• Categories

  • Writers

Adventure Comics #4 – Review

Posted on November 20, 2009 by joelopez101

by Geoff Johns, Sterling Gates & Michael Shoemaker (writers), Jerry Ordway & Clayton Henry (artists)

The Story: Superboy-Prime gets his hands on his own copy of this very comic book and, upon discovering how it all ends, desperately tries to find spoilers about the next issue.  Things become difficult, and creepy, when Alexander Luthor returns from the grave in order to break Prime’s heart, figuratively and literally.  Meanwhile, in the 31st century, the Legionnaire Blok visits former flame, the White (or is it Black) Witch.

What’s Good: Ahhhh.  Now THAT was a breath of fresh air.

Johns and Gates deliver an issue that surpasses everything expected when this was originally solicited.  Blackest Night tie-in?  Okay, that’ll mean someone dead shows up and tries to eat someone’s heart or something.  Superboy-Prime appearance?  Ugh, so soon?  I could’ve used a bit more of a break between this and Legion of 3 Worlds, but okay.  He’s whiny and annoying, but I’ll deal.  These were my preconceived notions, and yes, all of those things do happen, but damn this comic book is so much more than that!

As soon as I flipped past the cover and saw, on Page One, Superboy-Prime looking back at me, holding a copy of the same comic that I was holding in my hands, grumbling, “Oh, great!” I knew I was in for a fun, fourth wall-breaking good time.  “Why couldn’t they leave me out of this?  People already hate me enough as it is.” Prime literally echoes the same opinions that I had at his presence in this story, and I found myself laughing.  At the chutzpah the writers showed in poking fun at the readers in such a brazen manner.  At the promise that this very likely would break out of the box that the other Blackest Night tie-ins, no matter how good they are, find themselves in.  And most of all, I laughed because Johns and Gates were right.  They knew what I’d decided about this issue before I’d even picked it up, and they weren’t letting me off the hook for my judgments.  Boy, am I glad they didn’t.

Odds are, if you possess even a tiny ability to laugh at yourself as a comic geek, you’ll find something in this issue to chuckle about. And, really, if you’ve made it through at least one complete thread on a comic book message board, you’d hardly blame them!  As Alexander Luthor (of Earth-3, of course) takes a look at a computer and notes “This box.  It’s a conduit for the rage of the people of this Earth,” I found myself replying, “No shit.”  The writers obviously use the script to let off some steam when it comes to the fan community, but it never comes off petty or mean.

It’s not all barbs and jabs, though.  The metatextual conceit of the plot allows for a somewhat unconventional tale that delivers a welcome break in the Blackest Night tie-in formula.  While there is still the obligatory info dump followed by the resurrected villain attacking the “hero” of the piece, the fact that Prime is aware of the nature of his existence makes it all feel brand new.  Meanwhile, Jerry Ordway brings his usual amazing artwork to bear.  Forgive my brevity as to the pencils, but I really have no more to say than that it’s perfect.  Ordway knows what makes Superboy-Prime work visually and he proves that once again.

What’s Not So Good: Well, unfortunately, the Legion of Super-Heroes second feature gets the short end of the stick here.  Despite solid artwork from Clayton Henry, Johns and Shoemaker submit a, while perfectly serviceable, fairly regular tale.  It’s a nice little story about love and what one would sacrifice for the sake of that love, but when you place this ordinary story beside the unique and surprising lead feature, it falls somewhat flat.  DC would have been better off going the same route as they did with their other tie-ins and simply stretching the main story to thirty pages.

Conclusion: A pleasantly surprising piece of metafiction delivered ably by Johns and Gates made this, hands down, the best comic of the week.  While the amazing lead feature has the regrettable side effect of eclipsing the Legion back-up, it’s so good that I just didn’t care.  Highly recommended.

Grade: A

- Joe Lopez

 

Filed under: DC Comics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Amazing Spider-Man #612 – Review

Posted on November 19, 2009 by DS Arsenault

Lead story by Mark Waid (writer), Paul Azaceta (artist), Dave Stewart (colorist)

Backup story by Joe Kelly (writer), JM Ken Niimura (artist, colorist and letterer)

The Story: Power to the People, Part I: Spider-Man and Max Dillon both discover a new Electro, one transformed and redefined by the melting economy and his own decaying health.  We are also treated to a backup story featuring Spider-Man and Black Cat.

