#Comic #Review: "The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects"

#talknerdytomelover's @ashleighmayes @kryptodies

In the title of "The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects", "curious" is putting it lightly. When Mike Mignola sat down to write this, I'm not sure what he was thinking, but I can promise one thing: it was WEIRD. When I say "weird", I mean it in the nicest way possible, of course. "Screw-On Head" is VERY different. I don't think I've ever read a story (or in this case, collection of stories) as odd. At first, I was COMPLETELY lost. Once you accept the fact that it's completely off the wall, it's much easier to absorb.

The main story in the book (with the book's namesake) is about a man...erm...metal head that can attach to different bodies (apparently there's a LOT to choose from. In the story, he chooses body #13). He is under the command of Abraham Lincoln and is fighting the antagonist, Emperor Zombie. With the assistance of a seemingly frozen dog (or maybe it's dead...) that can talk and sidekick Mr. Groin, Mr. Head attempts to stop Emperor Zombie from stealing a gem that would allow him to take over the world. There's a huge conflict and I'll let you read to find out what happens in the end. This is the longest story in the book, but its not all that long. There are many, many more shorter stories.

My favorite was written by the author's 7 year old daughter. The story is "The Magician and the Snake". The story is about a magician who makes shapes disappear. He tells a snake that when the shapes reappear, he will die. The snake is heartbroken but determined to make the most out of the magician's last days. The two fly a kite and one night, the shapes reappear. The snake is angry and goes to the rooftop to scream at them. He begs the magician to turn him into a lion so he can eat the shapes and save the magician's life. The magician refuses and leaves his every earthly possession to the snake (because the snake will remember him).

"The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects" is weird, but my ratings aren't!

Creativity of Writing: 5/5 It's definitely random. Honestly, I can't see where the stories are going before they get there and even once I've read them, I'm sometimes not sure of what's just happened or why. That's the beauty of this book, though. It allows for casual reading on a whole new level. Each story is unique, so it allows for an awesome change of pace. The story written by Mignola's 7 year old daughter doesn't feel out of place at all. In fact, I was surprised to find that it was written by someone else at all! Some stories just suddenly cut off. Instead of making me frustrated, the story ending simply makes my mind wonder/wander about what could possibly be going on after the pages end.

Creativity of Art: 5/5 I love the style the stories are illustrated in. It's like a dark Gothic style with scritchy and bold lines. The areas of color are large (I've been reading a lot of stories with this quality lately, but this one definitely stands out). The shading is a large part of what I like about it. It's bold and eye-catching. As to be expected, the style is pretty much exactly that of the Hellboy comics.

Overall Casual Read Rating: 4.5/5 Although the two separate elements individually are perfect, the overall casual read rating is slightly lower simply because the read is SO fast. Although each story is different, they blend together somewhat. I love the book. It's very entertaining. However, if you're a fast reader like me, it won't be around to keep you entertained for long because you'll finish it.

Note to the Creator(s): Awesome book. I wanna pick your brain someday. After reading this, though, I'm afraid that it might be a scary place. ;) 

Until next comic, guys! 

XOXO Ashleigh

For this and other kick-awesome comic book, video game, and random geekery reviews, visit www.kryptodies.com!

#Comic #Review: "Y The Last Man" Volume 1 "Unmanned"

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @ashleighmayes

Hey guys, it's @ashleighmayes/@kryptodies bringing you another kick-ass comic book review!

A world without men sounds perfect, right? No more guys hogging the television for random sports games (even if they ARE reruns!), no complaints when you take too long getting ready to go out, and the ability to ask for directions whenever you get lost! That's just the scenario in "Y: The Last Man Volume 1: Unmanned" by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and José Marzán Jr. Before I begin, however, I must inform you that I won't be spoiling anything. The series is so awesome that, I believe, it must be read to be believed. 

