Other media on comic books 5 - World Comic Book Review

The Flintstones #5 (Review)

June 19, 2017November 6, 2016 by Paul Murphy

The Flintstones #5 (Review) DC Comics, November 2016 Writer: Mark Russel Early into the fifth issue of “The Flintstones”, Barney Rubble comments that “This all feels familiar, doesn’t it, Fred?” Familiarity is an odd, even paradoxical, description of this relaunch by American publisher DC Comics. Even as the series dramatically reinvents the world and characters … Read more

He-Man/Thundercats #1 (review)

October 21, 2016October 7, 2016 by Neil Raymundo

He-Man/Thundercats #1 (review)
DC Comics/Mattel, October 5, 2016
Writers: Rob David & Lloyd Goldfine

It’s quite clear that the “He-Man/Thundercats” crossover mini-series is designed to take advantage of nostalgia felt by readers in their 40s for the two properties’ respective toylines and cartoon shows. Both were globally popular among young boys during the 1980s. This is exemplified by the fact that the publishers are using the 1980s versions of the franchises instead of the updated takes that were released in 2011 and 2012.

The premise for the crossover will be painfully familiar to comic book fans that have read their fair share of DC Comics’ massive crossover events. The Thundercats’ Third Earth is being pulled into another dimension, one that contains the Masters of the Universe franchise’s home planet, Eternia. This interdimensional collision is a byproduct of the Thundercats villain Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living’s plan to steal He-Man’s Sword of Power.

Revolution #1 (Review)

October 21, 2016September 30, 2016 by Neil Raymundo

Revolution #1
IDW Publishing, September 2016
Writers: John Barber & Cullen Bunn

And now it seems IDW Publishing are following the tired, weary path of cross-selling. The title does not immediately make it clear but “Revolution” #1 is the first installment in a massive inter-franchise crossover event from IDW Publishing, featuring popular toys and cartoon properties including “Transformers”, “G.I. Joe”, “Action Man”, and “ROM”. While not present in the first issue, IDW also announced the inclusion of “MASK: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand”, another toy line from the 1980s. This follows on from an announcement in 2015 between IDW Publishing and Hasbro, a toy manufacturer, to extend their licensing arrangement for an unspecified period of time. The license apparently had an initial duration of ten years. Unsurprisingly, the crossover event excludes one of Hasbro’s most successful toy lines, “My Little Pony”.

Frozen #1 and Disney’s Shifting Position on Parody

May 6, 2022August 5, 2016 by DG Stewart

Frozen #1 (review)
(Joe’s Books, July 2016)
Writer: Georgia Ball

Disney Enterprises Inc (“Disney”), a multinational entertainment company based in the United States, have apparently licensed the rights to produce a comic book based upon its commercially successful animated motion picture, entitled “Frozen” (2014).

There is nothing remarkable about the two stories contained in this first issue. Both stories post-date the events of the motion picture. “Frozen” is a story of two princesses living in a fictional Arctic kingdom called Arendelle. The two are orphaned sisters, and one has dramatic ice-creating magical powers. Their friends include an almost sentient reindeer, a reindeer herdsman, and an animated snowman. No other aspect of the motion picture is required to understand the comic book.