COCOA Reviews Superzero, Teen Titans Go, Lucifer, and Weirdworld

Catch up on all the latest video reviews from Central Oregon Comics Outreach Alliance!

In our last batch of regular reviews of the year, we start with Superzero #1 from brand new publisher Aftershock Comics, starring a girl who wants to be a superhero a little too much…

Then, I lament the passing of the classic Teen Titans cartoon in our review of Teen Titans Go #13…

We were divided over the first issue of Vertigo’s relaunch of Lucifer, which begins with a rather small storyline about the death of God…

And we close out the year with Marvel’s Weirdworld #1, which I couldn’t stop raving about…

That’s all for is week, stay tuned for COCOA’s Best Comics of 2015!

Also, be sure to catch up with all of COCOA’s videos at our YouTube channel and follow COCOA on Twitter @sipofCOCOA and on Facebook at facebook.com/COCOAcomics

 

COCOA Reviews Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Archie, and Jacked

Catch up on all the latest video reviews from the Central Oregon Comics Outreach Alliance!

We begin this week with a look at one of the most original books in Marvel’s “All-New All-Different” lineup, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1!

Then, we discuss the mysterious #LipstickIncident that is finally revealed in the rebooted Archie #4.

We round out the week by getting Jacked with the first issue of the new series from Vertigo.

Be sure to catch up with all of COCOA’s videos at our YouTube channel and follow COCOA on Twitter @sipofCOCOA and on Facebook at facebook.com/COCOAcomics

COCOA Reviews Star Wars: Vader Down, Mighty Thor, Huck, and Batman: Europa

Catch up on all the latest video reviews from the Central Oregon Comics Outreach Alliance!

I was absent this week, but Ashley, Phil and Chris gave their thoughts on the week’s books, starting with the latest from some obscure property called Star Wars with Star Wars: Vader Down #1.

Next up, they review another book from superstar writer Jason Aaron with The Mighty Thor #1!

Then they discussed Huck #1, the latest new series from Kick Ass and Civil War writer Mark Millar.

Finally, the crew debates homoerotic behavior between the Joker and Batman in Batman: Europa #1.

Be sure to catch up with all of COCOA’s videos at our YouTube channel and follow COCOA on Twitter @sipofCOCOA and on Facebook at facebook.com/COCOAcomics

Morning Funk for 12/8/2015: Blending Form and Philosophy in ‘Democracy’

In the midst of a highly-charged and unprecedentedly expensive presidential election, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking the problems that have befallen our political system are uniquely our own. But when you push aside the spectacle and the flood of media, many of the problems our democracy faces are as old as the idea itself, and certainly not unique to the United States.

The struggle for democracy is the subject of a new graphic novel—appropriately titled Democracy—by the Greek creative team of Alecos Papadatos, Abraham Kawa and Annie Di Donna, which takes readers back to the origins of democracy in ancient Athens. Democracy follows Leander, an artist-turned-soldier fighting for Athens in 490 BCE as he regales his comrades with the story of his involvement in the birth of democracy in Athens years earlier.

Movie Review: Spectre

Movie: Spectre

Director: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux

Studio: MGM, Columbia

Release Date: November 6, 2015

Review by Matthew Funk

There’s a moment in 2012’s Skyfall that struck me as perfectly “Bond.” At the top of a Shanghai skyscraper, Bond trades intense blows with an assassin who has just killed a man in the next building over. They grapple and swing at each in silhouette, framed against the psychedelic images glowing on the screen behind them. It’s at once stylish and brutal, and gives the audience everything they want in a way they’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, there’s no moment like that in Spectre.

TV Review: Fargo, Season 2 Episode 5

Series: Fargo

Episode: Season 2, Episode 5, “Gift of the Magi”

Air Date: November 9, 2015

Channel: FX

Review by Matthew Funk

One of the most noticeable things about FX’s Fargo is its color palette. Each scene is painted in a quiet swath of greys, whites, browns and cold blues, and when there’s a bright color imposed on the landscape, its often indicative of something out of place. The flashing lights of a police car, the bright clothing of someone who brings too much attention to themselves, a pool of blood in the snow.

So when the fifth episode of this season opens with a campaign bus boldly displaying the bright colors of the American flag, driving across an eerily flat piece of grey land, against the backdrop of an even greyer sky, the imagery is hard to miss. The American dream has arrived in Fargo, and it’s come there to die.

COCOA Reviews Howling Commandos of SHIELD, TMNT, Sam Wilson: Captain America, and Art Ops

Catch up on all the latest video reviews from the Central Oregon Comics Outreach Alliance!

For Halloween week, we got appropriately spooky and reviewed Marvel’s Howling Commandos of SHIELD #1 by Frank Barbiere and Brent Schoonover, which split the COCOA gang down the middle with its monstrous antics.

We then take a look at the beginning of a big new arc for the heroes in a halfshell with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #51 that we found to be a fun and fresh new status quo for the turtles.

I then dragged everyone into another political discussion about Sam Wilson: Captain America #2, which provided some interesting conversation about how the comic reflects our times.

Finally, we looked at another of the new wave of Vertigo titles with Shaun Simon and Mike and Laura Allred’s Art Ops #1, which provided us with a mindbending look into the nature of art itself.

Be sure to catch up with all of COCOA’s videos at our YouTube channel and follow COCOA on Twitter @sipofCOCOA and on Facebook at facebook.com/COCOAcomics

COCOA Reviews Headlopper, Tet, Ninjak, and Star Wars: Shattered Empire

In the latest COCOA video reviews, Chris, Cameron, Ashley, Justin, Phil and I tackle releases from September! We try not to lose our heads over Headlopper #1, find ourselves divided by Ninjak #7, praise the visual storytelling and coloring in Tet #1, and ask special guest BB-8 to weigh in on Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens–Shattered Empire #1.

Headlopper:

Ninjak:

Tet:

Star Wars:

I wrote a review of Shattered Empire back when it released, which you can find here, and as always, be sure to follow COCOA on YouTube for even more reviews and videos.

COCOA Reviews Tokyo Ghost, My Little Pony, Bizarro, and Captain America: White

In this week’s video comic reviews, Phil, Justin and I go in depth on the intriguing future of Tokyo Ghost #1, get out of our manly comfort zones with My Little Pony #34, talk about what makes Steve Rogers work as a character in Captain America: White #1, and we not stay quiet about the terrible comic that am not Bizarro #4.