All posts by La Cracha Handy

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About La Cracha Handy

My name is La Cracha Handy. I started blogging 7 years ago. I am currently building my brand as an independent author-publisher of nonfiction books on relationships and parenting. My first book, Leaving the Hidden Path: Motivational Guidance for Women with Young Children Considering Divorce, will be released in the spring of 2022. I am also a pop culture geek. I read and collect comic books, play Pokemon Go, and build model rockets. I love Star Trek: The Next Generation and Doctor Who. My name is prounced "Lacrisha."

SECRET AVENGERS #1 REVIEW

Marvel Comics,

secretavengers1

Maria Hill, Agent Phil Coulson, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury, Jr.  When I learned that this bad ass team was going to debut in the first issue of Marvel NOW! Secret Avengers AND Nick Spencer was going to be the writer, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.

The comic is new reader friendly and if you’ve seen the Avengers movie, you’ll feel even more comfortable.  There is a strong resemblance between agent Coulson and Clark Gregg from the movie.  Black Widow sort of resembles Scarlet Johansson.  Not only does Nick Fury, Jr. looks like Samuel Jackson, he also sports Jackson’s coolness.

I like that Agent Coulson is in the series.  There’s something about the interaction between a man in a suit and heroes.  Usually something comical happens.

The members of the team have their minds wiped at the end of a mission.  I didn’t know what was going on at first, but by the end of the issue I can pretty much tell where the story is heading.

I’m familiar with, and love, Nick Spencer’s style of writing.  He’s good at plotting, timing, and dialogue.  Spencer also likes to revisit scenes in his comics.  That helps for a better understanding of the story.  I love when he does that and hopes he brings that technique over into Secret Avengers.

Luke Ross did a great job on the art.  Matthew Wilson adds a noir feel to it with the colors.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

Secret Avengers is yet another stellar title of Marvel Now. 

MORNING GLORIES REVIEW

Image Comics, , , ,

mornglory

I thought about sending my son off to a boarding preparatory school.  But that thought didn’t last long. 

What changed my mind?

 MORNING GLORY ACADEMY.

Morning Glory Academy (MGA) is one of the most prestigious prep and boarding schools in the country.  All of the students come from different backgrounds and social statuses.  The story begins with six students (aka Glories) getting accepted into the academy.  Not long after their arrival, the students learn that MGA holds secrets. Dark and evil secrets.   The Glories are:

  • CASEY.  Very smart. Shows leadership and often takes charge of the other Glories in their stand against the administration.
  • JADE.  Emotionally unstable. 
  • ZOE.  Typical cheerleader with a twist.
  • HUNTER.  LOVES COMIC BOOKS! Usually not on time for important events because he has issues telling time and he can’t hear alarms.  Likes Casey.
  • JUN. Serious and straightforward.  Has a twin brother that went to MGA a few years before him.
  • IKE. Wealthy, likes to challenge authority.  Cares for no one but himself.

mornglorydavidcropMorning Glory Academy is a mysterious and deadly place. The staff takes orders from the mysterious Headmaster. The school has a strict set of rules, far from that of traditional schools. For example, parents are instructed to cut all ties with their children once they leave for the academy. Parents who don’t comply are dealt with.  Severely.  One of the first events in the story that hooked me was a ghost, who we eventually learn is named David, lurking in the school. Students are also tortured and murdered by the schools’ faculty and staff.

The students at MGA are accepted, not because of their academic status, but because they all share the same birthday.

Morning Glories, published by Image Comics, is addicting.  Multiversity Comics is the perfect resource for help with understanding the story. Each issue in the series is dissected and explained in what is called study hall.  Just type ‘mga study’ hall in the search box on their website.

Nick Spencer does a great job at storytelling. Compelling characters. Well written dialogue.

Joe Eisma does an excellent job on the interior pages, with much attention paid to detail.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

Morning Glories is a must read comic. If you haven’t already started reading it, I suggest you start now.

