Mr. Comic Book, After School

Comic Reviews for 6/13

2012-06-16T11:18:00.002-04:00

Hello. I have nothing witty or important to say this week. Just getting right into the reviews.

Marvel Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #687: "End of the Earths" has ended.

Dan Slott has done a damn good job over the past year of telling Spider-Man stories that haven't been told before. "End of the Earths" was a tricky one, because it brought Peter out of his natural habitat. And while the story was enjoyable, it didn't feel like a Spider-Man story. Spidey has always been a street level hero, not a "save the entire world" hero. "End of the Earths" ended up feeling like an Avengers story that happened to have Black Widow and Spider-Man in it. "Spider-Island" worked so well because it was rooted in Spidey's past and involved a villain of his. The Sinister Six haven't been exactly exclusive in who they fight recently. Slott writes Spider-Man well, and the death is handled well enough. But the rest doesn't feel like a Spider-Man story. But Slott experimented with the character. A lot of writers don't have the balls to go out there with the way Slott writes Spider-Man. With the Lizard coming back next issue, we will hopefully see more a Spider-Man story.

While some won't like the story, no one can argue that Stefano Caselli's artwork is great. The action scenes look great, and the characters are expressive. Caselli hit home the fact that Otto is now a monster and is nothing like he use to be. The new Spider-Man uniform has displeased some, but I have enjoyed Caselli penciling it. Part of me still wishes that this book would go down to once a month, which would let Slott and Caselli be the permanent team. They work great together and Caselli is a perfect Spider-Man artist.

Amazing Spier-Man #687 gets 3.5/5.

DC Comics

Batman #10: The mother of all Batman issues.

Scott Snyder delivers a great issue about how Batman figured out the Court. It delivers on ever little hint or nudge that Snyder gave us during his almost year long run. And while a lot of small things are discussed, the reader is given enough hints that they remember every little thing. Nothing is worse for an issue than the writer referencing an old issue and the reader having to stop and read the old issue again to understand what's going on. But the big reveal is...well you should really read it. I wasn't aware of the character's older history in the pre-Flashpoint continuity, but it's hard to NOT love what Snyder is doing here. It's easy for your jaw to hit the floor once the reveal hits. "Night of the Owls" has been a complete success, and I'm happy that Snyder is going to be on Batman for a while. A few of DC titles are considered "must reads," but Batman needs to be read by anyone who calls themselves a comic fan.

Greg Capullo pencils another knock-out issue, but when hasn't he? Some might notice the way the unnamed character looks, and I thought that way back when the character appeared for the first time. While Capullo has always penciled Bruce getting his ass kicked well, this book is filled more with quieter scenes. He nails the reactions, and fills the unnamed character with plenty of insanity. And it's not in his facial expressions, it's all in the eyes. Capullo also fills the backgrounds with plenty of detail. I have said this before, but it's stunning how much detail Capullo puts into each scene without sacrificing the look and feel of the comic. He should clear some shelf space for awards.

Batman #10 gets 5/5.

DC Comics

Before Watchmen Silk Spectre #1: This review is on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review

Dark Horse Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #10: Thank god this arc is over.

Andrew Chambliss has been doing a good job on Season 9, so it's hard to nail down what happened here. The Buffy-bot angle was a weird story point, that is thankfully worked out here. The robot angle needed to be worked away, and sadly it didn't work out well. The introspective conversation....with herself works some times, but does fall a little flat in points. Spike's leaving is written well, and it makes the reader look forward to his miniseries. But by the end of the issue, it's hard to not feel a sense of excitement for the character. For once there seems to be a sense of hope in Buffy's future. With Season 9 half over, it would be nice to see some sort of prize at the end of the race. While Simone seems to be the big bad for the Season, she is much like Adam in Season 4. Doesn't appear much and is barley a threat. With the first season half over, Chambliss must have something up his sleeve to salvage the Season.

Scott Allie was not the right choice for this book. Whenever a book has characters that have to look like actors who played them, you need to be very spot on with small facial features. And Allie misses those. Characters don't look anything like the actors that play them. They frequently look stiff and uncomfortable in the scene they are in. Once Spike gets his bumpy face on, barely anything changes. The Buffy-bot and Buffy barely look alike, and they are suppose to be the same person! I'm glad that George Jeanty will be back next month on art.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #10 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Captain America #13: Sometimes we just need a fun comic.

Ed Brubaker doesn't reinvent the wheel with this issue of Captain America. But he doesn't have too. It's classic Captain America action. It deals with politics, Cap being a bad ass, and a pinch of action thrown in. It's a great combination for a good read. We know the final page has to be a fake out, but it doesn't make it any less tense. The issue barely ties into the overall HYDRA plot line that this new volume has been dealing with, but it's nice to see Brubaker continue the trend. Gyrich isn't as likable as other Cap villains, where their idealistic plan makes them look like an radical idiot. Cap is clearly in the right here, and he knows it. But it does make him look at America in a different light, and it will no doubt affect him going on with his fight against HYDRA.

Patch Zircher's art continues to suit a Captain America book really well. The action scenes look better than the last couple of issues, flowing more fluidly. Characters aren't exactly the most expressive people in the world, but the reader can understand their emotions well enough. His artwork is along the same vein of Mike Deodato. The characters are very muscular, and aren't the best with expressing themselves, but it looks great for a superhero book. While not the extremes that Deodato can go too, Zircher's artwork lets the characters be more expressive.

Captain America #13 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Deadpool #56: "Deadool: Reborn" started so well.

Daniel Way can write a funny Deadpool. Look to the first year of this book to see what I mean. But I'm not sure why he hasn't caught on that the double voices talking all the time is gold. Yes, they can be very funny some times, but sometimes they are annoying as all hell. I look at Way's script for #56 and think of it this way: if the voices barely talked, this issue would have been better. Sometimes it's good to let the artist do what they do well and let them pencil the scene. These scenes would have shown Deadpool actually growing a little bit instead of the voices destroying the moment. Way sets up a funny issue, with the always great Taskmaster. But the voices destroy the moment AGAIN. Part of me hopes the rumors of Way leaving the title and someone taking over the book are true.

Shawn Crystal's art does help the issue though. His wacky style of pencils help make the punchlines hit. The action looks great while still keeping with the style he is going for. Crystal has made a few stints on Deadpool in the past, and he would be a great long term artist. Adding the sound effects in the scenery is a nice addition to the scene.

Deadpool #56 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Fantastic Four #607: Just another tick closer to Jonathan Hickman.

Hickman hasn't dealt with the Black Panther, a staple of the Fantastic Four. And of course he gives it his own little touch. He surprisingly touches upon the "Doom War" mini-event and everything that has happened since while not keeping people in the dark. As someone who didn't read the event, or the Black Panther series that followed it, this was a nice touch. The plot is a tad long, as Hickman requires multiple pages to give the reader a general understanding. It does lead into a great battle, and what looks to be an interesting issue next month, but for now it's just ok. But the scene that works the most is the conversation between Reed and T'Challa. To see Reed act as if he knows what's wrong and then suddenly have it turned on his head is great to see. To often Reed is written as the all mighty person who knows every little thing.

Breakdowns usually never look good. It's hard to have one artist pencil the majority of the issue and then have someone come in and pencil over those again. But Fantastic Four #607 looks good. Great even. Guiseppe Camuncoli does the breakdowns, and Karl Kesel does the finishes. The book has an almost Walter Simson look to them. Occasionally Camuncoli's style of pencils poke through, looking at some character's teeth for instance. But otherwise this book has a look all to it's own. These two should consider doing this more often.

Fantastic Four #607 gets 4/5.

DC Comics

Green Lantern #10: "The Secret of the Indigo Tribe" ends with a.....well a dud.

Geoff Johns has set up this arc in great fashion. We learned a lot about the Indigo tribe and their mysterious ways. But there are numerous problems in this issue. Quite often Sinestro or Hal talk about how their rings have no energy left. Then they use the rings. And after the big ending, the destruction of the Indigo Tribe, it's surprising that Johns quickly overturns that. It ends up making the last issue slightly worthless. Yes, Black Hand is coming back soon, and that should bring nothing but excitement to fans of the Green Lantern, but for now, "The Secret of the Indigo Tribe" didn't turn out to be what they hoped. It's a rare misstep in the long run of Johns, and it's one that we can easily overlook. With the solicits out for September, and Johns taking this book into a different direction, it's easy to forget about this somewhat bland arc.

While the writing was eh, the art is stunning as always. Dough Mahnke continues to pencil Lantern Corps in great fashion. He really sells the horror that Hal and Sinestro are feeling during the chase scenes. The aliens are quite detailed, considering Mahnke never misses a month. Even when wearing masks, the characters are expressive. Mahnke nails the final few pages, where Black Hand turns back into a Black Lantern. It's hits the reader hard, and it's quite bloody. Mahnke's art on this book has become hard to review, as he consistently does a stand up job every month.

Green Lantern #10 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

The Incredible Hulk #9: Can Pasqual Ferry stay on this book forever?

"Stay Angry" is a lot like "Wolverine's Revenge." We have a set formula for what will happen each issue, and then we go right onto the next issue, with little to no connection. This can be fun, like this issue, but readers want a little more than that. What Aaron does in #9 is a fun issue. Seeing the Hulk back a squid will never get old. Plus, the flip on the Banner/Hulk formula makes for an interesting read, even though it is very similar to the original formula. But we are two issues into "Stay Angry" already and I'm already getting a little tired of the formula. We still have no clue as to what Banner is doing to Hulk. A slight indication would be nice. The good thing about these barely connected issues is that it gives Aaron plenty of chances to think up some crazy ideas. Like a ship made out of crab.

Pasqual Ferry's art is worth the price of admission alone. His pencils flow, much like the water around Atlantis. Ferry isn't the person I'd think of when it comes to a Hulk book, but he draws him well. He has the girth that the Hulk needs (that Dillion missed last month). All of the kooky creations that Aaron think up are brought to life by Ferry. During his tenure on Thor, his pencils occasionally had a sketchy quality, which could take away form the book, but that is absent here. Maybe it's that Ferry had a lot of time to pencil, but either way it looks beautiful. After seeing this, I'd love to read a Namor book penciled by Ferry.

The Incredible Hulk #9 gets 4/5.

Image Comics

Invincible #92: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review.

Image Comics

Mind the Gap #2: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review

Marvel Comics

Scarlet Spider #6: Goodbye Ryan Stegman. We shall miss you.

Chris Yost delves deeper into Houston and how they feel about their new superhero. It's great to read, and really helps sell Houston as a city that needs a superhero. Yost also delves more into the supporting cast. A Spider-book is nothing without it's supporting cast, and Yost has set up every caracter masterfully. Then he ties the book into the "Grim Hunt" storyline from a couple of years ago. A lesser writer would have had a hard time of bringing this in, but Yost weaves the backstory in so that new readers can understand perfectly. Yost gives does some great character work with Kaine. It's subtle, and shows the reader that Kaine is slowly looking at Spider-Man's way of thinking. And with the four epilogues show, Yost has a lot planned for the future of this series.

Ryan Stegman. The man owns this book. The huge fight scene is brutal, hard hitting, and looks fantastic. He nails the quieter moments as well, giving each character plenty of personality in their faces. Some of the panels look a tad rushed, but even rushed the pages look great. Not sure if I have ever said that about a penciler before. I have have said plenty of times before, but Stegman was born to pencil a Spider-Man book. But his work on Fantastic Four will be great no doubt.

Scarlet Spider #6 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Spider-Men #1: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review

Marvel Comics

The Mighty Thor #15: Well that was an interesting ending.

Matt Fraction's run on Thor has been nothing but interesting. The high concepts are always great to read and see. And that's on display here. But the ending is a little....well off. The goth kid that was included in #14 was out of place and seemed odd, but now we see the payoff. In keeping with Fraciton's sense of humor, it makes sense. Of course a metal god who was on the front of a high school goth band would save the day. The ending throws the tone off for the entire arc, even if it's a kooky and fun one. The Donal Blake and Enchantress B-plot is working out well, and leaves me wanting to see more of the duo.

Pepe Larraz's art continues to be great on The Mighty Thor. It mimics Pasqual Ferry's style of pencils, but Larraz can get an issue done on time. I remember not liking his pencils when he started on this book, but they have grown on me as the months have gone on. His pencils suit the quirky humor of Fraction's script. The weird dream demons look great, and their swarming of the truck was one of the best panels in the book.

The Mighty Thor #15 get 3.5/5.

Old Comics
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #11 gets 4.5/5.

Comic Reviews for 6/6

2012-06-09T14:12:00.002-04:00

Well, it finally started. Before Watchmen is upon us. Avengers vs X-Men also continues, which is staring to have some problems. The rest of the week was good, with a couple being slightly mediocre. It was one of the bigger weeks, which sadly killed my wallet. But enough bitching, let's get started.

DC Comics

Action Comics #10: Time to go back to Clark Kent.

One of the best things about the New 52 is to tell stories writers couldn't before. And adding in a new villain like Nimrod the Hunter is a good example of that. He does seem a little similar to Kraven the Hunter, which just adds to my feeling that Grant Morrison is looking at Spider-Man as a way to modernize Superman. Action Comics #10 is an interesting story, and an entertaining one at that, but it suffers in the plot development. It's somewhat uneven. Superman trying to help hamsters as a way of showing Superman can handle the small scale things? Eh, not really. The ending, with Kent being killed, works well, and puts the Superman mythos into an interesting situation. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson still haven't been developed to any likable degree. They are just there in this book.

Rags Morales art, while better than it was, is still suffering a little big. Character height varies, with Superman being taller than Wonder Woman, then suddenly shorter the next panel. Faces seem stagnant from panel to panel, even if they are expressive. Once Superman goes into action, the comic looks great. The same for when the Daily Star is bombed near the end of the book. The time has come for DC to start considering a different artist for Action Comics. Morals hasn't been the worst artist, but it needs an artist who can be on time and consistent.

Action Comics #10 gets 3/5.

DC Comics

Animal Man #10: The Red gets some much needed development.

Jeff Lemire starts to develop the Red in #10. While the Parliament of Trees has been explained over in Swamp Thing, the Red and it's mythos has been severely lacking. Lemire gives it some nice twists here, giving it similarities to the Parliament of Trees without straight up copying the concept. Buddy Baker and the goat, who has some funny dialogue, could handle this book on their own, but Lemire adds the Just League Dark to the mix. Their meeting with the Baker family is very funny, mostly due to Constantine. It's nice to see Animal Man interact with the bigger DC universe. It's remained in it's own little corner with Swamp Thing. Speaking of Swampy, all of a sudden he isn't the "Swamp Thing" that Socks has been telling him he needs to find?

Steve Pugh's art is as creepy as ever. The Red looks great, with these scenes being the highlight. The fight looks great, with the reader never losing track of who they are looking at or what Buddy is fighting. Pugh jumps from the creepy Red to the normalcy of a motel with ease. The haunted Buddy Baker is designed well, with only a slight couple of changes to let the reader know he is the bad Buddy. I look forward to seeing how Pugh pencils Animal Man vs Animal Man.

Animal Man #10 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers Academy #31: Time for Sebastian Shaw to fight.

Christos Gage has never been preachy in this arc. With the fight being all about whose side you are on, it would have been easy for him to preach his side of the conflict and why the reader should agree with him. But instead we get an equal amount to say their side. Their is a fight in the middle of the comic, but it's fake? It's hard to tell, as Gage doesn't give the reader the best understanding of what is going on. The very big cast is slightly smaller this issue, which does work in it's favor. Having every character give their idea about what is going on would have bogged down the story and would have become very boring fast. Gage breaks up the serious subject with a few witty lines. Gage has shown he has a penchant for humor over on Angel & Faith, and he knows when to stop being funny and be serious. #31 continues with the old school feel, especially with the ending. By the way, make sure to read this before Uncanny X-Men #13.

Tom Grummet still has an old school feel to them. The characters look good, especially during the fight scene. Characters seem more expressive this month. The student's body types can sometimes be almost copies, but Grummet avoids that this month. I still don't understand why X-23 is still just wearing a bikini when she could be wearing normal clothes like the rest of the girls in this series. Considering this series has been double shipping every other month, it's nice to see Grummet keep up with the pace while not having the art take a dive in the quality department.

Avengers Academy #31 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers vs X-Men #5: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review

DC Comics

Before Watchmen Minutemen #1: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review

Marvel Comics

Defenders #7: I still don't understand why everyone rips on this series so much.

Matt Fraction brings the Defenders to Wakanda, to research why John Aman attacked Iron Fist and the rest of the Defenders. It's nice to see Black Panther be in a book, considering we haven't seen much of him since his last series ended. One thing I'd like to see this series change is it's focus. It seems to find small tangents and then explore them till they are done. While not the worst thing a book has done, it keeps making me forget about the Engine. Then again, that's what the Engine does, so maybe that's the intended purpose......probably not. Black Cat is a funny addition which keeps with the lighter atmosphere that Fraction has been going for. Defenders seems to be more long term than short term, with his arc being a better trade read then single issue. And one of the better uses of "UP UP DOWN DOWN A B" I have seen.

The Dodsons are back on art, but it seems a bit rushed this month. Once characters enter the background they lose a great amount of detail. The Dodsons always need a great amount of time when penciling a book. Their work is beautiful, and it deserves the time it needs to be great. The Dodsons still deliver the best Black Cat in the business. Silver Surfer's gigantic head had me stop and stare for a minute. It's creepy, but still funny. I have always been big fans of the Dodsons, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was excited to see Jamie McKelvie start on art next month.

Defenders #7 gets 3.5/5.

DC Comics

Dial H #2: DC's little odd book just keeps getting better.

When I first read Dial H #2, I was little confused at what was going on. But after a second read through, I completely understood it. Dial H is all about our age of the internet and how we need an escape. China Mieville subtly conveys this amongst the superhero work, which only takes up about half the book. The rest is Nelse coping with what he has stumbled upon. We feel for Nelse because we do this every day in ways such as video games, or comic books. It's great stuff, and something you don't see much today in superhero comic books. The book is also a showcase for Mieville to create tons of new heroes. Most of them only last a few panels, but they all leave a lasting impression. The reader still doesn't know much about the villain of this book, but damn am I going to stick around for a while to find out.

While Mievill's writing is great, Mateus Santolouco's pencils are the other perfect piece of the puzzle. Every new hero has the look as if they have been around for a while. They are that fully realized. The action scenes are very chaotic, but the reader never loses sense of who they are looking at. And I now want an Iron Snail book to be in the works. Please? Cancel Batman: The Dark Knight and we can have an Iron Snail book.

Dial H #2 gets 4/5.

DC Comics

Earth 2 #2: After a mediocre start to the series, #2 brings up the quality.

James Robinson ties Earth 2 more into the main DC universe with Mr. Terrific appearing. This isn't a good thing, as it was one of the worst series from the New 52, so naturally I didn't read it. And I still don't know what the hell is going on. But otherwise, this is a very enjoyable issue. The team is still being set up, and the character work is great. The big thing for me was that this book needed to set these characters apart from the normal heroes. Why should I read this book when I'm already reading about Green Lantern and the Flash? Earth 2 does that just here. This Flash is every bit just as interesting as Barry Allen. The big media event that was Alan Scott being gay doesn't take up much of the issue, but is handled very well. Between this and Dial H, the second wave of DC books is starting out very strong.

Nicola Scott's artwork continues to impress. The Flash runs through a good chunk of this issue, and while it's not as great as Francis Manapul, it's still impressive to look at. The Flash's costume looks great, and is a nice blend of old and new. When Alan Scott and Sam kiss, it's clear these two are in love, and have been in love for some time. Hermes gradual cracking looked good, and good job of Scott for not screwing continuity up where the cracks were on his body. The final page hits with the emotion it should, even though the reader knows it's fake. I barely noticed the hint of green where Alan Scott was in the train.

Earth 2 #2 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Hulk #53: Of course Red Hulk needs to punch an Aztec.

Jeff Parker decides to go an odd route with the Mayan apocalypse. The reader doesn't know 100% of what is going on at the moment, as this issue acts as just set up. But Parker gives us enough to bring us back next month. The always great character work continues this month. And good of Parker to bring in Alpha Flight, their first appearance since their mini series ended a while back. While the story doesn't progress much, there are quite a few great ideas swirling around here. I just hope that the arc doesn't end with a dud like it did on the "Haunted Hulk" arc.

What really drew me to this issue was Dale Eaglesham on the art duties. After his brilliant work on Alpha Flight it's great to see him continue to up his game. And ironically enough, Alpha Flight is in this issue. All the Hulks look great; being hyper muscular without it looking weird. The tech Aztecs (hehe, puns) look weird without them being bad weird. The majority of this issue deals with talking heads, so Eaglesham isn't given a whole lot of room to shine, but when things start to heat up, so does his artwork. There is a lot left to this arc, so no doubt that Parker will give him plenty of big battle scenes and things going boom to pencil.

Hulk #53 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Invincible Iron Man #518: Tony is mostly absent this month, in his own book no less.

The majority of #518 is about the supporting players. The reveal of who is in the new Iron Man suit isn't a no-brainer, even if it makes a lot of sense story wise. It goes to show how much the supporting cast is vital to this book when Tony only appears for two panels. Mandarin's thought out plan seems to be fraying at the seams. Ezekiel Stane's change finally comes to fruition, which I'm interested to see Fraction work on. Stane has been the main villain in this book since it launched almost five years ago, so having him suddenly be on the good side (to a degree) is a big treat for long time readers like me. I didn't realize until the second read through that Tony Stark was barely in this issue. It's interesting to see Tony suddenly ask for help from some, or just rely on others to do their job correctly at the right time. It's nothing the old Tony would have done.

Salvador Larroca's art is still what you see. His artwork has been consistent throughout this run. The new suit has a good look to it, but the faces leave something to be desired. This many years in, it's hard to say anything new about his artwork. Any scene with someone wearing a suit of armor looks great. But his work on faces has improved over the years. Characters still have a slightly shiny look to them.

Invincible Iron Man #518 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Journey Into Mystery #639: Oh Loki, you witty bastard you.

Kieron Gillen has always put a great sense of humor into these issues. No more is that on stage than #639. I knew I was going to be laughing my ass off when Loki starts quoting James Bond in the recap page. The rest is a trip to Britain, with Loki making the standard set of British jokes. While many have heard them many times, the context makes them seem fresh again. The plot is fairly simple, with the All-Mothers sending Loki to fix a problem in the Otherworld by using his trickery. It creates an interesting problem for Loki, as he mostly just makes crap up as he goes along. Even the politics of Asgardia seem interesting under Gillen's script. While the story is very funny, Gillen does ad some drama that will probably come to fruition in the next few issues.

Richard Elson's pencils have been great on this series. Characters have some great expressions, which always help the punchline in Gillen's funny script. Demons and monsters have always been Elson's strong point, and that is put on display here. While Leah was created to not be as open with her emotions, I'd like to see the occasional other expression than glum. But that's just me. This book is becoming harder and harder to review, as all the great things about it have been said. I just reiterate the previous reviews in some form or another.

Journey Into Mystery #639 gets 5/5.

Image Comics

Morning Glories #19: Mother of god that ending.

Most of this issue delves into Hunter's backstory. We learn about how he came to Morning Glories Academy, and why we haven't seen his mother yet in his other flashbacks. This is juxtaposed around Zoe chasing Hunter after Hunter saw her kill another classmate. It's tense, and adds a tragic air to the issue. Yes, more questions are raised, and I could see stuff winking and nodding at the reader. As if to say "pay attention to me I'm going to be important in a few minutes." Not terribly annoying but something to note. The plot is fairly thin this month, but it's still a good read. I was surprised that I didn't read the issue faster, considering half the issue is one thing. But Nick Spencer still sucks the reader in, even when trivial things are happening.

Joe Eisma's pencils, as I have said before, have been steadily getting better since this series started. The chase scene is tense, and Eisma doesn't miss a beat when shifting back to the more tender moments. The ending, which I will not give away here, gives the reader the shock they need. This book has never held back on adding a little blood to scenes, but Eisma goes above and beyond with this. It's not overtly gore, but the detail on the scene is just as striking as the act itself. Just read the issue and you will see what I am talking about.

Morning Glories #19 gets 5/5.

DC Comics

Swamp Thing #10: Oh...so...pretty.

