• Review - Astonishing Tales: Snowbird (Digital Comic) and Marvel Heart Breakers #1

    by
    -K-M-
    Published on 02-15-2010 09:12 AM  Number of Views: 4568  
    1 Comment Comments
    Issue(s): Astonishing Tales: Snowbird (Digital Comic) and Marvel Heart Breakers #1
    Writer: Karl Bollers
    Artist: Harvey Tolibao
    Cover: Harvey Tolibao (Digital Comic), Mike Del Mundo (Marvel Heartbreakers #1)
    Date Published: 11/18/2009 (Digital Comic), 02/03/2010 (Marvel Heartbreakers #1)

    OVERVIEW

    Originally released as an 8-page digital comic, this story is also available in Marvel Heart Breakers #1 and includes a pin-up of the lead females. The story takes place in the Beaufort Sea, where Snowbird is calling out to Nelvanna and Hodiak questioning if her existence is to be no more than a ceaseless war against the forces of darkness, with no deeper purpose, no mate to love and no offspring to hold.Nelvanna and Hodiak reassure her feelings betray her true nature and tell her she is needed to battle once more.

    Here mission takes her to Elk’s Tooth, Alaska (she must have gotten permission to leave the borders of Canada from Nelvanna and Hodiak) to discover the town completely destroyed. Using her pre-cognitive vision she looks 30 minutes into the past to see an Inuit arranged marriage taking place. This ceremony caused the two to become avatars of the Great Beasts Herateq and Tiamaq, and upon arriving on the Earthly plane the two Great Beasts begin to battle. Snowbird immediately rushes in even taking the form of Nanook, the God of Polar Bears, and a swarm of 60,000 mosquitoes causing a post to collapse and impales Tiamaq. Herateq rushes to Tiamaq aid and Snowbird then discovers the two Beasts were actually mates. Snowbird kills them before they could consummate their violent mating dance, but is left with a sense of loneliness and despair and wonders if she will always remain alone.

    REVIEW

    This is such a great story as Karl Bollers definitely did his research and showed a wide variety of Snowbird’s powers and in such a short number of pages which makes it even more impressive. Karl also does a great job summarizing Snowbird’s history and her motivation as to why she has begun to question her existence. Some what of a compliant is the fact whenever Snowbird takes a form of an animal a red diamond appears on her forehead. This has never happened before, but could be done just to show that it’s Snowbird in that animal form. In addition I would like to know what form Snowbird took to kill Herateq though.

    Concerning the art, Harvey Tolibao does an incredible job using what looks to be digital coloring adding vibrant colors as well as having incredible detail. The comic seems like it took stills from a cartoon, which I thought was original and well done. I would suggest for anyone to pick up this story.

    RATING:
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Review: Astonishing Tales: Snowbird (Digital Comic) and Marvel Heartbreakers #1 started by -K-M- View original post
    Comments 1 Comment
    1. Le Messor's Avatar
      Le Messor - 02-27-2010
      In the printed version, the diamond is blue -- and it's clearly the diamond from her headdress. Makes more sense, but is still noticeable and bizarre.

      I was left with a bit of a feeling of "What the?" having read this. That, and "How is this a romance story? I mean, sure she thinks about love during it, but..."

      I'm also wondering when it's supposed to take place -- before she met Cpl. Doug Thompson and later faced the DreamQueen? Before Lt. Don Thompson met Marge and later faced Freddy Krueger? Um... got sidetracked there...

      - Le Messor
      "If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less, but to dream more, to dream all the time."
      - Proust