Review: Astonishing Tales: Snowbird (Digital Comic) and Marvel Heartbreakers #1
Issue(s): Astonishing Tales: Snowbird (Digital Comic) and Marvel Heartbreakers #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 Heartbreakers #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 loneness 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 amount 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 existance. 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:
9/10