What’s Good: I dumped on Waid’s work on Strange #1 earlier this month, but pointed out that Waid does a lot of good books.  This is one of them.  The entry-point of the book is a neutral, newspaper text that brings us up to speed.  But then, right away, we’re into some really creepy monologue in the head of Max Dillon (Electro).  I love how Waid has shown Electro and his problems in this issue.  Dillon’s got himself some real and unconventional problems and some half-justifiable chips on his shoulder that Waid takes in a direction that was unexpected to me and to Spider-Man.  Most importantly, while Dillon is still a schmuck in a rubber coat, Waid gives us enough of his side to make him sympathetic.  Never thought I’d appreciate this loser, so good work by the writer.

On the art side, Azaceta makes New York, Electro and the Thinker gritty and dirty, Spider-Man heroic and clean, and Peter Parker and his friends authentic and likable.  That’s quite a range and I want to point out that not a lot of artists seem to be able to make their characters’ faces look different, but Azaceta really succeeds.  Jameson, Peter, Dexter, Michelle, Dillon and Betty all have different types of faces that you could tell apart even without context.  The action is dynamic (check out Spider-man trying to grab Electro at the Stock Exchange) and clear the gritty style works for this book.  Azaceta is the right artist to tell this story.

What’s Not So Good: No real complaints about the lead story.   On the backup story, the writing was fine, but for some reason, when the art doesn’t fit, it ruins the whole experience for me.  Niimura is obviously a competent artist with an interesting style, but as I noted with Strange #1, an anime-style doesn’t really suit a lot of Marvel stories, so this story detracted from the book as a whole.

Conclusion: Waid and Azeceta effectively launched the new Gauntlet arc.  They’ve hit the right tone, put the menace in place, have some secret plan hatching and it’s all going south for Spidey.  The editors unfortunately inserted a backup story that artistically doesn’t fit the mood of the main book and the gear-shift didn’t work for me.  I’ll still tune in for the next issue, though.

Grade: B (A- for the lead story, D+ for the backup story)

-DS Arsenault

 

Filed under: Marvel Comics, Spider-Man, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Dark Avengers #11 – Review

Posted on November 19, 2009 by paladinking

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato & Greg Horn (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: As the Avengers find themselves subjected to the whims of Molecule Man, Victoria Hand scrambles.

What’s Good: As Hand takes center-stage this month, we finally get a three-dimensional character out of her.  It’s very interesting to see how her motivations largely stem out of an uncompromising sense of integrity mixed with a desire to do as much as good as possible.  Hopefully this is a seed that will come back to bite Norman.  Either way, it’s always great to get to know a character as an individual, let alone one who’d been little more than scenery up until this point.  Having Hand become more developed will undoubtedly add more to the series.

Meanwhile, in the present, Hand is thrust into a central leadership position, and we see just how awkward, uncomfortable, and perhaps even unprepared and flustered she is in such a role.  Victoria Hand finally feels and looks human and almost likable.

Molecule Man is the other central figure this month and he’s definitely creepy, particularly thanks to Bendis’ godlike portrayal of his ill-defined Silver Age power set.  I also really liked how Bendis wrote his voice.  While not openly bonkers, there’s just something off about his dialogue.  Bendis is clearly trying to convey the character’s complete social ineptitude, isolation, and consequent difficulty conversing with others.  It’s very subtle, but that makes it all the more skillfully executed.

Greg Horn also does a fantastic job illustrating the “dream sequences” this month, with his hazy, softer, painted feel contrasting beautifully and suddenly with the usual heavy, dark, muscled fare that Deodato brings.

What’s Not So Good: Nothing really wowed me about this issue.  I think that that’s largely due to the book spending an incredible amount of time with Molecule Man as the main character weaving the text together.  Probably not a good call when we’re unattached to the character.  Also, while his voice is good, his “I want to be left alone” rhetoric does repeat.  This would normally be just fine, but when he’s holding together the entire issue, it gets a little dry.