It's a world without males now (I'm sure it smells a lot better! Ha! Kidding, guys! KIDDING!) and females are learning to take care of themselves. Some women even LOVE the new world that surrounds them. The novel follows the main character, Yorrick, who is the only (well...so far) male left living after a mysterious virus wipes out all male mammals (his pet monkey, who is also male, lives as well). At the instant that an experiment clone-baby is born, all of malekind dies. Is the virus caused by the baby's birth? Yorrick sets out on a journey to find his mother, a congresswoman. Along the way, he is captured to be sold. Yorrick is a practicing escape artist, so he escapes easily (I see this being to his advantage throughout the series). After he makes it to Washington, he realizes how high the tension is in post-apocalyptic politics. The wives of the dead congressmen demand their husband's positions and things get nasty. Trying to do what's best for her son, Yorrick's mother locks Yorrick in a fallout shelter. Naturally, he escapes. After revealing himself to the women, Yorrick is assigned Agent 355 and the two head out to find a well-known geneticist. On the way, Yorrick decides to stop at a shrine dedicated to all the lost men. There, he reveals himself again to a gang of feminist, one-breasted women. The gang is bent on a new world without men, so of course they follow him into Boston as he tries to find the geneticist with answers.The woman specifically assigned to eliminate Yorrick is...

I think I'll stop here for the sake of keeping my promises. No spoilers! There's SO much more to the plot than what I've written. That's why you should get your grubby little paws on a copy. NOW!

I also think that it goes without saying that I think this comic is AWESOME! 

But why, you ask? 

Creativity of Writing: 5/5 I like the idea of a world with no guys! Hell yeah! Ok...I'm just kidding. Guys have a lot to offer! Who else is gonna carry our bags when we shop, girls? HAHAHA. Seriously, though. Wiping out half the population without an explanation is a great idea. Extending the elimination to the animal kingdom is another great idea; it adds to the mystery. The most mysterious thing, however, is leaving one of each human and animal to survive. Add a gang of Amazonian-wannabe feminists after the last man standing and you've got the perfect recipe for an amazing story. All of this together brings up so many questions: how? why?. On top of having an awesome premise, the dialogue is incredibly easy to read, the panels flow, and the characters seem very real.

Creativity of Art: 5/5 My favorite pages are the pages between sections. They're beautiful and well-composed. The softness of the colors and the photo-realistic style is a pleasant change from the traditional comic style of the novel itself. While done traditionally, the art is anything but generic. I think the thing that makes it stand out the most is the shading. The shading is absolutely excellent. It adds so much depth to faces, expressions, and surroundings. The artist(s) knew exactly where to add detail and where to hold it out. That's very important. The right balance entices the brain and doesn't overload it. Part of reading a comic is ENJOYING it. Part of enjoyment (for me, anyway) is not having a headache when I'm done with a comic. Visually, everything works. It's not too busy, the color scheme is balanced and in line and the line details are the perfect amount. 

Overall Casual Read Rating: 5/5 It's a classic "what if?" comic, but more realistic and relevant. I'm very interested in seeing where this goes and getting some answers about what caused the virus and what comes of the human race. It sucks you in and doesn't let go. I'd only planned on reading ISSUE 1 but ended up reading all of VOLUME 1. Yeah. It's that awesome.

Note to the Creator(s): I agree with RevolutionSF.com when they say "This is why God created comic books." EXCELLENT job! I can't wait to read more. Maybe we can chat it up some time about series? Please? PLEASE!

Until Next Comic!

Ashleigh

Founder/Writer www.kryptodies.com

@ashleighmayes @kryptodies

Beasts of Burden/Hellboy One Shot Announced

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Ashleigh Mayes

EEEEE! I don’t think I’ve been this excited in a WHILE! This tops new sexy shoes. This tops new sexy dress to go with said sexy shoes. THIS IS ALL AROUND SEXIER THAN ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE!!!! What the hell am I talking about, already?!? The Beasts of Burden/Hellboy One Shot! If you’ve been following me on my website, you’ll know that I had the amazing opportunity to chat with Jill Thompson (the one behind the BEAUTIFUL artwork!). You can find the interview here  and my review of Beasts of Burden here . The release of the Beasts of Burden/Hellboy One Shot is October 27^th and I’VE already pre-ordered. Think paranormal. Think Ghostbusters meets Animal Planet. Think friggen AWESOME! That’s Beasts of Burden.

