Comic Review: The Complete ’90s Cyberfrog: Warts and All

Published: August, 2021
Written by: Ethan Van Sciver
Art by: Ethan Van Sciver, Kyle Ritter (cover colors)

All Caps Comics, 416 Pages

Review:

I’m a big sucker for presentation and that probably has something to do with the fact that I work in marketing and do a lot of packaging design, myself. That being said, when this arrived at my door, I was immediately blown away by just the shipping box not to mention the treasure trove of wonderful shit inside.

Most importantly, though, was the main comic itself, a hardcover omnibus of Van Sciver’s original Cyberfrog stuff from the ’90s. Most of which I haven’t read until now.

I think the thing that I liked most about this was seeing a young Ethan Van Sciver’s work evolving from the beginning-to-end of this collection. Things get more and more fine tuned, as you go from issue-to-issue in this.

I also like that it was presented in its original format, whether that be black and white or with ’90s era coloring.

As far as the stories go, this is a mixed bag but it’s not a bad mixed bag. I enjoyed most of it but it was clear that Van Sciver was searching for his footing with not just this character but the whole mythos around the character.

It’s also pretty clear which comics Van Sciver was inspired by at the time but that’s not too dissimilar from most comic book artists’ earliest work. When I drew comics in the early ’90s, it was very clear that I was pulling from a lot of the stuff created by the original Image Comics partners. It was hard to draw comics in that era and not be inspired by that stuff, especially if you wanted to sell comics.

All in all, this is one hell of an awesome release by Ethan Van Sciver’s All Caps Comics and my favorite thing I’ve gotten other than the first of the modern Cyberfrog releases.

Rating: 9/10

Comic Review: Cyberfrog: Unfrogettable Tales, Vol. 3

Published: August, 2021
Written by: Ethan Van Sciver
Art by: Ethan Van Sciver, Kyle Ritter

All Caps Comics, 32 Pages

Review:

I actually forgot that this was something that was coming my way, as it was packaged with another Cyberfrog release and I ordered that sometime last year. But I don’t remember half of what’s coming from the stuff I bought on crowdfunding sites, as many projects are severely delayed and with that, I stopped caring.

Granted, Ethan Van Sciver’s stuff always shows up and the work is always top notch.

This was the third release under the Unfrogettable Tales title and with that, it features an old school, original Cyberfrog comic, remastered and recolored for modern fans, who might not have even been alive when this was originally released. And even if they were, Cyberfrog was still pretty damn underground in the character’s early days.

This was pretty fun to read, I loved the art, the humor and the new color work by Kyle Ritter is just f’n amazing. That dude has immense talent and I’m glad to see him keep getting work with Van Sciver while also working on his own series, Starblades.

Because this is an old school, ’90s Cyberfrog story, it takes place way before the current stories, which see Earth overrun by an alien threat with small pockets of humanity hiding in the shadows. So with this, we see Cyberfrog still in the world when it was normal. We also get to see one of his earliest encounters with Heather Swain, who would become his best friend and confidant.

For fans of the modern revival of Cyberfrog, reading this old stuff will add more context to the stories that are currently being produced. So if you love world building, nuance, context and all that important shit that gives exciting tales deeper meaning, then you should be reading these as well.

Rating: 7.5/10

Comic Review: Cyberfrog: Unfrogettable Tales, Vol. 1 & 2

Published: October, 2020
Written by: Ethan Van Sciver
Art by: Ethan Van Sciver, Kyle Ritter

All Caps Comics, 64 Pages

Review:

Being that this was old school O.G. Cyberfrog, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, I’m really happy to say that this was a fucking blast!

Ethan Van Sciver, Cyberfrog creator, has sort of downplayed his old shit and I think that this was mainly to lower expectations, as he might not have thought his original stuff was up to snuff, but it was a damn fun comic with stupendous art, which came to vibrant and spirited life with the great color work of Kyle Ritter.

