Burning Mind Review: THE FOREVERS #1

Publisher: BLACK MASK

Writer: Curt Pires

Art: Eric Pfeiffer

I’ve always wanted to live forever, but not like the empty, shallow, uselessness showcased in The Forevers.

In the Forevers, seven people take a pact and perform a ritual that brings them the fame and fortune they crave – for a price.

Actually, that isn’t accurate. It might explain the series as a whole, but not this issue. In this issue we briefly see the ritual, jump 10 years into the future and follow the lives of two of the seven. Lives that just happen to be shallow, superficial, very “Hollywood” and filled with random sex and drug use.

There is no plot, no story and nothing really interesting. If you have seen any film about the shallowness of fame – then you have seen this. In fact, the way the emptiness and shallowness of fame is presented is very “Hollywood” itself.

Only on the first and last couple of pages is the supposed occult aspect played upon.
Oh, yes – the dialog. In the first few pages the dialog is absolutely terrible. Hard to read, want to close the book bad.

The painted pages may look stunning – and in many panels they are – but as a whole the art doesn’t hold up. Too much of the book is too dark and murky. This is a neo-noirish story with gothic undertones, and the art is reflective of this.

Any quality of the painted art is lost with how dark it is. So dark that at times it is hard to tell who is doing what. If the dark ambience was toned down a little, the artwork and flow would be improved. As it is, the darkness overwhelms and make the art inaccessible.

Can one call The Forevers edgy? Sure. It will find and audience that laps up sex-filled, drugs crazed stories with the hint of conspiracy. (Oliver stone type stuff.)

Is this first issue good? No. Does it do enough to generate interest to read the next issue? No.

I loved the cover.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
It is not just the characters and lives showcased in this first issue that are shallow and empty, but the story itself is shallow and empty.

RATING: 4

Burning Mind Review: ROM #1& 2

 

Publisher: IDW

Writer: Chris Ryall

Art:

(NOTE: This piece was written and meant to be posted before last Wednesday’s (9/21) launch of REVOLUTION. Unfortunately, I didn’t posted it do to dealing with a serve arm infection. It has not been re-written to include thoughts on REVOLUTION as I have not read it yet.)

ROM is back. After a long hiatus, ROM: THE SPACE KNIGHT is back on your local comic book shop shelves every Wednesday. This time coming forth from the IDW office, not the Marvel Bullpen.

Yes, I know ROM started out as a toy, but he is more known for his adventures in comic books, then his toy line.

I’m happy ROM is back and that IDW is giving him a major push. However, the title itself in the first two issues seems to fall flat.

ROM arrives on Earth in search of the hated Dire Wraiths, a Space Knight from a world they destroyed. He finds the Earth infected with the Wraiths – so deep in fact he must eradicate an entire town, leaving only a female soldier alive who resisted infestation.

The Wraith infiltration is so wide spread it has even infiltrated GI Joe (yes, GI Joe).

The saving grace of the title for these two issues is the artwork, specifically ROM. ROM is awesome, and looks like a Knight. Other characters are well drawn and defined as well.

The Dire wraiths, while well-drawn, don’t seem as menacing as they should. Instead of fearsome, they are sort of just there.

What is odd, is that even though the pacing in the first two issues is okay, and there does seem to be urgency, it feels slow and plodding. The slow and plodding feeling may be from how many times ROM repeats himself about the Dire Wraiths. Often times to the same female soldier who events force into becoming his companion.

One issue I have with ROM himself is the dialogue, it’s bad. However, it may improve as ROM cracks a joke in the second issue and specifically mentions that his system is still working out the language.

For the most part it feels like the actual story isn’t coming together, and there may be a reason for that, it’s called: REVOLUTION.

REVOLUTION is a massive IDW crossover with all the Hasbro characters. It starts with ROM and will included Transformers, GI Joe, Micronaughts and M.A.S.K. (Yes, Yes, Yes!).

This explains some of the odd aspects of ROM, such as humans knowing about alien life and talking about defenses against them.

It seems, for now, that ROM is a setup for REVOLUTION, which may explain the slow feeling to it.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The first two issues aren’t bad, just flat – needing a little more life and direction to them. Let’s see how that changes with REVOLUTION.

RATING: 6