotlight before we finish this article - One that had a new lease of life given to it last month, and one that is doing surprisingly poorly.

First, I'd like to give a hand to Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino for making the Green Arrow series relevant again. After a lot of bad issues the series was really starting to diminish in sales - Ann Nocenti's final issue sold less than 20,000 copies ranking No. 100 - last month though it jumped up to No. 57 with over 36,000 copies sold. Once again Jeff Lemire proves that he is one of DC's hottest talents.

On the flip-side, is The Phantom Stranger. This is a series that seems to have some ties to DC's upcoming event The Trinity War, however that doesn't seem to be helping its sales - ranking No. 112 last month with just over 18,000 copies sold. I feel like DC probably won't cancel it for a while purely because of its connection with the event, however once The Trinity War wraps up I feel this will be the first series to go.

That's all the sales for this month, be sure to come back next month for more!

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Age of Ultron #1 Review

Age of Ultron is Marvel's big event for 2013 and after the stream of disappointing events that have been coming from the publisher in the past few years, I was fairly sure I would sit this one out. However, after seeing the shiny retro cover, and hearing that Taskmaster had a role to play (I LOVE Taskmaster), my will power gave way again. So, how much regret do I feel after buying this issue? Surprisingly little. Age of Ultron #1 is a flawed read, and I'm still very sceptical about the rest of the event, however it's a solid opening issue.

Age of Ultron is written by Brian Michael Bendis who has been teasing the event for quite some time in his Avengers run. In this first issue he manages to set the scene of this apocalyptic reality under Ultron's rule, but unfortunately not much else. While there is some fun action in this issue if you're looking for actual story, you're better off elsewhere. It was a slightly strange decision to give us no information on how Ultron took over, or where the other heroes are. I get that Bendis may want to keep things mysterious for now, but still he could have given us a hint because in the end keeping the reader totally in the dark does more harm than good. The issue will definitely hold your attention until the interesting final panel, but it's hard to get too involved in a story you know little about.

On the other hand Bryan Hitch's artwork is for the most part top notch, his work is well shaded and dark enough to fit the tone of this reality. As per usual with his work there does seem to be a disproportionately long arm or leg from time to time, but overall he delivers some nice panels - definitely better than John Romita Jr.'s art that we had to suffer with in the opening chapters of AvX.

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UK Top 10 Games: 25th February 2013

There were two major releases out in the UK this week in the form of Crysis 3 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, but it was Crysis that managed to steal the top spot leaving Metal Gear settling for No. 2, and sending last week's No. 1 Aliens: Colonial Marines down four places to No. 5.

The only other entry into the Top 10 this week comes from Hitman: Absolution which re-enters at No. 10. Outside the Top 10 however there's a new entry from Persona 4 Golden, the critically acclaimed Playstation Vita exclusive which makes a respectable debut at No. 32.

Here's the Top 10 in full (All Formats, All Prices):

1. (-) Crysis 3
2. (-) Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
3. (3) FIFA  13
4. (4) Call of Duty: Black Ops II
5. (1) Aliens: Colonial Marines
6. (2) Dead Space 3
7. (5) Far Cry 3
8. (7) Need for Speed: Most Wanted
9. (6) Assassin's Creed III
10. (11) Hitman: Absolution

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US Box Office Top 10: 19th February 2013

This week at the box office, despite very poor reviews, A Good Day to Die Hard comes in at the top spot with a solid $25 million made. It knocks last week's No. 1, Identity Thief, down one place to No. 2.

There were many other new entries into the Top 10 this week, with the second-highest new entry being Safe Haven - a romantic drama starring Josh Duhamel - it enters the chart at No. 3 with earnings of just over $20 million.
The next new entry is Escape From Planet Earth, an animated kids adventure with the vocal talents of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jessica Alba. It has a fairly underwhelming debut of $16.1 million.
Finally, Beautiful Creatures is the last new entry. The fantasy romance stars Emma Thompson and looks like it could be another financial disappointment with less than $7.5 million made.

Here's the Top 10 in full:

1. (-) A Good Day to Die Hard - $25 million
2. (1) Identity Thief - $23.4 million
3. (-) Safe Haven - $21.4 million
4. (-) Escape From Planet Earth - $16.1 million
5. (2) Warm Bodies - $9 million
6. (-) Beautiful Creatures - $7.46 million
7. (3) Side Effects - $6.31 million
8. (4) Silver Linings Playbook - $6.09 million
9. (5) Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - $3.47 million
10. (7) Zero Dark Thirty - $3.1 million

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I, Vampire: Volume 1 Review

Way back in September 2011, I, Vampire was among the titles launched as part of DC Comics' New 52 initiative. It was a title that many people, including myself, missed out on in its original run. So now that it's out in Trade, should you give it a read? Definitely. I, Vampire is an under-appreciated gem that all comic fans should have in their collection.

I, Vampire revolves around the character of Andrew Bennett, a vampire who for many years has been trying to stop his former lover Mary (also a vampire) from rising up with her army of vampires and killing all the humans. However, in the events of the first issue of this collection he finally loses control of her, and so after years of peace between the vampires and humans a dark time begins. The first volume follows the story of Mary and her army mass-murdering humans across America and Andrew's desperate attempt to stop her, with the help of his friend John, the not so friendly Tig, and Batman himself. And it is a blast to read.