Until Next Time, Nerdlings! XOXO Ashleigh

Click here to read more from Ashleigh



#Review: Menage a 3 Webcomic

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @ashleighmayes

http://www.menagea3.net

 It’s geeks. It’s sex. It’s a lot of boob shots. It’s one guy and two girls. It’s Menage a 3, a webcomic. Gary, the main character and twenty nine year old virgin, walks in one day to find his two male roommates having sex (yes…it shows it…). They tell him that they’re in love and they’ve been gay for a few months. Then, they reveal to him that his drawing table very obviously couldn’t support two men, and apologize (um…gross! Butt sweat on the place where you lay your art/face?!?). The two decide to move out but had posted an ad in the newspaper the week before. Within the half hour, Gary is interviewing potential new roommates. Enter Zii and DiDi. Zii is a cute, bisexual, punk rocker girl. DiDi is a totally clueless, blonde foreigner with GINORMOUS boobs. OF COURSE Gary is going to chose THEM as his new roommates. What straight guy wouldn’t? The webcomic follows the adventures, trials, and…sexy times(?) J of the group. Gary’s old roommates move out, but they have a way of finding their way back into Gary’s life at random times. This comic is SO sexually charged it’s not even funny. I’m convinced that it’d make a porn star blush. From Gary revealing that he’s a virgin to DiDi questioning her sexuality, you get EVERY aspect of sexually active life. There’s never a dull moment…I’ll give ‘em that!

So…there’s not really much more to say…

On to the reviews!

Creativity of Writing: 5/5 I have to admit…I’ve never seen anything quite like this. A comic about sex? Of course the majority of comic book nerds are going to love it! It’s not really my type of comic, but hey…I’m not going to knock it!  I think the age group that the comic follows and targets is appropriate for the content. It’s different!

Creativity of Art: 3/5 I’ve heard it described as a spin off of the Archie Comics style. It DOES remind me of that, but more modern. Solid blacks, fine line details…I like it. HOWEVER, it’s just not something that I find incredibly amazing. It’s good, don’t get me wrong! I just feel like I’ve seen it before…a lot.

Overall Casual Read Rating: 5/5 It’s seriously entertaining…You’re not going to find anything like this anywhere else. It’s worth your time if you’re into sex, lesbians, gay guys, and young adult life.

Click here to read more from ashleigh and follow her on twitter!

#Review: ElephantMen

 #talknerdytomelover's @ashleighmayes

Talk about a beautiful, thought-provoking comic! Elephantmen, written by Richard Starkings and illustrated by Moritat, is definitely a comic worth your time. The comic opens with Ebony, half man and half Elephant, standing outside of an adult club. Savannah, a little girl wandering the streets, walking up. She begins by asking him if he can pick his nose. He replies that he doesn’t have to because he can put his nose in his mouth. The two walk along, Savannah asking question after question, as kids do. She asks him about his origins, bathing habits, and anatomy. Throughout the comic, certain questions trigger flashbacks in the elephantman’s mind. Through these flashbacks, we learn that Ebony was created in a laboratory through a woman that was used as a “vessel” for Ebony’s early development. Other questions, such as “Have you ever killed anyone?” trigger memories of himself as a war machine toting heavy artillery and killing everything in sight. The end of the comic is the completely beautiful thing. Savannah’s mom sees her talking to Ebony and rushes over. She threatens him, saying that if she ever sees him around Savannah again, she’ll “report” him. Savannah barely has time to hand Ebony a drawing that she’d been working on before her mother yanks her away. At the end, Ebony opens the drawing. It’s a heart with Ebony inside it with a note that says “Don’t forget to wash behind your ears”. Isn’t the fact that a child sees through innocent eyes beautiful? Isn’t the unjudging kindness of a child overwhelming? Even though Ebony was a murderer and a genetic freak, Savannah loved him upon  meeting him. I think this comic is meant to be a lesson to us all…or maybe I’m wrong and Ebony will murder a thousand people in the next issue. We’ll see!

On to the ratings!

Creativity of Story: 5/5 This is absolutely beautiful! The contrast of the flashbacks and current time works great. The way that the author gives us information about Ebony’s past is very creative. I’m really excited to see what comes of Ebony and Savannah. Although it’s simply a prequel, I feel like I’ve read a complete comic and that I’ve gotten a lot out of it.

Creativity of Art: 3/5 I feel like the details in the human faces were a bit lacking. The lack of detail gave it a smooth, plastic feel. Ebony, however, looked fantastic. The bold lines make the foreground stand out from the background and the backgrounds aren’t distracting.

Overall Casual Read: 4/5 Have the next in the series with you if you decide to begin it.  I would be disappointed if I only had this one, simply because I want to know what happens next! I think it’s going to be a unique reading experience and I highly recommend it!

For more kick ass comic reviews, head over to www.kryptodies.com ! Find me on Twitter: @kryptodies and @ashleighmayes