Crowdfunding Review: “CyberFrog Warts and All” (ALL CAPS Comics)
A review of the crowdfunded comic book campaign Cyberfrog: Warts and All by Ethan Van Sciver
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Under the Radar: “Destroyer Duck” #1 – First Appearance of Groo the Wanderer (80s August Special)
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the end of the Ice Age! Time for another edition of Under the Radar, a segment where we will spotlight comic books that don’t have the widespread attention of the comic book community that they really should. Today, we’ll be looking at Destroyer Duck #1, which
Read moreRetro Review: “Knight Rider” (NES, 80s August Special)
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since orange met chicken. Today we’re going to do a full detail on Knight Rider, the 1988 Nintendo (NES) game developed by Pack-In-Video Co. and published by Acclaim. And at the mention of the name “Acclaim”, I know that there are eyes rolling and stomachs churning. Does
Read moreA long time ago in a galaxy “Har-har” away: “Galaxina” (80s August Special)
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the yellow polka-dot bikini! The Star Wars-style crawl gives us, the viewer, some quick exposition on what we are to expect, after it ends we watch an absurdly long ship slowly pass before our eyes, then the plot gets underway, where we have a hammy pseudo
Read moreMail Call! Unboxing “War Party” (Rampart Press)
Today we’re unboxing our Indiegogo-exclusive copies of War Party by Justin Murphy and published by Rampart Press. Without further ado, you can check out the video below. Thanks for watching today. We appreciate all feedback – positive, constructive, or colorful. Thanks for reading! Please consider following The Splintering on social media or bookmarking the site for more independent entertainment news,
Read moreSit DOWN Sunday Comic Book News Livestream – 8 August 2021 Edition
On the latest installment of Sit DOWN Sunday (hosted on Patrick Thomas Parnell’s YouTube channel Riot Press Productions), The Splintering founder Blake Worrell got another chance to discuss recent comic book news with Parnell and Godlike creator Jon Malin. This week, we discussed the latest news on Malin’s Godlike campaign, the success of Ethan Van Sciver’s CyberFrog action figure line,
Read moreCrowdfunding Review: “Johnny Phantasm 1985” (Riot Press, 80s August Special)
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the fall of Atlantis! Today, we’ll be reviewing the crowdfunded comic book Johnny Phantasm 1985 by Patrick Thomas Parnell and Evan Pozios. For those of you not familiar with my crowdfunding review format, I grade a crowdfunding campaign on four distinct categories: Book Content and Quality
Read moreThrowback Review: “Airboy” Issues 1-5 (Eclipse Comics, 80s August Special)
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the baking of the first blackberry cobbler! Today, we’re reviewing the first five-issue story arc of Eclipse Comics’ Airboy, which was a revival of the original Golden Age Airboy series published by Hillman Comics in the 40s and 50s. The first Eclipse Comics issue landed in
Read moreSecond Opinion: “Only Death Can Save Us” (Russ Leach)
While one of The Splintering’s contributors has already reviewed Only Death Can Save Us (here), this supplementary review is provided as a “second opinion”.* I’ve had Russ Leach’s Only Death Can Save Us Book One: Keystone for a while now, and as happens to so many of us, life has delayed the writing of my review. I found a day
Read moreReview: “The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED]” (Nintendo Switch, 80s August Special)
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the evolutionary development of the imposable thumb! Since The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED] just recently made its way to the PS4, what better time to re-post our review of the Nintendo Switch version of the game, which released last year? Retro revivals are a dime a dozen,
Read more“I Am Not Starfire”… Is Not That Bad
I don’t know where to start with this… other than, “it’s not that bad”. Actually, I think it’s rather good. I thought that I was going to have a lot more things to pick apart; things that I wouldn’t agree with as far as the mother/daughter dynamic, the story, or the art. I only had minimal issues with the art. I
Read moreComic Review: “Bittersweet Vows” (Markosia)
Vampires, the Chicago mafia, a troubled marriage – Markosia’s Bittersweet Vows* is certainly not wanting for high drama! Written and lettered by Alex Scherkenbach with art by Gustavo Novaes, Bittersweet Vows is an odd blend of horror, suspense, and drama set in the era of Prohibition. Much of the story follows the trials of a young couple that moves from
Read moreRemembering Comic Artist Dave Stevens on His Birthday, July 29
Remembering Dave Stevens on his birthday, July 29.
