Hello Kitty has always been an interesting franchise. It was essentially the last generation form of Strawberry Shortcake or the legendary My Little Pony. Unfortunately, Hello Kitty has lost most of her popularity, but it’s still nice to remember the good ole days. I was hoping for a nice reunion through this comic, but I have to say that it wasn’t extremely impressive.

The comic has a few segments, but it’s hard to describe the plot. There are some remnants of plot in the comic, but you have to figure them out for yourself because there is no dialogue in the entire collection. It’s a silent comic where you have to watch the character’s movements and then figure out what the plot is. The comic is aimed at young people so it doesn’t take much effort to find out what is going on. Still, some dialogue definitely could have helped a lot.

The art is pretty good. It’s nothing amazing, but due to the target audience; they made sure that it was easily readable. We don’t really get any fight scenes or moments of danger so that doesn’t really help the comic. Hello Kitty seems like a noble hero, but we cannot confirm this due to the same lack of dialogue. This wasn’t exactly the throwback issue that I was hoping for. If you are a huge fan of Hello Kitty and just want to see her have some more adventures, then go for it.

Overall, if you were looking for a way to relive the good times with Hello Kitty, this may not be the best place to start. The comic is not very long and you can breeze through it very quickly since it is just a lot of pictures. I just can’t imagine paying any money for this issue. I naturally have to deduct points for that because you want a lot of value when you get something. This is the kind of comic that you will likely read once and then forget about for a while. Instead of getting into the Hello Kitty comics, you may want to just buy the Gamecube game that came out a while back.

Overall 3/10

Avatar The Last Airbender is one of the biggest franchises that I never really got into. I played the video game of course, but I couldn’t get into the show. I can’t say that I had high hopes for the comic, but it definitely under performed. I’m pleased to say that it wasn’t Avatar’s fault….it was the backups that were to blame!

The Avatar comic features two of the main characters as they head into a shop to collect some shells. The guy has always wanted to start collecting them, but he could never find the time (or money) to do so. Another girl walks in to inspect some shells, but the shop owner believes that girls cannot truly appreciate shells so she must be fake. The main characters stop the bullies and teach the girl the values of learning self defense. Will she take them up on the offer?

The first backup story is about Hellboy. It’s only about a page or two and there is really no point. Hellboy mocks his friend’s design as a ghost and then he throws him in a coffin. The comic wasn’t funny and it just wasn’t good. It definitely wouldn’t entice me to actually buy the series. The final backup comic was the worst as it was from the Juice Squeezers. I had never heard of the series and after this comic…I hope that I never hear about it again! The comic involves a kid who gets bullied by some other kids and they put ants in his pants. He decides to get revenge on them by infiltrating the lair of some giant Ants. His plan is to ultimately get the other ants to go in the pants of the bully. An eye for an eye after all…that’s what the main character goes for. By the end of the comic, you’ll likely be wincing.

The Avatar comic wasn’t bad. The art was solid, but the plot was a little generic and not very exciting. The main characters should have just knocked out the shop owner and just left with the shells. Teaching the girl how to fight is definitely a good move, but the shop owner does have fire powers so it’s still a little risky. Leaving him in business could have dire consequences. I can definitely see why I didn’t get into the show, but it’s not bad. I’m sure that a fight would have helped the issue.

There isn’t much to say about the Hellboy comic. The art wasn’t for me and Hellboy was a terrible main character. None of the jokes were funny and the comic just fell flat. The ant comic had so much that was wrong with it. I barely even know where to begin in that regard! It gets old seeing the main character get bullied. We’ve seen that in so many forms of media already. Then the “hero” gets revenge by doing something equally mean to the bully. Of course, his revenge affects the whole school team so hopefully he didn’t have any friends who were playing. Apparently, there are also giant insects that are around and the main character has his own super hero title. None of it made sense and the comic was boring and not cool. The art was also pretty sub par.

Overall, this is a comic that I definitely would not recommend. The Avatar comic may have been all right, but the Hellboy one was boring and the ant story was just terrible. I don’t think that you would walk away from this comic with high hopes for future issues. It’s best to just skip this one and read something a little more thought provoking like the Mega Man comics. I haven’t read a comic this awful in quite a long time!

Overall 2/10

Uncle Scrooge is typically a pretty intense character and who didn’t enjoy the TV show back in the day? I went into the comic expecting a fun adventure and while there wouldn’t be any real danger..it would just be a fun read. The comic fulfilled its purpose in that respect and while I wouldn’t say that it knocked me out of the park, it was enjoyable.