Also, outside of Hand’s scenes, the structure of this month’s issue is so apparent that it creaks.  Every member of the team gets one scene where they feel the power of Molecule Man.  It’s a really uninventive way of getting a new villain’s power across and it also makes the latter half of the issue feel more like a series of skits or vignettes than a single coherent book.  As each Avenger is visited, I can almost feel Bendis ticking off boxes.  Of course, page-count concerns also reduce the length of each scene, sometimes to a single page, so it’s not like any of them particularly resonate either.

Furthermore, was it really necessary to see Sentry get pulverized again?  It’s getting ridiculous how the most uber-powerful character in the Avengers-line has been turned into a complete bitch throughout Dark Reign thanks to the writer’s inability to figure out what to do with him.  It’s not like anyone would take anything resembling a death for the character seriously at this point anyway.

As a final note, I mentioned this last month, but Deodato really does love to draw scantily clad women.  For the second month in a row, the needless skimpiness annoys.  As does seeing page after page of naked bodybuilder Norman Osborn.

Conclusion: It’s cool getting to know Victoria, but outside of some neat work by Horn, the rest of the book is a bit of a wash.

Grade: C+

-Alex Evans

 

Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Outsiders #24 – Review

Posted on November 19, 2009 by joelopez101

by Pete Tomasi (writer), Fernando Pasarin, Jay Leisten (art)

The Story: Yup, it’s another Blackest Night crossover as super-villainess Terra drops by Outsiders HQ to visit her half-brother, Geo-Force.  Meanwhile, Katana is confronted with the family she lost years ago to tragedy.

What’s Good: Like most comic fans, when I heard a few months ago that DC’s Blackest Night event would be crossing over into several of their ongoing series that didn’t have “green” in the title, I was wary.  We’ve all had the unfortunate experience of picking up a book we normally wouldn’t even glance at because it crossed over into some larger story-line that did interest us, only to discover that we’d been hoodwinked.  Not only did the comic in question, well, suck, but it also had only the most tangential connection to the main uber-plot.  Well, with their fair share of ups (Civil War) and downs (Final Crisis), the Big Two have mostly figured out how to handle the blockbuster events and their effects on individual series.  Despite an iffy initial entry (Yes, I’m looking at you Doom Patrol #4), DC continues to demonstrate this with this latest installment of the Outsiders.

Much like last week’s Booster Gold and R.E.B.E.L.S, Outsiders #24 manages to smoothly move forward the ongoing story-lines of the title, while still servicing the needs of those readers just dropping by because of Blackest Night.  Tomasi gives you all the super-zombies you’d expect, but also gives you good reasons to want to come back beyond this particular tie-in.  While mainly concentrating on Geo-Force and Katana, he injects just the right amount of personality into the other members of the team to make them feel just as fully-formed and real as the leads.  Whether it be Looker wanting to ride shotgun instead of fly because of her feeling bad for the bugs who are slamming into her at 70 miles per hour or Owl-Man’s wise detachment at Terra’s sudden resurrection and the implications of her arrival, Tomasi expertly conveys who these people are and why you should care about them.

Extra kudos go to the writer for a wonderfully engaging re-introduction to the Terra character.  While her appearance here continues directly from Blackest Night Titans, I thought this issue served as a much more successful taste of what she is capable of, what she’s about, and more importantly, why she’s this way.  In three pages, we’re shown the highlights of her history, while also getting a very clear picture of the kind of person Terra has always been and continues to be in death.  And it’s not pleasant.  Not one bit.

Fernando Pasarin is probably not a name that you’re familiar with.  He’s been an under-the-radar mainstay of DC for the past couple of years and it’s always a pleasure to see his name in the credits when I open up a comic book.  He falls into that category of artists that I am extremely fond of and vocal about: the dependable, solid storytellers.  He makes Tomasi’s story here work quite well, and keeps the eye moving down the page with ease.  In an issue that is heavy on the talking heads, especially in the first half, the artist keeps the visuals interesting, which is not always easy to do.  The fact that he does this while also communicating the strong emotions present in the characters is impressive.  In a story that depends so much on the reader sympathizing with the heroes’ emotional reactions to their deceased loved ones return, it’s imperative to get that across in the visuals.  Pasarin accomplishes that feat nicely.

