comics – Comics Catalyst

What Catalyst Prime (and Lion Forge) Means To Me.

Hello, long time no post, but at last Seven Days is right around the corner, coming out this Wednesday, October 2nd! I can’t wait for Issue 1, which I’ll be reviewing once it comes out! But for this week, I’ll be posting a bunch, and I may even have a giveaway on Friday! Stay tuned!

Today I’m going to be talking about something personal, which Gail Simone suggested I share. I’m going to be talking about what Catalyst Prime and Lion Forge means to me. Now what does that mean?

I think it means different things to different people, but to me it means that the CPU and Lion Forge have played a big part in making one big part of my life easier.

In early 2018 I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which basically is a blood cancer. Without treatment I would have had around a year left to live. Before I was diagnosed I had begun reading the CPU comics, however, I admit I was not the huge fan I am today. I enjoyed them at random times and was trade waiting a lot of the series that they had. However, all that changed in mid-2018 when I begun treatment.

I had to get some intense Chemotherapy for most of 2018, which was hard. It even made going to San Diego Comic-Con 2018 almost impossible, but I’ve been every year since I was 9, so I went (even though that same week I had treatment, so I had to use a wheelchair). I had treatment’s every other Wednesday, which means my New Comic Book Day became hard, I could only pick stuff up on my off week.

However, I really needed something to read during those long two hours of treatment, something to distract from the pain and sickness. That’s when I decided to dive into the CPU. I started to buy digital copies of those series I was trade waiting on, series like Superb, Accell, and others (Summit was one series I wasn’t trade waiting, as it’s my favorite). Every week I would try to read a few of them during treatment, to make sure I had something to read. Sometimes that only meant one or two issues that week, but it led to something else.

It led me all of the amazing stuff at Lion Forge. I started reading a lot of comics they had put out, and I found myself loving the company and their message of “Comics for Everyone”. I found a ton of their stuff heartwarming or interesting, from Cellies to Andre The Giant: Closer To Heaven, a comic about Andre The Giant’s life.

But the main thing that took away the fear of treatment was knowing that I was going to be able to read something from Catalyst Prime. That new universe pulled me in, and kept me there. It made a lot of the treatments easier. I even went to the Lion Forge panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, where they announced that Gail Simone was joining the team.

Since then, I’ve created a Fan Group on Facebook, forum posts, and countless of tweets, I’ve even started this blog, met staff and creators and got lucky enough to meet and befriend some amazing people from Lion Forge, staff like Devin Funches (the Sales and Marketing Manager at Lion Forge), and amazing talent like Amy Chu, Marika Cresta and I got to interview Gail Simone for this very blog (check it out if you haven’t yet)! Lion Forge and it’s talent and staff have shown me nothing but support and love, and that is another reason why I’ll never stop supporting them.

Gail Simone at SDCC 2019. Yes my beard and hair grew very fast!

As of right now, it’s almost been a year since I’ve stopped treatment, and luckily I’m still cancer free. I’ve been lucky to have some amazing support, not just from Lion Forge online, but from my amazing family, friends and my fantastic medical team of nurses, doctors, blood testers and everyone else who helped save me, and who will continue to help me stay cancer free.

My wonderful team of nurses! Love them all!

I know some of you may think of this as silly, I would normally understand, I would feel the same if I read this too. But Cataylst Prime and Lion Forge means a lot to me, and this is one of the biggest reasons why. They helped make the unbearable, a little more bearable.

Thank you for reading and please look below for some links to the Facebook Group and The Gail Simone Interview. Also, don’t forget to pick up Seven Days, October 2nd!

Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1963553493712620/about/

Interview: https://comiccatalyst.home.blog/2019/07/23/sdcc19-gail-simone-interview/

Thursday Reviews:

So, I only read one comic this week, but it had two fun and amazing stories in it, so I thought I would go ahead and still do a mini review for it.

Red Sonja: Lord of Fools #1

This one-shot is a follow up to the recently completed first arc of the latest Red Sonja ongoing from Dynamite Comics. This issue and the ongoing series are both written by Mark Russel and both share the same editor, Nate Cosby. However, the art in this issue is done by both Bob Q and Katie O’Meara, and they both did beautiful job drawing this world and characters!