The main comic involves an old enemy of Uncle Scrooge’s. She infiltrated his house in broad daylight and casts a spell that makes Scrooge (and good ole Donald) stuck to the wall. See, their gravity has been altered so that they are sideways. It’s a pretty interesting concept, but it can also make some things a little hard to follow. You really have to try and imagine how you could navigate while sideways. Donald and Scrooge must now track down the magician and force her to undo the spell. It won’t be easy…but they are used to dangerous situations!

Meanwhile, we got a backup comic that tries to show how mean Donald can be to his friends. His friend’s birthday has arrived and Donald wants to publicly humiliate him in front of everyone. Unfortunately for Donald, the friend has other plans. He has notoriously good luck throughout his whole life, but his birthday is the one day where his luck works in reverse. He doesn’t want to get humiliated by the others so he decides to escape. He has succeeded in vanishing on all of his previous birthdays, but this one could be difficult as his luck is even worse than usual. Will he be able to keep this secret from his friends and family!?

The art was solid for both of the comics. I actually preferred the backup comic because the friend was a likable character and it was nice to see Donald being so mean once again. In the old comics, Donald could definitely be a really mean guy when necessary and he usually did it at the expense of others. He wasn’t a hero…but he never claimed to be. The second comic had some pretty huge stakes since we can definitely sympathize with the birthday boy. Who wants to look bad on their birthday?

The first comic was good as well, but the sideways gimmick could be tricky at times. I was suspending my disbelief, but some parts were definitely a little iffy. (The scene where the ducklings work to balance Scrooge and Donald comes to mind) The villain was pretty intense and she took most of these things in stride, but she wasn’t very interesting. I was glad that she got the last laugh against one of the heroes since he was being obnoxious. (in a good way)

Overall, this comic would definitely be fun for fans of the series. Scrooge and Donald have their usual banter and Scrooge looks pretty good throughout both comics. He comes up with the plans and he typically doesn’t care about the risks. (As long as the risks concern Donald’s safety) I may have preferred it if the comic had chosen a different plot, but the comic handled itself pretty well. In the end, that’s all that you can ask from a comic!

Overall 6/10

Now this is how you get readers interested in a new series! Unlike the Rise of the Magi, Armor Hunters gives us a lot of action while setting up many future plot points. Armor Hunters brings 3 different stories and they seem to be leading up to a large event. I have to say that the event seems pretty awesome even if I’m not following any of the different series that will be meeting up. That’s just how good the series is. Valiant is definitely one of the only companies that can rival Marvel and DC in epic character designs for superheroes.

The stories are very short, but they’re still really good. The first comic involves a small squad of GI Joe type fighters as they walk into a dark room. It’s obviously a trap and they seem to realize this as the first big opponent steps out. She has a pretty good design and I knew that the humans were goners. Things don’t look up for them when a second fighter steps into the ring. The second story features the guy who seems to be the main character of the franchise. Iconic gold and blue design that reminds me of Mega Man. He’s face to face with an alien that is set on destroying him and taking possession of the cool suit. The main character isn’t going to let that happen!

The final story is more futuristic than the other two. (The other two are also futuristic, but this one tops them) This was my least favorite story because it wasn’t as epic and the stakes didn’t seem to be very high. A girl is telling us that she usually uses paper for special moments, but she is finally using the memory recorder device because things just got real! (In a manner of speaking) There was a murder in town and the government is sending the ultimate agent in. In this timeline, there is the legendary “Father” and he has a man maid clone/humanoid that keeps the peace. Slaves are abundant in this society and there are no laws to protect them. A rebellion group wants to free them, but the tricky part is that the slaves don’t want to be freed. Next, a person is murdered…the first murder in decades! Things may have finally boiled over and the main character is going to make sure to get the scoop!

The art is excellent for the first two comics and it’s about as good as art can get. The third comic is more stylized to be live action, which gets an immediate thumbs down from me. The third comic really paled in comparison to the other two and it really tries to bring the overall rating down. It was a good comic, but the first two were great comics. I blame it on the art and the fact that it seems to be a lot more down to Earth. That being said, the writing is still strong the plot is very interesting. Due to the nature of the plot, the future issues will either get pretty good or go downhill very fast.

Overall, I was really into this comic for the first two stories. It felt like a mix of Justice League and Resident Evil. The whole thing was super exciting and each of the characters is nice and flashy. The final villain seems like he’s going to be a big threat and he reminds me of Galactus. Even the minions are pretty huge and they look like Sentinels, but organic versions. The second comic didn’t resolve the big fight, but it was definitely an epic way to start it. I highly recommend checking this comic out and Armor Hunters seems like it’ll be pretty awesome. This was definitely one of the highlights from the Free Comics and it only lost to Future’s End for pure epicness.