Being that this was made in the early ’90s and takes place before the modern revival of the Cyberfrog character, makes it very different, tonally. In a lot of ways, though, if you enjoy the Cyberfrog mythos, this is a must read because it really lets you get to see the character in happier times doing what he does best and that’s merking punkass pieces of shit and cracking jokes at their expense.

I like EVS’ humor and with that extra bit of ’90s edgy boi panache, it really comes through and made me smile multiple times throughout these two fantastic issues.

Additionally, even though this was reworked and recolored for new fans, it’s damn cool to see Van Sciver’s earliest work. I’m a fan of the guy and for me that goes back to his work on Green Lantern, which brought me back to comics after nearly a decade of not giving a shit about them.

If you missed this campaign when it was crowdfunding on Indiegogo, you should still try your damnedest to track down a copy of both issues.

In the end, this keeps my enthusiasm for the man’s future work strong and I can’t wait to read what’s next.

Rating: 8.5/10
Pairs well with: other Cyberfrog releases.

Comic Review: Cyberfrog: Amphibionix

Published: September, 2019
Written by: Ethan Van Sciver
Art by: Ethan Van Sciver, Kyle Ritter

All Caps Comics, 20 Pages

Review:

I really dug Cyberfrog: Bloodhoney and I also thought that the Cyberfrog 1998 ashcan was well done, if not slightly better in how it bridged a long gap and showed an improvement in overall storytelling. So I obviously went into this second ashcan with great enthusiasm.

Out of the three modern Cyberfrog releases, thus far, this one was my least favorite. That being said, it’s still really damn good and it’s still pretty consistent with the vibe, style and quality of the other two.

This one is kind of a side story from back in the day, before Cyberfrog went into a multiple decades hibernation. It follows him and his bestie, Heather Swain, before shit really hits the fan with the alien invasion that wrecked the planet.

In this short, one-off story, Cyberfrog has an evil nun impostor stuck to his shoulder blades. What follows is a series of comedic events, as he attempts to get the corpse off of him.

I like Ethan Van Sciver’s humor and it really shines here. In fact, that’s something that this book does better than the others.

Furthermore, Van Sciver once again shows why he is one of the best comic book artists of our time, as this just looks incredible, visually. I also have to give credit to colorist Kyle Ritter, who only gets better and better with every project he works on. I’m really looking forward to his Starblades comic book.

Cyberfrog: Amphibionix was a blast! While I am eager to continue on in the main story, as new installments come out, I hope that Van Sciver does find time to throw in some one-off stories like this one. Plus, I’m kind of a junkie for ashcans and mini-comics.

Rating: 8/10
Pairs well with: Ethan’s Green Lantern and Flash stuff, as well as the original Cyberfrog run at Harris Comics.

Comic Review: Cyberfrog 1998: The Diary of Heather Swain

Published: September, 2019
Written by: Ethan Van Sciver
Art by: Ethan Van Sciver, Kyle Ritter

All Caps Comics, 20 Pages

Review:

Initially, I guess I didn’t back the two Cyberfrog ashcans on Indiegogo. I was anticipating getting them and then I didn’t when Cyberfrog: Bloodhoney came in the mail. Luckily, Ethan Van Sciver did a second campaign for those of us that missed out and I scooped them up. This is a review of the first of the two Cyberfrog ashcans I read.

Straight off, this pulled me right in and didn’t let go. I had to read it twice.

The story’s purpose is to fill in the blanks between the last time Cyberfrog was around (the late ’90s) up until now. He’s been relaunched for a new generation of readers and because Van Sciver still has nothing but immense love for this character he created and wasn’t able to work on for a few decades due to his commitments to DC Comics and his brief time at Marvel.

This twenty page ashcan does a stupendous job in bridging that gap, as we are brought up to speed through the words of Heather Swain, Cyberfrog’s human friend, who has had to tough it out in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by alien wasps that harvest humans for their blood. For over twenty years, her badass friend has been missing and she’s been on her own with her young daughter and a few other survivors.