It's also great for new comic readers wanting to dip their toe into the DC pool, as I, Vampire has a very self contained story. You don't need any knowledge of the DC super-heroes to love this book, so if you want an easy jumping-on point, this should be it.

Joshua Hale Fialkov writes a variety of great characters: some are likeable, some are insane, some are just plain badass - but all of them are interesting and character's I'd like to see more of in the future. Whether we will or not is a different story seeming as I, Vampire is being cancelled after it's nineteenth issue! *sad face*

Fialkov manages to write Andrew as a good vampire - but not in an annoying Twilight way - he's a good vampire, but still a total badass. He may still love Mary, but he doesn't sit around staring at her, instead he actively tries to kill her which is a lot more entertaining to read.
Meanwhile, the supporting cast is also good. John, Andrew's oldest friend, comes across as an intelligent character and one that - despite being a lame human - can hold his own against the vampires.

And then there's my two favourite character's in this book: Tig, a vampire hunter who forms an uneasy alliance with Andrew, and Mary herself. I know it sounds strange to say the villain is one of my favourite characters in a comic, but Mary's attitude and behaviour is just so deliciously evil that it's hard not to like her.
Then there's Tig, who I'm particularly interested in after reading the end of Volume 1. No spoilers, but what I will say is after that twist of an ending there's going to be tough times ahead for Tig!

Click to Enlarge

Then, there's the art by Andrea Sorrentino. Before I, Vampire, it's fair to say he was a relatively unknown creator. Now though, I'm happy to say that this book has led to him being discovered (he was recently bumped up to the much higher profile book: Green Arrow). Sorrentino's art fits perfectly for a book like this.
The darkness of the art works well in making you feel immersed in this darker side of the DC Universe, and most of the time looks absolutely beautiful. However, there were a few panels in the book where I thought things got a bit too dark, and too much detail was sacrificed as a result. On the whole though, Sorrentino's art fits this book perfectly and I hope to see more from him in the future.

One other flaw that also holds I, Vampire back is that some pieces of dialogue feel a little out of place, and move the story on a little too fast. Not a huge problem, but it did take me out of the story a couple of times throughout the book.

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UK Top 10 Games: 18th February 2013

This week, despite bad reviews, Aliens: Colonial Marines manages to take the top spot knocking Dead Space 3 down one place to No. 2. The game has been in development hell for the last six years, but still hopes were high that it could be the first truly excellent Aliens game. Aliens fans will just have to keep waiting I suppose...

Elsewhere, Assassin's Creed III re-enters the Top 10 climbing from No. 12 to No. 6 and Halo 4 manages a similar jump climbing from No. 13 to No. 10.

This week's biggest drop came from Studio Ghibli and Level 5's Ni No Kuni which after a strong debut falls 19 places this week from No. 6 to No. 25. Still the title seems to be doing fairly well for a Playstation-exclusive.

There were no other new entries this week, however the DS's Super Scribblenauts does re-enter the Top 40 at No. 29 due to a price drop - it can be found for under £10 at some retailers. So if you're running out of things to play on Nintendo's last-gen handheld, that could be a bargain to see you through for a while.

Here's the Top 10 in full:

1. (-) Aliens: Colonial Marines
2. (1) Dead Space 3
3. (2) FIFA 13
4. (3) Call of Duty: Black Ops II
5. (4) Far Cry 3
6. (12) Assassin's Creed III
7. (7) Need for Speed: Most Wanted
8. (8) Just Dance 4
9. (10) Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed
10. (13) Halo 4

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Marvel NOW! Secret Avengers #1 Review

Secret Avengers was a series I always wanted to get into Pre-Marvel NOW! but never quite found the right jumping-on point, so when I saw it would be getting a new #1 as part of Marvel NOW! I was excited to get hold of it. After the first issue, I'm happy to say I'm still excited about this series. Secret Avengers #1 is a cinematic, exciting read which should please old fans and newcomers alike.

Secret Avengers #1 sees Agent Phil Coulson recruit the talents of Black Widow and Hawkeye to be part of a new SHIELD-controlled Secret Avengers team, however there's a catch. The missions that they'll be working on are so top secret that even they aren't allowed to know about them! And so, a memory implant has to be fitted into the brains of the pair so that the knowledge of these missions can be removed once they're accomplished.
This is a cool concept, however it's strangely handled in this issue. When the pair first hear about it they're completely against it, but then Agent Coulson tells them something, and suddenly they can't wait to get out in the field. It was a strange decision to not let the reader know about why the pair joined the team, but as long as we find out why in the next few issues then perhaps I'll understand the decision. Still, it's a move that isn't going to please everyone.

That small gripe aside, the story of this issue was very good. Nick Spencer uses the first issue almost as a one-shot tale, to set the tone of how this team is going to work and what the story is going to be like - and it's not as honourable as you may think. Straight away Spencer makes it clear that SHIELD has some ulterior motives, and it makes for a tense team dynamic. This is best shown at the end of the book with a nice twist that took me by surprise and got me interested in the next issue.
Plus if you're new to the Marvel Universe you have nothing to fear jumping into this book. It features characters from The Avengers movie and requires little background info, making it perfect for new readers.