The Walking Dead Review

Image Comics, ,

walkdeadvol1

The Walking Dead Volume 1, DAYS GONE BYE is a great read. It’s a trade paperback that houses the first six issues of the series.

The Walking Dead, published by Image Comics, follows the day-to-day lives of survivors of an apocalypse. ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.

Rick Grimes woke from a coma to find the hospital full of zombies. Making his way home through the deserted town, he meets Morgan Jones and his son, Duane. Rick learned that zombies had taken over and everyone was told to relocate to larger cities, where they would receive protection from the government. Rick left to head to Atlanta where his in-laws lived, in hopes of finding his wife and son.

Rick encountered zombies along the way, but he safely made it to a campsite in the woods outside the city of Atlanta. There he met up with his wife, Lori and their son, Carl. The group worked hard at protecting each other, although zombies got ahold to a couple of people in the group.

The Walking Dead is a story about survival. It’s a story about trust.

Glen sneaks in and out of the city to get food and supplies for the rest of the group. He only goes a certain distance once in the city, and knows which buildings to stay away from.

Stress, jealousy and mistrust leads to a fallout between Rick and his friend Shane.

Robert Kirkman did an excellent job at setting up the story in this volume. Well written dialogue. Perfect timing.

Tony Moore produced some great art in this book. It’s black-and-white. It fits the story perfectly. Visually sets the tone. Eerie. Creepy. And guess what? I love it.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

There is no doubt that I highly recommend everyone, that’s not afraid of this genre, to read The Walking Dead.

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #3 REVIEW

Marvel Comics, , , , ,

ssm3

Let me start off by saying that I am still loving on Superior Spider-Man.  Every page is a page turner, which is how a good story is supposed to be.  There’s a couple of funny moments, such as when Mayor J. Jonah Jameson thought he was going to be in control of Spider-Man.  And the interaction between the Vulture and his henchmen.  Those bird-like creatures talked and acted as if they were kids, and were treated as such.  They were given pizza and game tokens!

A lot is going on in this issue.

  • Spider-Man’s revenge against Adrian Toomes, the Vulture
  • Peter Parker in Doc Ock’s memories, being zapped in and out of his flashbacks
  • Carlie increasing suspicion of the true identity of Spider-Man

To spare a lengthy post, I’ll touch on Spider-Man’s revenge against Adrian Toomes, the Vulture.

Spider-Man went to Toomes and offered him a way out of his life of crime.  Thinking he was joking, the Vulture ordered an attack.  After knocking one of them to the ground, Spidey learned the bird-like creatures were children.

I told you they talked and acted as if they were children!  I was shocked to learn the truth also.

ssm3chase2Spider-Man had a flashback of his dad striking him when he was a young boy.  Outraged he went after Toomes to put a stop to him for good.

They fought.  And they fought.  And they fought.  Until the end.  Toome’s end.

There is so much going on in this story that I can’t fit it all into this post.  Well I can but no one will read it all.  Not even me.  Too long.

So I’ll wrap it up here.  This series is still going strong.  One of the best Marvel NOW! titles.  Very strong dialogue and pacing.  Dan Slott is still the man.  He packed a lot in this issue without skipping a beat.

Ryan Stegman still has it going on with the art.  Several intricate scenes.  Edgar Delgado is great with the colors.  A few of the panels made me cry, especially Otto’s flashback of his dad hitting him as a child.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

Do I really need to tell you my recommendation?  If yes, then go back and read the first sentence in this post.  Better yet I’ll copy it here for you:

Let me start off by saying that I am still loving on Superior Spider-Man.

If you haven’t already started reading Superior Spider-Man, now is the time to start.  While you’re at the comic shop you may as well grab issues 1 and 2 also.

FEARLESS DEFENDERS #1 REVIEW

Marvel Comics, , , , , , ,

feardefend1

The Fearless Defenders #1, a new Marvel NOW! title, was released yesterday. Although the team, I mean non-team, will grow as the series progresses, this issue introduced its’ leaders, Valkyrie and Misty Knight.

