Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Star Wars: Dark Times – Out of the Wilderness #5 of 5
Dark Horse Comics
Stradley, Wheatley & Jackson

The latest arc of Dark Times wraps up with a bit of a happy ending for a change. The theme for this book is that bad things can and will happen to the cast and death is constantly stalking the characters. However, this book manages to advance the book in an unforeseen direction, but still manages to create a cast that is very much on the run and still in great danger. This isn’t the best arc for Dark Times but I liked this arc and this comic, particularly, a lot. This issue leads us to believe that there will be more from Dark Times and that is a good thing.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Star Wars: Force Storm - Dawn of the Jedi #3 of 5
Dark Horse Comics
Ostrander, Duursema & Parsons

Ostrander and Duursema continue to build a new world set thousands of years ago in the Star Wars universe with the same care and attention to detail they poured into creating the ends of the Skywalker line in Star Wars Legacy. This issue ups the action and shows what these early Jedi are capable of and, as a result, show us exactly where these different Jedi are deficient. The book is a fantastic read as it sets up the fight and presents the aftermath. Duursema flexes her artistic muscles in this book as only she can in the Star Wars universe. This is simply an outstanding read.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Star Wars: Agents Of The Empire – Iron Eclipse #5 of 5
Dark Horse Comics
Ostrander, Roux, Hugonnard-Bert

The first mini-series of Agents of the Empire wraps up with a fun and exciting issue with a nice surprise ending. The book has had a hold on the original Star Wars film's roots by including Han and Chewie here and there in the series, but the main story is about the James Bond-like Imperial agent, Cross. The book really doesn't focus at all on the Empire, but rather a mystery and a horror/science-fiction hybrid of an ending. It's a great ending issue to a very good story.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Ragemoor #1 of 4
Dark Horse Comics
Strnad & Corben

Ragemoor is an old school horror comic book. Done in black and white, it uses the character's dialogue to build up the tension before revealing the threat. The book is a fun read that doesn't disappoint in putting forth a menacing danger that matches the character's description of the horror. The book is a mini-series, though, oddly, the book seems to end without a cliffhanger or even a hint as to what the second issue could possibly contain. If you like horror then this is a great book to pick up.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm #1 of 5
Dark Horse Comics
Ostrander, Duursema & Parsons

The latest Star Wars takes place some 36,000 years before the original trilogy but this issue begins even before that as Ostrander takes great care in setting up the universe. This issue serves as an entry way into the very beginnings of the Jedi and the Sith. Ostrander and Duursema deliver the same high level of storytelling that the pair has delivered in countless Star Wars comics, including the far-reaching Star Wars Legacy series. This is the start of something special.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Conan The Barbarian #1
Dark Horse Comics
Wood, Cloonan & Stewart

Dark Horse's latest relaunch of Conan is the reinterpretation of an old Robert Howard story called "Queen of the Black Coast." This particular launch carries a heavy-hitting creator crew lead by Brian Wood. I should confess that I only purchased the issue because Wood was the writer and because Dark Horse did a good job advertising that fact. What I found was not exactly the Conan I expected. This story takes place when Conan is just setting out. He's a young man that carries a lot of the flaws you'd expect to find in an inexperienced warrior. Overall, I liked the issue and will probably see the arc out and that means the opening did its job.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Dawn Of The Jedi #0
Dark Horse Comics
Ostrander & Duursema

The zero issue of the new Star Wars series is essentially a handbook for the new series. The book basically explains the general set-up of the Star Wars universe some 30,000 years before the films take place. Overall, the book does a good job of moving the massive amount of information and pieces into place in preparation of the new series but I was a little turned off by the price point and the absence of any story pages. Based on how dense this book is with information it sure seems like this will be mandatory reading if you want to hit the ground running when you pick up the first issue in two weeks.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

The Strange Talent Of Luther Strode #5 of 6
Image Comics
Jordan, Moore & Sobreiro

Luther Strode races towards its conclusion with what appears to be the most violent and bloody issue to date. For the most part, this story still leaves a lot that is yet to be revealed but the individual issue is straight forward enough that the unanswered questions really don't matter or factor into the story. Once again the art nearly steals the show, particularly when the gore comes into play. I am enjoying this series as I find this to be a refreshing look at violence in a way that I don't believe I have seen since something like Kick-Ass. If you aren't too squeamish then I recommend picking this issue up.

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