Overall 8/10

I have never heard of this comic series before, but maybe that’s because it seems to be new. Either way, this series had everything stacked against it from the start. The title is pretty generic and the cover is terrible. I don’t mean to be harsh, (maybe) but that’s the kind of cover that will immediately destroy any hopes that I had for an issue. What makes this even worse is the fact that the cover has absolutely no relevance to the comic. I guess we can assume that Witches are going to be blamed for the stolen magic or something but….it may be best to forget the cover.

Still, I bravely opened the comic and began the adventure. We have a mean teenager who does not want to make carpets anymore. His father tries to convince him that it’s for the best, but the protagonist will not hear it. He calls up his friend and then he steals the magic carpet. He’s going to look at the incredible magic orb and then everyone will respect him. He uses a magical frog to get in unnoticed, but it wears off and he comes face to face with a group of demons and an evil leader. These guys just finished slaughtering the guards and now they want to destroy our young hero as well. This could be the end….of everything!

The plot was pretty random and definitely not very interesting as of yet. I’m sure that things will get better as the series progresses, but this is not how you do a first issue. This comic was pretty bold since they hint that it’s in the same continuity as Star Wars. (The narration essentially said something like “There are those who call this magic “The Force” before reminding us that it’s really just a magical ball and nobody knows about it.) The magical ball is not a very interesting artifact, but the wielder will get unlimited power upon possessing it. That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me, but a villain is likely the one who stole it…or maybe it really is just a comic story. (The main character likes comics, which makes you wonder which parts are real and which aren’t)

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite comic. The review may have seemed pretty negative, but the comic wasn’t awful. The art was all right, but the writing wasn’t very good. The soldiers lost without a fight, which was sad. The main character is really not likable and neither is his friend. The fact that he needs a frog to activate the magic isn’t very interesting and I seriously do not like the methods that one must activate to use the abilities. The comic feels like it takes place in the olden days and that’s not really a good thing either. The comic wasn’t terrible, but the problem is that I can’t really think of any good things about it. This is only the first comic so maybe it’ll get better…maybe. Instead of checking this comic out, I recommend going to your local Famiglia’s and ordering a Pepperoni slice ASAP!

Overall 4/10

Fans of the Guardians of the Galaxy were likely pleased with this year’s lineup of free comics. The Guardians essentially got two comics to themselves since Rocket is a member with Groot appearing as well. I can’t really say that I’m a huge fan of Rocket Raccoon, but I’ve mostly seen him in shows like Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spiderman so I can’t make any hasty judgments. This comic also brought a back up story to try and give me some more reasons to give it a high score.

The main story follows Rocket Raccoon as he breaks into an enemy stronghold in order to rescue the princess. As it turns out, the princess doesn’t believe that she needs saving and she had already planned out how to leave. Her ship was supposed to come and pick her up so that she could break free, but the element of surprise may have been lost. Rocket assures her that no rescuers are coming and they quickly try to escape. Can they really make it past the legions of armed professionals and is Rocket Racoon hiding something!?

In the backup story, Spiderman and White Tiger embark on a secret mission. Nova wants to help, but Spiderman forbids it because Nick Fury told him to keep Nova in the dark. Nova decides to follow the Wallcrawlwer and he realizes that the villains may be tougher than he thought. It’s going to take teamwork and a lot of puns if the heroes want to get out of this in one piece.

Well, the comics were decent. I’m always up for a good space adventure, but I’m not sure that Rocket can really hold his own series for very long. He seemed to be out of character in the issue, but I may have just been seeing a different interpretation of him in the shows. Still, Rocket proved that he was a hero and while he may not have been that likable…he tried. The art was only okay at best and the faces could look a little dicey at times.

Of course, the art was still better than in the backup. The backup story’s art was a little on the lazy side. The characters were there, but not much detail was put into them. I felt bad for Spiderman since he looked pretty awful until the end. Even White Tiger had to say something along the lines of, “Couldn’t you at least pretend that you were prepared for this?” when Spiderman started barfing all over the place. Spiderman should be used to this sort of thing by now and I doubt that he really gets space sick. At least Spiderman made some pretty good puns in the end.

Overall, this wasn’t the greatest superhero comic in the batch. We actually had more action than some of the others, which is ironic. I felt bad for the final villain since Spiderman humiliated him in the end, but I suppose that he was asking for it. Rocket Raccoon and Groot are sure to have many more adventures and it should be an interesting series. Hopefully this issue will convince you to buy the comics or watch the Ultimate Spiderman series….since it probably would not have convinced me. I still recommend it since the comic is a fun read and it’s not very long. Just think of it as a Star Wars story and everything will be all right.