With the main battle with the Rot over, you'd think Scott Snyder would give Swampy a little of a rest. But nope. He has Alec Holland face off against Anton Arcane. Snyder frames the issue around Arcane supposedly winning a fight against Swamp Thing, which makes ever scene that much more tense. Is the fight going to happen now? How do they start fighting? It's terrifying. What else is terrifying is the history of Abigail. Leave it to Snyder to make a sweet innocent girl a horrible killing machine. I would have liked to see some back story for Anton Arcane. I'm not familiar with the Swamp Thing mythos, so knowing a little about him would have helped. But it doesn't break the story.

Francesco Francavilla fills in this month, and his artwork is stunning. While the normal rotation of artists give this book a greenish hue, which sits well with the atmosphere Snyder is going for. But Francavilla uses his trademark reddish hue, which throws off the reader. It adds to the terrifying atmosphere, making the reader think that the Rot are coming in from all sides. It's a slight thing, but one that works wonders. The intricate panel layout isn't as impressive as normal, but who cares. It's hard to make out what is going on when Swamp Thing is slightly incapacitated, but it took a few pages for me to realize that was the point. I loved it on the second read through.

Swamp Thing #10 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

The Mighty Thor Annual #1: Why was this even printed?

Like the .1 books, I question why an annual exists if no one from the current creative team is on the book. While it doesn't mean that the issue is going to be terrible, it has it's work cut out for it. Sadly this issue does hold to that rule though. J. M. Dematteis pens a tale that takes place BEFORE The Mighty Thor #1. Not off to a good start. It's not the current status quo readers are use too, so why tell the tale? This issue also screws up continuity with the first arc. What bugs me the most about this is the fact that there is an interesting tale at the center of this tale. It's classic Thor. But Dematteis script is insanely wordy and takes forever to read. Multiple times I stopped reading because I was simply bored. If you were on the fence for this issue, it's safe to skip it.

Richard Elson pencils this issue, and his artwork is rather good. I'd say it's not on par with his recent Journey Into Mystery work. His pencils have always suited the more fantasy side of comics, with his work on Thor being good as well. But his cosmic work here works well. Galactus is as menacing as he needs to be. I hate to say skip this book when Elson is on pencils, but his pencils still don't make up for the fact that this book wasn't needed in the first place.

The Mighty Thor Annual #1 gets 2.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Uncanny X-Men #13: I'm really starting to feel bad for Kieron Gillen.

More and more these issues of Uncanny feel like Gillen is being forced into plot points that he doesn't want to deal with. Having the characters sit there and talk about the fight that's happening is great for some character work, but it doesn't make an interesting story. Unit could be a great villain if given the right amount of time to develop, but Gillen is begin forced to tie into Avengers vs X-Men. It is nice to see Gillen writing the Five Lights again. His work on them was always the best, even though James Asmus did a great job on the title after Gillen left. I'm going to look forward to this book more after Avengers vs X-Men.

Billy Tan's artwork has vastly improved over the years. I remember reading New Avengers and thinking the artwork was terrible. But his artwork here is good. Not great, but good. Characters occasionally have some odd facial features, and can seem a tad boxy in the body. But he does remember to make Psylocke an Asian, so he wins points for that. The characters can be a little stiff as well, especially when the action starts to ramp up.

Uncanny X-Men #13 gets 3.5/5.

Comic Reviews for 5/30

2012-06-03T20:59:00.001-04:00

Another small week. Dear god I need these every once and a while. Easier to see more movies :D. It was a solid week overall, with many annuals coming out. And a few of them are starting to realize what an annual is suppose to be. But enough of me talking, let's get started.

Marvel Comics

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #39: Spider-Man gets another annual, and it's a retread of old stories, yet still a sweet story.

Brian Reed has always had a great handle on Peter Parker. He can write the dramatic with the humor and balance it well. This annual is a good example of this. Peter is erased form history and thinks life will be better without him. What follows is the usual Peter finding out what it means to be Spider-Man and how much he means. And yes, Uncle Ben appears. Reed makes the story, one we have read countless times, seem fresh and interesting. Everything is nicely tied up by the end of the story, which is what an annual should do. It's a self contained story that old fans will love and new fans will will appreciate. If this annual shows anything, it shows that Reed needs to have some input in the current Spider-Man titles. Be it a back up or something.

Lee Garbett pencils a good Spider-Man book. Most of the issue sees Peter outside of his costume, which works in Garbett's favor. Characters are expressive, with the reader being able to see the confusion on ever character's face. The classic panels look fantastic. His artwork has a slight look like Oliver Copiel. Garbett has a great future ahead of him at Marvel.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #39 gets 3.5/5.

Dark Horse Comics

Angel & Faith #10: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review.

DC Comics

Batman Annual #1: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review.

Marvel Comics

The Incredible Hulk #8: Hulk seems to be turning around.

Jason Aaron has spent seven (technically eight) issues turning the Hulk's status quo around. And the Hulk really needed it. Flipping the tables on how Banner and Hulk see each other is what has drawn me to this series in the first place. And now that Banner is somehow back in the Hulk, we have "Stay Angry." Yeah, the Hulk is trying to keep Banner out. It's as black and white as you might expect. I like that Aaron keeps making the Hulk black out when Banner is doing something. It adds a nice twist to the story. Now that Hulk needs to stay angry, it gives Aaron some room to create some insane villains. And create a heroin gun. It's the type of insane concept that has made Jason Aaron a staple at Marvel comics.

Steve Dillion has been a great artist on crime books and ones that involve Wolverine. But the Hulk isn't one of those. The Hulk doesn't have the stature or look that he needs. He looks like a slightly bigger human being. Also, the Punisher is missing his eye patch. That's a big mistake, considering the Punisher has had his eye patch for months now. The close ups of the Hulk's face to look good. Mad Dog, the villain in the issue, has a hysterical look to him. As you might expect, the Punisher looks great, sans eye patch.

The Incredible Hulk #8 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

New Mutants #43: "Exileld" is over. But was it worth it?

The answer is yes. While the beginning of the event had some problems, the last couple of issues have brought the quality up. The ending is full of action and quips. But the best part of "Exiled" is that it is full of ramifications. The effects of these issue will be felt for some time to come. Much of it has to do with Mephisto, in a way that few probably saw coming. To me, the best events are ones that you will have ramifications for some time. Much like Civil War. Abnett and Lanning add a good amount of human interaction to the god events. One of the things the last couple of New Mutant issues lost was the focus on the New Mutants themselves. Loki seemed to take over all the books for the first few issues. While not a bad thing, as Loki is one of the most interesting characters in the Marvel universe right now, it would have been better to see the focus shift from book to book.

Carmine Di Giandomenico's artwork on this event has been some of his best in recent memory. Occasionally characters have some weird body shapes, but they are very expressive. It's a give and take. Occasionally the action scenes can get a little chaotic as well. To the point where it's hard to tell who is who or what angle we are looking at. It's a quick panel or two, so it's not something that bogs down the entire issue.

New Mutants #43 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine #307: Dear god Cullen Bunn is sick in the head.

Dr. Rot has been the main focus of this arc, and I couldn't be more happy. It's been full of one sick idea after another. He's one sick individual, one that Jason Aaron only touched the surface of what Rot was actually capable of. Bunn throws a lot of weird ideas out there, but his use of Weapon X is one of the highlights. Weapon X has been used so much in the past, it's hard to find new ways to use it properly. But Bunn uses it perfectly here. It doesn't dominate the arc, or even appear for much. One of the more annoying things is that there are new sub groups that pop up and are shoehorned into the continuity. Bunn just builds on what has been already established. Seriously Marvel; bring Bunn back onto Wolverine after Jeph Loeb is done.

Paul Pelletier continues pencil a great Wolverine book. While Bunn pens a disgusting script, Pelletier adds with the sights. Blood as far as the eye can see. The weird flesh monsters look great. Amongst the things that are disgusting, Pelletier adds some small character development to the proceedings. Not giving Dr. Rot real eyes, as they look to be all pupil or something, adds to the craziness we are reading. These two creators are on an absolute role, and I'm loving every panel of it.

Wolverine #307 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine & the X-Men #11: This book continues to be the perfect tie-in.

Jason Aaron continues to balance the AvX plot line and the Wolverine & the X-Men plot. The end of last issue is quickly taken care of this time, which somehow fits in before Logan and Hope go to the moon. As one of the architects of AvX, it's funny to see him do something like this. But the book delves more into how the book feels on the two sides fighting. Part of me was hoping that we'd see some desertion, with the occasional X-Man going over to the Avengers. But nope. Oh well. A good chunk of this issue is fighting, but Aaron gives plenty of character moments. As with the rest of the book, this issue has a lot of characters, but Aaron gives them each plenty of time. It's nice to see Kid Gladiator have some time to shine.

Nick Bradshaw's art on this book has been one word: perfect. It's incredibly detailed, and almost awe inspiring. Especially when Hope decides to lash out with the Phoenix force. But the shining moment for the issue had to be the couple of panels where Logan is trying to figure out if he should kill Hope or not. It's an intense couple of panels, and Bradshaw gives Logan a great deal of emotion in his eyes. It's clear he's troubled by all of this, and really hits the reader hard. This even is going to leave Logan damaged by end.

Wolverine & the X-Men #11 gets 4.5/5.

Comic Reviews for 5/23

2012-05-27T16:15:00.001-04:00

Hello all! My apologies for not posting reviews last week, but I went on vacation. Read a ton of Gotham Central, Invincible, and Nova. I'd call that a great vacation. I wrote a column about Northstar and Kyle getting married over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here to read that. But let's get started with the reviews.

Marvel Comics

Astonishing X-Men #50: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for the review.

DC Comics

Aquaman #9: Geoff Johns steals the spotlight this month from the gorgeous art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.

Johns story about the Others has been very rooted in the past. A lesser writer would have difficult establishing an ambiguous team while keeping the present story moving along, but Johns keeps it balanced perfectly. We get just enough information about the history of Aquaman and Black Manta that it keeps us interested in the story line going on now. Johns also gives Arthur some character growth amongst the sprawling fight scenes. It's clear that Aquaman use to be an angrier fellow, but his conversations with Ya'wara delve deeper into who he use to be. It was easy to figure out why Arthur hates Shin, but Johns still makes the ending have some weight. Johns has always been a writer who knows how to write towards an artists talents, and Aquaman has always been a great example of that. Johns gives Reis just enough fight scenes to pencil without the fights seeming unnecessary or tagged on.

Ivan Reis and Joe Prado continue to dominate this book. Their work on Blackest Night was some of the best of their career, but this is on a whole other level. Characters have some expressive faces, but their eyes seem almost human. They carry so much emotion, and in the case of Aquaman, pain. It's clear he isn't happy about his past and he is desperately trying to change what happened. The painted flashback scene work well and help establish the reader in the past in a quick manner.

Aquaman #9 gets 4/5.

DC Comics

Batman Inc. #1: It pains me to say this, but here goes the end of Grant Morrison's run on Batman.

Morrison has stated that once this volume of Batman Inc. is done, he will be done with the character of Batman. That puts a lot of pressure on this series to deliver. If the first issue is any indication, then it will in spades. As with many Morrison Batman tales, it starts with a flash forward, and it sets up the tension for the rest of the issue. The cliff hanger hits especially hard, even after the reader takes a step back and realizes that it won't stand. It would have to much of an effect on the DC universe if it's real. For a book that starts off very serious, the book has a light hearted tone. I'm referencing Bat-Cow if you couldn't tell. The Leviathan side of the story doesn't work as well as the Batman side, but it will no doubt be set up for something else.

Chris Burnham knocks this book out of the park. His art has always looked somewhat like Frank Quietly's, and that's a great compliment. The action scenes flow beautifully, and when the now famous Bat-Cow line is said, Burnham gives Damien such a look. That smug look that makes him seem serious. Readers can read what the characters are thinking, even when they are wearing masks and their range of expression is severely limited. The one page where the art goes onto the wall of buildings is inspired. It's easy to read, even though looking as a whole page makes it look confusing. While Morrison's script sets up this book for an epic run, Burnham sets it up just as well.

Batman Inc. #1 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Captain America #12: #11 wasn't a strong start to the arc, but #12 more than makes up for it.

Ed Brubaker started this new arc, "Shock to the System" with kind of a whimper. But #12 puts it back into the old Cap plot type. Something/someone is doing something wrong, and it usually ties into Steve Rogers' past. Add a touch of political debate, and you have the makings of a great Captain America. That's what Brubaker does here. He references a great character in Cap's past without lapsed readers being left behind. Captain America #12 also showcases Cap's detective side; a side we don't get to see much. Watching him go into a HYDRA base and attack then, and knowing it's a trap and dealing with it makes for a compelling read. I'm probably one of the few readers who didn't understand the ending, but after some research, I'm excited for the next arc. It's good to see members of the Revengers get some time to shine.

Patch Zircher's art was somewhat stagnant last issue. Characters looked stiff and action figure like. But this time around, Zircher's art has improved. Characters are much more subtle in their expressions, even when they are wearing masks. The action flows better as well, especially since the characters don't seem like action figures. There is some photo tracing apparent, but other artists don't even try to hide the fact that they photo trace (I'm looking at you Greg Land). Cap's shield pops off in a way that hasn't happened since Steve McNiven penciled the book. I have said before that this book needs a constant artist, and Zircher would be a good fit as a long term penciler.

Captain America #12 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Deadpool #55: After a great end to "Dead," Daniel Way gives a good start to "Deadpool: Reborn."

As you might of guessed, "Deadpool: Reborn" is all about Wade rediscovering himself. Not having his healing factor is going to change a lot about him. And Way deals with these ramifications nicely. Way's script hits home that Deadpool isn't sure how to be normal anymore. Way has never handled subtle well though, and it shows here. Deadpool's inner voices have to spell out everything that Wade is feeling. If they were put on silent, the scene would have been perfect, and this issue would have received a higher score. While Deadpool isn't the most subtle character, it's something that Way should consider when Wade is going through emotional scenes. The new direction, having Wade kill people who deserve to die, isn't new, but it works with this story. The ending works well too, but falls into the "voices describe everything" category. The Intelligencia scenes offer some good commentary on Marvel comics, although it doesn't hit as hard as Action Comics #9.

Shawn Crystal has penciled Deadpool in the past, and his artwork has always fit Deadpool. While his pencils are cartoony, they can be very expressive. Crystal also gives a nice nod to the past, with Wade's pinkie finger being missing. Crystal gives Wade a sense of sadness throughout the issue, especially the final few pages. Way's script might not be subtle, but Crystal gives the scene a sense of sadness. The reader really feels for Wade. He finally gets what he wants, and it prevents him from doing what he loves the most.

Deadpool #55 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Fantastic Four #606: What a sweet self contained story.

Jonathan Hickman gives us a story that is classic Fantastic Four. It's a problem that only the Fantastic Four could solve, and they do it in dramatic fashion. Hickman drops hints throughout the book about what is going on, although an astute reader will be able to figure out that the Four are traveling in someone's body. That someone isn't revealed until the end, and that's what makes this story classic Fantastic Four. Fantastic Four #606 is a great example of why these characters are a family, and why they have stood the test of time. With Hickman's run coming to an end in a few issues, this issue reminds me why I'm going to miss him so much once he leaves.

Ron Garney pencils a great issue. His work on the human anatomy isn't as detailed as Nick Bradshaw's was in Wolverine & the X-Men, but it's good. More of the focus is on the characters and their reactions to what is going on around them. His scratchy style sometimes doesn't work with a book like Fantastic Four, but it's all good this month. Except the final page, where it's clear that the panel was zoomed in. It just makes the somewhat scratchy nature of his pencils that much worse. This is fine on a Wolverine book, but not one that stars the Fantastic Four. If I worked at Marvel, I'd start making plush toys of those rabid white blood cells. If Valve can sell all the plushes of disgusting things, then Marvel can make them of a white blood cell.

Fantastic Four #606 gets 5/5.

DC Comics

The Flash #9: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato have done a great job reinventing the Flash, but do they do a good job with Gorilla Grodd?

The way Manapul and Buccellato have been reinventing the Flash reminds me of the way Geoff Johns reinvented Green Lantern. Taking classic continuity monsters and simplifying them for a different time. It's been working wonders so far, so why wouldn't it work with Gorilla Grodd. While everything isn't explained about the character, enough is given for readers to get a grasp on who he is and what this society is about. A lot goes on in this issue, with Manapul and Buccellato giving glimpses of the crime lab and Iris as well. But the issue never feels rushed or compressed. The ending, while nothing new, is an angle that hasn't been used much with the Flash. And it looks like Barry will finally be back to Central City, so it's safe to say that I'm excited.

The artwork is beautiful as it always has. But with the plot line not in the Speed Force, the panel work isn't as creative as it could be. Sometimes the plot doesn't call for this, so it's no surprise that occasionally the artwork wasn't going to be as stunning as the past couple of issues. The detail is still there, especially on the gorillas. Even when the panel is zoomed out, it's easy to point out individual hairs on them. Sadly, the Flash doesn't run much in this issue, so that beautiful artwork is absent.

The Flash #9 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Hulk #52: "Haunted Hulk" is going to be haunted by a bad ending.

Jeff Parker has set up "Haunted Hulk" for a big ending. And having the Legion of Monsters was a great addition to the story. It would have been a great opportunity to show how much of a monster the Hulk is next to these guys. But the only thing that I remember after reading this issue is the very abrupt, and dissatisfying ending. While it fits well with the overall story that Parker is telling, it deserved more than a few pages. The resolve should have been examined more, or even not be resolved at all. Having the character stay around a while would have been very interesting. But Parker does save this issue to a degree, with the Legion of Monsters delivering some great lines. Hopefully with the Mayans coming next month, the book's quality will improve.

One of the highlights of this arc has been Carlo Pagulaya penciling the Hulk. He looks fantastic, even when in human form. I stared at the transformation page, as it one of the best Hulk transformations I have seen. Pagulaya would be a great choice for any future book to feature the Legion of Monsters, as all of them balance a monstrous, but sympathetic look. The ghost that has haunted the Hulk throughout this arc looks great, and Pagulaya gives the scene some emotional weight, even when the script does not.

Hulk #52 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Journey Into Mystery #638: "Exiled" seems to be turning around.

"Exiled" hans't been the strongest mini event. It's focus is all over the place, not being able to advance the plot well. But this seems to have changed. Journey Into Mystery #638 is heavily focused on exposition, but it's written in a way that is very entertaining. The plot is finally moving along as well. By the end, it leaves the reader very excited about what could happen in the final issue of the event. It's still written with the trademarked wit, and even goes into some forth-wall breaking. While nothing new for this series, it's handled very well. The ending looks to make the final issue a blast. The entire event was suppose to be a mixture of the Thor and New Mutants, but it seems to have focused much more on the Thor side of the equation. Oh well.

Carmine Di Giandomenico's art continues to be one of the better aspects of this crossover. Characters occasionally have some odd body shapes, but it's not that big of a problem. They have some great range, which helps separate the more dramatic plot points, but let the comedic lines have some great laughs. Some of the New Mutants' powers don't come across the way they should though. It looks like the colorist might have messed up, but Sunspot's powers don't look anything like they have in the past. He doesn't appear much in this issue, but when he is a background character in numerous panels, it starts to become a problem.

Journey Into Mystery #638 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Secret Avengers #27: Another solid example of what a tie-in book should be.

Rick Remender's story has been solid all around. I'll start off by saying that the way Ms. Marvel and Protector are "brain washed" is never explained and it really hurts the story. Even after reading #26 again, I still have no clue how they became brain washed. Otherwise, this issue is good. Remender keeps his overall plot going, with Beast and Captain Britain continuing their problems. The dialogue between Mar-Vell and the rest of the original Avengers really hits home, and the reader can feel the hatred and anger in Thor's lines. The scenes between Ms. Marvel and Mar-Vell are handled beautifully, and I hope that this plot point becomes something we see in her ongoing title in July. It's a great way to set up the series, even if this story doesn't exactly lead into that series.

As much as Remender's script has been doing a great job of creating a great tie-in book, Renato Guedes art continues to falter. It's not that the art is necessarily bad, it's just that his style of art doesn't match a cosmic story well. His art works on a book that is grounded and gritty. For this issue specifically, it's good. There are scenes, like the aforementioned Thor talking to Mar-Vell scene, that compliment the script perfectly. But when the Kree are running for their lives, it's downright ugly. I'm eagerly looking forward to Gabriel Hardman coming back to the title.

Secret Avengers #27.

Marvel Comics

The Mighty Thor #14: Matt Fraction's slow burning might not work as well with Thor.

As a long time reader of Fraction's work, I'm use to the slow burn nature of his story telling. It has worked well in his Thor work before, but it doesn't seem to be working as great here as it has in the past. It seems to be decompressing of the sake of decompressing. The goth child that is peppered throughout this story is shoved in for no reason, and given no tie into the rest of the story. But the other plot points are interesting. Donald Blake trying to be a god via the Enchantress is a great angle for the character, and the dream monsters are fun to read as well. It just seems like Fraction is treading water for this issue instead of moving the plot along. This issue seems like it will read better in a trade, or marathoning a bunch of issues in a row.

Pepe Larraz's artwork redeems this issue though. His artwork has always looked like Pasqual Ferry's, but he is able to keep up with the deadlines. His pencils fit the fantasy world of Thor well, but also work well when the story shifts to the more down to earth scenes. While most of the stories that Ferry penciled had to deal with the fantasy side of the story, his occasionally down to earth scenes suffered. Every character is very expressive, even when there is a lot of action going on in a scene. It's easy to read every character's emotions, even when the panel is zoomed out.

The Mighty Thor #14 gets 3.5/5.

Old Comics

Avengers #26 gets 3.5/5.
New Avengers #26 gets 3/5.
Uncanny X-Force #25 gets 5/5.

Comic Reviews for 5/9

2012-05-12T09:41:00.003-04:00

Damn it was a big week. Can't believe I read all the comics on this week's pull list before work. Comic Book Therapy has been generous and given me a few comics before their release date, so more Image books will be appearing on that site. Let's get started.

Marvel Comics

Avenging Spider-Man #7: Marvel's new team-up book continues with another great story.

Kathryn Immonen is becoming the up and coming writer at Marvel, and this issue is another great example of her talent. It's funny, and perfectly captures Spider-Man in a short amount of time. He's smart, afraid of strong women, and isn't afraid to keep cracking jokes when everything starts to go downhill. I'm not too familiar with She-Hulk, but I'd read a book if Immonen wrote one. Immonen gives readers a good hold on the character fast, and her interactions with Spidey are great. The villain creates a very funny situation, but also one that gives Spider-Man a chance to uses his smarts. The entire story doesn't reinvent comics, but Avenging Spider-Man has never been that. It's been short fun stories. These issues could use heartfelt moments like Avenging Spider-Man #5, but not everyone writes Spider-Man as perfectly as Zeb Wells.

The other Immonen, Stuart, pencils a beautiful comic. His work seems to have just gotten better from Fear Itself. As always, characters are expressive, even when they have masks on. It's clear Spider-Man is making a cute face when She-Hulk gets her tail. Any reader would start chuckling when that happened. Action looks great, but this issue gives Immonen more face to draw then action. That's a great thing though, as his talking head panels are still a sight to behold. Even if you're unsure of getting this book for the writing, pick it up for the art. Immonen's art is helped by Wade Von Grawbadger's inks, and Matt Hollingsworth's colors. It helps the characters pop off the page. When the Egyptian god appears, the inks and colors help give the god an almost Cheshire cat (no pun intended) look.

Avenging Spider-Man #7 gets 4/5.

DC Comics

Batman #9: We get Batman a week early? Yes please.

Scott Snyder spends the majority of this issue fighting the Talons in his house. Snyder parallels it perfectly with the history of the Wayne family, but the fight could have been toned down. It doesn't help that part of the story goes off to Detective Comics #9, so the pacing at the end of the issue is off. The fight is interesting to read, and gets the reader's blood pumping when Bruce gets up and starts fighting back. Snyder even finds a nice loophole when it comes to Batman killing. While the overall issue is entertaining, the issue still feels like it's spinning it's wheels a bit. It hints at other books and what they are doing, almost waiting to continue the story because of them. It looked as if this book was going to avoid the crossover syndrome, but sadly it's stricken by it. The final scene is good, if a little out of character for Batman.

The real star is Greg Capullo. He shows Bruce's abilities with ease and every page is frame worthy. Capullo has always been at his best when Batman is getting his ass kicked. Or being a bad ass. Which is all the time in this book. When Batman decides to finally use lethal force, it looks great. It's a panel that makes the reader stop and just stare for a few seconds before going on with the rest of the story. The dinosaur stomp packs a punch. During the final scene, while I don't agree with how Snyder wrote the script, Capullo pencils the scene perfectly.