What’s Not So Good: Tomasi, from the outset, sells this as a Terra story.  I mean, she’s even on the cover.  However, the character only shows up for eleven of the thirty pages, and that’s including the three-page history lesson at the beginning.  If anything, the real action and focus is on the Black Lanterns connected to Katana.  While that confrontation is interesting and full of emotional punch, I found I was disappointed.  I’m sure it was more about my expectations of the story than it was about anything lacking in the story itself, but it still stung a bit.  Also, Tomasi very clearly has Terra state that she has nefarious purposes in the opening of the issue, but then spends the next several pages trying to convince us that she’s got nothing but the best intentions instead.  It was a minor problem, but the disconnect still bothered me somewhat.

Conclusion: DC’s continues to land the majority of their Blackest Night crossovers in the win column.  Tomasi and Pasarin not only deliver a solid story that entertains plot-wise, but it also looks great.

Grade: B

-Joe Lopez

 

Filed under: DC Comics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Punisher #11 – Review

Posted on November 18, 2009 by tonyrak

By Rick Remender (writer), Tony Moore (artist), Dan Brown (colorist)

Hell. Fucking. Yeah!

I’ll tell you what, when it comes to my comics I only ask for the following: I either want to be inspired, surprised, or entertained. Much to my delight, when it comes to Punisher #11, Meatloaf knew what the hell he was talking about when he said that two out of three ain’t bad, because this issue is the beginning of what I think will be one of the most outrageous and entertaining storylines Marvel’s cranked out all year. Before we talk about it though, for those of you who haven’t been following the title I want you to go back and read The List: Punisher one shot  and come back.

Okay, did you read it? Messed up, right? This issue picks up shortly afterwards, with an elite Japanese, monster-hunting squad killing the fauna of Monster Island for unknown reasons. Elsewhere, in the old Morlock Tunnels under New York, an equally elite monster squad consisting of a mummy, a creature possibly from a black lagoon, the Werewolf by Night, and Morbius the Living Vampire implore Frank to use his keen strategic mind to protect Marvel’s monster community from their ruthless assailants. Frankly, that’s all I want to say about the plot. To reveal anymore than that would be to give away some serious entertainment value, and I love you far too much to do something so cruel and spiteful.

This iteration of Punisher has been largely hit or miss for me. I enjoyed the first arc of stories, and then quickly lost interest afterwards. This storyline however hooked me in a big way, mostly because it was so absolutely and delightfully absurd that it left me grinning like a mad bastard; I want my comics to surprise me like this more often. I want them to leave me wanting more. It doesn’t happen nearly as much as I want it to though, and that’s a shame, but this issue, holy crap, this issue was too freaking off the wall not to enjoy. If Remender and Moore can keep up the weirdness, we’re in for some good times.

Grade: B+

-Tony Rakittke

Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mighty Avengers #31 – Review

Posted on November 18, 2009 by tonyrak

By Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writers), Sean Chen (artist), Yeung & Morales (inkers), John Rauch (colors)

Well, it’s now five months later and the best I can say for this story is that it’s finally over.  Thank. Freaking. God.  With “The Unspoken”, I feel that Mighty Avengers has hit something of a sophomore slump.  I finally gave up on this issue, and the overall storyline, about halfway through when, during a giant-sized fight with the Unspoken, Pym says “You’ve chosen to spend your time wallowing in past mistakes…not learning from them and moving on.”  I thought this was terribly apropos as it’s exactly what Slott and Gage have done.  These are both smart guys and good writers, and yet their sprawling story was exactly the kind of uninspired, MacGuffin-driven nonsense that was in style back in the 70s.  I’d like the think the bar in storytelling has risen considerably higher since those halcyon days, and yet this story utterly failed to become anything more than a less-than-average potboiler.

This story more or less seems to have been hatched for no other reason than to bring the various Avengers teams together for the upcoming ‘Siege’ storyline.  There is some value to this decision, as it was truly entertaining to see characters from the Initiative, New, and Mighty Avengers interacting with each other.  However, considering what a non-threat the Unspoken turned out to be, (which was a shame considering how much time the writers spent building him up to be a Serious Villain) and the disappointing way the Xerogen gas was finally resolved (really, Pym?  That was your great solution?  Kind of a buzzkill for the guy Eternity named Earth’s Scientist Supreme), I almost wish Pym would have called up the other teams and invited them over for beers and Xbox since it would have achieved the same goal, been just as entertaining, and taken up a fraction of the issues.

