The best part is that the two miniature villains the man-meat and I created both LOVE comics! In fact, for the upcoming local Comic-Con, I will be making my first cosplay costumes FOR THEM!
The Diva will be Hawkgirl, her choice. |
Little man, scariest Scarecrow ever. |
There will be pictures. I am so EXCITED!!!
Until then, we spend much of our bonding time enjoying the efforts of other geeks way more creative than us. Speaking of talented geeks...
Remember this guy? Perhaps you had a little crush on him when he played Ensign Travis Mayweather on Star Trek: Enterprise ? Not saying I did... My husband reads this... Turns out, not only did actor Anthony Montgomery showcase his hot stuff in a series beloved by nerds the world over, he happens to also be a real lover of science fiction. That makes him hot NERDY stuff! If I had noticed... Well Anthony, I'm sure he won't mind if I call him Anthony, had an idea and that idea eventually was made into the graphic novel, Miles Away.
The story follows a seemingly average teenager, Maxwell Miles, in the future as he misses his parents, awkwardly talks to girls and battles aliens. Oh? What was that last one? Aliens! Max is also discovering more about his unusual super photographic reflexes, which he uses in an interstellar war, revealing more of his families own secrets. Normal teenage stuff.
As you know, I am dark and twisted and prefer the creepiest things in life. So when I started this I had a hard time getting into it. Something was off... I needed my little Batman Villain for this one.
All this comic needed was the proper audience to become amazing! Going forth, this review is partly written by Mad Max.
What I liked: It's a great story, well written and intricate. It's clearly thought out and this one lays the framework for a wild ride. Every kid wants to be a super hero. Anthony Montgomery just happened to make one modeled after himself and give him a super cool ability to mimic OTHER abilities. I think it's clever. The kid also gets to beat up old men,which I gave really cool voices to and that was pretty hilarious! They are bad guy, alien old men working for a REALLY bad guy named Madame Iniquity so they do deserve it. Also, I thought the Alien art was amazing! There were so many new creatures and the images were a delight to look at. What say you Mad Max? I liked the pictures, the dog people and all of the kids special powers! My baby has such a way with words.
What made me say 'meh': I didn't like when it [the story line] went to space and it didn't go back to Future Earth and continue the rest of the story. I must agree with the little man. Even though by the end, the story on Ro'Twyla and Future Earth came together, I would have liked to see them integrated into each other. It's almost easy to forget about the characters in the first part of the story. On top of that, there is A LOT of story! Much is crammed into these pages. Also not a fan of the dog people planet named "Ro'Twyla"( hello, I'm Kitty!) and the Bureau of Ultimate Underground Technology (B.U.U.T.). A bit juvenile for my tastes... right now at least. HAHAHAHA! I thought that was so funny!! Butt, Butt, Butt!! Target audience acquired.
Who should read this book: Fans of Young Justice, Ben 10, Teen Titans and those that enjoy uncorrupted, none dirty and twisted superhero stories. It kinda reminds of Transformers with the space stuff and monsters. My lad is a bit young for this story, this is more for older kids, young adults and those that are young hearted. He obviously still enjoys it and I enjoyed it significantly more sharing it with him. The story is smart and written with a wonderful vocabulary, some I needed to explain to him. I see this as a positive.
Who should wait this one out: Those looking for The Walking Dead or other dark, twisted or even inappropriate things. I don't think Grandma will like it...
Recommended: If not for Mad Max, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. If you're in the targeted audience go for it but I'm not suggesting this one at my book club. As I said before, this isn't my normal read and it needs to be your thing. When can we read the next one? I really like it.
Overall: A teenager with a unique ability to mimic any skill or power he sees is recruited to save two worlds? Pretty Awesome. The story has a lot of potential and is beautifully drawn. It's every kids fantasy brought to life. I played Ghostbusters and princess and secret spy when I was a kid but I can see Miles Away as the new pretend-time game. I give the graphic novel 3 delicious brains on a platter and the little man... <<holds up 5 fingers and makes goofy face>>... He gives Miles Away 5 out of 5 and eagerly awaits the chance to read the follow up. For the sake of compromise, the official Pretty & Putrid and Zombie World News sister site review is 4 not-fully-decomposed brains!
I loved the opportunity to read something new and even more so, to share it with my minion. He's reaction here only partially conveys his excitement over Miles Away. Not only was this a special thing he shared with his Mummy, it was one he identified with. Reading this comic made me ponder what other stories we've missed and also what an exciting experience it really is to share with kids. What else should my mini-villains read? Perhaps they'll pick up something new at Comic-con... Until then, I'd love to hear what comics the other Mummys and Deadys are reading to their spawn before the world ends. Hope you are also teaching them to stay Pretty and Prepare!
For more about Miles Away visit the web site: http://www.themilesaway.com
Anthony Montgomery's Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Miles Away Facebook: https://www.