Batman #9 gets 4/5.

Dark Horse Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #9: Another mediocre issue, albeit funny.

Andrew Chambliss has been doing a great job of capturing the voices of these characters, but the past couple of issues have brought about some questionable ones. Xander has suddenly become a very angry guy, even though he didn't show that side this much before. It's jarring, and makes the reader kind of hate Xander. The rest of the robot plot is interesting, even if the idea is a little contrived in it's own way. Chambliss fills these scenes with plenty of great dialogue, and the ending of the issue brings some great story possibilities. On the Xander front, that story isn't what it should be. Maybe it's that it seems out of place, or that it takes away from the main story, I'm not sure. It wouldn't be the worse thing if the story just focused on Buffy, and had this story minimized. The story SHOULD be here, but it needs to be tweaked somehow.

Scott Allie's art is suitable, but is also downright ugly in some scenes. One panel in particular, has Andrew suddenly looking like someone from the Peanuts. His eyes change and suddenly Andrew isn't Andrew anymore. Even in close ups, the characters don't look like their actor counterparts. Dawn doesn't even look anything like Michelle Tractenberg. The rest of the book is stiff, making the book look like action figures that are placed and then Allie penciled the pictures of them. I realize that George Jeanty needs some time off for his pencils, but a different artist is needed.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #9 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Captain America #11: Ed Brubaker continues his Cap run with another solid issue.

The new HYDRA Queen has been the main antagonist for this new volume, but she is surprisingly absent this time around. The set up is classic Cap, with someone killing people in witness protection. It fits in with government and politics, two things that have defined Brubaker's run. Having a new Scourge is interesting enough as well. It's all set up for a good, if not stellar, Cap arc. The use of Diamondback was a little surprising, as some might not know who she is (much like me). It took some time on Wikipedia to understand what happened. Brubaker is good at hinting what happened in their past, enough that it didn't ruin the enjoyment of the book.

Patrick Zircher's art fits the book rather well. His pencils are similar to Mike Deodato's, in that the characters stand in very super hero ways and are beyond muscular. But he also has the same problem that Deodato's work can, and that is the characters are stiff. A few of the panels looked like the characters were traced over, then the background was made. But overall, the issue is good work. Zircher's style fits a Captain America book well, giving the book an all-American feel. Hopefully he can stay around for a while instead of artists coming and going in this volume.

Captain America #11 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Deadpool #54: The "Dead" arc comes to an end, and it seems to be worth it.

Many have argued point of "Dead" was. It's clear that Deadpool was in fact, not going to die, so what was the point? I thought this as well as the arc went on. But #54 makes the arc actually worth while. Deadpool is in fact, not dead, but it sends the book into a new direction that genuinely excites me. I've been reading this book since #1, and the book has become a tad stale. But Daniel Way has a great new direction that I hope he uses to it's fullest. The final issue of "Dead" works well emotionally well. Wade Wilson get's emotional in a few points, and grows as a person. To a degree. He does grow rather fast, and a more realistic growth pattern would have been better. It's a small gripe, and doesn't ruin the fun of reading the book. It's going to make Deadpool's role in Uncanny X-Force much more interesting.

Ale Garza's art continues to mimic Paco Medina and Carlos Barberi. It fits the book well. Characters are expressive, if a little cartoony. At least Garza remembered to make Psylocke Asian. Much like the characters, the action can come off as overly cartoony, but it's in keeping with the rest of the book. Garza seems to be around for the time being, so hopefully he can tone down the cartoony bits a little. Deadpool is a cartoony character, but one of the reasons Medina's artwork was great at the beginning of the series was that it was somewhat grounded. If Garza can find a nice middle ground between cartoony and grounded, we have ourselves a great looking book.

Deadpool #54 gets 4/5.

DC Comics

Green Lantern #9: The creepy history of the Indigo Tribe is finally revealed.

Geoff Johns has constructed the back story of the Indigo Tribe very well. As with a lot of Johns Green Lantern work, it ties into Abin Sur. It's very creepy and deals with some great morality issues. The cover is very misleading, dealing little to none with Black Hand. Most of the issue is exposition, but Johns makes the entire issue interesting to read. While the Indigo Tribe is seemingly gone, Johns gave them a good way to go out. This issue seems to be the calm before the storm, as nothing good for Hal Jordan can come from the final few pages. The entire history of the Indigo Tribe fits nice and neat into the Green Lantern mythos. If Johns has had this planned out since he started the book all those years ago, this is astonishing.

Doug Mahnke has always been the real star of Green Lantern. He is given plenty of creepy characters to pencil this month, including some of the back history of Sinestro. The death of Starstorm is my personal favorite. Gave me one hell of a grimace. The leader of the Indigo tribe looks fantastic, and the Lantern is helped out by Alex Sinclair's colors. Even with the plethora of inkers, Mahnke's art keeps a consistent inking tone. That one month that Mahnke took off seems to have paid off. None of the pages look rushed, and everything is back to the great quality that Mahnke was known for during the last volume of "Green Lantern."

Green Lantern #9 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Hulk #51: Jeff Parker get's even weirder with his "Haunted Hulk" arc.

Much of the issue is about Thunderbolt trying to get rid of the ghosts of the people who have been killed under his command. Parker keeps this all from being over the top or melodramatic, but he could have done more with this. Thunderbolt has such a long history of people being killed while he hunted the Hulk, and having the ghosts around a little longer would have done the story good. The addition of the Forbidden, however brief, was also a great choice. They are becoming a great nemesis/ally for the Hulk family of characters. The majority of the issue seems like wasted time though. The Hulk fights the Forbidden, then the issue is over (rather abruptly). It fits well when reading right after Hulk #50, but it doesn't work as well with a single issue.

Carlos Pagulayan's art proves he is one of the best Hulk pencilers in the industry. His Hulk is muscular, but not the point where it's comical or over done. The action looks great, as well do the monsters. With the Legion of Monsters guest starring next month, I'm nothing but excited. The choice by Val Staples, the colorist, to make the Abomination a different color ghost was a great decision. It shows how much the Abomination's death is still on Hulk's mind, but in a subtle way. Characters aren't the most expressive bunch, with many of them having the same look on their face when they are expressing different emotions.

Hulk #51 gets 4/5.

Image Comics

Invincible #91: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review.

Marvel Comics

Journey Into Mystery #637: Didn't understand the ending to Exiled #1? This explains it all.

Many, myself included, were very confused by the ending of Exiled #1. This is very much explained in Journey Into Mystery #637. Maybe a little to much. Most of the issue is about what happened to the Asgardians. Kieron Gillen makes it interesting and humorous, but spends to much time on this. Gillen's move of having Loki talk to himself and imagine all the Asgardians as some kind of Dungeon & Dragons type game was a good move. While I'm glad that Loki is "woken up" before the end of the issue, seeing how he dealt with seeing the rest of the Asgardians would have been a funny plot beat. The plot barely moves along, but is very interesting at the end. Gillen ups the tensions with the ending, which long time readers of any Thor book will be excited to see Gillen tackle.

Carmine Di Giandomenico's art is just as good as it was in Exiled #1. Characters can look a tad odd, but are good overall. He has a great way of showing expressions. His pencils fit Journey Into Mystery more than New Mutants. They have an other wordily look to them. The final page hits with a sense of dread, as Giandomenico gets the sense of pure pleasure on the Disir's face. I am a little skeptical if his pencils will work as well in New Mutants as they do here, but we will have to wait and see.

Journey Into Mystery #637 gets 3.5/5.

Image Comics

Morning Glories #18: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review

Marvel Comics

Punisher #11: Now that the Omega Effect is over, time to get back to the police force.

Greg Rucka gives us a one and done that leaves the overall plot behind. It's not a bad thing, especially when Rucka writes a great story. Spider-Man fans will notice that Carlie Cooper has finally moved on form Peter. I like that Rucka gets back to using the Punisher as a tour de force instead of a person. It's good to hear from him every once and a while, like the past few issues, but Rucka's angle is to good to be away for to long. I recently started reading Gotham Central, and it's easy to see a lot of comparisons in writing style. It just so happens that the Punisher fits well into this type of writing as well. Having Black Talon be the enemy was good decision, as it gives Punisher plenty of people to kill.

With the issue heavily focusing on the NYPD, Mirko Colak's pencils work a lot better. They still aren't as on par with his pencils during Red Skull: Incarnate, but they are still good. Colak's characters could stand to be a tad more expressive, as many of them have the same facial expressions. But he nails the more violent scenes. The zombies look great, as well as all the head shots. Many of them have the same eye hanging out, but it looks good so I don't care.

Punisher #11 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Scarlet Spider #5: One and done stories seem to be popular recently.

Chris Yost has quickly created a great supporting cast in this book. It's one of the reasons it's at the top of my favorite books at Marvel. This one and done has some very high stakes, and Yost makes the story a fun read. It has the "honorable" destination of being the first book post Battle Scars that has the new Nick Fury and Agent Coulson, with honorable being used in the most ironic sense possible. One thing that doesn't work well for the story is that it finishes to nicely. It ends really abruptly, which makes the reader feel like they have been cheated out of the story. I have read worse comics who commit this sin though. It's another issue of these great characters, so having the story end abruptly doesn't matter that much.

Neil Edwards takes over for Ryan Stegman this month, and his pencils seemed to have improve a little since his Herc days. His pencils work well for a superhero book, like having the characters wearing masks being expressive. Since his Herc days, his characters have become more expressive, and the action doesn't seem as stiff. Edwards' pencils aren't Stegman's though. His pencils are good to see for one month on a Spider-Man style book, but not all the time. Sadly, we only get one more issue of Stegman on this book before he goes to Fantastic Four.

Scarlet Spider #5 gets 3.5/5.

Dark Horse Comics

Serenity FCBD: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review

Marvel Comics

Wolverine #306: Cullen Bunn's short run keeps getting weirder.

While this may not be the most original Wolverine arc, Bunn is shaping Dr. Rot to be one hell of a villain. He barely appears in this issue, but his presence can be felt. Bunn fills this issue with fights a plenty, and all of them are brutal. The pacing is great, with Bunn flipping back between the investigation and Wolverine's ongoing search for Rot. He also balances the inner monologue seriousness and the witty banter. Wolverine is a serious character, but it's good to throw in some jokes and light heartedness some times. Those were always the best arcs under Jason Aaron. Bunn seems to have a great hold on Wolverine. It's sad that his run won't last longer. Or maybe it will when Jeph Loeb is done with his Sabertooth story.

Paul Pelletier continues to rock this book. The battles are brutal, with Pelletier penciling a great amount of detail into the bloodier scenes. Logan's discovery of Rot's father is disgusting, but Logan's expression is just as great. Even after all these years and all the bodies he have racked up, he still finds things that bother him. Rot's eyes on the last panel have an inane creepiness to them. It's terrifying. Pelletier is a great artist for a Wolverine book. Marvel, keep Bunn and Pelletier on this book for a while.

Wolverine #306 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine & the X-Men #10: Want morality questions for AvX? Here ya go.

Jason Aaron gets very deep with this issue. It deals with all the questions people have been wondering about Wolverine and the entire fight in general. It's handled perfectly, with neither side coming across as preachy or corny. Aaron also answers the questions about what the X-Men at the school are siding with whom. And what's the best thing? Aaron keeps the overall plot going. Angel and Genesis seem to be bonding, and their otherworldly powers will no doubt play a bigger role moving forward. Quenten Quire keeps the funny going, with his funny crush on Magik. While Uncanny X-Men hasn't touched upon the morality issues, or really how the characters feel, Wolverine and the X-Men is already doing a stunning job of that.

Chris Bachalo doesn't have as much fighting to pencil this month, but his pencils are good. There is a lot of talking to get through, so the panels have to be very cramped, which doesn't suit Bachalo's work. But it's not as bad this month considering there isn't a lot of fighting. Bachalo fills Logan's facial expressions with regret, even in the first few pages when Aaron is recapping what happened in Avengers vs X-Men #1-#2. I'm still not a fan of his penciling of Ice Man, who looks like a monster. Not a big deal, but worth noting.

Wolverine & the X-Men #10 gets 4.5/5.

Old Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #685 gets 3.5/5.
Mind the Gap #1 gets 5/5.
New Avengers #25 gets 4/5.
The Mighty Thor #13 gets 3.5/5.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #10 gets 5/5.

Comic Reviews for 5/2

2012-05-03T17:38:00.003-04:00

It is time. It's time for the release of "Avengers." I have already seen it and it's a great flick. Worth a viewing by anyone, even if you haven't seen the previous films or haven't been as into super hero movies as others. "Avengers" is easily the best superhero movie of all time. And no, "The Dark Knight" isn't a superhero movie. It's a crime drama. But I digress, let's get onto reviews.

DC Comics

Action Comics #9: Alternate reality stories are a dime a dozen, but done right, can leave a lasting impression.

Morrison uses this issue to play a commentary on the comics industry and what publishers are doing to their characters in today's market. It's very subtle in the beginning, but becomes very obvious as the issue goes on. With "Avengers" coming out this week, this issue couldn't have been released at a better time. Part of me is surprised DC allowed this to be published. Morrison's story also pokes and prods at the fan base, saying they are as much to blame as DC is when it comes to the "brand" of Superman. Dear god it's amazing to read. It's a great story in it's own right, but Morrison goes one further and makes the issue entertaining even more. These Supermen are genuinely different, and interesting at that. With so many alternate reality stories floating around these days, it's really hard for one to stand out. These stories need to "count" for fans to remember them. While this story may not "count," it's one that comic fans should read. When the issue starts, part of me thought that Morrison was going to be dealing with race, but that's thrown to the side quickly.

Gene Ha's pencils work a lot better in this issue than his recent Justice League issue. The issue is much quieter, which is Ha's strong point. Character's are very expressive. There is some action, but it flows much better. Jaws (not the shark) aren't as exaggerated, but they could still be toned down. If only Rag Morales could be this good month in and month out. Art Lyon's colors make Ha's pencils pop off the page. Luthor's gun looks great, and the futuristic scenes have the right amount of reflection off the giant neon signs.

Action Comics #9 gets 4.5/5.

DC Comic

Animal Man #9: Time to delve into the Red.

Jeff Lemire spends most of this issue dealing with how the Red works. It's an entity that has been at the forefront of this book, but hasn't been explained that much. Granted, we don't learn THAT much in this issue, but enough to ease the questions that have been plaguing it. It seems like most of the questions will be answered before this arc is done with. The Baker family are still nowhere near finding Swamp Thing, but seem to be getting some help from Justice League Dark (or just John Constantine) next month. The Baker family doesn't have much to do, which is a little sad. They are one of the best families in comics, so not using them to their fullest for an issue feels like a loss. This arc, at the moment, seems to just be stalling the overall plot. It's entertaining, so it's easy to not care when the plot stalls. Side note, great job by Lemire for incorporating Grant Morrison's famous issue of Animal Man, where Buddy met Morrison.

Steve Pugh has, like his past appearances in this book, done a great job of keeping the feel of the book. He isn't Travel Foreman, but it's hard for anyone to match that level of pencils. The Red is very creepy, with the Rot bubble taking the cake as creepiest thing. His design of the Rot is inspiring, striking a great balance of interesting but also weird. With an entity as ill defined as the Rot, a good design can go a long way. Again, good job by DC for getting an artist whose style so closely resembles the previous artist.

Animal Man #9

Marvel Comics

Avengers Academy #29: Time for the Academy to tie into AvX. But it's not the best start.

Christos Gage starts the issue off in a strong way. I miss Hercules, so it's good to see him have a spot in the world. It's very, VERY, funny, and in perfect tone with what Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak had been writing in Herc. Then AvX comes in and bogs the story down a degree. I commend Gage for catching readers up, but with an event like AvX, this much exposition isn't needed. It could have been skipped and the issue could have more focused on the kids. Gage makes the kids clash in an interesting way, with everything being believable. Of course some kids are going to want to watch the news while others are desperately looking for a distraction. With Sebastian Shaw's recent redemption though, I was surprised to see Gage turn him bad so fast. Although the way Shaw escapes was damn clever. Even with the ever growing cast, none of the characters are lost in the shuffle, which can happen in books like this. Gage even gives two relationships some time to talk and neither feel forced.

Tom Grummett's artwork is a mixed bag. Characters are inexplicably wearing bikini's for no reason, like X-23. I'm all for a little cheesecake, but it seemed very out of place. His Hercules hits the right comedic tone that Gage is going for. While not a big deal, why isn't Hercules wearing his new costume? The entire issue evokes a throwback sense, which fits well with Gage's script. The action flows well when Finesse and X-23 fight the robots. Grummett's work has been solid on this book, but it could be a lot better. His style suits the spandex crowd great though, so Academy is a good fit.

Avengers Academy #29 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers vs X-Men #3: Time for the battle to get personal.

I'll say this, it's good that this book is double shipped. Otherwise I'm not sure this story would work. If this series only had one issue released a month, the pacing would be all over the place. While I'm sure the double shipping was a reason to make more money, it's working well story wise as well.

The big problem with this issue is Cap's characterization. I was a little surprised considering Ed Brubaker wrote the script for this issue. He's very violent fast. It seems like he was forced into this so that he will "see that he was wrong" by the end of the story. This hint is dropped when Iron Man speaks to Steve, and it does invoke a Civil War feel. Having Wolverine in the center (much like Spider-Man in Civil War) is a great decision. The way he gets there though, doesn't work. When using the Marvel AR app, Brubaker said in a video that the fight didn't end up the way he originally planned. With this issue focused on Cap and Wolverine, I was hoping to be able to say "This was clearly written by Ed Brubaker" by the end of it. But I couldn't. His voice was molded to fit the norm of the event. While not a bad thing overall, this single issue suffers. The rest of the issue is entertaining as usual. Having Cyclops surrender, then trick them was a good plan. There isn't much fighting, but it had to take a break sometime.

John Romita Jr's artwork continues to be a big selling point for this series. Characters are much more expressive and detailed than previous issues. The big double page spread of characters is one of the highlights. His Ben Grimm has never looked better. But Spider-Woman still has The big Cap vs Wolverine action scene looked beautiful. With the right inker and colorist, his artwork can be perfect. Scott Hanna (inks) and Laura Martin (colors) are doing a great job. Martin has always been the go to colorist for events, and that continues here.

Avengers vs X-Men #3 gets 3/5 (Cap's characterization really stuck with me more in the second and third read, so the score went down from 4/5).

Marvel Comics

Daredevil #12: Another grea-...............wait boobies?

Mark Waid delivers what seems to be another .1 issue for his series. This issue deals with Matt's history with Foggy, as well as his first date with the Assistant D.A., Kirsten McDuffie. I use this adjective to often with this series, but the balance between the two stories is brilliant. Waid shows us how far Matt has come from his law school days, while also showing us how far Matt and Foggy have come. The story is touching, with the right amount of humor. The date storyline is also rather touching. Waid writes McDuffie as a great balance to Matt, and maybe the first level headed woman he has dated in a long while. That story is more on the humor side, with some great jokes near the beginning of the issue. The ending looks to finally end the Omega Effect, which should have happened in Daredevil #11. Yes, I'm still bitter over that. Daredevil continues to be the only book where I'm laughing hard, then suddenly worried, because Waid has thrown Matt into another suspenseful situation.

Chris Samnee makes his Daredevil debut, and his artwork is beautiful on every level. His character's are expressive and even look strangely lifelike at some points. His pencils fit the lighthearted tone that Waid has given this book. Samnee sells the jokes that Waid puts in the first few pages. Samnee goes with the little things to show the difference in age of Matt. Like his hair, or style of red glasses. The same with Foggy. With Marcos Martin seemingly gone from the book, Samnee is a great choice to fill that hole. His and Rivera's pencils contrast well. So now I have another artist to give nothing but praise for their work.

Daredevil #12 gets 5/5.

Marvel Comics

Defenders #6: An Iron First story written by Matt Fraction. What's not to love.

Fraction bring the vast Iron Fist mythos crashing down on the Defenders. Fans of his Immortal Iron Fist series will know everything that is referenced, but others will be very lost. As I am a big fan of that series, I understood everything. Fraction peppers the script with the whimsical humor that has become the norm with this book. The plot does get stranger, but in a good way. Fraction delves into the history of these weird engines again, and it just whets the appetite for the reader. As with the past few issues focusing on single members, the overall story keeps moving along well. While it might not be making huge leaps forward, it's make some time of progress. Fraction is known for slow burn stories, so I'm ready to wait for this story to show it's end game. It's good to see the team interacting with the rest of the Marvel universe too, even if it's only a few panels. Many have been complaining about this book, with many fan-people crying that it should be cancelled. I disagree. Defenders is one of the few books that doesn't take itself all that seriously, and it's a little out there. Defenders stands out amongst the rest of my pull list, and is a treat each month to read.

Victor Ibanez takes over art duties this month, and his art suits the Immortal Weapons well. The artwork has the same feel as the Immortal Iron Fist had when Aja was penciling. John Aman's kung fu moves look great. That is the only action though, with the majority of the issue being talking heads. These panels do look good, with Ibanez getting to focus more on the reactions and expressions. John Aman's entrance was handled well, and even hit the comedic punch well.

Defenders #6 gets 4/5.

DC Comics

Dial H #1: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here to read that review.

DC Comics

Earth 2 #1: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here to read that review.

Marvel Comics

Exiled #1: Time for another Marvel mini-event.

Exiled is very rooted in the Journey Into Mystery book. But with Mephisto attached to the New Mutants, might as well bring them along. The first issue of this mini-event is very enjoyable. It has the classic DnA witt, but also the fantasy that Kieron Gillen has been infusing into Journey. DnA and Gillen have the same writing style, so it's natural that any reader would have a problem guessing who wrote which page. While the two books occupy very different aspects of the Marvel universe, the book works very well. It mostly plays off Loki and his dealings with the Disir, and the hell hounds. The only thing that worries me about this event, and it's more about a specific book, is that Journey Into Mystery is going from mini-event to mini-event. Isn't that what brought down Herc last year? There is a lot going on in this issue, which is going to turn off quite a few people. But the people who have been reading these books (and you should be reading these books), will find a good tale, and a good start to the event.

Carmine Di Giandomencico's pencils are usually a mixed bag with me. Some stories, like his Spider-Man: Noir and Invincible Iron Man Annual #1, are great work. But then there are times like Iron Man 2.0, where it's just blah. But this book seems to be more of the former. Character's are expressive, and he hits the fantasy atmosphere that Gillen has brought to Journey into Mystery. His pencils seem a tad out of place when it comes to the New Mutants aspects, but only slightly. Hell looks great, with the bridge of eyeball making me take a second look at it (see what I did there). The only thing I don't like is his Warlock. For some reason, he just doesn't look right.

Exiled #1 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Invincible Iron Man #516: Time for Tony to fight back.

As said in my Defenders #6 review, Matt Fraction is very much a slow burn writer. It's not decompression, it's the fact that these stories work better when everything is slowed down. Especially in Iron Man, where every arc is one big chess game between Tony and someone else. While the arc title suggests that things are only going to get worse for Tony, but he is going to go out in his own way. And that's where this book has always excelled. It takes the reader into unknown territory with Iron Man each and every arc. The Mandarin's and Ezekiel Stane's side arc, about Stane hating the Mandarin now, is starting to make it's fruition. But the big reveal is who Spymaster was in Tony's company. It's been a long time coming (over two years worth of issues ago). Fraction treats us long time readers, and the scene is very heartfelt. The issue really builds up the fact that Tony thinks he is coming back, but who really knows what will happen.

Salvador Larroca's pencils are what you would expect after doing nearly fifty issues with Fraciton. Suits look amazing, and faces leave something to be desired. But with the last few months, his faces have been starting to improve. And that is they're not as weirdly shiny and look more human. The suit battles have looked great as always.

Invincible Iron Man #516 gets 4.5/5.

DC Comics

Swamp Thing #9: Scott Snyder continues his Swamp Thing epic.

A lot of the relaunched books are starting to stall in their respective plots, but Swamp Thing isn't. Ok, it is to a degree, but it's more entertaining than most of the books anyways. Scott Snyder writes one big battle scene, but it shows the true power of the Rot. It can be used for good, as shown by Abigail. It turns the tide in the entire book, but also in Animal Man, if the ramifications are indeed that vast. With the plot moving along fairly regularly in every issue, it's ok for #9 to hit the brakes and slow down. The ending opens up a whole new barrel of monkeys for Swamp Thing to face. Part of the story doesn't pop as much as the first few pages, but that might be the problem with the art, and not the story. One surprising thing is that Snyder hans't mentioned Animal Man at all, when Animal Man has been mentioning this book every month for some time now.