Like I said, there are two stories in this series, though the transition is so smooth it’s hard to tell at first. The first story follows the family of the antagonist of the main series. Since this is a mini review, I won’t go into details, but I love when stories do this, seeing the other side and what they have to deal with. It makes the villain seem way more interesting. So I was glad Russel did this. The second story is less connected to the first, but is a fun one, we get to learn more about one of Red Sonja’s companions in the main series, and we get to learn his history. I love seeing magic in Sonja’s world, so if you like magic, you will love the second story.

Both stories give off a rich history, and will add to my enjoyment of the main series. It’s hard to follow up Gail Simone and Amy Chu (both wrote the characters in their own series before Russel) but Russel has done an amazing job with the character. I highly recommend checking out his Red Sonja series, and this one-shot!

4/5

Flashback Review: Summit Vol. 1 #1

Sorry for the delay, but here is my first Flashback Review. In these I will be looking back at old issues of Lion Forge’s Catalyst Prime, reviewing them and reminiscing a bit. I hope to cover every issue they’ve had so far, but we will see how far these take us.

For this Flashback I’m going to talk about and review the first issue of my favorite CPU series, Summit!

Summit Issue #1 was written by the talented, Amy Chu (she is also still the current writer at the time of this post). I’ve read a lot of Amy’s work, she does a great job with character work and setting up their voices. Amy always makes sure to add unique characters to whatever she writes and Summit is no different. Amy has worked on a ton of characters, but I’ll name a few; Red Sonja, Green Hornet, Vampirella, Poison Ivy and so much more.

The artist for this issue, and the next few issues that follow, is Jan Duursema. Jan is an extremely talented person, she is one of those artist who’s work you can tell is theirs just by looking at it. I’ve read comics with her work in the past, Ghost, from Dark Horse, is one of my all time favorite heroes, and she did some issues of the latest series. Jan has also done a ton of Star Wars work.

As you can tell, a big reason I picked up this series is because of the talent behind it.

Spoiler Warning from here on out. I’ll be summarizing the basic overall plot and going into some of the key things that happened in this issue.

Summit is the story of the women who fell to earth. Valentina, or Val for short, is an astrophysicist and astronaut who went on a mission to save earth from an asteroid. When she was up there she ended up getting amazing powers and fell back down to earth. Val has the astonishing power of creating and releasing plasma blasts, she is basically a walking fusion reactor.

So, this issue does a great job of touching up on the events from the Free Comic Book Day issue, titled The Event (which you can read for free on Comixology). And during the event panels shows they us characters we haven’t met yet (including a cute cat!), which is another great thing Amy does. Looking back on this issue alone, Amy clearly sets up story plots that she deals with in later issues, which makes the story feel like one big story, and not just single issue. They’re all connected, while not leaving new readers out. And I mean just look at that art! Jan is so detailed and realistic, it adds so much to the book. They were very lucky to work with such amazing talent.

Like I said earlier, Amy does a GREAT job with characters. She really knows how to make them real, and give them a real voice that doesn’t feel the same as anyone else in the issue. Val has hobbies, like Rock Climbing. Most superhero books don’t dive into hobbies, jobs maybe, but heroes are more then the jobs they have. Amy brings a fullness to her characters like no one else in the business!

One of the reasons I love Val is that she is queer. As a queer man, myself, I find myself reading queer characters and a lot of the time they feel almost flat. Amy does an superb job writing a queer character. In issue one we learn right away that she had a partner and that she is openly gay. Establishing that right off the back, in issue one, is very important. It gets it out of the way so Amy can continue to grow the character beyond her sexual orientation.

This issue also shows a great deal of emotion. Val is dealing with the loss of her friends (who also went to space with her) and that is in the forefront. Dealing with loss and grief is a big point in this issue. Throughout issue one (and in the following issues) we see Val deal the heavy burden of being the only surviving astronaut, in this earth wide tragedy. Amy does a first-rate job showing this amount of emotion, and only in one issue.

Now, let me talk about the art. Jan’s realism only adds to the deep character writing Amy does. Her face work alone shows the emotion without the writing. Jan’s character work is just as excellent as Amy’s. Jan also does a great job being detailed with the environment. Rocks, planes, cities, you name it, all feel real. Like you could go to these places, or ride in those cars.

Even though this issue doesn’t have any fight scenes, Jan does an outstanding job with showing off the action it does have. The rock climbing scenes are a favorite of mine. Jan also knows how to draw superpowers scenes. Even though we only see a bit of it near the end, it’s such a powerful scene that it makes you want to read more.