VALKYRIE

  • Shieldmaiden
  • Defender of Asgardia

MISTY KNIGHT

  • Former police officer, turned private investigator
  • Bionic arm (right arm) built by Stark Industries
  • Feisty, street smart

Misty and Valkyrie were brought together by chance while taking on dead Vikings. Misty swiped an ancient Asgardian artifact and turned it over to Dr. Annabelle Riggs. The artifact turned out to be an Asgardian messenger spirit. Somehow the messenger was activated and began to sing.

The spirit awakened the dead Vikings from the Viking grave; the survey site of Dr. Riggs and her crew.

feardefend2

As Misty began to fight the dead Vikings, Valkrye arrived and joined forces with Misty. The story ended with Valkyrie, Misty and Dr. Riggs preparing to go on a dangerous journey. Valkyrie warned that the messenger said the Doommaidens were rising and that it was Valkyrie’s fault.

lacracha 016I AM PROUD TO SEE A BLACK KICK-ASS FEMALE SUPERHERO IN THE FOREFRONT. This is rare. Storm is the only black leading female superhero that I’m aware of within the Marvel Universe.

We already know there’s a lack of black comic writers, male and female, in the comic industry. But to take a strong, black B-list female and put her in the front is definitely worth praising Marvel a thousand times. Well, more than a thousand I should say. I give Marvel my utmost respect at this time.

Misty’s style and appearance is what I’ve been looking for in comics for years. In a leading black female superhero, that is. Sharp, attention-grabbing costume, nice shape and beautiful looks. Not to mention a sassy attitude. Come on now, this girl don’t play. She takes shit off no one.

As a black female, I can fully appreciate this extraordinary woman being selected as a leader of a powerful team (I know, I know…non-team). For as long as I can remember, I’ve watched the comic industry to see if a black female superhero, besides Storm, would be given a chance. And now it has happened.

feardefend3Not only did Cullen Bunn bring two badasses together, he also brought two badass girls from two different worlds. He did a superb job at pulling that off.

Strong dialogue. Great pacing.

The only thing I didn’t like in the story is the kissing scene. The panel where Dr. Riggs kissed Valkyrie. That scene shouldn’t have made the cut. It didn’t fit into the story. See my More Storytelling and Less Politics Please blog.

Come on now. She met Valkyrie. She should have ran back inside that tent and grabbed her camera. The camera she used to record the messenger spirit. She should have held a photo session, autograph session or something of that nature. The background glow made the scene even worse.

Along with a great story comes great art. Excellent cover page by Mark Brooks.

Will Sliney and Veronica Gandini did an excellent job on the interior pages. I found each panel to be finely detailed. Great costumes. I especially like Misty Knight’s appearance. Her facial features, especially her eyes, appear lifelike.

I did a little research about Valkyrie and Misty Knight before the title was released, so I knew in advance the Fearless Defenders was going to be led by two strong, kick-ass women. I plan to read further about these two. Whenever I read a good story with characters I know little or nothing about, I always try to read upon and study their backgrounds to learn more about their histories.

VERDICT (drum roll please)

If you can’t tell by now that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this series, then you need to read this review again from the beginning. Especially the parts about the well written story and the excellent artwork.

More Reviews on the Way

Uncategorized

Just a brief note to let everyone know I will be posting more reviews starting tomorrow. 

I can’t wait to read Fearles Defenders #1 tomorrow.  I also can’t wait to see how many My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic covers there will be!  Wasn’t there like 20 covers for the first issue?  I bought a regular cover for the kids and a variant cover for myself (they don’t know about MY variant so shhhh)!

I’m always open for suggestions, so if there is anything you would like me for me to review, just let me know.  Or if you would like to drop a line to say hello, that would be AWESOME!

By the way, what is everyone picking up on New Comic Book Day tomorrow?