Yanick Paquette and Marco Rudy split this issue. Paquette is on his game, as usual. The panels flow in an organic way, while also looking much like a plant. But Rudy's pencils don't live up to the story. Snyder's script doesn't work as well because of Rudy's pencils are very muddled. It makes it hard to understand what is going on. The last few pages are great, and the organic panel flow rivals Paquette's. A better idea would to have Rudy pencil the entire issue, so Paquette could have the time off to pencil the entire next issue. Having the two split the time isn't bad, but it does damper the issue.

Swamp Thing #9 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Venom #17: Damn can Rick Remender (and Cullen Bunn) write a diverse book.

Venom, while always being a Spidey meets Punisher style book, really throws each of those to the extreme this month. Most of the issue revolves around Flash trying to take down Crime Master to save his family. For a fairly thin plot, it's very entertaining. Crime Master is a witty bastard, spouting one line that made me laugh really hard. Eddie Brock comes back, and wow does the ending set up a lot of things. Cullen Bunn helps Rick Remender this month, and their voices mesh well together. A reader can't tell who is writing what. It helps their style is somewhat similar. The idea of Flash having his own Sinister Six is a great one, and makes this book more like Spider-Man, while also doing it's own thing. Spider-Man fans should be reading this book.

Kev Walker's style works more this month. With a symbiote in the book, it gives Walker much more to pencil. His pencils are very suited for crazy things, and Eddie Brock as Scream is great looking. Walker nails the more personal panels, with the reader easily being able to see the desperation in Flash's face. While Remender has done a great job of making the reader care for Flash, artists like Walker have done a great job of selling that fact even more. Some of the panels look similar to Tony Moore's, which is a high compliment to give any penciler.

Venom #17 gets 5/5.

What will the after credits scene of "Avengers" mean to Marvel?

2012-04-30T12:30:00.003-04:00

For those of you who have seen "Avengers," there is a mid credits scene that shows....well something. Here is my article on Comic Book Therapy about the scene

HUGE SPOILER WARNING. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN "AVENGERS" OR DON'T MIND BEING SPOILED

I'll admit that the scene has no real connection to the plot and is more of a teaser than a huge reveal.

Comic Reviews for 4/25

2012-04-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

Somewhat short week this week. I attended Boston Comic Con this past weekend and had a great time. Click here to read my recap of that. Glad it exploded the way it did. It seems like Boston is more and more becoming a big stop for Cons. Anyways, lets get started on reviews.

Dark Horse Comics

Angel & Faith #9: Much like the TV show, Angel is better than Buffy right now.

Christos Gage ends the Daddy Issues arc well. Long time fans of the series, and even knew fans will have their heart strings tugged at. Gage has shown before that he has a great hold on Angel, but #9 puts that on display to it's fullest. Gage's script perfectly shows why Angel is still an interesting character to this day and why fans love him still. Faith also gets some time, but this issue is all about Angel and his hard decisions. This issue will ultimately haunt Angel for some time, even if Faith forgives him. Gage writes the action scenes with plenty of suspense and full of emotion. You're reading this thinking "C'mon Angel! GO ANGEL!" That doesn't happen very often in comics, let alone on a regular basis in the same series. As always with Gage's scripts, I can hear the actors saying their lines in my head. The only complaint I have is that I have to wait another month to buy #10.

Rebekah Issacs pencils her best issue to date. Much like Gage's script, it's full of emotion, with the reader being able to see Angel's eyes and see how he feels instantly. Darla going from sane to insane in three panels is simply inspiring, as Issacs hits every emotion pitch perfect. Action scenes look great as always. Even with highly populate scenes, characters retain a great amount of detail. Issacs really has made a fantastic name for herself on this series. Her career can only go up from this book.

Angel & Faith #9 gets 4.5/5.

DC Comics

Aquaman #8: Yep, Aquaman is still cool. Just checking.

Geoff Johns had a fairly straight forward first arc, but he's going deep into the Aquaman mythology in this arc. It's fun to see a young Arthur, showing us how far he has come as a hero since he was younger. But even with all the mythos diving, Johns still gives Mera and Arthur some nice character moments. The there panel joke about Ya'Wara's and Aquaman's connection was pure genius. #8 is all about the past, with Johns flipping between many time periods without skipping a beat. Even the opening couple of pages add a lot to the history of Aquaman. I'm a reader who had never read an Aquaman story before this series, so it's good to have Johns touch on the past. Much more questions are brought up then solved, but enough are teased to keep readers around. Everything is interesting and hooks the reader in for next month.

Ivan Reis and Joe Prado (who I met recently are insanely nice guys) deliver a beautiful issue. The switch from big action scenes to quite character driven moments with ease. The big double page spread of the Others making their team debut looks fantastic, and is frame worthy. And when I say frame worth, I mean I'm going to take the staples out of the book and frame those two pages. The character designs look fantastic, hitting an Invaders style of costumes. Prado's inks are great as well.

Aquaman #8 gets 4/5.

Marvel Coimcs

Captain America #10: Ed Brubaker ends another arc, but it doesn't feel like it ends.

Brubaker's long from story sometimes doesn't translate well into single issues. And this is the problem with #10. It doesn't seem like anything has ended. Cap had a problem and it was quickly fixed, but everything else is just eh. It's still entertaining, but doesn't feel as substantial as other Cap arcs. Powerless had a great idea, with the mad bombs attacking people and playing off the 99% thing going on. But it didn't delve enough into that. Brubaker has always incorporated current political climates well, so having one arc not hit well enough isn't as big of a complaint. Overall, this arc seems to have stalled to overall plot with Madame HYDRA. The end is good, but doesn't feel like the proper ending that this arc needed.

But where Brubaker's script falters, Alan Davis' art soars. He has always been the master craftsmen, and that continues. Every character is expressive, with insane Falcon being the best. It's clear in his eyes that he doesn't want to do this, but he can't control himself. That takes a lot of talent to get across to the reader. The action scenes convey the hectic nature that Brubaker is going for. Davis doesn't have a problem with the placement of characters in the scene too, which would be a problem for a lesser artist.

Captain America #10 gets 3.5/5 (I love this issue, but after a reread, Brubaker's lack of plot for the entire arc bothered me).

Marvel Comics

Daredevil #11: The Omega Effect is over, but it isn't?

Mark Waid finishes off the event in great fashion. The issue focuses on Daredevil trying to save Cole from being like Frank Castle. Murdock's speech is very emotional and it's clear Waid is very invested in what he is writing. Even though this event is very serious, Waid writes a few good one liners for Murdock. But then comes the ending. A lot of people are not going to like the ending. I'm one of them. But the Omega Effect has been a lot of fun, so it's not like it undermines everything that has come before this issue. But nothing happens. It just ends with nothing being resolved. Looking at the covers of the future issues, it seems like it will be resolved in Daredevil #13, but why not here? When we were promised this? Omega Effect is still one of the best Marvel events in a while, but it could have been THE best Marvel event in a while.

There is one thing that people won't have to argue about, and that is Marco Checchetto's fabulous artwork. His rendition of Daredevil's sonar sense rivals Paolo Rivera's. The huge battle scene looks great, and the characters, even in the background, are stunningly detailed. I miss Checchetto's Spider-Man. He's one of the few artist who embrace the skinny/lanky body structure that Spider-Man had when he was first starting out as a hero. Characters are very expressive even when they have masks on. It's been a great month, having three issues of Checchetto's work.

Daredevil #11 gets 4/5.

DC Comics

The Flash #8: This review is up on Comic Book Therapy. Click here to read that review

Marvel Comics

Moon Knight #12: Alas, another Moon Knight series has ended.

Brian Michael Bendis does a great job of closing out all the threads in this series. Some might be a little disappointed by the Nefaria vs Moon Knight finale, but it fits with the logical theme that this Moon Knight volume has been going for. In classic Bendis fashion, the book flips back and forth between tense and wit. The ending hints at more to come of the character, which will please fans. The ending also hints at the Age of Ultron, an event that has been hinted at as early as the middle of 2011. Sadly nothing else is given in the way information, just that it is coming. This current volume of Moon Knight has been easily the best in recent memory. I'll admit I haven't read every issue of Moon Knight, but Bendis had something special with this book. It's sad no one bought it. But, like most books that don't sell well, it will live on in trade paperbacks and hardcovers.

Alex Maleev's artwork was great on this book. He's cured his problem of his action scenes being stiff, and also using less photo tracing. Moon Knight is probably his best work since his and Bendis' run on Daredevil. After speaking with Maleev at Boston Con, Scarlet should be coming back in September, so we won't have to wait much longer to get another dose of his artwork.

Moon Knight #12 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Secret Avengers #26: After Rick Remender's great first arc, time to tie into Avengers vs X-Men.

Remender starts the tie in arc well. Remender explores the thought of potentially dying in the next few days well, having the team show every side of the die. By the looks of the team, it seems like Remender's main plot would have been left by the wayside, but not so fast. Beast gives Captain Britain a very harsh speech, which will have effects on the main plot. It's perfectly written, and looks to be a turning point for Captain Britain. Much as I suspected, this book looks like it's going to bring Carol Danvers into the Captain Marvel role. The way Remender brings this in is a little convoluted, as to WHY the Kree are suddenly bringing Marvel back is a little ambiguous. This needs a good amount of explanation in the coming issues. And we have the second fake out of War Machine's death in the same amount of months. If Rhody actually dies anytime soon, I'm not going to believe it.

Renato Guedes pencils this issue, and his style isn't fit well for a big cosmic story. Characters look ugly, and rather rushed. Whether that's his fault or Marvel gave him this assignment late isn't know. War Machine has a few derp faces once he enters anywhere but the foreground. Thor looks like he has the flu, as he is much thinner than in other books. Guedes wasn't a good choice for artist on this book. His pencils look great for demons and talking head panels, but not for space.

Secret Avengers #26 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Uncanny X-Men #11: Damn, Greg Land is back.

Kieron Gillen takes a route in the same vein of Avengers vs X-Men: VS #1, and that most of the issue is people fighting. Gillen mostly adds inner monologues to fights we saw in Avengers vs X-Men #2, which isn't a bad thing. Gillen adds some great lines to characters, and this issue does exactly what a tie in should do: show us what the lesser characters are doing when the main characters are in the main book. Fans will be happy at some of Hope's thoughts, as they help clarify one of the more controversial scenes in Avengers vs X-Men #2. Most of the issue deals with Colossus and Red Hulk fighting. It's entertaining while also having some genius strategy. The ending too, is great strategy in war. Unit also makes an appearance, but otherwise, Gillen's overall plot is completely dropped.

Greg Land is back as penciler, and his pencils aren't as bad as they can be. It helps that women are mostly absent in this issue. Yeah, the women do revert to the normal "hip thrown to the side" look that all do. Hope's bust line constantly changes. The Colossus vs Red Hulk fight looked good, with Land giving it a brutal feel. Namor's smirk could give any reader a smile. While not Land's best work (Avenging Spider-Man #4), it's also not his worst.

Uncanny X-Men #11 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine #305: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for that review

Old Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #684 gets 4.5/5.
Avengers #25 gets 4/5.
New Avengers #24 gets 3.5/5.
Uncanny X-Force #24 gets 5/5.

Comic Reviews for 4/18

2012-04-20T21:33:00.002-04:00

Now we are in full gear with Avengers vs X-Men. The tie ins are starting to be released. The same with Night of the Owls. Was a good week, with a few books missing the mark, but most of them were good. Boston Comic Con is this weekend (April 21st-22nd) and I will be there tweeting till the battery on my phone is dead. Will hopefully catch a couple of panels as well. But on with the show!

Marvel Comics

Avengers vs X-Men #2: Gotta give the book credit, it doesn't lie about what it is.

The one thing that this event has had going for it is that both sides are very understanding. This didn't happen in Civil War, where the pro-registration side were shown as evil bastards. Jason Aaron delivers on lots of fighting, with minimal plot development. But the title is called Avengers vs X-Men, so this shouldn't be surprising to anyone buying this. And since it ships on a bi-weekly schedule, it's easier for one full issue to be fighting. It looks like the next issue will leave Utopia, which works in it's favor. Aaron goes against normalcy and adds dramatic narration, and it works very well. It sets the tone of this event being an all out war, much in the way of the Civil War (the real one, not the comic one). Friend against friend. Tragedy is built throughout the issue. While I question Wolverine attacking Hope right away, it still seems like great strategy. One thing I'd like to see in the next couple of issues is a clear statement of what the Avengers and X-Men have planned if the Phoenix Force comes to Hope.

John Romita Jr. continues to be the master story teller. A lesser artist wouldn't be able to contain all the detail in every character, or have them look anything but rushed. Everything looks great. Action scenes are brutal, with the reader feeling every broken bone from the heroes. JRJR seems to have fixed the problem with Cyclops' eye beam, giving it the right amount of angle to make it seem like it's shooting into the background. There are only two weak panels. When Hope is running near the end of the book, and Magik bringing Dr. Strange into Limbo. But when the rest of the issue is beautiful, who could care less.

Avengers vs X-Men #2 gets 4/5.

DC Comics

Batman #8: The review for this is on Comic Book Therapy. Click here to see the review

Marvel Comics

The Defenders #5: Matt Fraction's odd book continues their character focused issue.

Fraction does a good job of giving readers a reason to sympathize and like Namor. He is a very egotistical character, sometimes to the point where he is unlikable. Tying Namor into Captain Nemo was a stroke of genius. It fits well with the history of the character and adds a bit of depth to him. Fraction also moves along his plot well enough, keeping readers interested in this sometimes very high concept idea. With this the third member centric issue coming next month, Fraction has done a great job of leading from one story to the next without it seeming forced. It flows naturally from one member to the next. As per usual with Fraction's Defenders, the book is very funny, with Red She-Hulk becoming the lighting rod for it. At least when Danny Rand isn't in the issue, she is. With the next one focusing on Iron Fist, it will be filled with humor. And the Immortal Weapons are making a return, so that's enough of a reason to buy it as any.

Mitch Breitweiser's pencils have been good in the past, but don't fit well with this trippy book. His pencils are very reminiscent of Sean Phillips in Marvel Zombies. Good, but not exactly great for the scenario. When the scenes quiet down, and leave the ocean, the pencils start to shine. But having so much in the page muddles everything. With every character having breath bubbles around their face, it makes everything hard to make out. It doesn't help that Mitch and Bettie Breitweiser's colors are flat, unlike the past few issues which were vibrant and popping off the page.

The Defenders #5 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

The Incredible Hulk #7: One good thing about this issue, Whilce Portacio is done on art.

Jason Aaron deals with the ramifications of last issue very well. Hulk's characterization is well enough, and it makes the future of this book interesting. While the art has been horrendous, Aaron's take on Hulk has kept me around each month. One thing that this issue did wrong was Von Doom's (female) role. She was there to spout one liners, bad ones mostly, and take panel time away from the Jade Giant. Hopefully she won't appear much in future issue, or Aaron will find a reason for her to be around each month. Hulk's inner monologue, while Banner is being killed, is very strong, and really help sell the situation. With the first arc done, I wouldn't call this series a success yet. It's interesting, but on the edge of being dropped from the pull list. With the next arc having Hulk being in a Crank type scenario, the book looks to keep readers on.

Since Whilce Portacio has been on the book, I have wished that the book wasn't a comic. Why is this guy still employed? Unlike some artists, John Romita Jr for example, his style has not aged well. It's just plain bad to look at. Characters are rigid and have weird facial expressions. Characters continuously change shape from panel to panel. Thank god he is no longer on this book. Him leaving has kept my hopes high for the future of this book.

The Incredible Hulk #7 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Invincible Iron Man #515: Tony has hit rock bottom.......again.

Matt Fraction has made this book a must for kicking Tony Stark to the ground every time. And by god is it entertaining. As the cover shows, Rhody gets hit hard. Fraciton makes the scene counts, and even tough it's a cop out, makes the reader feel for Rhody and Tony. And while it's fun to see Tony get his ass kicked, it's more fun to see how he fights back. #515 acts as a transition issue. There isn't much to say, with the book being a big fight scene and the characters getting ready for the turn around. While I'm fine with characters dying, the cop out at the end wasn't as effective. It's clear Rhody wouldn't die, as why have him die when more Iron Man movies will be coming out very soon. A better way would be for this to start a new War Machine book, with him being a Winter Soldier like character.

Salvador Larroca's artwork is well known by now. Occasionally faces look bad, but the big suit fights always look good. Faces look better than usual this month though. Overall everything looks better this month. I assume this series will take a slight downgrade in art with Larroca doing the Avengers vs X-Men Vs #2 book. Whenever he is stretched thin, his artwork always suffered, even with him being able to pencil more than one issue a month. Rhody's big fight scene looks huge, with Whirlwind's powers being one of the better looking panels.

Invincible Iron Man #515 gets 3.5/5.

DC Comics

Justice League #8: The backup is starting to outshine the main story.

Geoff Johns has been doing a very safe job with Justice League. Nothing bad, but nothing great either. I'll start with one of my usual complains with this book, and that is Wonder Woman still doesn't get any character development. Green Arrow has been in this book for one issue and he already has more lines than Wonder Woman has in the entire eight issues. Johns needs to change this, as she is a main part of the Justice League. Otherwise, the issue is good. Arrow's repeated attempts to become part of the League is rather funny. Batman's and Green Lantern's back and forth never gets old. I'm not sure why this issue somewhat ties into Night of the Owls. It doesn't add anything to the plot of either Justice League or the event. The Martian Manhunter tease got me excited none the less.

The Shazam backup is starting to get deeper into the character of Billy. But in the very short time that Johns has, he gives some great character moments for Billy and the rest of his foster family. I'd love to see him write a whole issue for this character. Gary Frank's art holds up as well. It's incredibly detailed and every character is pure personality. It's only talking heads, but I couldn't help but reread the backup so that I could look at the issue more.

Carlos D'Anda, and Ivan Reis with Joe Prado are guest artists this month. D'Anda's art is good, but a tiny bit cartoony. Characters lose a good amount of detail when they are in the background. But the action works well, and Arrow has the confident/asshole look that the character needs. Ivan Reis blows D'Anda's art out the water though. His amazing work on Aquaman continues on the few pages he pencils. Having him in this book is worth the $3.99

Justice League #8 gets 3/5.

Image Comics

The Manhattan Projects #2: While #1 set up this insanely high premise series, #2 slows down to set up the characters.

The Manhattan Projects is going to be one of those books that is great when marathoning. #2 is all about characters. This is fine, but when #1 brought up a plethora of amazing ideas, it would have been great for Jonathan Hickman to touch upon these things. But #2 sets up these characters so that when the big plot points come around in future issues, we will know them better for it. The characters are compelling, and very likable. There are a good amount of characters thrown at us, and Hickman gives the readers a great feel of all of them. This was a problem (in my opinion) in S.H.I.E.L.D. It's fun to see Hickman play around with famous scientists. He deals with World War II politics very well, and makes the well known history seem fresh and interesting. A history major like myself loves this book. And yes, we always need more Death Buddhists.

Nick Pitarra's art isn't as extravagant as the previous issue, but it's still good. It's more that he isn't given as many crazy things to pencil as #1. His pencils still look a lot like Chris Burnham, and that is a great compliment. All the famous people look like they should, but it's clear Pitarra put his own spin on them. I'd like to see #3 give him more crazy things to pencil. Or more Death Buddhists. Yeah, I'm going to start looking for them every month.

The Manhattan Projects #2 gets 3.5/5.

DC Comics

Nightwing #8: Kyle Higgins is starting to rival Batman as the best Bat book.

Ok, that might be a little extreme, but his Nightwing has slowly been building up to be a fantastic book. #8 tells the story of Dick battling a Talon while we learn the history of how this Talon came to be. Higgins balances the story perfectly, giving each enough time to flow well without one taking up to much room. Some might see who the person is right away, but others like me were genuinely surprised by who it is. After rereading the book, it makes complete sense, and Higgins wrote it perfectly. Higgins has been brilliantly brining Dick's past to haunt him in new and compelling ways, so with the final page revelation, #9 is no doubt going to be as good or better than this issue. And that is saying a lot. Higgins also doesn't lean to heavily on Scott Snyder's story in Batman, quickly tying into it then moving on.

As with the res of Eddy Barrows' art on Nightwing, it's clear he loves his new job on this book. His constantly changing panels keep the reader on their toes each issue. Characters are expressive, even when lots of things are going on. Nightwing seems like an acrobat in the fighting scenes. The final few pages are bloody and brutal, making the reader really feel for Dick and wonder about his future. Even though we know nothing serious will be happening to him.

Nightwing #8 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

The Punisher #10: After a good, but ordinary, start, the Omega Effect kicks into high gear.

Greg Rucka keeps the tone of Avenging Spider-Man #6, even when he is the only writer here. Unlike Avenging Spider-Man though, the issue doesn't focus on Frank. That's not a bad thing though. Rucka gives every character plenty of time to advance their individual plot line. What surprised me was how fast Frank gave Cole (Alves!) a Punisher vest. It's very symbolic and I figured it would be coming much later into the series. Another big surprise was how witty Spider-Man was. He's a great writer of crime dramas, but for some reason he never seemed like a good Spider-Man writer. He has proven that wrong. The plan that the four of them take is cool, and makes sense with the four of them working together. The small addition of rubber bullets was a nice touch by Rucka.

Marco Checchetto. Dear lord this man can do no wrong. Characters don't have much in the way of facial expressions, but with this being a very serious story, this isn't a problem. That was a problem when he was one of the few artist on Amazing Spider-Man during the Brand New Day era. But Daredevil and Spider-Man are fairly expressive, even when they have masks on. There are plenty of characters in each panel, but each has a great amount of detail. The quick shots of the fights give the reader a great sense of what the entire fight was like.

The Punisher #10 gets 4.5/5.

Dynamite Comics

The Shadow #1: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for the review.

Marvel Comics

Venom #16: Rick Remender gives us another one and done story, and god damn is it great.

Flash Thompson is becoming the new Tony Stark. The character is most interesting when something bad is happening to him. But he has that Spider-Man side to him that keeps him somewhat hopeful when things start to get down. And things get down in Venom #16. Venom becomes more intertwined into the Spider-Man section of the Marvel universe, with the Hobgoblin attacking him. It ties nicely into what Rick Remender has told in previous issues while building on it. While the Fly is always known as a D-list character, he is used perfectly here. The ending will hit fans of this book hard, and one has to wonder how much farther down Remender is going to push Flash. His recent addition to the Secret Avengers should help all of this, but we shall see. The perfect way to describe the ending is, "damn." That's how the reader feels and Flash must feel after this issue.

Kev Walker pencils this issue, and his somewhat cartoony pencils work very well. To bad Remender didn't pencil a scene where the symbiote goes nuts. I feel like that would be a sight to behold under Walker. The Fly looks almost as great as he did under Tony Moore. The Hobgoblin looks fantastic, balancing the terrifying and humorous look that is needed for a character like this. Sometimes Humberto Ramos has a problem with that over on Amazing Spider-Man. While I do miss Lan Medina, Walker is a great guest penciler.

Venom #16 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine & the X-Men #9: This review is over on Comic Book Therapy. Click here for the review

Old Coimcs
Amazing Spider-Man #683 gets 4/5
Batgirl #8 gets 4/5
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #9 gets 4.5/5

When Will C-List Books Come Back?

2012-04-15T15:15:00.001-04:00

Hawkeye #2 (Marvel Comics, via IGN)

With the recent announcement of a new Hawkeye series, by the Immortal Iron Fist team of Matt Fraction and David Aja, it has become painfully obvious....when will C-lister books come back to Marvel. C-listers are books that focus on character or teams that aren't as well known as your A or B listers. Hawkeye, I'd say is a B-lister. Many C-listers are fan favorites though, and have had fans clamoring for years for new ongoings. Gambit, who seems to be getting a new ongoing in August, is one of them. But why won't Marvel take chances like fans have been hoping?

Gambit teaser (Marvel Comics)

The main reason is the market. People aren't buying as many comics as they were, and Marvel learned that the hard way. Many miniseries and ongoings were cancelled near the end of 2011. The easiest way for these books to make a resurgence would be for the market to turn around. Books like Herc and X-23 would have been around much longer if the market wasn't in such a rough place. Even when a C-lister book has a great creative team, like the most recent volume of Moon Knight, that's no guarantee that it will be around for long. When putting Brian Michael Bendis' and Alex Maleev's name on a book won't help it sell, then it's almost hopeless.