Despite an incredibly uninteresting, disappointing storyline, culminating in this issue that proved to be too little too late, I nonetheless feel like this book is headed in a direction that’s going to pay off in a big way down the road. Of the crop of Avengers books being published right now, this is the one that keeps me coming back month after month because I believe in its potential, even when the comic doesn’t live up to it.

Grade: D

-Tony Rakittke

 



Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

X-Men Legacy #229 – Review

Posted on November 18, 2009 by DS Arsenault

By Mike Carey (writer), Daniel Acuña (artist), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)

The Story: Rogue has entered Emplate’s dimension using the astral projection power of Trance to search for Bling!.  She found her, but also got discovered and is now running from astral monsters.  In the meantime, her teammates are trying to bail them both out.

What’s Good: I really enjoyed the whacked-out settings Acuña brought to life for this issue.  We’ve got a weird, other-dimensional castle, retro-tech, bizarre monsters that look like Cambrian explosion rejects, and chase scenes galore.  Acuña also drew an effective Scott Summers.  Given that Acuña is playing penciller, inker and colorist, he does pull off some of his trademark effects well, like where he changes color abruptly without the inker’s lines to separate the changes.  With Acuña, black is only used for true shadows and the rest of the definition he gives with different patches of color.

My first thought on the story as a whole was that it felt a bit empty.  Nothing had happened except that Rogue’s conflict had been decided.  But on second glance, this is a passable rescue plot set in a really original place (for this team).  And the X-team on Earth is working pretty hard on making this rescue a success, which drives up the tension even more.  The bits with Dr. Nemesis and “the smart team” were fun to read.  And, this issue is dominated by an effective chase conflict with Rogue.  Not sure why I had an initially negative reaction to the book, unless the art had a hand…

What’s Not So Good: Acuña’s art takes a bit of getting used to.  Since I’m talking about some of it here, I obviously haven’t completely come around to it yet.  I mentioned the great setting and background work above.  On most characters though, his style rubs me the wrong way.  The body proportion distortions, the occasionally crude and generic facial expressions, and the stock poses give all the characters an unnatural look.  And, just as an aside: The dumbest looking, least related cover of the week award goes to…. Legacy #229!

Conclusion: Diehard X-fans should certainly get this.  Carey has publicly stated his mission of really developing Rogue and Gambit and a few other, so if you’re a fan of any of those characters, you should get the book.  If you’re an occasional reader and you don’t get this issue, I don’t get the impression you’ll be missing out on something that to sends ripples through the X-universe.

Grade: C

-DS Arsenault

 



Filed under: Marvel Comics, X-Men | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Thunderbolts #138 – Review

Posted on November 18, 2009 by DS Arsenault

By Jeff Parker (writer), Miguel Sepulveda (artist), Frank Martin(colorist)

The Story: The Thunderbolts, having more than a few lunatics on the team, have a problem. The satisfaction of victory over Power Man and Iron Fist was snatched from them last issue. They’ve had nothing to do since then. So somebody prods at Mr. X, which causes him to escape from their HQ. The Thunderbolts follow him to the Colombia-Venezuela border.

What’s Good: Sepulveda provides some very fine artwork for this issue. In terms of setting, there are lots of moody, cloudy effects, dreamscapes, and a whole lot of Venezuelan jungle. The art communicated most of what it needed to for keeping the story moving too (although I wondered from time to time if Ant-Man was flying under the influence). There’s a lot of dynamic action here that’s fun to watch. Sepulveda also has a multiple image effect to show Mr. X’s speed, which was effective. And the FARC guerrillas and their equipment were authentic, down to the rubber boots that they wear instead of combats. He’s obviously done his research.

The story was serviceable. It was actually a variation on a classic Marvel theme: good guys fighting each other until something bigger forces them to unite. In this case, it’s villain on villain action. This series has been pointing at the fractures in the team for quite some time and it’s fun to watch the effects the petty betrayals have. The dialogue was excellent.

