Vatican Assassins by MJ Massey

“Vatican Assassins is the story of the younger members of the Vatican’s secret demon hunting militia who protect the Pope and the church.  While avoiding being eaten by the same demons they fight, they become embroiled in a 40 year old mystery in a secret diary. But there are many who want the diary’s story to stay secret forever–the heads of the Assassins who are racing the solve the mystery themselves; the Orthodox church, responsible for.”

Story

Vatican Assassins by MJ Massey doesn’t waste time jumping straight into the plot. In fact, it might jump a little too quickly, as the reader is not given much time to figure who people are and what exactly their purpose is. It can be scraped off of the sides here and there, but it may be wise to take a second to introduce characters and story lore a bit before you jump straight in.

There are some unique aspects to this story that do pull you in, including the smooth tie of reality with fantasy. Massey does an excellent job of tying the two together to create a realistic world.

Writing

There were some spelling and grammar errors in Vatican Assassins. Make sure you proofread your comics. It may be a good decision to either get someone to volunteer to proofread your story for you, or hire someone who can do it for you, so that you have fresh eyes looking over and catching any mistakes that you may have missed yourself.

Aside from the spelling and grammar errors, Massey creates strong conversational flow between characters, which only enhances the quality of the story. This, paired with minimal amounts of fluff content, allows for the relevant information to thrive and creates a clear path for the plot to progress.

Art

Massey does a fantastic job of incorporating detailed backgrounds, creating gorgeous scenes that only enhance the quality of the comic as a whole.

Massey also is not afraid to play around with perspectives, which is highly important when creating a comic filled with action scenes. The more movement and perspective that can be portrayed, the better. Although there are some areas where proportions struggle because of this, it certainly adds more than it deters. Well done.

To cap it all off, Vatican Assassins is filled with colour that only compliments the comic further. The good use of colour gives this comic an appealing look, and with more practice, Massey is sure to stun readers with their art.

Conclusion

Vatican Assassins by MJ Massey is just starting to get its legs underneath it. As the comic continues to grow, so will Massey’s talents in art and storytelling. If you enjoy an action-filled comic with a bit of a religious twist, this may be an interesting comic for you.

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You can check out Vatican Assassins by MJ Massey here.

Tsuyoi “Jet” Hagane by Dvanw6

This entry may contain spoilers for Boku no (My) Hero Academia.

World: Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia)
Name: Tsuyoi “Jet” Hagane
Born: February 3rd
Gender: Male
Eye colour: Grey
Hair colour: Black
Height: 5’1

Quirk:

Jet, Allows the User to fly forward, at high speeds, to change direction, he must turn off his quirk in mid-air, turn his body, then reactivate it. Tsuyoi can stop whenever he wants to, and the quirk makes him invulnerable to a degree, so when he runs into things, they don’t hurt him.

Story:

Tsuyoi wanted to be a rugby player when he was young, he started to play it after he watched Australian Rugby on TV when he was 6. Tsuyoi discovered his quirk when practicing on a dummy, he started flying into it with no control, he didn’t know how to stop till his Father and Mother calmed him down. Tsuyoi and his parents decided he shouldn’t play Rugby till he gets full control of his quirk, but even then, he was banned by the school, since they didn’t want to risk him cheating and using his quirk to win the game or accidently hurting the other kids, this made him depressed, but he still practiced with his Father and Mother. When he was 14, he decided he would try to go to UA, since he wanted to use his quirk for something. Tsuyoi got into class 1-A with a score of 24 Villain points, and 30 Rescue points for ramming some debris that was about to hit a group of people. On his first day of class, he was surprised on how instead of the students staying away from him because he looked tough and intimidating, they talked to him, mostly Eijiro Kirishima, who took a liking to Tsuyoi because he looked “Manly”, and Tsuyu Ashi, whose first words to him is that she bagged the nick name Tsu, which just made Tsuyoi slightly surprised. Tsuyoi befriended the whole class, be it the exception of Shoto Todoroki (which he befriended later after the sports festival) and Katsuki Bakugo, because Bakugo doesn’t really make friends, he just tolerates people. From then he has been there for all the events that the class has been in, fought the villains, lives with the class in the dormitory and now has gotten his temporary hero licence, now he just waits for the next adventures him and his class will get dragged into.