It seems like the only way for C-lister books to stay around longer than 10 issues in this market is to bring them into spotlight first. A great example of this is the new Captain Marvel book that is coming out in July. It seems that, in the pages of Secret Avengers, she will get the mantle. Doing this will make Carol Danvers a bigger part of the Marvel universe, thus making her book one of the "must reads" of Marvel. Nova seems to be getting a new series eventually, due to his new inclusion in Avengers vs X-Men. The thing that puzzles me is the new Gambit series. Unless he has a big part in Avengers vs X-Men, it seems it will have the problem of the most recent volume of Moon Knight. Now, we don't know the creative team attached to this book, but it seems to be in the same predicament.

The one strategy that doesn't seem to work anymore is launching a book during an event. During Fear Itself, Herc, Alpha Flight, and Ghost Rider were all launched during the Serpent's War. And what happened to them? Herc was cancelled after 10 issues, Ghost Rider after nine, and Alpha Flight was upgraded to an ongoing and then immediately demoted to a miniseries. Books need to have a good footing before they are launched. Herc, who was in Fear Itself in #3, then went into Spider-Island immediately after Fear Itself. The book never had an identity of it's own. And by the time it started to find it's footing, Marvel cancelled it.

With many rumors of Marvel starting a new volume of Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova, one can only hope that this will be the start of a great resurgence of C-lister books. I'll have my fingers crossed for a new Iron Fist book.

Comic Reviews for 4/11

2012-04-15T11:19:00.001-04:00

There are plenty of reviews this week. I think there is almost 15. Recently I started writing at Comic Book Therapy . Make sure to check them out, as I'll be posting a few comic reviews, opinion pieces, and movie reviews there. And while I normally don't do this on the comic site, go see Cabin in the Woods. It's the best movie of the year so far. With that said, let's get started

Image Comics

America's Got Powers #1: This review is up on Comic Book Therapy. Click here to see the review.

Marvel Comics

Avenging Spider-Man #6: The Omega Effect starts here.

Mark Waid and Greg Rucka take turns writing this issue. It's one of the better examples of multiple writers, with different styles, cohesively. It's impossible to see where one writer ends and where one begins. With this issue focusing on Spider-Man, he gets the narrations for this issue. The jokes are sharp and hysterical, especially the one about the "Punisherette." Even Daredevil gets a few good quips in. But the majority of the issue is recapping how each character got to this issue. That's fine for new readers, but old readers will be turned off. Each series (sans this one) has lead into the event well enough that this type of recap wasn't needed. The team's plan is sound enough, and it should whet the excitement of fans more.

Marco Checchetto pencils are on top, as always. The action scenes flow well, and I remember why he was one of the better Spider-Man artists in the Brand New Day era. One thing that I noticed was how awesome his Reed Richards looks. He might need to consider penciling an issue or two of Fantastic Four or FF. Considering he has to pencils three issues for this month, the pencils don't look rushed. Then again, this is the first issue, so only time will tell.

Avenging Spider-Man #6 gets 3.5/5.

Dark Horse

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #8: Time to find out why Buffy is suddenly a robot.

There have been a lot of controversial story lines this season. The big one, Buffy's pregnancy, is whisked away here. Andrew Chambliss writes it away well enough, but it seems like a very quick change. Hopefully fanboys didn't get to Chambliss and changed it because of that. Chambliss gives a lot of explanation for some of the events of this season. It's fun, and in traditional Buffy fashion, nothing goes to plan. Fans of Andrew will be happy, since he is one of the main characters in this issue. He's hysterical as usual, and Chambliss makes his nerd rambling irresistible to read. One other thing that I found odd was how angry Xander got at Dawn. It was out of left field and will hopefully be explained. Xander has always been a relaxed character.

Scott Allie comes in for art, but sadly it's not that good. Characters look rather elf like when the panels zoom out, and they don't look much like their actor counterparts. Once the panels zoom in on close ups, yeah, Buffy looks exactly like Sarah Michelle Gellar, but she should the entire issue. The entire issue is ok, but when we have seen pencilers like Rebekah Issacs penciling these characters, every other penciler needs to step up their game.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #8 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Deadpool #53: Now this is more like it. The entire Dead arc should have been like this.

Daniel Way has always had the problem of putting to many voice boxes into his dialogue. He toned them down recently, but brought them back during Dead. They are gone this issue, and it really helps. #53 perfectly straddles the tone of black humor and morbid depressing. That's who Deadpool is. His entire conversation with Bob is long overdue and hits the tone that this entire arc should have been. Serious with humor cut in. By the end of the issue, it seems clear that Wade has learned something from all of this. Way even moves the overall Dead plot along, while not as much as past issues. Although we know nothing will happen to Wade, as the solicitations have made it clear, hopefully Way will give Dead a satisfactory ending.

Ale Garza's art is to cartoony for it's own good. That's not to say the entire issue was bad, but some scenes need more seriousness than is given. The one double page spread is fairly tame. And like most artists, Garza forgets to make Psylocke Asian. But he does make the art count when Wade and Bob have their emotion filled conversation. It's clear Bob is pissed and venting years of repression. Deadpool's expression after hearing all of this works great as well.

Deadpool #53 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Fantastic Four #605: After the epic that was the previous arc, it's time to take some quiet time.

Jonathan Hickman takes some time to discuss the ramifications of the serum that Ben took during the Four arc. The one that lets him be human for one week a year. What Hickman does with a small thing like that is extraordinary. It's a great tale about Ben Grimm and why he is such a great character, and really the heart of the Fantastic Four. As with much of Hickman's run, it works better if you have read the entire thing, but Fantastic Four fans should be able to pick this up and enjoy it throughly. It ties in with the last arc well, but Hickman never loses sight of what the issue is focusing on. The final page is very touching, and one of the more memorable scenes in Hickman's run. With his run ending very soon, it's nice to have small moments like this to end it with. If you are looking for a good jumping on point, this might be a better than #605.1.

Ron Garney's scratchy style doesn't seem like it would fit well with the Fantastic Four, but it works really well. It's much more tamed than his time on Wolverine: Weapon X, but still good. The big futuristic cities look fantastic. As the story focuses on Ben Grimm, it's natural that Ben would look great. Garney's style works well with the rocky character, especially when he gets a beard. Much like the writing, the last page looks fantastic, and Garney gives the characters some great subtle facial movements.

Fantastic Four #605 gets 5/5.

DC Comics

Green Lantern #8: Just as you thought, the Indigo tribe is really creepy.

Much of the issue deal with Hal Jordan escaping from his prison. And while some bad things happen to Sinestro, and we learn a little bit about the Indigo tribe, the real treat for me was how Hal recharged his ring. It was awesome, and thoroughly bad ass. During Brightest Day and War of the Green Lanterns, Hal became somewhat of a gun how idiot and not as fun to read. But the reboot has done wonders for him. The revelation about the "savior" of the Indigo tribe is interesting, even if slightly predictable. Looking at Johns overall Green Lantern epic, it's not surprising. Having Hal improvise when the power ring refuses to work was fun to read. I would have like more plot development, as the issue stalls to a degree. But it's an overall fun read, so it's not that big of a deal.

Doug Mahnke continues to step up his game. He had a few weak issues near the beginning of the nuDC, but having one issue off seems to have let him stop rushing. Alien characters are creepy, and motorbike Hal Jordan looks awesome. Mahnke gives the issue an action story feel, with the excitement flooding on each page. The reader keeps thing "Oh god is he going to make it?!" I'm sure that Hal Jordan on the motorcycle will be an action figure soon. As will Sinestro as in his Indigo tribe costume. That's what DC does. Mahnke's pencils are great though, and some of the best at DC

Green Lantern #8 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Journey Into Mystery #636: This is still the best book at Marvel that no one is reading.

Kieron Gillen might not be doing that well on Uncanny X-Men, but this title is awesome. The ending is logical, and classic Loki. I'll start off by getting it out of the way; yes, there is a double page spread of a board game. It threw me for a loop too. But it works well, especially when we see Loki quickly explaining it. It's genius, simple, and perfectly devilish. Leah's way of apologizing is better than most apologies I have ever had. Please, if you are not reading this book, you really need to be reading it. Journey Into Mystery really needs more readers so that it won't get cancelled any time soon. This book, like Daredevil, is one of the harder books to review each month, since it's easy for a reviewer to run of out of creative ways to With Exiled coming next month, maybe that will bring some new readers aboard.

Richard Elson continues to do a stunning job on pencils. His pencils have always been suited for fantasy books, and that continues here. What was the shining point was the board game though. It perfectly captured the spirit of how Loki is retelling what is going on. It's cartoony to the point that it looks like Elson didn't pencil these pages. Other high points are when Leah jumps through the plate glass window. Her face was pitch perfect. I hope Elson stays on this book forever.

Journey Into Mystery gets 4/5.

Image Comics

Saga #2: It’s hard to top the first issue of Saga. While Brian K. Vaughn doesn’t top the opener, he sets up this glorious world well.

Now that the reader is well acquainted, to a degree, with the world, Vaughn starts to set up the plot line. #2 shows the reader the real threat that Alana and Marko are going to be facing on this journey. The issue isn’t nearly as engaging as the first, but that’s not the problem. We learn how far Alana is ready to go to save her child, which is very touching. Vaughn throws more terms and creatures at us this issue, and doesn’t explain them. It’s a testament to Vaughn’s writing ability. Don’t know what this is? Don’t worry, you will have a basic understanding in a few seconds. With an ambitious title like this, a lesser writer would have been bogged down in establishing the world and the characters would have been hurt story wise. Not Vaughn. It also seems like Saga will be like Y: the Last Man, where we don’t necessarily see every adventure of the two heroes.

While Fiona Staples had a great first issue, this one tops it in terms of art. It’s filled with the kind of raw energy you don’t see in comics these days. When the Stalk makes her appearance, it gives the reader an eerie sense of terror. Should I be afraid of this creature? What is she going to do? That one page does what countless horror fail to do. The characters have some of the most expressive faces in comics. Their tone is easily seen on their face. It really helps when a writer and artist are this in sync.

Saga #2 gets 5/5.

Vertigo Comics

Saucer Country #2: This review is over at Comic Book Therapy. Click here to see the review

Marvel Comics

Scarlet Spider #4: Wow. The Spider-Man corner of Marvel can do no wrong these days.

Chris Yost wastes no time in bringing Kaine into the Marvel universe. It seemed that he might be hanging out in his own corner for a while, but I'm glad he didn't. Yost brilliantly balances the multiple story lines, giving Kaine the big spot but also letting the the supporting characters have their chance to shine. It's clear that Aracely is going to be the focal point of an arc coming up, as she seems to have some sort of powers. Yost gives Dr. Meland the best character moment though. It's nice when helpless side players do their best to help the overall story. Since this is a Spider-Man style book, there is plenty of wit, with Kaine having a more dry version of Peter Parker's signature wit. The Assassin's Guild has some interesting and new characters. Yost has shown that he has plenty of new creations up his sleeve for Kaine.

Then there is Ryan Stegman's art. It's just awesome. Seriously. Fight scenes? Bad ass. Talking head scenes? They look fantastic. As I have said countless times before, his penciling style suits a Spider-Man book perfectly. Since this isn't Peter Parker, there is more violence. Stegman makes it as visceral as he can, making it hit the reader hard. We are not use to seeing someone in a Spider-Man costume killing and destroying appendages. If you are unsure about the writing (which you shouldn't be), read this book for the art. It's some of the best at Marvel.

Scarlet Spider #4 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Secret Avengers #25: With Avengers vs X-Men already started, it's time to start forcing in books.

Rick Remender's plot seems to be a tad rushed. He quickly ends the arc, after quickly describing the history of the Descendants. That's fine and all, but it's not in tune with the momentum of the rest of the book. Don't misconstrue that to think this issue isn't good. It's a blast. Remender has made himself a nice corner of the Marvel universe where he can play around with characters and do what he wants. But it's sad that the next issue had to be apart of Avengers vs X-Men. One more issue would have done a lot for this book. Venom's official entrance to the team is well handled, and the flirtation between Valkyrie and Venom is brought on here. The ending is very interesting, and works out one plot line from the last issue I wasn't happy with. Overall, Remender's first arc on Secret Avengers is good, but could have been great.

Gabriel Hardman's artwork continues to be stunning. Venom's entrance to the book jumps off the page. The big fight between the Human Torch and huge robot looks fantastic. I hate Hollywood for holding onto this guy for so many years as a story boarder. Hardman keeps finding new types of comic books to reinvent his pencils with. I'm going to miss him dearly next month when Renato Guedes takes over for art duties.

Secret Avengers #25 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

The Mighty Thor #12.1: Another .1 issue, another misstep in achieving what these books set out to do.

These .1 issues are a great idea. They are a great way to bring new fans into the fold of many of their books. But many of the writers seem to forget what these books are suppose to do. The Mighty Thor #12.1 is a prime example of that. Matt Fraction has been doing a great job on this book, making it one of the premiere books at Marvel. But this .1 issue is suppose to tie into the overall narrative. And it doesn't. Volstagg and Sif end up telling a couple of stories about Thor to give new readers a sense of who Thor is. That's well and fine, but then it's just a one and done. More issues need to be like Mark Waid's on Daredevil #10.1. That gave readers a sense of who Matt Murdock was while also telling them what is going on in the overall narrative. And while the most recent arc of The Mighty Thor ended with #12, give readers a hint of what is going to happen in #13. Not only that, the stories that Volstagg and Sif tell are quite boring. Original stories, yes, but boring none the less.

Barry Kitson does a good job on art duties. His art doesn't seem suited for the fantasy realm that Thor embodies, but they work. He's always done a great job on faces, and that continues here. He changes their facial features just enough to believe that they are younger. He'd be a good replacement when the regular artist on Thor needs a break. His style doesn't mesh well with Pasaqual Ferry, but oh well.

The Mighty Thor #12.1 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Uncanny X-Men #10: Well, it seems this two part arc was a waste.

As faithful readers know, I love Kieron Gillen and his writing. Journey Into Mystery is amazing. But what is going on with Uncanny? It seems like Gillen doesn't know what he wants to do with the team. Not only that, he misses ample opportunities to explore the rift in the X-Men. But instead Wolverine just stays in the background and does nothing. Unit is interesting as a villain, but he isn't used as properly as he should be. Gillen must have had more to write for this arc, but Avengers vs X-Men got in the way. Hopefully this villain will be explored more when the crossover is done. What surprises me, is that it says "To Be Continued..." when #11 is going to be dealing with Avengers vs X-Men. Maybe this arc is quickly finished first? That didn't help Invincible Iron Man during Fear Itself. One good thing that came of this was the Namor/Emma Frost hook up, which was hysterical. While still enjoyable, I know Gillen could have made this an extraordinary arc.

Carlos Pacheco needs to figure out how to draw on time. He can't seem to pencil more than one issue on time. At least Marvel got Paco Diaz to pencil the issue as well. Their styles mesh very well together and I didn't realize that Pacheco had help until I looked at the credits on the front page. #10 does look beautiful though. Fights kinetic, and Pacheco even gets Frost's boob compression to look real. While the story part is a little underwhelming, the art is shining bring.

Uncanny X-Men #10 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Winter Soldier #4: Ed Brubaker has always had a craft for spy writing, just never thought James Bond spy.

Most of this issue deals with Bucky, Widow, and Doom trying to stop the war with Latveria. Winter Soldier #4 is more James Bond than the past few issues, but it still works. Brubaker gives it a 70's spy movie feel, which translates well. We have a foreign nation, Russians, and missiles. While it may forgo Bucky staying as hidden as he would like, it's still a spy book. Brubaker writes a hilarious Doom, or Doom bot, giving the reader a big grin on their face whenever he speaks. While some writers over due it with internal monologue, Bucky's is always timely and never overstays his welcome. I'd actually like to see some internal monologue for Black Widow. Brubaker has always wrote a great Black Widow when she was in Captain America.

Butch Guice's art also seems to be channeling a 70's spy film. Black Widow has the look of a Bond girl, especially with the way she stands and turns her head. It's sexy, but not overtly sexy. The action is hectic, brutal, and close. It makes the reader feel like they are apart of the fight between Bucky and the other sleeper agent. It's the same as his work on Captain America, fantastic looking. His work excels more here considering it's a spy book and not Captain America.

Winter Soldier #4 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine #304: It's the end of an era. Jason Aaron is done with Wolverine.

#304 acts like an epilogue to all the stories that Aaron has been telling with Wolverine since the Get Mystique arc that started in Wolverine #63. As someone who has read his entire run, it's nice to see him touch upon these things. There are nods as to what happened in Wolverine: Weapon X (the best Wolverine series in years), and what has come since. Anyone who hasn't been reading the entire thing is going to be lost though. Why is Maverick suddenly here? What did he do to Wolverine? Who are these laser clawed dudes and who is Dr. Rot? It seems like Melita will be playing a big part of Logan's future, which is good. She is a great character, and to lose her would be a bad thing. I suggest catching up on Aaron's very long run, as it is one of the best in the history of the character. With #303 capping off everything nicely, this acts more as goodbye to the character. Cullen Bunn has big shoes to fill, but I'm excited about his run.

The plethora of artists on this book do a great job. Every artist from the history of Aaron's run contributes at least a page to this story. If you are thinking of jumping on when Cullen Bunn, just pick this up for the art alone. Even though he only pencils one page, Daniel Acuna's page stands out. Steve Dillion's pages look a little rushed, but good overall. Paul Pelletier looks like he is going to have a great time on this run, as he pages look great.

Wolverine #304 gets 3.5/5.

Old Comics
Batman & Robin #6 gets 3/5.
Batman & Robin #7 gets 4/5.
Demon Knights #7 gets 4/5.
New Avengers #23 gets 3/5.
The Mighty Thor #12 gets 2.5/5.

What's in a haircut? (Well, mostly hair)

2012-04-06T15:22:00.000-04:00

I'll be occasionally writing for Comic Book Therapy now. Here is my first article for them: http://www.comicbooktherapy.com/ms-marvel-whats-in-a-haircut-well-hair-mostly/

It's about the new Captain Marvel and her new haircut

Comic Reviews for 4/4

2012-04-05T13:14:00.001-04:00

Hello all. You all better have bought a comic on the Marvel app so you could get a $5 coupon last week. Hard deal to pass up. Otherwise, was a good week, even though there were some mediocre amongst the group.

DC Comics

Action Comics #8: Even with a couple of months off, Rags Morales' art is still bad.

Grant Morrison has really shifted up the origin of Superman. It's a story that could only happen with the new DC. #8 is the end of this opening arc, and Morrison ends it in a great way. The Fortress of Solitude is reimagined in a great way, coming out of nowhere, but makes sense by the end of the story. Clark Kent gets more time in this issue, and I still hold onto the fact that Morrison is channeling Peter Parker when writing Kent. That's well and fine, and it's a good way to bring Sups back to the present time. The issue is one big fight, but Morrison gives the fight weight with the insane babbling of Braniac. Even with Braniac and the enslaved human from a few issues ago using the same speech bubbles, the dialogue is easily distinguishable from each other. The new Fortress of Solitude is brought in a smart way. The end of this arc proves that Superman can be brought back into the present without sacrificing who he is. It's been one of the problems with him, and it's one of the prime examples the new DC was a great choice story wise.

While I have nothing but praise for the writing, the art is bad. Rags Morales is helped out by three other artists, and the affect is quite jarring. It's clear where Morales art ends and others begin. Brad Walker, Rick Bryant, and Bob McLeod do a commendable job, but going from artist to artist from page to page leaves the book having an inconsistent feel. Not only that, the final few pages are inked and colored in a different feel, which faked me out. I thought we had already got to the epilogue, but nope.

Action Comics #8 gets 3/5.

DC Comics

Animal Man #8: The Baker family RV trip continues and things start to get tragic.

Jeff Lemire continues to fool around well with the Red. Much in the way Scott Snyder is with the Green. There are two big tragedies in this issue, and I'll try to keep from spoiling them. And while one is a fake out and one is genuine, both have the emotional pull they desire. My jaw dropped twice. Lemire has given the family aspect some great time, which gives these scenes a lot of weight. I wonder how long it's going to be until Buddy bumps into Alec Holland, with Swamp Thing seemingly getting close to the end of it's epic adventure. There is a lot more fighting in this issue, and Lemire brings back thought bubbles. I missed them, as it was interesting to hear what animals Buddy was using for powers. While I'm sure the ending is a fake out, it none the less leaves the reader with a sense of despair. Not only that, it leaves the reader thinking about family and what is going to happen to the rest of the Baker's. Since family has been such a big part of this book, it's good to see Lemire having the reader thinking this when situations arise.

Steve Pugh pencils the majority of this issue. While he isn't Travel Foreman, his pencils suit the book well. His pencils are creepy and he pencils the tragic scenes well. With Foreman barely penciling this issue, the character model problem from last month doesn't crop up this time around. As a fill in for Foreman while he is on Birds of Prey, he works well. The tone of the book is still there, being creepy as all hell when needed. Buddy and Ellen are clearly in love when Buddy runs out to kill the Rot beasts.

Animal Man #8 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers Academy #28: Christos Gage brings the Academy fight with the Runaways to a close, with the story ending really well.

Christos Gage has always been one to bring conflicting characters together well. The Runaways in this story deals with kids having bad parents and underestimating teenagers. Gage handles it well enough without ever going into to preachy territory. It's sad that we won't be seeing anything of the Runaways any time soon. After recently catching up with this book, I see that this book has been one big redemption for Hank Pym. And this issue works well on that front, showing that Pym can be a good father and fit into a good husband role. Gage did a great job with the Academy while Fear Itself was taking over Marvel, so no doubt he will deliver a great tie in issue when Avengers vs X-Men comes into the book next month. While I'm going to miss the Runaways, I'm glad that Gage will only have to focus on the Academy next month. Some of the new characters are lost in the shuffle. It's a small gripe, but doesn't bring the issue down much.

Karl Moline's art is the only week point this month. Many of the characters have a changing body, with the girls breast size changing from panel to panel. The action looks well though, and characters are still detailed when there are a lot of characters in the panel.

Avengers Academy #28 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers vs X-Men #1: I got the book a week early, and posted the review here

Image Comics

Chew #25: The end of Major League Chew. While it ends well enough, it could have been a little better.

John Layman wraps up the issue well. Everything is set up well to connect with Chew #27, which came out last year. But it feels a little forced to fit into that continuity. The trademarked humor of Chew is sadly absent, with this issue focusing more on plot. I think the problem is that in the beginning of this arc, Layman focused to much on WHY Dan kidnapped Tony, and Tony's former partners, that the arc has an inconsistent feel. It's a balancing problem that hopefully won't bog down the next arc. What Layman did with Tony in this arc was hysterical and very interesting. Layman has never ceases to amaze me when it comes to using Tony's powers in new ways. The next arc seems to focus more on Tony's sister, so we will see how the balancing problem goes. One thing that I have loved about this series is that the powers Layman thinks up are hard to forget. But I'll admit that I forgot Amelia had powers of her own. But Layman does his patented explanation page without ruining the momentum, so all is fine.

Rob Guillory's art seems more tame this month. Besides the opening few pages, everything is tame. There are the normal jokes in the background, which made me laugh more than the script this month. But Poyo looks badass at the end of the issue, so who cares if the issue isn't as out there as the rest of the series. The art is still strong and fits the kooky world that Layman has thought up.

Chew #25 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Daredevil #10.1: Now THIS is a .1 issue.

Mark Waid weaves this issue in with the overall narrative he has been telling in his perfect book. Waid gives the reader a perfect characterization of Matt Murdock while understanding what's going on when the Omega Effect takes over next month. By the end of the issue, I'd say this would work better as Daredevil #11 instead of a point one issue. It really helps along the plot of the Omega Effect, with the ending being almost crucial to the plot line. As with every Daredevil issue, it has plenty of wit and has Murdock in a positive outlook. The best part of this .1 issue is that Waid makes the history of Daredevil weave into the story without it ruining the momentum. Many of these .1 issues seem like they are talking specifically to new readers and leaving old readers behind. But Waid doesn't do that. More Marvel writers need to read this issue so they know how to write their own .1 issues.

Khoi Pham pencils this issue, and he tries to fit the style of Paulo River and Marcos Martin. It works well enough, but radar sense doesn't look as good as the regular artists. Pham's pencils seem more scratchy this time around, which is fine on it's own, but doesn't fit well with the crisp look of the main book. Some of the pages look a little rushed, but it's not that big of a deal.