What’s Not So Good: While the Thunderbolts creative team has been good in showing the little splits between team members, nothing definitive is happening, so I’m starting to wonder if this low-level bubbling of personalities will ever actually lead to anything. It seems that every issue, somebody talks about killing someone else and then the following issue, they’re back to their base level of animosity. And on that score, in six months time, some readers may wonder why this issue was important. It’s not character study. It’s not driving a new arc. It’s just shooting and blowing stuff up, which works for some. The danger with an issue like this is that it doesn’t continue any momentum from the previous issue, nor does it launch the next issue with any momentum either. Making that slightly worse is the fact that I didn’t feel much was at stake. If none of the T-bolts are going to do anything serious to one another, and the FARC is a pretty unmenacing antagonist, there’s not much left to worry about. (Unless you think that a platoon of spottily trained guys with hand weapons is going to pose a genuine threat to the Thunderbolts – FARC aren’t the Hulk-Busters, Cape killers or even a properly equipped modern army.)  That makes it easy to say that this is not a critical issue for collectors.

For the purposes of nit-picking (can’t nerd out without nit-picking, right?), odds are long that FARC guerrillas would be skirmishing with Venezuelan forces, but that’s just nit-picking.

Conclusion: If you like to watch your favorite villains pretending to be heroes and shooting and beating each other, this issue is for you. Otherwise, nothing much changes in the Thunderbolts universe, so if you need to skip an issue, it shouldn’t affect how you read next one.

Grade: C

-DS Arsenault

 

Filed under: Marvel Comics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

WCBR’s Picks of the Week

Posted on November 18, 2009 by rhilario

Kyle’s Top Picks


Best of the Past Week: The Walking Dead #67 – Strong character work and an interesting, though predictable, revelation score Robert Kirkman and his art  team the win this week.  While part of me wishes that the twist was different, I can’t act like I’m not looking forward to seeing what Kirkman has in store for his characters now that the truth has come out.  The Walking Dead #68 can’t hit stores soon enough.

Most Anticipated: Wolverine: Weapon X #7 – The last issue of Wolverine: Weapon X was the best one of the series so far.  Jason Aaron put his title character in a very interesting, memorable place.  I have a real good feeling that the current Weapon X arc is going to be considered one of the best Wolverine stories once it is all said and done.

Other Top Picks:Dark Avengers #11, Dark Reign: The List – Spider-Man, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #4, Thunderbolts #138, and X-Men: Legacy #229

DS’ Top Picks


Best of the Past Week: Red Robin #6 – This was a week packed with good books, but Doctor Voodoo #2 took the title. Marvel sorcery, Daimon Hellstorm and magical conspiracies made for a fantastic followup to the first issue.

Most Anticipated: Justice League: Cry for Justice #5 – Despite some odd moments in the writing and motivations, the art and characters continue to blow me away, especially knowing that this series will set up Robinson’s new run on the JLA.

Other Top Picks: Adventure Comics #4, Dark Avengers #11, Mighty Avengers #31, Thunderbolts #138

Alex’s Top Picks


Best of the Past Week: Punishermax #1 -Big week or not, the first issue of Aaron’s Punisher series takes the prize.  It’s a callback to a definitive run on the character by one of the greatest writers in the medium’s history.  In other words, it’s a book of substantial quality for the hardcore Punisher fan.

Most Anticipated: Wolverine: Weapon X #7 – Last month’s new direction absolutely shocked me with both its quality and its creativity.  It’s a horror comic and it’s also the most creative take on a Wolverine story that I’ve seen in some time.  Perhaps that’s because it’s not really a traditional Wolverine story in the slightest.  Maybe that’ll change this month or maybe not.  Either way, I’m very curious to see what Aaron has cooking for the rest of this incredibly inventive arc.

Other Picks: The Flash: Rebirth #5, Dark Avengers #11, Spider-Woman #3, Invincible #68

Joe’s Top Picks


Best of the Past Week: Punishermax #1 – There was a lot of comic goodness last week, but Punisher Max gets the prize for most unexpected success.  While I knew I could count on Steve Dillon’s artwork, I was wary of Jason Aaron’s script.  I shouldn’t have been.  A pleasant surprise.

Most Anticipated: Dark Reign – The List: Amazing Spider-Man – Marvel’s The List one-shots have all been entertaining, but this week’s final installment is the one I’ve been looking forward to most since they announced it.  Adam Kubert’s amazing pencils + Dan Slott’s pitch perfect Parker characterization = possibly the best comic this month!

