Joe Pruett

AfterShock Comics' SHOCK is a solid anthology, comprised of stories ranging from the horrific to the fantastical to the out of this world, with many reading like a print version of Black Mirror. Opening with a typically Gaiman-esque witch's tale from Neil Gaiman, gorgeously illustrated by Michael Zulli, the reader is also treated to alien invasions gone wrong, the horrors of war, wishes come true (but at what cost?), revenge, fairy tale retellings, and an especially moving story tied into show more the events of 9/11. As with any anthology, some stories are better than others, but overall there wasn't a single story here that felt out of place. I'm hoping that AfterShock turns this into an annual (or more frequent) release, building on the talent that they brought together for this premier release. show less

The dialogue is often rather hackneyed (though at times it almost works), and the continuity is shot to hell by doing things like showing the first meeting of Xavier and Magneto taking place in Israel in the 90s, at odds with everything any of the movies has ever established since. That said, the story, while a little by-the-numbers, works, showcasing the overlapping in motivations between Magneto and Xavier, the mutual respect, and the inevitable falling out.

Overall, it's a pretty even anthology of little comic stories, each with a sort of twist at the end (where I guess the SHOCK in the title comes from). There are some aliens (not particularly clever ones who try to hypnotize a scarecrow), there's a retelling of Red Riding Hood where she is a hood in the more colloquial sense of the term (i.e. hoodlum), there are fighting transformer buildings, etc. But again, like I find with so many comics, it's like a whole smorgasbord of amuse-bouches but show more then I want to eat something more filling than a bit of bacon wrapped in watercress, except there's not the option. Why is it that word-based short-stories can fill me up (good ones, at least, like Goodbye to Berlin or Just Pretending, or even non-traditional ones without true endings, like let's say If on a winter's night a traveler), yet I've never been satisfied completely with any comic anthology? Is it a fault of the medium or a fault of the reader?

So I liked SHOCK Anthology more than I expected to, but I still, as always, have my reservations about the effectiveness of comics for short stories.

SHOCK Anthology by Neil Gaiman, Paul Jenkins, Brian Azzarello, Cullen Bunn, Marguerite Bennett, Frank Tieri, and more went on sale April 24, 2018.

I received a copy free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

It pains me to give 3 stars to The Art of Jim Starlin. There isn't enough original art in it (mostly there are scanned pages of some comics and some blown-up panels, which are a real let down), but the text saves the book. You can't count it as a real art book due to the previously written info, but Starlin wrote what would be a long interview/ reminiscencies in which he tells some very interesting behind-the-scenes stories that explain his comings and going with Marvel, his Zenith and show more downfall with DC, his creator-owned adevntures and his art relantionship with Ron Lim, which is amazing for me (spoiler: no sketches were made!!!).

Well, that little fan in me liked very much this book, but I'd hardly recommend to someone to buy it (only for die-hard fans). But if you find it cheap or in your Library, pick it! For sure a real art book (like the ones from IDW) will be issued in the future. show less