Daredevil #10.1 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Hulk #50: Jeff Parker continues his great Hulk epic with this anniversary issue.

Thankfully Parker doesn't make this the end of a big arc, instead starting creepy new one. I recently caught up on this series, but it's still good that Parker weaves the history of his run without sacrificing story. Even the Abomination, who died all the way back in Hulk #1 makes an appearance. I have tried to forget Jeph Loeb's Hulk run, but Parker references it without bringing up bad memories. In other books, Thunderbolt Ross hasn't been the most witty of characters, but there is quite a few here. I also like how Parker ties this book into Matt Fraction's Defenders book. The story that Parker creates here is very creepy and not the usual Hulk story. While Incredible Hulk has been weak since it's relaunch, this book has been very strong. Safe to say that Hulk will be in the my pull list for some time, especially with the upcoming Mayan arc.

Carlo Pagulayan's art has never rubbed me the right way. His Hulk work has just been meh, but his cover artwork has worked well. But his artwork is great here. The action looks great, and the zombies look very creepy. But we can still recognize characters, even in zombie state. The women can be borderline cheesecake, but it's not as bad as some artists. My opinion of Pagulayan's art is steadily going up since reading this issue.

Hulk #50 gets 5/5.

Marvel Comics

New Mutants #40: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning end their arc well, but it gets a little annoying.

DnA write Douglock well in this issue, as they take up the entire issue. What bothered me in this issue was Warlock. He's a great character, but his computer talk can get a little annoying when he is the only one talking. It doesn't help when Doug talks like a borderline computer. The arc gives Doug a sense of closure on the Ani-Monitor problem though, and leaves him in a better place. The entire issue is a fight though, so Doug's and Warlock's dialogue can almost be skipped. When I started reading this book a few months ago, I like the balance of all the team members while still focusing on Doug. That's sadly absent here. Hopefully in the next arc, DnA can find the balance of team members and quiet character moments.

Leandro Fernandez's art is good. The lack of backgrounds in most of the book doesn't annoy me as much as it does in other books. This is when they are in Doug's mind though. When the fight starts to happen, the lack of backgrounds starts to hurt. It's hard to tell where characters are in relation to each other. His art could be worse, but it also could be a hell of a lot better.

New Mutants #40 gets 3/5.

DC Comics

Swamp Thing #8: Holy. Shit.

Scott Snyder has done a simply amazing job with this book. The mythos has been reimagined in a way that has brought a new life to the character. The issue feels very epic, with the reader enthralled by the big battle scene. Snyder's script get your blood pumping and excited, as if you are watching a great action film. The ending made me shout NO, as it's heartbreaking, even though we know it's a fake out. It's a testament to Snyder's amazing characterization and making us care for Alec Holland and Abigail. Snyder can now put on his resume that he is writing the two best books that DC is putting out right now (Batman being the other). Snyder's trademark, of relating the story you are reading to something else, is used here. I'm not sure if it was needed, but it still works.

Then there is Yanic Paquette. Just....wow. Yep, that's the only way I can describe his art. His intricate layouts are still there, and they are toned a little this month. This works in favor of the art, as it gives his awesome new design of Swamp Thing more room to be a complete badass. Some will call it over the top, but I just call it great. As always, his pencils re hyper detailed, leaving the reader stunned at the pages in front of them. Even if you aren't a big fan of Swamp Thing, you really should be reading this for Paquette's art. Well, also because of Snyder's writing, but still.

Swamp Thing #8 gets 5/5.

Marvel Comics

Venom #15: It seems routine now for Rick Remender to have a quiet issue in between arcs.

This time around, Remender deals with the aftermath of Flash breaking up with Betty at the beginning of Circle of Four. Remender does a great job with throwing Flash down the gutter while also keeping her in the book. It's clear that Flash isn't enjoying his life as much as he thought he would be. It's a good comparison to how Flash use to be Spider-Man's number one fan, and now that he is basically Spider-Man, he wish he didn't have his life. I hope that Remender will be delving more into this in the future. While Flash will probably never know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man (again), hopefully Venom and Spider-Man can have a heart to heart. I like the tiny hint of Valkyrie's attraction towards Flash. Not sure why, but I'd like to see something with that happen soon. Eddie Brock is back in the book and looks to be the new villain as well. Remender is a great writer and will use this to a great effect.

While I miss Tony Moore's pencils on this book, Lan Medina's art has suited the book perfectly. His pencils were great on Fables, but they are suited more for a superhero book. Even more for a Spider-Man family book. You can see the despair in Flash's mom's face as she destroys his morale. The same with Betty at the end of the issue. Eddie looks downright demonic when he is attacking Scream. The big fight between Eddie and Flash is going to be a great one when the time comes.

Venom #15 gets 5/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine & the X-Men #8: Jason Aaron has a good one and done that leads into Avengers vs X-Men.

#8 deals with most of the lose ends from the previous arc. Aaron's idea to have Logan in the wheelchair was a really funny one. The issue is sadly a little hectic. To much goes on for it's own good. Between the students going to get Logan's legs back, Beast saving Agent Brand from Sabertooth, and Logan's problems back home, there is to much going on. It's all very enjoyable, and filled with the great wit and character development that this series has been known for, but I wish that it slowed down. With the series being an integral part of Avengers vs X-Men, it would have been nice for some quiet time. Genesis, or Evan, gets the biggest character moment, and I look forward to see his role in the big crossover next issue. Sabertooth's return is proving to be a great choice. I'm usually very hesitant when it comes to rebirths, but so far this has been nothing but good. No doubt that Jeph Loeb will screw it up somehow, although I hope he doesn't.

Much like the story, Chris Bachalo's pencils are very hectic. This is his style, so it's not a big complaint, but things get hard to understand when the students are on the casino planet. Otherwise, everything is stunning. The fight between Sabertooth and Beast in space plays out as awesome as it sounds. Genesis using his powers looks awesome and inspires the reader with a sense of awe and fear. His art is going to be great on Avengers vs X-Men.

Wolverine & the X-Men #8 gets 4/5.

Old Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #682 gets 5/5.
FF #16 gets 3.5/5.
Uncanny X-Force #23 gets 3/5.

Comic Reviews for 3/28

2012-03-29T16:11:00.001-04:00

It was a good week for comics. Avengers vs X-Men has started. The Flash has come back to it's former greatness, while Aquaman went down a little bit. Overall though, it was a great week. There were many strong books, and even the weaker books had something strong about them. The review for Avengers vs X-Men #1 is up on a different page. Click here to read that. Let's get started with this week's reviews!

Dark Horse Comics

Angel & Faith #8: As someone from Boston, I love this issue. But it's a great issue overall as well.

Christos Gage has had a very tight hold on these characters during his run on this issue. I can hear the actors speaking the lines in my head when reading them. Much like Matt Fraction with Tony Stark, Gage is great at tearing down Faith in a personal manner. Having her father arrive was a stroke of genius oh his part. Angel takes a little of a backseat this issue, but it helps the story overall. Gage, from Massachusetts, writes a Boston accent perfectly. It doesn't come across as hokey or in a joke manner, but normal. He makes a few Boston references and uses some vernacular, and it's used perfectly. What Gage really does great in this issue is show why Angel and Faith are perfect together. It's great to read as a long time fan of the Buffy and Angel shows, it's good to see Gage developing these characters in a logical way.

Rebekah Issacs pencils are perfect for the series as usual. Characters look exactly like their actor counterparts, and expressive like the actors. Action scenes flow well, although I noticed that Issacs didn't use as many backgrounds as usual. Nothing to complain about, but something I noticed. Good job of Gage and Issacs being on the same page with the Boston people. Having them wear Bruins jerseys is nice.

Angel & Faith #8 gets 4.5/5.

DC Comics

Aquaman #7: This issue shows that Geoff Johns has a lot of big plans for Aquaman.

While I like what Johns has done with Aquaman, I wish he didn't keep having issues like this. Setting things up is a great thing, but it ruins the momentum. We have had a couple of one and done issues, and now we have a new arc. But nothing really starts. It's mostly just "Wait, what's going on?" Ironically enough, this is what Mera says a good chunk of the issue. I am excited for the future, as this issue promises a lot. This issue will probably be awesome when reading with the next few issues. One thing Johns has been doing right is writing great scenes for Ivan Reis to pencil. He is one of the few writers to "write for an artist" and not have it be a burden on the rest of the issue. I wish that the plot could have been more, but it's still enjoyable. And you should be proud of me for writing this review without making one LOST reference.

Ivan Reis comes back full time on this issue, and I'm so happy about it. Characters are expressive, even when only their eyes are the only thing conveying emotion. While I might complain about nothing going on plot wise, I don't care as much with the entire book looking this gorgeous. Joe Prado and Rod Reis really accentuate Ivan Reis pencils.

Aquaman #7 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers #24.1: While this would be a great Avengers issue, it loses some points because it's a .1 issue.

Brain Michael Bendis brings the Vision back to Earth and catches him up with everything that has happened to the Avengers since. Most of this issue deals with Vision's reaction to the Scarlet Witch's crimes. It's good stuff, especially for someone like me who has been reading this book since he debuted two years ago. But this doesn't work for a .1 issue. It's not a good jumping on point. And that's what these issues have been about. Giving people great chances to jump on and catch up quick. A better idea would to have skipped this issue and let people jump on with issue #25 with the title being tied into Avengers vs X-Men. If this issue was just another issue, I would have loved it. Every scene works well. But nope. Oh well.

Brian Peterson has been doing a perfect job on pencils every issue recently. But his pencils seem a little rushed here. Many of the characters don't look proportionate, varying in size from panel to panel. Colossus is one of the big victims of this. But with She-Hulk, he gets the height and size down perfectly. Some facial movement on Captain America also suffer, looking downright ugly.

Side note, make sure to read this book before Avengers vs X-Men #0

Avengers #24.1 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers vs X-Men #0: Well, here we go again. Another Marvel event. I can already see people bitching about this event, but I get the feeling it's going to be great.

Brian Michael Bendis writes the Scarlet Witch story while Jason Aaron writes the X-Men story. Bendis shows how much the Scarlet Witch isn't accepted in super hero society anymore, and he does it in a poignant way. I get that the Vision is rather mad, but him crying? I didn't think he COULD cry. Characters have their own voices (a problem with Bendis sometimes). But story works to wet the appetite for the event. The story isn't needed, but it's good. Jason Aaron's story falls in the same vein as Bendis' story. It's not needed, but good. I read Avengers vs X-Men #1 and didn't feel like I needed to read #0. Aaron picks lapsed readers fast, but only with Cyclops, Emma, and Hope. Most of the X-Men are not here, which seems like a strange choice. The issue has two very good stories, but they don't mesh well together. That's not a big complaint for me, as the stories work well on their own. We will have plenty of time for the two sides to be together in the coming months.

Frank Cho's pencils are better than they have been in a while. The lines are clean and characters aren't as positioned as stupidly as they sometimes are with him. Yeah, Hope won't look like any teenager that you know, but that's par for the course with him. His pencils are actually good, so it doesn't bother me as much when he pencils women as curvy. It's not like Greg Land where his pencils suck and he draws women curvy.

Avengers vs X-Men #0 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Avenging Spider-Man #5: With this being Zeb Wells last issue on this title for a bit, but it's a great issue.

Zeb Wells really hits home and the perfect type of Spider-Man comic. It has plenty of heart, but also a lot of humor. I like that Wells compares Cap and Spider-Man so well without making it seem hokey. The dialogue is very touching, with it sounding very similar to the way the Spidey talked to Iron Man when the New Avengers were first brought together. The issue also vaguely ties into Avenging Spider-Man #4, but it's still able to read this issue without knowing what happened. The last three pages gave me such a smile though, as Wells grabs a hold of why Spider-Man is great on team books when done correctly. He also adds a good amount of humor into this issue, which had me in stitches with every line. I can't wait for Zeb Wells to come back to Avenging Spider-Man.

Leinil Yu's pencils look great. He should try to pencil Spider-Man more, as Spidey looks fantastic. He has the lanky look that many artists forget to do. The big double page spread of Captain America's history just struck me. We all know his history so well, but it's still amazing to look at. Yu makes Spider-Man mask expressive, which some choose to do and others not. But I like how subtle his eye movements are.

Avenging Spider-Man #5 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Daredevil #10: Well this isn't new. Another awesome issue of Daredevil.

First off, yes the Omega Effect is coming next month. It's inclusion in this issue is much more organic than when it popped up in The Punisher. The rest of the issue is a great conclusion to the short arc. Mark Waid makes Matt look at himself and what really matters to him. It's something that has been in the comic for a long time that Waid handles very well. Most of the issue is a fight between Mole Man and Daredevil, but Waid fills the fight with plenty of character. I'm surprised that Waid rehashes Mole Man's origin, but it doesn't break the flow of the comic. I need to invest in a thesaurus so that I can figure out new ways to say "Mark Waid writes Daredevil better than anyone has in a long time." Hopefully I won't be lazy and actually do that.

Paolo Rivera has also exhausted my ways of saying his art is awesome. Rivera keeps the atmosphere dark, but it never makes anything hard to see. That's not only Rivera's great art, but also Javier Rodriguez's colors. They make the outline of characters pop amongst the darkness, and look vibrant against the crystals. The expression that Rivera gives Foggy on the last page was just heartbreaking.

Daredevil #10 gets 5/5 (like you were expecting something else)

DC Comics

The Flash #7: While the past few issues of The Flash have just been good, #7 is great.

The story throws the Flash into a very different situation. Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato end the Captain Cold arc rather well, but also rather bleakly. It's in a good way too. While you hate Captain Cold, they make the reader really feel for him by the end of the issue. The duo also continue to find new ways to play around with the Speed Force, which I love seeing. Some future plot points are teased, and it's going to make the wait for next month's issue that much harder. Having Barry "stuck in the speed force" has put his relationship with Patty into a good situation. Many have complained about Barry and Isis being undone, but it's looking to be a good idea at the moment.

But the real reason I read the Flash each and every month is the art. Manapul and Buccellato keep brining their A game each and every month. Gorilla Grood and company look absolutely stunning. The detail on their hair surprised me, and I couldn't stop looking at the few panels. Turbine, the new villain who debuts at the end, looks to give the duo more chances to show off next month.

The Flash #7 gets 4/5

Marvel Comics

Moon Knight #11: It pains me to say this, but next issue is the final one of this series.

Brian Michael Bendis is setting Moon Knight up for one hell of an ending next month. While many aren't happy with what Bendis did with Echo, it pays of well here. Even if nothing becomes of Moon Knight in the near future, I'm glad this series existed to put the character in a good place. Bendis is organically ending a lot of the plot lines. The issue is mostly one big fight between Madam Masque and Moon Knight, but it feels right. Moon Knight is really fighting for his right to live against Count Nefaria. And of course, fans will be upset that he unmasked Madam Masque (which I don't think has happened).

Alex Maleev's pencils seem a little rushed this issue. The talking head panels look fine, but the action sequences are the victim. Much like on Daredevil, the action scenes look stiff and posed instead of fluid. Moon Knight has been great for Maleev in terms of development of penciling action, so I'm not sure what happened here. Maybe Maleev was busy doing Moon Knight and Scarlet at the same time. Bendis' story is good, so this isn't as big a deal.

Moon Knight #11 gets 4/5.

Image Comics

Morning Glories #17: Much like Daredevil, Morning Glories has been constantly great each and every month.

Nick Spencer spends this issue discussing philosophy between couple of characters. As a hardcore fan of this series, I really enjoyed it. Getting to know these character better is always a good thing. I never saw anything happening between Jade and Ike, but now I want that to happen as soon as possible. Had ehas been one of those characters that has been in the background a lot, but Spencer makes that character trait mean more after reading this issue. Spencer's overall narrative is put on the backseat, which I wish didn't happen. The school was having a lot of new things discovered. The ending finally bring back a character that long time fans have been dying to see. Hopefully we will finally find out something about him and his relationship to Ike.

Joe Eisma's pencils look great. The entire issue is a talking head issue, so this works in Eisma's favor. The characters look almost lifelike in a few panels. I like the way Spencer and Eisma keep the same panel and show the changes in each panel. It makes the issue feel almost like I'm watching the break down of a movie. Speaking of that, why hasn't there been a Morning Glories movie announced yet?

Morning Glories #17 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Secret Avengers #24: Rick Remender delivers another awesome issue of Secret Avengers.

Most of the issue is is the Descendants taking down the Secret Avengers one by one. But the issue isn't all grim though, as Remender gives the issue plenty of wit. Beast is proving to be the funniest one of the group. The arc really feels like a trial by fire arc, which is good when a writer comes onto a team book. The Descendants are becoming a real threat that I can't wait to see Remender tackle after Avengers vs X-Men takes over the book. What happened to the Shadow Council though? I'd love to see Remender tackle them some day. But the next six months are devoted to Avengers vs X-Men, so this will have to wait till after that. The fake death of Ant-Man left a sour taste in my mouth, as the death was handled really well last month. The issue is very fun, even if it has a hiccup or two.

Gabriel Hardam's art suits the book perfectly. When I first heard that he was going to be on the series, I wasn't sure if this was going to be a good fit. The action scenes look fluid, and his work as a Hollywood story boarder shines here. Human Torch looks great; great enough to make me think he'd look good on Fantastic Four. I noticed that faces could lack a little detail when he was on Hulk, but that is gone now. Characters are expressive as hell, even with their faces covered in masks.

Secret Avengers #24 gets 4/5.

Old Comics

No old comics this week. Hope to get Amazing Spider-Man #682 so that I can start End of the Earths. Either way, have a good week and happy reading!

Avengers vs X-Men #1 Review

2012-03-29T11:11:00.001-04:00

Marvel Comics

Another Marvel event has started. Almost a year to the day ago, Fear Itself started and took over the Marvel universe. Avengers vs X-Men starts just as strong as the last event, maybe even stronger. Avengers vs X-Men #1 is out on 4/4/12.

Unlike #0, #1 is only written by Brian Michael Bendis. The event starts off better than most due, with the reason for it starting not nearly as forced as others like Siege. For the first issue in an event, there is always a little bit of catchup needed, and Bendis does that without boring veteran fans. He states who these characters are and how they stand on this issue well. And while this event has been billed as mostly fighting, there is a surprising amount of plot. My favorite part was Cap and Cyclops' conversation near the end. It's filled with tension and the kind of conversation that fans will point to when making arguments about what side they are on. So far, the book doesn't favor a side (unlike Civil War), giving each side plenty of time to show why they are in the right in this situation. Bendis might be associated with the Avengers more, but he writes a great Cyclops, one who treads the line of being a hero or turning into someone like Magneto. But he also gives him sympathy, making the reader understand why he is going to these extremes, even if we don't agree with him. Emma Frost gets some great moments too. A big complaint of Bendis' Avengers run has been that many of the characters are starting to blend together and don't have much in the way of different voices. That problem should be quelled here. Each character's voice feels unique and I could guess the character without seeing them in the picture. And Nova is back, so I'm very happy.

Many have hated on John Romita JR's (JRJR) pencils recently, but this issue is simply beautiful. This issue proves that with the right inking and coloring team, his art is some of the best in the industry. With the book filled with big explosions and fight scenes, it's a perfect way to show off JRJR's pencils. The double page spread in the beginning had me stunned, with the Phoneix invoking the kind of awe that the force is needed for this event to succeed. The Hellicarrier near the end of the issue looks fantastic. Characters are expressive, even with their masks on. Cyclops is actually skinny, instead of him being sickly skinny. In the scenes with many characters, some of the characters can lose detail in the background, which hopefully will be addressed in the next three issues.

Avengers vs X-Men #1 gets 4.5/5.

The Walking Dead Season 2

2012-03-25T10:36:00.002-04:00

AMC

Now that enough time has passed since the season finale, it's time to talk about the show without (as much) worrying about spoiling people. But still, *HUGE SPOILER WARNING FOR SEASON 2*

The expectations were high for this season going in. After the intense six episodes from season one, they really had to continue this trend or fail and be devoured by the fanboys. It didn't start well, with the unexpected absence of Frank Darabont, many wondered how the show would flow. Overall, it was a good season. They showed that they could properly convert the atmosphere of the comics, where there are many scenes of just talking and no zombie, and still have it be very interesting. It may not have pleased people who had just watched the first season, but it was overall good. The longer season also showed what a talented cast they had, with many scenes being Emmy worthy in my mind. Even when the writers made some questionable calls with character development, these actors gave it their all. As a long time fan of the comics, seeing the writers play around with things that are near and dear to my zombie heart were fun to see. The big one being Shane. Robert Kirkman (who created and writes The Walking Dead comic) killed him off very early in the comic, which I always viewed as mistake. It was great to see it play out here. The writers even pay homage to how he dies when Carl ultimately kills shane.

Not all was good though. Many character exhibited odd characteristics and did things that didn't flow with everything that we had seen thus far. It gave this season a transition feel. It's clear the writers now know what they are doing, but they had to do certain things to see how far they could get away with things. Like the writing staff was growing a little. Things like Maggie and Glenn's relationship took some rather bad turns, which seem to be over. Many thought Dale was annoying, and the writers could have handled his role as the voice of reason a hell of a lot better. Lori took the brunt of stupid decisions, namely the car crash and her reaction to Rick near the end of the season finale. The writers also need to figure out things for every character each episode. It was a good idea to thin the cast out in the season finale, but they are bringing new characters in, so that problem isn't going to go away. I'd say the writing was the only weak point of the season.

But the future looks very bright. Michonne is going to be handled well, and the Governor story line is going to be teased or used next season. The prison scene in the comic does bring up the problem of a lot of people standing around and talking, which was a big complaint about season two with Hershel's farm. But the Governor might be brought in a little faster than in the comics, so this problem might not happen. None the less, October 25th can't come fast enough.

The Walking Dead season 2 gets 4/5.

Comic Reviews for 3/21

2012-03-22T15:50:00.002-04:00

Huge week. Easily describes my pull list. I liked this week, even though there were some mediocre books. Hoping to get through with Marvel 1602 so that I can read the fifth hardcover of The Walking Dead. Maybe even read the first trade of Invincible. Anyways, let's get started.

Dynamite Comics

Army of Darkness #2: The first issue of this new ongoing was flat out terrible. #2 starts to improve, but not by that much.

Elliott R. Serrano's script is a lot better this time around. The jokes land more, and we focus more on the Ash we care about. He fills it with plenty of moments of Ash being a total badass. If I'm reading dialogue and hearing Bruce Campbell's voice in my head, then he's doing his job right. And a good amount of the time that happened. But then he goes down to Mexico and the plot goes south as well. It's not interesting or compelling at all. It relates to nothing else about the story. We see the other Ash quickly, which reminds me of the crap of an issue last month. If this issue has shown us anything, it means the more that Serrano focuses on Ash Williams, the book ends up being better for it. I was prepared to not want to pick up the next issue of this series if the book focused on the other characters, but it looks like I'll be back for #3.

Marat Mychaels art is still absolute shit. Character's don't look the same from panel to panel. While Bruce Campbell's chin is present in this comic, it changes sizes drastically. I'm a long time comic reader, and I know women are shown to be idealistic to guys, but these women shouldn't be able to stand. Their bodies shouldn't work within the laws of physics. During the action scenes on Route 66, he uses a blending technique to convey speed way to often. Every once and a while is fine, but it looks like he spilled water on the page and is trying to clean up.

Army of Darkness #2 gets 2.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers: X-Sanction #4: So Spider-Man and Wolverine don't wear the uniforms they are wearing on the cover. What's that about?

Jeph Loeb's miniseries really has nothing to do with Avengers vs X-Men. It's suppose to be the prologue for the big event, but barely ties in. The only thing I can see is that Cable is going to do something big near the end. And Loeb practically screams to the reader that that is going to happen. He writes a surprisingly good Spider-Man, who is quippy as all hell. His Wolverine is a pain in the ass, and he somewhat puts down his own team of Avengers. It's very odd, and has me questioning why Marvel approved this script. It may be me, but it's clear that Wolverine is putting emphasis on the word "New," thus making it seem like he is talking down to them. The ending wraps everything up nice and neat. I'm left with the feeling that this series didn't need to happen. Or be called a prologue to an event. Cable could have been brought back in one of the numerous X-books that are out right now instead of it's own miniseries.