Overall, these two working together, and with this character, really makes issue one stand out! They both make you want to read more, and to see this character grow.

I give this issue a 5/5.

It’s hard to do a first issue well, but Summit is one of the rare exceptions.

If you’re interesting in reading the whole first arc, lucky for you Lion Forge has collected them in a volume (titled The Long Way Home), so you don’t have to wait like I had to. Order it today!

Thank you for checking out my first full review, look for more blog posts soon!

Thursday Reviews:

Every Wednesday is new comic book day, so I thought Thursdays would be a great day to pick about five comics that week and do mini reviews. This could include Lion Forge titles, but most Catalyst Prime stuff will get it’s own day, and full reviews.

Since last week was San Diego Comic-Con, I’ll be reviewing a mix of comics from this week, and last week. So, here we go!

1) Valkyrie: Jane Foster (Marvel)

Written by: Jason Aaron and Al Ewing

Art by: Cafu

I’ve always had a place in my heart for Valkyrie, but of course not this Valkyrie. This Valkyrie is new, and Jane Foster. I don’t hate Jane or anything, she’s just not the Valkyrie I know. However, I had to try and give this series a go and I was pleasantly impressed.

The writing was amazing, funny where it had to be and serious when needed. Jane’s weapon is cool, and her supporting cast seems very interesting, so far. The art is also beautiful, same for the coloring as well. I’m excited for issue two, as it teases an unexpected bad guy for Jane. I will say, I’ll miss the Valkyrie I knew, though she does show up in this issue, it’s sad to lose a queer superhero. Here’s hoping she will show up more!

4/5

2) Vampirella #1 (Dynamite Comics)

Written by: Christopher Priest

Art by: Ergün Gündüz

Vampirella has been a favorite of mine for a long time. My favorite run, under Dynamite, has to be Nancy Collins run from a bit ago. It had everything, from mystery to action. The two runs that followed added some exciting stuff to her mythos, including her pansexuality. I love Christopher Priest’s work, it always gives you something to think about, so I had to give this new series a run, and I was so not disappointed!

This issue is a bit different then what Vampi fans are use to, but in a good way. Priest has an compelling story on his hands, and even puts in some themes that I can wait to see flushed out. I love that he has used old Vampi mythos and enemies, while taking his own spin on them and on what Vampi has to deal with. He clearly did his research. The art is also amazing, I wasn’t sure st first, in the previews, but they really did pick the right person for the job. This issue has the right amount of action and set up.

5/5

3) Sera & the Royal Stars (Vault Comics)

Written by: Jon Tsuei

Art by: Audrey Mok

Fantasy is not normally my thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love a good game of D&D, but in media it’s not normally a go to of mine. However, this stunning cover pulled me in when I first saw it, and I had to add it to my pull list. The art inside is just as good, and that within itself makes it worth the pick up, but the amazing writing is just icing on this cake!

The characters and the world setting seem super fascinating. It’s like a strange mix of D&D and Prince of Persia. The action is amazing and the lore really sets itself up this issue. I HIGHLY recommend this series, even to the non-fantasy fans, like me.

4.5/5

4) Resonant (Vault Comics)

Written by: David Brian Andry

Art by: Ale Aragon

Another Vault comic, those guys are killing it over there. This one is way more up my alley. If you know me, you know I love horror and murder mysteries. And this fits straight into the horror side of me. This one takes place in a world where evil seems to have taken over and can make anyone lose their mind. It has an riveting premise, that is done in a new and spooky way.

The characters seem super cool, and the story seems to deal with family, which I love! The art is loose, but really fits the style of the book and just adds more to the horror level. I really can’t wait to see how this one grows.

4/5

5) Blade Runner 2019 (Titan Comics)

Written by: Michael Green Mike Johnson

Art by: Andres Guinaldo

Ah, a good old detective story. But this one is set in world of Blade Runner. It may be 2019, but it isn’t our 2019. Blade Runner is such an engrossing world, though I’m not as verse in it as I would like to be. Seen the first one a few time, and the newest one once. I didn’t really care for the new one that much, but I love this issue.

Ash, the runner, is amazing. She seems cold, like an old school detective, and it looks like she even has her secrets. The set up for this story is also amazing. It looks like it will have some fun twists and turns, just like any mystery should. Can’t wait for the next issue.

4.5/5