Before all all these Cyberfrog books started coming out, many people wondered whether or not Van Sciver would be able to write as well as he draws. Well, now that the cat is out of the bag with three modern Cyberfrog releases, I’d say the answer is “yes”. I loved this and it really got me hyped for the future releases after Bloodhoney, which I’ve also already read and reviewed (see here).

Ultimately, these comics lived up to the hype. In fact, I feel as if they somewhat exceed it, as Van Sciver’s art has never been better and I say that as a guy that absolutely loved his Green Lantern work and credit it with getting me back into comics in the mid-’00s after taking nearly a decade off.

Rating: 8.75/10
Pairs well with: Ethan’s Green Lantern and Flash stuff, as well as the original Cyberfrog run at Harris Comics.

Comic Review: Cyberfrog: Bloodhoney

Published: September, 2019
Written by: Ethan Van Sciver
Art by: Ethan Van Sciver, Kyle Ritter

All Caps Comics, 80 Pages

Review:

There was about a ten year period where I checked out of comics from the late ’90s until the late ’00s. But what brought me back was the artwork of the era and primarily, the work of Ethan Van Sciver on Green Lantern. At the time, I didn’t know who Ethan was, I was just captivated by his detail, as well as the colors of those books.

It wasn’t until later that I learned more about him and sought out a lot more of his work and frankly, I always found it breathtaking and it’s kind of responsible for re-igniting my love for the comic book medium.

So when I had heard that Van Sciver was leaving DC due to some bullshit involving politics and comic industry insanity, I wanted to follow him into whatever his next big endeavor would be.

Cyberfrog: Bloodhoney is the first part of a four-part story arc. Also, it resurrects a character that Ethan created while at Harris Comics in the ’90s. Initially, I wasn’t a huge fan of the concept but the art that he showed, leading up to the launch of his campaign was all high quality stuff and some of his best work. So I got in on his crowdfunding campaign fairly early.

It was a hell of a waiting game, however, as this was two months shy of being a year late. While that was frustrating, once I got the book in my hand, all that sort of vanished and I was just ecstatic to have it and to finally be able to read it.

What I saw, page after page, was an exceptional work of art. This was, visually, the greatest thing that Ethan Van Sciver has ever done. Seeing the incredible detail on every single page makes me realize that this needed a lot more time than Ethan initially planned for. Plus, the book doubled in size since it was first announced. That doesn’t excuse it being as late as it was but I hope Ethan has learned from this process and will give us more accurate dates on his future campaigns.

This wasn’t just Ethan’s baby though, as a lot of the credit has to go to colorist Kyle Ritter. While Ethan is a top notch illustrator, Ritter’s colors truly take this to another level. Ritter is absolutely a top talent in the comic book industry beyond just his color work. But I’m so glad that he got this gig, was able to show the world what he was capable of and I’m looking forward to his upcoming StarBlades comic.

As far as the story goes, Ethan also wrote this. However, that’s the one aspect of this project where I had some reservations. Not because I didn’t think he could do it but because he doesn’t have much experience as an actual comic book writer. However, working with a guy like Geoff Johns for as long as he did, he probably picked some things up.

While I can’t say that this is as good of a story as the Green Lantern books that Ethan worked on, this is still a better written comic book than what has become the industry standard in 2019. Ethan very clearly has a vision for these characters and where he wants to take them and it all just comes together and works magnificently.

Although, I’ve heard some people complain a bit about the book’s structure and how it’s third act just kind of ends in the middle of the story. I had no problem with this whatsoever, as it seemed to end in a natural place for a story that is going to have three more installments. I won’t spoil how this ends but it is satisfying, after what the first act in this issue laid out for us.

Ultimately, this was pretty fantastic. Ethan Van Sciver made a damn good comic book and even if the concept itself didn’t grab me, after experiencing it, I’m now invested and looking forward to the rest of the story. That means that this did its job and it actually exceeded my expectations.

Also, I didn’t give a shit about the chromium cover but after seeing it, the cover looks absolutely incredible.

Rating: 8.5/10
Pairs well with: Ethan’s Green Lantern and Flash stuff, as well as the original Cyberfrog run at Harris Comics.