While Loeb's writing has been less than stellar, Ed McGuinness' art has been great. Characters have a big muscular look that suits the big fight scenes. While very simple, I really liked the exclamation point double page spread. It's a little cheesy, but it fits well with the cheesy nature of Loeb's script. His Hulk is still one of the best looking Hulks around. If this team is going to be tackling Cosmic Marvel, I'm hoping he will be penciling the Nova book.

Avengers: X-Sanctioin #4 gets 3/5.

DC Comics

Batman #7: Well what do you know. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo one upped themselves again. Seems to be the norm with this series.

Scott Snyder really digs deep with the history of Batman and Nightwing. I'm astounded how he ties in Haley Circus and Bruce and Dick's past. My jaw dropped. Snyder also digs deep into what makes Batman Batman, letting Dick lose on him with his problems. Dick hasn't had a lot of time in this book, but Snyder shows that his hold on the character during his run on Detective Comics is still there. I reread Dick's and Bruce's entire conversation and the amount of emotion that is in every sentence is phenomenal. It plays off their history so well without making it seem like something we have read before. Snyder makes the Court of Owls even more creepier, if that is possible. He makes them a truly terrifying villain, making the more than the rest of the personality disorder villains that make up Batman's rogue gallery. By the end of this issue, it puts Batman and Gotham in an interesting position as well. It shakes up what the reader knows about the status quo of Batman, making the coming months that much more interesting to read.

Greg Capullo is given a quieter issue to pencil this month, but it's still one of the best issues that DC has put out this month. The opening pages are haunting, with the first splash page sending a chill up the spine of any Batman fan. The dead Talon is beyond creepy, and it's hard to take your eyes off of him, incase he suddenly springs to life and attacks the reader. Dick's and Bruce's conversation perfectly shows Snyder's script, with any reader being able to slice the tension that Capullo pours into each page.

Batman #7 gets 5/5.

Marvel Comics

Deadpool #52: Daniel Way seems to be delivering on the title, even if it's only in spirit.

Daniel Way shows us that, while Deadpool is insane, the guy can occasionally stun when it comes to strategy. It fits well with what Rick Remender is doing with him in Uncanny X-Force. Still, X-Force still seem rather naive to Deadpool's ways. It's a gripe that I hoped Way wouldn't do at this point. He has often made characters seem dumb to Deadpool's antics, and it really takes the reader out of the comic book. Wolverine especially, who knows what Wade Wilson is capable of. He wouldn't have invited him to X-Force if he didn't. Way does a great job of showing how Deadpool's chess pieces are moving around. The final page has me interested for the next issue. I like the character of Wade Wilson, so I'm glad it seems that "Dead" is meant to be that Deadpool is spiritually dead instead of actually dying.

Ale Garza's pencils are good. Women look odd, with many back breaking positions. The action scenes are frantic, and display the chaos that Deadpool has created well. What surprised me was the final page. There is a surprising amount of emotion in Bob's face. That final page made me most excited about next month's issue. It's become a running joke to see how he makes Typhoid Mary NOT show her nipples. I get a chuckle every time he finds a new way.

Deadpool #52 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Generation Hope #17: Another X-book is gone. Sad to see such a great title end before it's prime.

With many books, when they are cancelled, the reader isn't given a sense of closure. James Asmus gives the entire book a sense of closure, and I had a smile on my face after. Character threads were tied up nicely while still leaving some threads open for other books to tackle if the so choose too. The rotating internal dialogue can be a little confusing, but that's more the letter's fault that Asmus' fault. It gives every character a chance to speak their mind about the team, and really the book. Asmus also gives other writers a lot of potential for Sebastian Shaw. I like this hero side to him. It's sad that this book has to end, as Asmus would have done some amazing things given the opportunity to bring this book into Avengers vs X-Men. He made this book standout amongst the ever growing X-books, and that is commendable in it's own way.

Takeshi Miyazawa's pencils are clearly inspired by anime. This is fine for the most part, but occasionally a character looks somewhat different than they normally do. The action works well though, with Kenji's powers look great in every panel. Sometimes the lack of backgrounds is a distraction, and understanding where the characters are during the battle makes having a consistent background that more important. If Miyazawa can tone down the anime influence to a degree, I have no doubt that he will have a great career at the House of Ideas.

Generation Hope #17 gets 4/5.

Zenoscope Comics

Grimm Fairly Tales: Alice in Wonderland #3: Well what do you know. Another issue, another piece of crap.

Raven Gregory turns out a weaker issue script wise than the past two issues. At one point he recaps the entire miniseries thus far, which is annoying with the series being this short. Although he probably realizes that readers don't give a crap about the story, as it's clear this book isn't for anyone older than 13. At this point in the series, I don't know what else to say about how bad this book is. It's just one scene to the next of him trying to find ways to bring in more borderline nudity and senseless violence. They should have made a pinup book of Alice in Wonderland female characters instead of trying to make a story.

Robert Gill's pencils have become slightly more sketchy throughout the series. For a series that is showing girls wearing almost nothing, it's an odd choice. He gives the book a fairly creepy vibe, which I guess is good? I say this considering that everyone who is reading this book is only looking for the art. Zenoscope should just slap a mature rating on this book and let him pencil these women naked already.

Grimm Fairy Tales: Alice in Wonderland #3 gets 1/5.

Marvel Comics

Invincible Iron Man #514: Matt Fraction has proven before that he loves to tear Tony Stark down, and this issue is the culmination of the past few.

#514 is all about the Mandarin showing Tony his hand. It's immensely interesting to see Tony try to work out the problems at hand without letting go of the snark that is Tony Stark. People complaining about the slow pace of this arc won't have anything to complain about here, as there is a battle raging around all the talking head panels. The way the Mandarin takes down Tony is interesting and devious beyond belief. It's a way that makes you slap your head and go "dear lord why didn't anyone think of this before." Good job for Fraction for thinking this up and implementing it in the best way possible. The issue can be boiled down to one thing: the Mandarin out Tony Stark-ed Tony Stark. There is also a sub plot about the Melter, which thankfully doesn't take up more time than is required. Fraction keeps both stories running well.

Salvador Larroca's pencils have always been a dividing factor in the book. You either love them or hate them. His pencils do a great job this month, not letting Fraction's awesome script down. There are a few panels where it looks like he traced over a picture, but I have come to expect this from him by now so it doesn't bother me that much.

Invincible Iron Man #514 gets 5/5.

DC Comics

Justice League #7: Justice League seems to be a safe, yet fun, book. #7 continues this trend.

Geoff Johns brings us up to the present, and the team is still the same as they were five years ago. The issue slows down though, showing us Col. Steve Trevor's horrible job of being the liaison to the Justice League. Longtime fans will find a little of a surprise, as it appears Trevor has told Wonder Woman that he loves her and she spurned his advances. Most of the Justice League comes across as cocky assholes, but I look at it as a style choice. See, that's what the public sees them as. They don't seem like cocky assholes to each other, but to the public they do. For an issue like this, it really works. Trevor looks to play a bigger role in the book in the future as well. The fight scene is good stupid fun. And Wonder Woman still has zero characterization.

Gene Ha takes over for Jim Lee this month. His pencils are good, but jawlines vary wildly from page to page. The quieter moments fair better than the big action scenes near the beginning. There is one problem I see though, and that is it appears Batman is suppose to be on a panel when he isn't. This is Ha's fault or the fault of the letterer. The bubble clearly says Batman is right next to Wonder Woman, when nothing is there.

Justice League #7 gets 3.5/5.

DC Comics

Nightwing #7: If you haven't read this yet, make sure to read Batman #7 first.

Kyle Higgins ends his arc on a very high note. It's a brutal battle that really hits Dick rather hard. This issue ties heavily into Batman #7, but Higgins makes it his own. There are a few panels that are complete verbatim from Scott Snyder's script, but they still hit the emotional point they stride for, even after I already read them once today. While Higgins didn't develop Saiko nearly enough, the way he ties the character into the overall Court of the Owls crossover was a great choice. Higgins even shows off a little bit in not giving away what's going in incase someone hasn't been reading Batman every month. While it's not needed, but it's a nice touch. Higgins finally destroys Haley's Circus, which helps give the arc an emotional cap.

I didn't even realize that Eddy Barrows was helped by Geraldo Borges until the final page. Their art flows together seamlessly. As usual, Barrows experiments with the panel layouts and gives the book an acrobatic feel. The explosions have a huge feel to them, and Barrows gives each scene plenty of detail. Barrows is going to show off a lot when the Court of the Owls crossover comes next month.

Nightwing #7 gets 4.5/5.

DC Comics

Supergirl #7: Supergirl started off on a great note, but has been straggling of late. #7 seems to put the book in a new direction by the end.

Writers Michael Green and Mike Johnson have spent a lot of the past few issues having Reign monologue. To an almost annoying degree. Thankfully they let Mahmud Asrar do what he does best this issue and that is pencil big fights. They leave a plot thread open for the future of the book, but thankfully they put an end to this World Killer business. I'd like to see them start setting up a life for Kara. The fish out of water has a lot of potential with this book, but it hasn't been utilized as well as it could have. Hopefully in the coming months, these problems will change.

As stated before, Asrar pencils a beautiful issue. The big fights scene will bring you in, as things start to get bigger and bigger. While the writing hasn't been that great the past few months, Asrar has been consistently strong. His art is worth the money on the cover alone. Asrar's art is pops off the page because of Dave McCaig's colors.

Supergirl #7 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Uncanny X-Men #9: Hooray! This is the last week for those ugly Avengers vs X-Men banners!

Kieron Gillen has been creating some dastardly villains in this new volume of Uncanny. I'm starting to think he is having more fun with the villains than the heroes. Unit isn't terribly interesting, but his dialogue is witty. The plot is by the books team up. Gillen throws in a few character moments for the hell of it, but most of the issue is focused on the fighting. It's all fun to watch (more on that later), but I wish there was more character. There is some for Magik at the beginning, as well as Danger, but it still seems odd to have Magik this imprisoned considering she has done nothing as of late. Overall, I like what is here, but I want to love it. Gillen also misses a great opportunity to talk about the aftereffects of Schism. But sadly, nothing. Guess that will be saved for when the crossover starts next month.

Carlos Pacheco is back, and his pencils are a welcomed sight. And he doesn't even need a helper! His work seems more like his time on Ultimate Avengers, with the action not reverting to stiff action figures (a problem of his). Characters are expressive, except for the second they put a mask on, then it's all gone. Pacheco clearly loves penciling Emma Frost, and for once she doesn't have any camel toe.

Uncanny X-Men #9 gets 3.5/5 (yep, upon reread, it went down by .5).

Marvel Comics

Wolverine #303: Aaron only has one more issue with Wolverine. Wow.

Back in Japan finally ends. Jason Aaron sets up the new status quo of the Hand well. While many thought that Sabertooth had nothing to do this arc, Aaron gives him quite a bit to do in the future. But everything is wrapped up to nicely. Lord Deathstrike was never developed enough for my tastes. And sadly Melita isn't treated well in this issue as well. The issue is sound overall, and it's a lot of fun to read. But this issue puts Wolverine back to where he was when Aaron came onto the book. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I wish that a few of the threads that Aaron had started would be left there for Cullen Bunn. Maybe the Melita thread will continue somehow, but I don't see how this is going to come together in one issue.

Art is only a mixed bag. Billy Tan, Steven Sanders, and Paco Diaz rotate art. None of them blend together well, leaving every change jarring to the reader. I can understand the change in artist with every change of scene, but when all of the scenes are in the same two feet, there isn't a need for the change in artists.

Wolverine #303 gets 3.5/5.

DC Comics

Wonder Woman #7: Brian Azzarello finds another way to shake up the history of Wonder Woman.

Ever wonder why there are only women of the Amazon? Well it's explained here. It's very simple too, which are the best shake ups when it comes to status quos. Wonder Woman doesn't get much focus here, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The overall plot moves a long a little bit, but Azzarello spends more time explaining the reason for no men of the Amazon. It gives Azzarello a chance to have some T and A, but he doesn't even exploit it for that. It's necessary to the story. What gets me, is how simple of an idea it is. The cast is getting ever more expansive, and it is occasionally getting hard to remember everyones names. Maybe a page near the beginning with a picture of everyone? Marvel does this in a lot of their books.

Cliff Chiang is back on art, and everything looks beautiful. Every panel is full of comic goodness. Having to wait a few months was worth it. Chiang doesn't get as many opportunities to show off with battle sequences, but he makes up for it with the design for Hephaestus. He's intricately detailed, and hopefully will appear later in the story.

Wonder Woman #7 gets 4/5.

Old Comics

Avengers #23 gets 3.5/5.

Avengers #24 gets 4/5.

Comic Reviews 3/14

2012-03-16T16:19:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if you might have heard, but this awesome comic called Saga came out this week. It was a the highlight of the week by far. The rest of the week was good, with a couple of mediocre releases.

Red 5 Comics

Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures #1: After taking months to catch up, I'm ready to read the series while it comes out. Hooray!

Brian Clevinger writes the five short stories, and all of them will be good for fans of Atomic Robo. They are evenly spread out, with none of them over staying their welcome. As you might guess, the Dr. Dinosaur short is easily the funniest. Spam as a way of attacking Robo? Genius. But the stories aren't integral to reading the next volume or rediscovering some personal detail of Robo. It's more there for fans who can't wait for the next volume of Atomic Robo. Since I'm one of those persons, I loved them. As usual, Clevinger makes Robo very interesting a relatable, giving a lot of emotion in the few lines that Robo gets throughout this anthology.

The art isn't as on par as the other volumes, but it's serviceable. A few of the artists change the way Robo looks to a degree, which isn't good. But they work. The "To Kill a Sparrow" short story looks the most like the ongoing, with Ryan Cody providing the art there. Yuko Oda brings "Revenge of Dr. Dinosaur" the comedic timing needed for such a funny character. In "Rocket Science is a Two-Edged Sword," I really like the choice of black and white. Not a lot of comics can pull this off, but it works in this story.

Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures #1 gets 4/5

DC Comics

Batgirl #7: Batgirl continues to have some uneven issues, so sadly it's getting demoted to being read a month late (to save money).

Gail Simone seems to be a little preoccupied with Batgirl's past. Using a big moment like The Killing Joke is fine, but it seems to be a constant variable in this story. It's detracting from what Barbara is now though. Instead of moving forward with the character, it seems like she is just spinning her wheels. It's clear she is working some stuff out as a character. The fight scene with Black Canary was a good read, but I'm still unsure what Simone wants to do with Barbara's mom. For now, it seems like she is there for the sake of just being there. Another thing from Barbara's past that is still plaguing this book. Grotesque is an interesting villain, but again, tied to the past. Nothing is new. I shouldn't hate on this book so much, as it is still enjoyable, but not enough to read right away. It will be in the Old Comics section at the bottom from now on, unless the quality improves.

Ardian Syaf is helped out by Alitha Martinez this month. Syaf is perfect this month, with the fight sequence in the sewer looking great. The sequence has a cramped feeling to it, making every blow feel like it's hitting that much harder. Alitha Martinez's art is serviceable, but there are some problems with head shapes. Some of the shots tend to...ehem.."accentuate" some features of the women. Yeah, I'm use to it by now with comics, but when their body changes from page to page, it's a little OH HAI THERE BOOBIES.

Batgirl #7 gets 3/5.

Dark Horse Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #7: Seriously, what the fuck is with that ending?

Andrew Chambliss continues to balance character moments and big action very well. The small moments between Spike and Buffy are great to read, and hit home things fans wish these two had said about each other for a while. He also fills the book with classic Joss Whedon style humor with such degree that I had to double check that Joss didn't write the book in his free time. And let's talk the ending. SPOILER WARNING Buffy seems to be a Buffybot. After rereading it, it seems that Buffy was switched out for a bot. It's a huge false herring, and in a time when Buffy is pregnant, it seems to discredit that story to a degree. Not much, but enough that it left a bad taste in my mouth. We know Buffy with be back next month and everything will be explained the next issue or very soon. That said, these seven issues have been better than all of Season 8.

George Jeanty does a good job on art. He finally captures the actor's likeness, but it seems like he traced a close up from the show. The action scene looks great, with all the vampire dustings look fantastic. It helps that Michelle Madsen colored them in a great way. Characters are expressive and have some great reactions when the Joss Whedon humor comes into play. He's still not as good as Rebeka Issacs over on Angel & Faith, but still good.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #7 gets 4/5

Marvel Comics

Captain America #9: Ed Brubaker continues his silver age style arc in dramatic fashion.

Much of the issue focuses on Sharon Carter's fight with the Machinesmith. It's a very interesting fight. Not for the shear fact that Carter has a lot to do instead of being a damsel in distress, but for the way she counteracts a smart villain like this. Every thing she throws at him makes the fight that much more interesting. It's a battle of the wits. Cap actually takes a back seat this month. Having Falcon fall victim to a ruse seemed a little below him, but it sets up the final issue of the arc well. Brubaker also ties Codename: Bravo into the story as well, without his entrance feeling forced at all. I originally gave this issue a 3.5 for spinning it's wheels a bit when it comes to plot, but it's very enjoyable, so it will get a better grade.

Alan Davis absolutely owns on this book. The action looks great, even the outdated hair that everyone has. Sharon Carter's fight with the Machinesmith looks fantastic. Pages are kinetic and pop off the page. Even the talking head panels benefit from his master storytelling. Falcon's conversation with Viper has the tense feeling that Falcon would bring to a meeting like this. While Patrick Zircher is going to be taking over the book with #11, I dearly wish Davis was staying on.

Captain America #9 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Fantastic Four #604: I can't believe that Jonathan Hickman's run is ending soon. It's starting to hit home with this issue.

Hickman puts a real emotional cap on his entire run. He has almost seven more issues, but if it ended today, I'd say it was one hell of an ending. A good chunk of it is explained, but not without a lot of action. Hickman also explains the true extent of Franklin's powers, and that is one insanely powerful kid. I'm glad Hickman is going to be helping Avengers vs X-Men, as this arc has shown that he can handle the event style comic while not losing scope of what really matters in these comics, the characters. The ending is especially touching, as it mirror #570, the issue that started this insane and fun run that Hickman has given us. His run will go down in history as one of the best runs in the history of the Fantastic Four. The next writer has big shoes to fill.

Steve Epting joins to finish the story off. Everything looks great, but a few facial problems come up on a few pages. Nothing serious, but worth noting. The final scene hits every emotional note that Hickman wrote, making the scene that much better. Part of me wishes Dale Eaglesham had penciled this scene, to really pay tribute to #570. But Epting does a good job, with that final panel giving the reader a great sense of hope and show that this series has nowhere to go but up.

Fantastic Four #604 gets 4.5/5.

DC Comics

Green Lantern #7: After a weak first arc, Geoff Johns seems to be stepping up his game with the Indigo tribe.

It's nice to see Johns finally discuss this tribe to a degree. They are very mysterious and Johns teases us in a way that makes you want to come back next month. Not without the character moments though, Johns inserts those in quite often. The opening scene is filled with them, and brings Carole to an interesting place after it. Fans of Blackest Night will like what Johns shows up here. While I doubt we will ever get any resolve for that, as it's been way to long, it'd be nice to see what happened to Black Hand finally. Seriously, what the hell does Nok mean already? Besides the secrecy of the Indigo tribe, this has been the biggest riddle in this part of the DC universe.

Dough Mahnke is finally back. His pencils are much like his pre nuDC work on Green Lantern. Every page is oozing with emotion and feeling. Carol's face during the opening fight were fantastic. As usual, he draws goulish figures perfectly, giving the Indigo tribe that creepy look. I'm fine with him taking a month off every now and then if only to help him make his pencils look this great. One thing I was hoping for was Carol to get a costume change, considering her costume is rather stupid. It easily could have been changed. Maybe something will in the future.

Green Lantern #7 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

The Incredible Hulk #6: While the series has it's problems, at least everything is consistent.

Jason Aaron's writing has been the only reason that I have been keeping this book in my pull list. The Hulk vs Banner fight is still interesting, even if the Von Doom and Igor story line isn't that interesting. Most of the issue is really a fight, but Aaron gives us some back story as well. He also ties the origin of their split in with the Fear Itself #7 epilogue. It's a little forced, but not enough to take away from the story that in front of us. The Von Doom back story is predictable though, and Aaron's attempt to fool us doesn't work that well. I think it would have been more interesting if she had been honest forthright and hates her father. That would have made how the Hulk and Banner split that more interesting.

Where this issue really falters is the art. Whilce Portacio still sucks the big one. Characters look like shit, and they look almost like stick figures at some points. Von Doom gets the worst of the bad art, with there character shape differing wildly than previous shown. Banner's fight looks pathetic. It makes everything ugly to look at. The big Hulked out things look good. His time on Journey Into Mystery was better than this. I still don't understand how he still gets jobs in comics when his art looks like this.

The Incredible Hulk #6 gets 2.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Journey Into Mystery #635: Cadaver Thor just want's some love. I'll hold you big guy.

Kieron Gillen writes the book in a very interesting way. It shows how much this new version of Loki has changed than the old Loki. Gillen's script gives the read a great deal of insight into Loki's love for his brother Thor. Ikol's words make everything that Loki does that more heroic, and slightly tragic. We know that something will eventually happen to Loki that will send him on his traitorous ways, but when? Gillen also adds some depth to Leah, who has been a little one sided as of late. The story doesn't spend to much time on the victims, quickly getting us acquainted without over doing the exposition. Loki's remark about energy drinks was by far the best line in the story. And folks, now is the time to start a petition for a Cadaver Thor ongoing.

Richard Elson has been a perfect fit with Journey Into Mystery. The characters are expressive, and his pencils fit the mystic atmosphere of this book. Jessica Kholinne's colors are also on display here, with Elson's moody pencils looking that much better. Cadaver Thor also looks great on the recap page. Never thought he'd be back.

Journey Into Mystery #635 gets 4/5

Marvel Comics

The Punisher #9: With the Omega Effect coming next month, time to lead into that.

Greg Rucka continues his great Punisher epic, having Frank and Rachel finally team up. It's natural, and Frank humanizes his "tour de force" version of Frank. The technology that Rucka comes up with had my head thinking a blaze with possibilities. Rucka also shows how much Rachel and Frank are a great team. The benefit of Frank being an up close and personal type while she takes back seat to snipe is great strategy. It's a small touch, but went a long way to show how Rachel might be the best side kick that Frank has ever had. It's clear the Omega Effect is coming, as it's shoehorned into the plot. I have full faith in Rucka to make it work, but when the rest of this series has a been a slow burn, having this is very jarring. It ruins the entire momentum of the issue.

Mirko Colak pencils a good issue. His work on Red Skull: Incarnate was great, and that continues here. Faces are expressive, and the action looks great. I noticed that the Punisher skull looks a little odd compared to how it's been penciled recently. His pencils aren't on the level of Marko Checchetto, but they are good.

The Punisher #9 gets 3.5/5.

Image Comics

Saga #1: If you were wondering if Saga could ever live up to the hype that has bee bestowed upon it, don't worry, it has.

Brian K. Vaughn has always done better with his own stuff. Y: the Last Man, to me, is the best series in the history of comic books. And it looks like he has another great run in him here. He sets up the world well, especially the characters. We get a hold of who Marko and Alana are and their relationship with in minutes of reading the first sentence. Their struggle, and why it should matter, is explained and given plenty of weight. While some is left unexplained, it's easy to look past it considering we know we will learn it in time. Much like Star Wars, the universe feels lived in, and a few catchphrases are thrown about. No doubt a few of these are going to be coined by comic book fans. So much potential oozes from every page. The stories that Vaughn could tell with these characters. It makes the wait for next month that much harder.

I'm not familiar with Fiona Staples pencil work, but it's great here. Characters are expressive and you can read their personality from their face. If I can understand a character without reading a line, the penciler has done their job and then some. The action looks great, and I want a giant turtle of my own. And yes, there are naked robots having sex in this issue. The writing, done by Staples, is done in an interesting way. It leads the eyes where they need to go without being obvious that they are doing that.

Saga #1 gets 5/5

Vertigo Comics

Saucer Country #1: Paul Cornell has always been a good writer, so it pains me to say that this is just mediocre.

Cornell sets up the very simple premise well. Aliens are invading, and the main character, Governor Alvarado is the only one who knows. It's all good, but so much time is spent on who Alvarado is that the premise is somewhat forgotten. There is also a crazy Harvard teacher, who is actually more interesting then Alvarado. It's only the first issue, so all of these things can be forgiven can be forgiven. The characters are interesting and relatable, I just wish that a tiny more was hinted at with the aliens. Even if it's just hints about something coming up. The premise is very interesting, and I'll be back for the foreseeable future to see where Cornell wants to go with this series.