Overall 7/10

I’ve always been a pretty big fan of the Power Rangers and I haven’t even seen any of their TV shows yet! The concept of the franchise is what I find so intriguing and I also enjoy the video games. I was happy to learn that this series would be getting a comic on Free Comic Book Day and I quickly put it near the top of my reading list. It may not have been quite as action packed as I had been hoping, but it was a still a solid issue.

The comic takes place after a recent victory over the villains. The Power Rangers are all pretty confident at this point and they like to mock their prisoner. They’re currently transporting her so the meeting point where they will send her off into space. Unfortunately, one of their old enemies decides that they’re having too much fun and he transforms their favorite car/van into a living thing. It’s going to take everything that the Power Rangers have to stop this crazy locomotive!

The art is very good for the comic and the plot is a little deeper than one may have thought. The car makes some pretty good puns and the Power Rangers are mostly on the defensive. I’m still surprised that the Red Power Ranger is no longer the leader, but I suppose that it had to happen at some point. I’ll always think of him as the leader anyway. It was hard to sympathize with the prisoner since she kept goading on the heroes throughout the comic.

Assuming that you want to get into the series; this comic gives you a pretty good idea of how things are going to go. The villains aren’t really taken seriously, but I’m sure that the leader will be able to give the heroes a good fight. Most of the Power Rangers are a little generic when they’re in their human forms, but I still like them as superheroes. They didn’t have a chance to really show off their powers this time, but they did think of a plan pretty quickly.

Overall, this was a good comic. It wasn’t very action packed and I would like to see the Red Power Ranger retake his position as leader, but those things will likely happen in future issues. This comic gives you a chance to get used to the Power Rangers universe and hopefully generate interest in other parts of the franchise. I know that I’m ready for some more comics!

Overall 7/10

The new film for the Guardians is nearly out so it makes sense that the comic would be featured in the annual FCBD. (Free Comic Book Day) This was one of the shorter comics, but to make up for it we got previews for two other upcoming Marvel titles. One preview involved Thanos and another one was about good ole Spiderman! It was a pretty fun comic and it helps to set up future issues.

The main plot involves Tony Stark as he sits down to have a talk with Flash Thompson. Stark begins to tell Flash a tale of great warriors who fight in space and he describes each of their main members. Flash Thompson has a tough time wrapping his head around this concept and I have to wonder why. Flash has met many strange fighters over the years so this shouldn’t be too shocking. The big question that Tony asks is….will Flash join the team? Flash must decide carefully…because this may not be a request!

The preview about Thanos shows that he is wondering about something of cosmic proportions. Something is not right with reality and it may have something to do with his latest death. Drax doesn’t understand what the problem is, but he usually doesn’t. I’ll admit that I’m a little excited about the prospect because if this means that Drax will finally revert back to his old form..then I’m on board! Drax’s new design/character personality reboot was one of my least favorite changes to a main character in comic books. If they can revert that, then this could have the potential to be one of the better Thanos stories. He must go into Death’s domain and fight her champions to learn what must be learned!

The preview with the most potential is definitely the prelude to the big Spiderman arc that is approaching. Morlun is definitely one of Spiderman’s deadliest opponents and he’s proven this several times. He is now on a mission to destroy Spiderman and every version of him that has been scattered among the multiverse. That sounds like it would take an eternity, but Morlun does have time on his side. I just hope that the 616 Spiderman puts up more of a fight!

The art for all 3 of the comics was pretty good, but the Thanos one was definitely the best. I can’t really say that I was surprised by this, but it’s fun to note. The Spiderman comic had the most action and we even had a fatality. I didn’t like that universe’s Spiderman. He just didn’t feel very experienced and his talk was a lot bigger than his actions. When a character has a powerful element like the Spider Sense…then it’s time to use it!

Overall, this was a fun group of comics. The latter two weren’t full fledged comics, but they were still stories. It’s a varied group since Spiderman is pretty serious while Guardians has a light tone. I would consider Thanos to be a light hearted comic as well, but the artwork is a lot more serious than Spiderman’s. Any Marvel fan should enjoy this comic and it should entice you to go ahead and buy one of the issues. Having Venom on a team must mean that the comic series will be epic right!? (Although Tony Stark’s last action could have been a little more subtle. Ah well, this is why I wouldn’t trust the Avengers if I was a Superhero)

Overall 7/10

Teen Titans Go is probably the best DC comic book show that’s currently on TV. Unfortunately, that’s not as great as it sounds! It means that the pressure is on this series to always be solid and that’s not always the case. Still, the show is pretty fun and I expected the comic to be fun as well. It was definitely a fun read and while it may not be very deep….I got what I was expecting!