The art in this book by Luke Ross and Matthew Wilson works well with the title: it has a dark feel to it which is great for the darker story. But, it does drop in quality a little when the action stops and the talking begins. It's in these panels where the art loses some detail and becomes less impressive. Overall though, there are few complaints I can make about the art.

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Batman #17 Review

There are spoilers in this review.

Batman #17 marks the end of Scott Snyder's second big story on the title: Death of the Family. Unfortunately this story goes out with more of a whimper than a bang, with all the build-up and tension of the last four chapters never quite paying off.

Batman #17 is meant to shock, but I just found it very anti-climatic. All this time Snyder has been teasing about how awful the Joker's plan was, but really I didn't feel like there was much that differentiated it from any other Joker story. The Riddler's response to seeing what Joker had planned was shock, but all he really did was kidnap the Bat-Family, pretend he'd cut their faces off, and become the cause of mistrust in the family. Am I the only one who doesn't find that very shocking?
I'm not saying that in order for this story to meet expectations it had to live up to its name and kill off a character, but I wish something a little more ground-breaking happened than this. The Joker will be back within a few years for another scheme, and the Bat-Family will just move on.

What burns me most about this is that this is the second arc in Snyder's Batman title, and also the second to disappoint me. I'm not going to go into too many details on the Court of Owls but I will just say I found it to be stretched out too thin across eleven issues, and another tale with a very disappointing ending.
Criticising Snyder seems to be blasphemy in the comic-book world at the moment, but I've got to say I'm really not understanding the hype and acclaim.

Now, this book wasn't all bad. There were some cool moments, and I did feel a sense of despair at the end with the idea that no matter what happens the Joker always wins. Additionally, the art remains well done by Greg Capullo who remains a great fit for Batman. But this just wasn't enough in the end for me to call Batman #17 a satisfying end to Death of the Family.
It pains me to say it after such a strong build-up in previous issues, but Death of the Family is a huge disappointment.

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Movie 43 Review

Well how very embarrassing! It's been just over a week since we wrote our feature - 13 Movies to Watch in 2013. Since then two of the films on that list have already been released: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and Movie 43. Hansel and Gretel has been getting panned by almost everyone whose reviewed it and Movie 43...well, it's disappointing.

Movie 43 is basically a compilation of sketches written by a large group of writers and starring many famous faces, all strung together loosely on a very weak plot.
Now it should be said that American audiences have a slightly different version of Movie 43 to those of us in the UK. All of the sketches are the same in the two versions, however the plot tying the sketches together is different. The American version focuses around a struggling scriptwriter played by Dennis Quaid pitching the sketches to a film-maker played by Greg Kinnear. However, the UK version focuses on a group of three teenage boys searching for the most awful, shocking movie ever: Movie 43. On their way through the shady corners of the Internet they find the sketches that make up the majority of the film.

Really though, it doesn't make a huge amount of difference as neither versions of the film have impressed critics, not just because the plot isn't good, but because the sketches just aren't that great.

Now you can find a lot of critics out there who are completely destroying this movie in their reviews, and while I agree it isn't a good film, it's not as awful as some are making out to be.
Being a sketch comedy it's bound to be hit and miss, but it's just a shame that there's quite so much miss with all the talent attached. Anna Faris is excellent at what she does - comedy - but her sketch where she longs to be pooped on by her long-term boyfriend just isn't funny at all.


Then there are the sketches that are more middling in quality. The sketch starring one of the most talented new actors around, Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass, Hugo) being ridiculed about her first period has one or two funny lines but overall just isn't very funny.
Meanwhile, the sketch "Veronica" starring Emma Stone is also disappointing. Stone is one of my favourite actors at the moment and capable of some great comedic moments as proven in Easy A, however her sketch in Movie 43 again provides a few funny lines before just getting pretty dull.
Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet's scene also disappointed with the whole "Hugh Jackman has testicles growing out of his neck" gag getting old pretty quick.
In fact, this is something that happened with most sketches and was possibly the biggest problem - most of them only really had one joke, and just kept repeating that one joke until it dies painfully.

However, that's not to say there's no laughs to be had in Movie 43. Each sketch typically had at least one or two lines that were funny - although, whether its a good thing that some near-20 minute long sketches only had one or two funny bits is yours to decide.
Plus, there were some sketches that I really did like. "Homeschooled" starring Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts I found genuinely funny all the way through! "Super-Hero Speed Dating" also provided some solid laughs, albeit not quite as many.

The parody adverts inserted between sketches were also very funny, including an appeal from the society for the prevention of cruelty to children inside machines. It is just as weird as it sounds.

Overall though, it's fair to say that Movie 43 doesn't make the most of the talent attached to it at all. The stars involved do seem surprisingly enthusiastic about their parts in the film and do the best they can with the script they're given. Unfortunately, it can't stop the fact that Movie 43 is a very disappointing comedy.

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