Other Top Picks: Adventure Comics #4, Flash Rebirth #5, Streets of Gotham #6, Supergirl #47, Underground #3, Phonogram 2 #5, Dark Avengers #11, Incredible Hulk #604, Wolverine Origins #42, The Stand Soul Survivors #2, X-Men Legacy #229

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Rest of the Stack for 11/11/09

Posted on November 17, 2009 by pozzyfreak

SWORD #1


“No Time to Breath” by Kieron Gillen (Writer), Steven Sanders (Pencils), And Craig Yeung (Inks)

“Not Yet” by Kieron Gillen (Writer), James McKelvie (Pencils), Matt Wilson (Inks), and Dave Lanphear (Colors)

The Story: In the main story, Abigail Brand spars with her partner, Commander Gyrich, welcomes Beast aboard her ship, and attempts to help her half-brother deal with a situation he has gotten himself into. In the backup story, Brand and Lockheed discuss Kitty Pryde’s current situation (being stuck inside a giant bullet).

The Good And The Bad: In the first issue of SWORD, writer Kieron Gillen throws a hell of a lot at the reader. New characters are introduced, conflicts are established, and the responsibilities (and hectic nature) of SWORD are explored more than they have been in the past. It’s pretty standard “new series” stuff, but thanks to the setting and slightly quirky tone of the dialogue, SWORD #1 feels quite fresh. While Abigail Brand doesn’t come across as the most likeable of characters, her supporting cast is more than strong enough to make up for it. Lockheed (in a nice touch, still reeling emotionally in both stories), Beast, Unit, and even Henry Gyrich all make quite a strong first (in the series) impression.

The artwork in SWORD #1 is serviceable, but only a few panels stand out in any meaningful way. Thankfully though, Steven Sanders and James McKelvie use a similar style so the book has a nice consistent look from start to finish. One thing I absolutely must mention is how horrid Steven Sanders’ take on Beast is. It’s like he’s part cat, part goat, and part Joe Camel…seriously…

Grade: C+

Sky Doll: Doll Factory #1


By Barbara Canepa & Alessandro Barbucci (Writers & Artists)

The Story: Doll’s Factory serves as a companion to the Sky Doll mini-series. There’s a short origin story that leads into the series released by Marvel a while back and a lot of behind the scenes/making of type of material.

The Good And The Bad: How do you feel about paying $5.99 for material that probably should have been put into the Sky Doll hardcover collection that came out some months ago? That’s really the key question that will decide how much you get out of Doll’s Factory #1. While the material is well presented and interesting (especially the short prequel), it isn’t really worth the money unless you are a huge Sky Doll fan. Since it’d be unfair to grade what’s, basically, just bonus material, I’ll instead label it…

For Fans Only!

Supergod #1


By Warren Ellis (Writer), Garrie Gastonny (Art), and Digikore Studios (Colors)

The Story: A scientist explains how the world went to hell as a result of the race to create superhumans that could be worshipped and save the world.

The Good And The Bad: It won’t be for everyone since it is quite dense and rather wordy, but thanks to Warren Ellis’ dry wit, intelligence, and sense of humor, the first issue of Supergod is well worth your time and money. Clever, smart, and damned good looking, Supergod #1 nicely fills the space that opened up when No Hero wrapped up. The two share similar themes, though No Hero was more about the drive to be superhuman while Supergod is more an exploration of the nature and meaning behind the superhero.

Tracker #1


By Jonathan Lincoln (Writer) and Francis Tsai (Artist)

The Story: An FBI agent discovers he’s not quite the same man he was before being found as the lone survivor in a bus full of mutilated people.

The Good And The Bad: Simply put, the first issue of Tracker isn’t a very good comic. From the clichéd main character with a five o’clock shadow and a hilariously stupid name (O’Roark) to the bland, somewhat predictable procedural stuff, nothing about the first issue of Tracker makes me want to follow the story to the end. While the premise of the series is all right and the potential is certainly there, Tracker #1 doesn’t have a particularly compelling or unique hook…or the characters that could possibly make up for the less than interesting things. At least Francis Tsai’s artwork is decent. Tsai’s art looks inconsistent as it jumps from being gritty and rough to polished throughout the book, but the storytelling is fine and the character work gets the job done.

Grade: D+

-Kyle Posluszny

 

Filed under: Avatar Press, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Reviews, Top Cow | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Next Page »