Read moreRetro Review: “Jungle Strike: The Sequel to Desert Strike” (SEGA Genesis, Attack Helicopter Week Special)
Welcome back to Attack Helicopter Week here at The Splintering! We previously reviewed Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf in Attack Helicopter Weeks of years past, so this year, we’re diving into that game’s sequel: Jungle Strike for SEGA Genesis. Published by Electronic Arts in 1993 for multiple platforms, Jungle Strike: The Sequel to Desert Strike is very much like
Read moreArt Highlight: “Fantastic Four” #316, Page 3 Splash (Attack Helicopter Week Special)
Welcome to a special Attack Helicopter Week edition of Art Highlight, a recurring segment where contributors to The Splintering showcase a piece of original art in their collection. In honor of this week’s theme, I am revealing a gem from my vault, the original splash art page to Fantastic Four #316, Page #3. This page is an absolute beauty and
Read moreRetro Review: “Airwolf” (NES, Attack Helicopter Week Special)
Welcome back to Attack Helicopter Week here at The Splintering, where we celebrate all things attack helicopter, whether good or bad! And today we have “bad” in spades, folks, as we’ve chosen to subject ourselves to critiquing Airwolf published by… Acclaim. (*Shudder!*) So everyone find your seat, buckle up, and keep your hands close to yourself, because it’s going to
Read moreRetro Review: “Choplifter” (SEGA Master System, Attack Helicopter Week Special)
Welcome back to Attack Helicopter Week here at The Splintering! Today, we’re taking off with Choplifter for the SEGA Master System. We previously reviewed Jaleco’s Nintendo Famicom port of Choplifter a while back, so let’s take a gander at how SEGA’s Master System port fares compared to its 8-bit contemporary. (Spoilers! – Pretty damn well) Among side-scrolling shooters, Choplifter is
Read moreReview: “Cotton Reboot!” (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch)
In the era between arcade classics like Defender and “bullet hell” shoot-em-ups like Ikaruga, the 2D shooter genre really hit its stride. The greatest titles of the 80s and 90s featured a mishmash of several genres, including sci-fi space shooters (R-Type, Thunder Force), fantasy (Wings of Wor, Lords of Thunder), and even underwater warfare (In the Hunt). However, one of
Read moreReview: “Within the Blade” (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)
Ninja games were all the rage when I was growing up, and I had no shortage of great ones. Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden, SEGA’s Shinobi, Natsume’s The Ninja Warriors, and Konami’s TMNT brawlers were all in my regular gaming rotation as a kid. Of course, this is before the advent of 3D gaming, when titles like Acquire’sTenchu started to up the
Read moreCrowdfunding Review: “499” (Richard C. Meyer, Per “Narwhal” Berg)
Successfully crowdfunded earlier in 2021, 499 is a collaboration between Richard C Meyer and Per Berg (Narwhal), the coupling of the two affectionately known as “Narzack”. The sci-fi concept is from the mind of Meyer, while the art is done in Narwhal’s unique, cartoony style. The bones and flow of the story were shaped over conversations via email between the two. Between
Read moreCrowdfunding Review: “The Bobcat” by James Hostler
Today we’ll be reviewing the crowdfunded comic book series The Bobcat by James Hostler.
Read moreRetro Review: “Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves” (NES)
On 13 June 1991, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves landed in movie theaters. The film would become a remarkable success, and the music would become a high school dance staple for years to come. I’m not even ashamed to admit that I probably considered it to be my favorite movie, at least until I remembered that I lived in world
Read moreCrowdfunding Review: “Sovereign Wolf” (D.O.A. Comics)
Arriving at my doorstep yesterday was D.O.A. Comics’ Sovereign Wolf.* I was excited to get it and read it immediately. For my review, the categories I’ll be adjudicating will be the following: Book Content and Quality Communication and Fulfillment Packaging and Shipping Stretch Goals and Bonuses This is Eddie Winkler’s first solo crowdfunding project, and Sovereign Wolf raised over $26,000
Read moreCrowdfunding Review: “Perfect 10” Issue 2 (Genuine Comics)
Perfect 10 issue #2 is the second installment of the Perfect 10 series. While both issues 1 and 2 have been crowdfunded on Indiegogo in the last year and a half, Genuine Comics is not new to the indie scene, nor the crowdfunding scene, as they have previous titles that were funded via Kickstarter. Inspired by Image, Genuine Comics started
Read moreWho Remembers? “Power Records” – The Comic Book with a Record!
The 1970’s was definitely the grooviest decade in history. After all, how many decades can lay claim to disco, bell-bottom pants, and Bi-Centennial fever? The 1970’s also had a unique assortment of novelty items (cue the obligatory Pet Rock reference). One of my favorite novelty items to come out from that decade was the Power Record Book and Record Sets.
Read moreReview: “Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World” (PS4, Nintendo Switch)
A beautiful, approachable, and engaging adventure with a lot of charm, Asha in Monster World is exactly the kind of game my early 90s self wished the games of the future would be.
Read moreSit DOWN Sunday Comic Book News Livestream – 30 May 2021 Edition
On the latest installment of Sit DOWN Sunday (hosted on Patrick Thomas Parnell’s YouTube channel Riot Press Productions), The Splintering founder Blake Worrell got another chance to discuss recent comic book news with Parnell and The Splintering’s own George Travlos. This week, we discussed the latest news on Parnell’s Ultra Star campaign, the recent casting news for Sandman, the goings
Read moreReview: “Witch Hat Atelier” (Kodansha Comics, Monochrome May Special)
The world of Witch Hat Atelier is full of engaging action, mischievous magic.
Read moreReview: “AE: American Evil” or an Open Letter to CФMMIЭ МДЯK (Monochrome May Special)
Dear Mr. C0MMI3 MARK, Upon seeing your request for feedback on AE: American Evil, your collaborative project with artist Tony Sizzle, I have decided to pen this response and let you know what I think about the book and the prospects for additional AE projects in the future. As you yourself admit in the forward, American Evil is intended as
Read moreRemembering Herb Trimpe on His Birthday, May 26
Today we are going to spend some time remembering the works and contributions of Herb Trimpe, a comic book artist and creator whose career spanned six decades. Herb Trimpe was born May 26, 1939, and had he lived, today would’ve been his 82nd birthday. Sadly, Mr. Trimpe passed away on April 13, 2015 at the age of 75. Herb Trimpe
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