Personality/Traits:

Tsuyoi always holds his ground, if he was in a video game, he would be called a Tank, he always takes the hits for others, he also likes to use his head, literally. Tsuyoi’s favourite food is sweets, anything sugary, but he burns it off fast since he spends his days exercising. Tsuyoi looks tough, someone not to fight, but is a big softy if you know him, it’s because of his looks that it’s sometimes hard to make friends. If possible, Tsuyoi would avoid a fight and find a way to stop someone without any one getting hurt, but is prepared to use his fists and quirk if needed. Some of the time he is in his own world, not paying attention to the others around him, completely oblivious to everyone, till they tap him or get in his face. Tsuyoi prefers physical activity over things like reading, but he does get the occasional video game in here and there. Tsuyoi wants to be a hero to fight those that wish to do harm to others, he doesn’t care about money, but this is the best way so he can be a hero full time without needing to worry about another job.

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Check out more of Dvan’s work on Tapas Media and Twitter.

Andy Christ by Pat Grubb

“Andy Christ is about a little boy named Andy, the devil’s six-year-old son.

The sweet-natured but genetically evil Andy is headed for a tug of war between destiny and choice. Is it really possible to be born evil? Will he succumb to his darker nature and end the world? Along the way, he has horrible adventures involving demon possession, zombie squirrels, paranormal police, mindless monsters who feed on human pain, and the demented administration of the Our Lady of Eternal Shame Orphanage. He’ll have help from his friends, the demon-possessed and clinically depressed teddy bear “Frooky” and the dangerously disturbed but remarkably resourceful Manic Mimi.”

Story

Andy Christ by Pat Grubb is not a comic that just anyone should read. This comic is filled with horrifying content, ranging from violent language to gore. However, if you aren’t phased easily by this, then you may really enjoy this terrifyingly creepy comic.

One thing to note is that there is a fair amount of controversial content that is brought up, straight from page one. There is a warning at the beginning of the comic that also highlights this, which I believe is a very smart move on Grubb’s part as it prepares the reader for the type of mindset they should have going in.

Grubbs also does a fairly suitable job introducing the characters, making sure that their personalities are quickly realized, as the story progresses into the plot fairly early. Andy Christ does not waste time getting into the nitty-gritty details.

Writing

The writing in Andy Christ is well done with minimal spelling and grammar errors. Overall, I’m very impressed with the professionalism.

Pat Grubb also shows professionalism in the structure of the conversations between characters. The back-and-forth between each character is smooth and flows well from one speech bubble to the next.

Utilizing font styles has also proven useful in providing Andy Christ with an effective gateway to the horror genre. Dripping speech bubbles and curling letters portray the menacing intent behind each word.

A few criticisms here would be that there is a fair amount of text, and it can be overwhelming to read. Although interesting, be careful to space out the conversations appropriately otherwise a wall of text may deter some readers. With a lot of conversation comes the risk of run-on sentences. Breaking up speech bubbles may help decrease any risk of run-on sentences that leave the reader gasping for breath at the end.

Art

This whole comic is very dark and creepy, and it does it well. Andy Christ is drawn in grey scale, falling perfectly into the laps of a classic horror comic style. It is also accented with pops of colour which effectively sets the stage for readers, creating the perfect atmosphere for the most enjoyable reading experience.

The cartoon style immediately contradicts the horror genre, making for a very unique comic. This is complimented by Grubb’s strong paneling skills that help the comic flow smoothly as it progresses through the plot.

Conclusion

There are moments that the gore and violence can be a bit too much. In fact, the more you read, the more concerned you get with how violent this comic is. The reason for the gore and horror is clear, but for me, it’s a little more than I would like to see in a comic. If it was paced out a bit more or even just implied instead of straight up showing it every time, maybe it would be more up my alley.

Andy Christ by Pat Grubb offers the extremes of horror comics. If this is what you are looking for in this genre, then I would highly suggest you give it a read. Full of controversial ideas, violence, and a unique style, this is certainly a comic that stands out among the rest.

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You can give Andy Christ by Pat Grubb a read here.