Skip to main content

5 Best Comic Review Sites For Casual Readers

  Good day, folks. We're back again, this time to offer a helping hand to the comic-book curious. I've gone ahead and taken the liberty of compiling a modest list of review sites for those looking to either dip a toe into the choppy waters of the comic world or take a massive leap of faith, cannonball style, right into the open maw. You're welcome:  No. 5 Bleeding Cool First on the list is Bleeding Cool, which gets extra brownie points for having a cool name. The site covers comics, TV, film, and even wrestling, with its comic section being particularly impressive. While a little cluttered for my taste, the articles have eye-catching titles and visuals, providing not only informative coverage of select titles but also interesting opinions on the world of comics as a whole. As good a starting point as any.   No. 4 iFanboy iFanboy comes in 4th spot, and beats out Bleeding Cool with a site more focused and dedicated to comic books. They also bring cool podcasts and a T-shirt...

Dive into the World of Vagabond: The Genius of Takehiko Inoue Unveiled

 Splash-Page Spotlight: Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue


I went ahead and selected  at least four of my favourite splash-pages from the epic manga that is Vagabond. Beautifully delivered in hardcover format, Takehiko Inoue puts his talents on full display with this epic story of swordsmanship and self-discovery. 



Contented

The first image jumped out at me with its tranquil and serene tones, which none the less managed to communicate something far deeper. While the traditional Japanese countryside home remains a bucket list destination, I felt it appropriate to appreciate the sense of balance that the page communicated. The home, a wonderful representation of culture, of values and tradition,  is dwarfed by the larger natural landscape, which further dwarves our contented monk and cat below, thus perfectly illustrating and completing a well-balanced  natural hierarchy.



Scars

For my second choice, I chose the striking image of one of the primary female characters. A young lady orphaned as a girl and raised by a different family. Her steely eyed gaze communicates both a kind of indifference, and yet also a severity that suggests a hardened heart molded in the furnace made manifest as the worst trials offered by the world. I liked the addition of the farmer's hat and walking stick, which further communicated both simplicity, as well as hard work and humility. 



Demons

Even amidst the chaos, the brilliance of black white in manga is demonstrated in its incredible shading, sharpness of line and attention to detail. 



The Future

Our protagonist walking with a raging inferno behind him, struck me as deeply appropriate given Takezo's determination to move forward in life while leaving his past to be cleansed in the flames of acceptance, determination and rage.  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

5 Best Comic Review Sites For Casual Readers

  Good day, folks. We're back again, this time to offer a helping hand to the comic-book curious. I've gone ahead and taken the liberty of compiling a modest list of review sites for those looking to either dip a toe into the choppy waters of the comic world or take a massive leap of faith, cannonball style, right into the open maw. You're welcome:  No. 5 Bleeding Cool First on the list is Bleeding Cool, which gets extra brownie points for having a cool name. The site covers comics, TV, film, and even wrestling, with its comic section being particularly impressive. While a little cluttered for my taste, the articles have eye-catching titles and visuals, providing not only informative coverage of select titles but also interesting opinions on the world of comics as a whole. As good a starting point as any.   No. 4 iFanboy iFanboy comes in 4th spot, and beats out Bleeding Cool with a site more focused and dedicated to comic books. They also bring cool podcasts and a T-shirt...

The Infernal Hulk and Merleau-Ponty: Body Schemas and Structuring Absence

Won't the Real Hulk Please Stand Up? The Infernal Hulk comic series grants Bruce Banner his wish of separation from his monster, but the progression of the story reminds us to be careful of what we wish for. One of the most unsettling ideas in The Infernal Hulk is not that Bruce Banner loses the Hulk, but that losing him doesn’t bring relief. Banner is free of the monster, yet he is weaker, disoriented, and haunted by something that refuses to stay gone. The Hulk persists, not as a body, but as an absence that still shapes Banner’s life. This dynamic closely mirrors what philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty describes through the phantom limb. Amputees often continue to feel sensations in limbs that no longer exist. For Merleau-Ponty, this happens because the body is not merely a physical object, but a lived structure, a body schema through which we orient ourselves in the world. When something is removed, the body’s orientation does not immediately adjust. Banner’s condition in The ...

Absolute Batman #17

The Hype Is Real If anyone still doubted that Absolute Batman was more than a flashy line-wide reinvention, issue #17 should continue to bring that view to a swift close. This series doesn’t just expand its rogue’s gallery, it rewires it. And the result is electrifying. #17 continues to provide complete re-imaginings of the Bat's famous rogues gallery, and it's Poison Ivy's turn to step up to the plate and get the Absolute treatment. She emerges not merely as an eco-terrorist or seductive botanist, but as something far more ideologically coherent and far more dangerous. Her motivations feel sharpened, less operatic and more systemic. Visually, the issue leans into the grotesque beauty of Ivy’s domain. The art team balances lush, invasive growth with urban decay, making every panel feel like a battleground between concrete and chlorophyll. Gotham doesn’t just host the conflict, it becomes the canvas for it. Most importantly, #17 confirms something long-time readers have...