As with the show, there are two segments. The first one is a thriller that deals with the disappearance of Cyborg’s food. Whenever he leaves something in the fridge…it goes missing! The other titans deny involvement, but Cyborg has (good) reasons to suspect them. It’s time to solve this case! The second comic featured a duel between Robin and Beast Boy with everything on the line! There are definitely a lot of cool things that you can do with a cape and I can see why Beast Boy wants it. Gradually, both parties continue to up the stakes so this game of mini golf is very important! One shall stand and One shall lose!

The art is decently good. It’s not quite at Justice League level, but it does a good job of copying the TV show’s animation. The characters are all on point as well and we even get a small action scene. The resolution to the Beast Boy vs Robin match was pretty disappointing, but it was also expected. Big duels like that usually come with a moral and no actual winner. It’s just the way of the comics right? Don’t worry, there is a winner this time around….but it’s not very satisfying.

Overall, Teen Titans Go! was a nice comic. The stories were both pretty short, but it helps that there were two of them. Also, most comics feel pretty short when reading them. They don’t have as many extended comics as they used too. The highlight of the first comic would definitely be the fight against the culprit and the best part of the second comic was Robin’s defiance against Beast Boy. I was definitely on the Boy Wonder’s side and his acts of “cheating” were not as extreme as Beast Boy’s. You gotta love the punch to the face technique that Robin used….I definitely recommend this comic as a quick read and you’ll definitely enjoy it if you like the TV show.

Overall 7/10

We’ve got a double header in this issue! Both of the comics will have to team up for the final score at the end, but I can safely say that Megaman X did the heavy lifting. Why Sonic needs another origin story for his teammates is beyond me, but maybe things will pick up. I’m more excited about the next few issues in the Mega Man series!

The Megaman X comic takes place many years after the original series. A wandering genius manages to find the heroic reploid and awakens him. With Megaman X’s help; the doctor creates more reploids and soon the world is filled with them. Unfortunately, some of them have begun to turn evil and randomly destroy whoever is nearby. The Maverick Hunters are assembled to stop this rogue reploids, but Megaman X has some doubts about their methods. It may be time for him to step in…

The comic was a nice prelude into the upcoming arc that will feature Megaman X. I believe that the comic should have been a little longer so that a fight could have been included. It was cool to see all of the Maverick Hunters when they assembled and Zero did get to appear. The comic definitely succeeded in bringing the characters together and setting up future issues. I really hope that the comic sells well enough to ignite support for a Megaman X ongoing series. That would definitely be awesome.

The art was excellent in this issue and all of the characters appear as I would have imagined them. The writing is solid and I really don’t have any complaints for the issue. A little action would have been appreciated, but this is the first comic so set up is important. The comic does a good job of convincing the reader to get on board. The promotional picture for the crossover with the classic Mega Man is pretty ominous since we see the cracked helmet.

Meanwhile, the plot in the Sonic comic is not quite as ambitious. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters are running a training simulation so that they can keep their skills sharp. While they are busy dodging lasers and attacking the robots; Sally and Rotor remember their origins and how much fun they used to have. It may be emotional, but origin stories have no place in Free Comic Book Day!

The art is pretty good and it’s always fun to see Sonic take out the villains. The plot made sure that the comic wouldn’t get very far. I’m assuming that future comics will have origin stories for the other members as well and that’s not something to look forward too. The main plot seems to involve taking down Eggman once again, but that’s not very intriguing either. The Sonic comics need to get a little more ambitious, like how they were a couple of years ago. They’re playing it a little too safe at the moment.

This comic likely wouldn’t get me interested in checking out the next few. Sally’s twin energy blades are pretty cool and I hope that she continues to use them in future issues. I’m going to ignore the fact that the comic made Sonic a supersonic fighter because Sonic still looked pretty good. Simulations should be a piece of cake for an fighter of his caliber.

Overall, this was a fun double header. Megaman X had the epicness and foreshadowing while we got some quick action in the Sonic comic. It’s a great bargain to get these for free, but Megaman X would definitely be worth the money over Sonic if you had to buy one of them. The art and character cast are solid for both comics so that may increase the chances of enjoying them. I know that the characters can be very important to me when reading a comic. Keep an eye out for Vile when reading the comic!

Overall 7/10