Ryan Kelly's art is great. I love the choice to have the aliens look like classic B-movie aliens. You can see the crazy in Professor Kid's (the Harvard professor) eyes. Character faces are very detailed. He makes the shower scene very creepy, even though we know Alvarado is seeing something. It makes me hopeful for the series. Having that creepy atmosphere will only enhance Cornell's scrip when the time comes for the invasion.

Saucer Country #1 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Scarlet Spider #3: Scarlet Spider continues to be a strong series, with Chris Yost rounding out the cast.

The cast isn't a reinvention of the Coffee Bean gang, but they are still a very interesting bunch. Yost gives us a good read on these people fast. Surprisingly fast actually. It stunned me how fast he gave us a good amount of depth on these characters. One has to wonder if Yost is setting up one particular character to be the love interest, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Kaine's inner thoughts are a little to dramatic for me, but they never last long, with Yost adding a good amount of humor this issue. He also makes good use of the city of Houston. Yost also brings up a villain from Kaine's past. I wish that he could have explained this better, as I was completely lost on the reference. It's not a big complaint, but it's worth noting.

Ryan Stegman's art is perfect for a Spider-Man book. The action looks great, and the cloaking ability that Kaine's suit has is a nice effect. Kaine still takes off his mask way to fucking much. Be it the fault of Chris Yost or Stegman, this really needs to stop. Kaine is smarter than that. Otherwise, everything is great.

Scarlet Spider #3 gets 4/5.

Image Comics

Thief of Thieves #2: While Robert Kirkman thought up this story, Nick Spencer is the real star with this book.

Spencer gives us some back story to Conrad. It's very interesting, and since it involves a lot of action, it doesn't slow down the momentum of the series. Some will be bugged by this, but I actually find it a good thing. It's interesting to peel back the layers of our main character. The reason for quitting the thieving business is quite simple, but Spencer makes it interesting and compelling. It's a fairly quick read, and feels like filler for the overall arc, but it's hard to be upset about it when it's this good. Spencer's script is sharp as ever, filled with plenty of wit and character. Celia is sadly absent, but we have some backstory for her, so it's logical that she wouldn't appear in this issue. And next issue seems to focus on police instead of Conrad and Celia.

Shawn Martinbrough's pencils are great. His lines are thick, which makes the characters look more lifelike. The action looks great, and his characters don't lose any detail when the panels zoom out away from them. I'm guessing that his pencils take so long he is going to need some time off eventually, which is sad, as they are such treat to look at.

Thief of Thieves #2 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine & the X-Men #7: This book is still the best X-book, even though this issue's ending is a little weak.

Jason Aaron fills this issue with some great dialogue. He also fills it with some perfect character moments. Quire gets some special attention, and Wolverine evolves a little. I liked the ending, as Iceman is officially a player. It's amazing how he juggles these scenes and characters with everyone getting character time and enough time to evolve too. But the ending. It's very anticlimactic. While it leaves Wolverine in a very funny place, it just makes everything we have read before a little unnecessary. Yeah, the ending is funny, but as a story point, it's not that good. I will say this, I love the idea of Bobby and Kitty being a thing. Even adding in Kid Gladiator's bodyguard, Warbird, as a jealous third is hilarious addition.

Nick Bradshaw's art keeps one upping itself. As usual, characters are expressive, detailed, and overall great looking. The backgrounds have been very detailed, but for some reason, they just look even more detailed this time around. I'm going to miss him while Chris Bachalo pencils the next few issues.

Wolverine & the X-Men #7 gets 4/5.

Old Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #680 gets 4/5

Amazing Spider-Man #681 gets 4.5/5

FF #15 gets 3.5/5

New Avengers #22 gets 3/5

Ultimate Spider-Man #8 gets 5/5

The Walking Dead "Better Angels" Recap/Review

2012-03-11T22:10:00.003-04:00

"Better Angels" sticker from GetGlue (From AMC)

* SPOILER WARNING *

Ah, the burial of Piggy (yep, I'm not done with that reference yet). Do the survivors now get rescued by their parents and scolded for being stupid occasionally?

I might not like Andrea, but awesome kill with the pitchfork.

Rick immediately puts T-Dog on perimeter watch. It's like the writers like finding fun ways for him to not be in scenes. "Do you want me to babysit Shane?" says Andrea. Yes, because he is an infant who can't take care of himself. How hard was that to understand. And yes we will leave money for pizza.

DEAR LORD stop shoving the "Carl killing Shane soon" angle down our throats. It's getting to an almost comical point.

Why isn't T-Dog on perimeter duty? He's the amazing multiple man (Madrox to comic fans)! He can be in multiple spots at once....just as long as none of them are on camera.

"Confused" is an over simplification Lori. Unless "confused" means "banged like two drunk teenager with the house for the weekend," then yeah, you are "confused."

And time. It's official, the Glen hating Maggie thing is going on way to long. That's some rather sentimental music playing for the repairing of the Winnebago. Oh, it's a metaphor for Dale....well.....this is awkward.

Carl is going to be one fucked up kid. If this was the origin of a super villain, we are seeing that moment where he turns to the dark side coming fast.

Randall needs to get that ketchup off his wrists. Shane is going to the traditional mating dance of "I'm insane so I hit my own head to show this." I'm partial to Numfar's dance of joy. T-Dog now has lines! What a joyous occasion for him. But he squanders it with a "Oh hell no" so it's a wash.

I swear next week, I'm starting the "Shane rubs his head" (SRHH for short) counter. At this point, we are at 1. I will start this up again for season 3. "I run my mouth when I'm nervous." This kid doesn't want to live does he.........I spoke to soon. That was so kind of Shane to hug that tree (I think it was a hug. Can never really know with people like him).

T-Dog is immediately shoved back in the house when Randall escapes. Should I say the.....DOG HOUSE?! HAHAHA.....*hit's self in face*

Shane can't bullshit Darryl, he was a Boondock Saint. Then Darryl was whatever he was in that sequel. He's turned into that person who sees everything when no one else does. He's Spike from Buffy, just not British and weirdly skinny.

Hooray! Now everyone who has died can make a cameo appearance! And Glenn finally had his zombie killing cherry popped (Can't remember him killing one with his bare hands).

The last 10 minutes of each episode is turning into the last quarter of a football game. You can see all the important stuff happen then.

OH SHIT. That honestly surprised the hell of out me. Perfectly acted as well. I was partially hoping they were going to recreate the scene in the comics, as that is iconic and what I think is the perfect way to do it. But hey, they took a chance and it really worked here. Guess my SRHH counter is done.

This was a very entertaining episode. The writers slowly built up tension well, making you not wish a week separated you between this and the next episode. The way the script shows how similar Rick and Shane are has always been done rather well. A couple of small things is what separates them. The music was strong this episode as well. There were a few scenes that felt like they were just killing time before the ending though. Everything blended well, and Carl's finale felt real. Watching this episode, I can feel a lot of people are going to think they did stupid things, as that seems to be the general complaint in every episode. I didn't think so, but that's me. Joe Bernthal, Shane, could have toned down the craziness a little bit, as in a few scenes it seemed over the top. A lot of people are going to complain that Shane shouldn't have died, but this is Rick's story, and Shane was stealing from that. Love that he was around longer than he ever should have been, but it was his time to go.

Better Angels gets 4/5.

Cullen Bunn talks Sixth Gun, Wolverine, and Kitty Pride kicking ass

2012-03-11T13:40:00.003-04:00

Wolverine #304, the first issue in Cullen Bunn's run

Whenever a new writer comes to Wolverine, it begs the attention of Marvel readers. Cullen Bunn starts his run on #304, and recently sat down to talk about his run, and his creator owned book, The Sixth Gun.

So you have quickly become one of Marvel's go to guys. How's it feel to go from indie writer to writer of a big Marvel book like Wolverine?

Cullen Bunn: It's been a year since I signed my exclusive with Marvel, and it still feels pretty surreal. These are characters I grew up with... characters I really love... and I want to make sure I "do right" by the creators who have worked on the titles before, the characters themselves, and the fans. Writing Marvel books and creator-owned books is really the best of both worlds.

With someone like Wolverine, who numerous have had a great run on, how hard is to look at the character and find a new angle that entices reader? Or make an old angle shine in a new way?

Cullen Bunn: That's always a concern, but if I obsess too much over it, I'll never actually get anything written. In the end, I have to trust that no one else is really going to tell a story in the same way as me. So, my Wolverine will be different than those that came before and those that will come after. At the same time, I try to honor the character's past and introduce some new concepts of my own.

I see in your first arc you're bringing back Dr. Rot. What has he been up too since Wolverine: Weapon X?

Cullen Bunn: I don't want to give away too much, but Dr. Rot has been busy. He's been making plans and preparations (for his next encounter with Wolverine). He has a big agenda, something nasty on the horizon, and he is not alone. I get to build on the character's history here, which is a real treat.

I think (correct me if I'm wrong) I remember Jason Aaron describing Rot as Wolverine's Joker. Do you view him that way?

Cullen Bunn: I definitely see the comparison. Dr. Rot is crazy. Bad crazy. He's like a horror movie version of Joker, I guess. When he found Wolverine, he saw something... special. In many easy, Wolverine represents the ultimate subject... The ultimate canvas for him.

Great way of describing him. Have any desire to make your own impact on the Wolverine rogue gallery?

Cullen Bunn: Absolutely! Even in the Dr. Rot arc, I'll be adding to the host of bad guys plaguing Wolverine. Then, when we get to my second arc, I really go crazy.

Can't wait (laughs). You're also writing a few issues of Venom coming up. How's that been so far?

Cullen Bunn: It's been terrific. When I first started the project, I wasn't sure what to expect. Thus is, after all, a culmination of everything Rick Remender has dine on the series so far. It's a little scary. But the collaboration has been really great. It's been a lot of fun. I think that will show when the readers finally get their hands on these issues.

Is this the start of you taking over for the book? Or just to help out with the double shipping schedule?

Cullen Bunn: The goal with Savage Six is just for me to pitch in and help out.

I recently started reading the Sixth Gun, awesome series by the way. Is there an end game in your head, or do you think this has the potential to stay around a while?

Cullen Bunn: 'm definitely working toward an end game. The end has been in sight since early on in the first arc. There's a little wiggle room built in, but in total there will be around 50 issues in the series.

The Sixth Gun #20, the next issue in the series (3/21/12)

Do you have any other creator owned books being developed? Be it with Oni Press or Icon at Marvel.

Cullen Bunn: I do have a couple of new creator-owned books in development at Oni. They both have terrific artists attached to them. I'm not 100% sure when they will be hitting the shelves, though.

I haven't seen you attached to any Avengers vs X-Men books yet, but do you have a favorite fight you'd like to write if given the chance?

Cullen Bunn: I'm not writing anything that ties into Avengers vs. X-men. There are so many potential match-ups that it's hard to pick just one that I'd love to write. Kitty Pryde vs. Iron Man?

Oh damn. That'd be awesome to see.

Cullen Bunn: I know, right? I'd love to see some fights that look like mis-matches on the surface. Plus, I support seeing Kitty kick ass as much as possible.

Buying Digital vs Physical; a Six Month Experiment

2012-03-09T09:21:00.002-05:00

Justice League has constantly been a high selling comic digitally (DC Comics)

Since the DC relaunch last September, I have been partaking in an experiment. I have been buying certain titles in digital form on the day of release. I wanted to see what it was like to read only digital when I was accustomed to reading physical every week. I started out only reading DC books, but slowly worked others into the mix. I read the following titles digitally:

-Animal Man
-Batgirl
-Swamp Thing
-Wonder Woman
-Demon Knights
-Thief of Thieves
-Star Trek Ongoing
-Generation Hope
-Fatale
-X-Factor

I have also been reading a few titles a month late, to save a few dollars.

-Ultimate Comics X-Men
-Batman & Robin
-Detective Comics

After six months of doing this, I am starting to see the advantages of buying digitally, although I'm not 100% convinced. For someone like me, buying digitally has the advantages of space. Long boxes can take up a lot of room if you are a hardcore reader, and that will eventually create a bigger problem. With digitally, I like being able to just buy and not worry about "how am I going to fit this into my long boxes" (wow that sounds dirty). When my iPhone or Kindle Fire get low on space, I just delete a few. On a side note, I have discovered a few books that I never thought I would start reading. And while not all of them have been winners, it's still helps that I can just search certain things and find new comics that I will be interested in. I discovered Atomic Robo this way.

Swamp Thing #7 (DC Comics)

What doesn't have me sold on the format though amounts to a few things. As much as deleting a few comics to make space is easy and convenient, it's also a pain. I like having all my comics ready and available to read. It doesn't take long to download them again, but it's the principle of the thing. But the thing that bothers me the most with buying digitally is not being about to see the art as well. In a book like Swamp Thing, where the entire page is a beautiful work of art, it's harder to see the panel layouts. The book is zoomed out when you are done reading the page, but it's just not the same. When reading on the Kindle Fire, much of this complaint is lost, but the double page spreads aren't as clear as they would be in a physical copy. Occasionally the comiXology program doesn't put the panels in the right order as well.

I'm not going to even get into the pricing, as I don't know enough about the royalties of the people creating the books. A lot has been said on Twitter about how creators aren't receiving enough money either way. Before I make a stance on it, I'll do more research.

Even though digital does have it's fall backs, I'll continue to read these books this way. Sometimes I do wish I could make the transition over to physical again, but that would just be a waste of money.

Comic Reviews for the week of 3/8/12

2012-03-08T14:37:00.002-05:00

Hi everybody! Total of 13 comics in this week's reviews. Was a good week. Not great, but good. Jonathan Hickman had a great start to his creator owned work, while Grant Morrison continued his Superman epic. Sadly Age of Apocalypse #1 wasn't as good as I was hoping. Enough teasing, let's get down to business.

DC Comics

Action Comics #7: Grant Morrison's run on Action Comics can be shaky, but with #7, he seems to be turning that around and being the Grant Morrison of old.

The idea behind the Bottle City of Kandor isn't reinvented here, but Morrison gives it a creatively charged story. The way he connects the Collector to an old Superman villain and Earth culture made my head spin a bit, because it was that great of an idea. It's fun to have an "AHA!" moment when you realize what Morrison is doing and it makes you want to read more of the story. Occasionally the dialogue feels a bit odd, but it's not a big nit to pick. In the bottle, Morrison continues Luthor's cracking since finding out the Collector isn't helping him. For the little time that Luthor has had in this book, he doesn't seem that menacing. Then again, he isn't the main villain, so I won't pass judgement just yet. I love Superman, but haven't had a good Superman book to read as an ongoing. This is finally that book.

Rags Morales returns, and his pencils fare better than the previous four issues. He still has the facial problems like before, but they aren't nears as evident. The action flows well, and all the characters are very expressive in the more quiet scenes. The Collector looks fantastic, having a Silver Age feel to him while still being menacing.

Action Comics #7 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Age of Apocalypse #1: After it's brilliant use in Uncanny X-Force, it was only a matter of time before marvel used the AoA in a new way. After one issue though, this might not be the way fans want.

David Lapham has the horrible task of catching up lost readers on what has happened to this alternate reality. He does a fair job of it, but it severely destroys any momentum this universe had from it's time in Uncanny X-Force. To Lapham's credit, he does a good job of setting up the series and why we should be coming back each month. But this series doesn't offer much different then normal X-Men books. Instead of the humans oppressing the mutants, it's the other way around. We have seen this before in countless stories. I'm not sure if this is Lapham's fault or Marvel's (I think Marvel's), but this doesn't seem like much to base a series on. As I said in my review of Greg Pak's run on Astonishing X-Men; in alternate reality stories, you need to make the audience care more since these stories "don't count" in the normal universe. I shall be back next month, but not sure how much longer after that. Given a little more freedom, I think Lapham could make this a great book.

Robert De La Torre's art fits the very moody universe well. His pencils ooze with the grime and sorrow that Lapham puts in the script. The characters look fairly down to Earth, except for one panel that has every standing in stereotypical superhero poses. Jean Grey's costume is still stupid as all hell and I wish someone would change it. If Lapham's story is only so-so, De La Torre's art makes the cover price worth it.

Age of Apocalypse #1 gets 3/5.

DC Comics

Animal Man #7: Another filler issue, but who cares when the Animal Man team is the best around.

Jeff Lemire slows down even further with the family trying to figure out where to find Alec Holland. Buddy's son Cliff gets more focus this week, and Lemire perfectly shows how a son in this situation would feel. Lemire gives Cliff a great moment near the end, and it's moot considering the terror that is going to be coming towards these characters in the coming issues. As usual, the family dynamic is a great read. Everything feels natural and exactly how the family of a superhero would act. The cover isn't exactly lying, but it's not telling the truth either. The dream sequence is interesting, but those have been happening a lot in this book. The final page will make any fan of this book terrified for what is going to happen next to Buddy.

Steve Pugh and Travel Foreman switch art duties this month. Pugh's art suits the book well. There is a major hiccup in the beginning of the book, where Helen goes from wearing nothing on her head to wearing a headband and glasses the next. In this day and age, that is just inexcusable. Foreman and Pugh should have figured this out before the book was sent to the printers.

Animal Man #7 gets 4.5/5 (yeah, the art brought it down a little from my initial review).

Marvel Comics

Avengers Academy #27: This has long been a book I have meant to get into, but I'm glad I finally made the dive.

Christos Gage does a commendable job of catching up readers with the Runaways. I don't know much about the Runways, but I have a good feeling after reading this issue. Gage frames the issue in a cliche way, with the teams fighting before realizing one needs the other. The space in between though is what made me enjoy this comic though. The dialogue that Gage gives these characters feels so natural for teens and it's great to read. It's one thing to shove characters into cliche situations, but it's what you do with them that matters. And Gage hits it out of the park when it matters. Each character has so much emotion behind their lines. This might be something that Gage does a regular basis, but it's great as a new reader to the series. He handles Striker coming out of the closet in a very humorous fashion as well. The last page feels a tad force to show off what is happening on the cover, but that's for next issue.

Karl Moline's art is serviceable. Most of the scenes are talking head scenes, but the characters still have a scratchy look to them. It's ok, just not as good as the book could look. The close up on characters look good though, being very expressive. Mainly in the scene mentioned before, when the Runaways and the Avengers Academy students meet for the first time.

Avengers Academy #27 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

Avengers: the Children's Crusade #9: It's hard to believe that the first issue of this series came out almost two years ago.

Alan Heinberg finally finishes his Young Avengers epic. The issue is a little uneven, but the series has an actual sense of closure instead of just prolonging everything. It's clear that Heinberg wants to end everything to that he feels complete with these characters. This issue does show that Children's Crusade didn't need to be nine issue. A good part of this issue is characters grieving with Wanda. Which is ok, but it feels very tacked on. The epilogue nature of the issue helps the series fit into continuity perfectly. It's still filled with Heinberg's great characterization for these characters. One thing that he does leave unsolved is who actually caused M-Day, and oh boy are fan boys going to be pissed. It was really an unnecessary story line to bring up in the first place. Hopefully it will be solved in another book fairly fast.

Jim Cheung's artwork has been masterful, and #9 is just the same. It doesn't look as rushed either. The beginning of the issue is filled with sadness, and Cheung gives that in spades. The action from Iron Lad looks great as well. Thankfully this series is over so he can work on other books. If Heinberg's script never caught you, then Cheung's pencils should have kept you coming after all these months.

Avengers: the Children's Crusade #9 gets 4/5.

Marvel Comics

The Defenders #4: While the first arc of this series showed promise, it was a little anticlimactic. #4 is a quieter issue, but works well.

First things first, Matt Fraction, fantastic Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom reference. The rest of the issue delves deeper into how Fraction is going to be writing Dr. Strange. He has never been more interesting to me, but most of the issue doesn't involve the overall narrative of the story much. That's fine with me, but after the bad ending to the first arc, I'd like something more. Lots of threads are established, and I'm interested to see where they take the book. Red She-Hulk and Iron Fist get some great face time, and I wish that they had been featured more in the issue. The cover's story about the lost love of Dr. Strange is gone as quickly as it comes in. The story adds some depth to Strange, but it could have been done differently. Since it's a Fraction comic, it's quippy as hell. And most of them land too, giving me some great chuckles.

While the story is just meh, Matthew Lark's pencils are perfect. Characters are hyper expressive, and the magic scenes look great. Even when characters are in the background, their faces still have some great facial features. I love the Dodsons, but I wouldn't mind if Lark stuck around on this book. Lark never disappoints with a comic and continually shows how versatile he is as an artist. I wish he could stick around on a book for a while instead of just doing fill in issues.

The Defenders #4 gets 3.5/5.

Image Comics

Fatale #3: Another month, another exemplary effort by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips showing how they are one of the best comic teams in the industry.

Brubaker's story is framed in an interesting way. I almost forgot that we are reading a character reading a story, but Brubaker brings it back and keeps it as an interesting twist in the story. The story in the story adds more layers and makes the overall narrative that much more interesting. I'd like if when different characters had thought boxes, they were different colors. Had a hard time of keeping track of who was thinking what sometimes. Brubaker is revealing everything in a slow manner, but it's in a way that is very enticing. It's like Jaws. We see glimpses of what's really happening, but only enough to tease us along. It's great as a reader, and Brubaker uses the method perfectly. Next issue, I need to think up new ways to say how great Brubaker writes noir comics.

Seas Phillips art has become more refined in his time writing Brubaker stories. When I first checked out Criminal, his art was kind of sketchy and lose. But Fatale #3 is a great example of how tight his pencils have become. Characters are more defined and scenes are more detailed than the past.

Fatale #3 gets 4/5.

Image Comics

The Manhattan Projects #1: Whenever Jonathan Hickman writes something, I always expect a great premise. The Manhattan Projects is just that and more.

The premise that the Manhattan Project was a front for something else is a very simple idea. But Hickman turns it into something grand. After reading this issue, my mind swarmed with ideas of what's the come. Robert Oppenheimer is set up as our window to this series, and his back story is presented in a very interesting way. S.H.I.E.L.D. has proven that he has a great track record of taking historical figures and turning them into action heroes. He hints of something like this with Albert Einstein, but only time will tell what he does with him. The American history major that I am loved this book for taking World War II and reusing it in an interesting way. WWII stories that have weird science fiction are a dime a dozen, but Hickman's seems to be unique.

I'm not familiar with Nick Pitarra's pencils, but I love what I see. It reminds me a lot of Chris Burnham or Frank Quietly. Everything is detailed and each character has so much emotion and energy brimming from them. The big Japanese invasion scene has a great energy and it's clear that he had a lot of fun penciling this scene.

The Manhattan Projects #1 gets 5/5.

DC Comics

Swamp Thing #7: Ladies and gentlemen, we have the best comic of the week.

Scott Snyder uses this issue as a rally the troops type of issue. Things aren't looking good, but Alec Holland wants to turn that around. And turn it around he does. Snyder's script makes the readers swell up in emotion, waiting for Holland to finally kick ass and take names. The reader is excited for #8 on every level. #7 is a very talking heavy comic, but Snyder makes everything feel like each line could be Holland's last. Snyder shows off a little and gives a little history of the Parliament of Trees, something that is so central to Swamp Thing but hasn't been given a whole lot of space in the series. Snyder also sets up the inevitable battle between Abigail and Holland, which Snyder will no doubt write in a perfect fashion.

But the star of this issue is Yanick Paquette. His pencil work is perfect. Each page is beautifully laid out in what will go down in the history of comics as one of the best comics for panel work. Everything looks organic and leads the eye perfectly. A lesser artist would have had troubled leading the eye from panel to panel. Paquette also uses the Jaws method and doesn't completely show us the new Swamp Thing, but adds a new trick to his arsenal.

Swamp Thing #7 gets 5/5 (my initial review was 4.5, but I reread it and decided it deserved a perfect score).

Marvel Comics

Uncanny X-Men #8: I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I love the writing, and fucking hate the art.

Kieron Gillen writes the best issue of the series so far. It's brimming with character moments while still keeping the story going. Gillen caps off the Tabula Rasa story well, while still leaving a few plot threads going for other writers to tackle. X-Force is even mentioned in a logical and satisfying way. Gillen adds more wit to this issue than the past few, and almost every line will make any reader chuckle. Cyclops doesn't come across as a colossal ass either, which has been a constant complaint of mine since the relaunch. I still don't see much in the ways of the X-Men not liking the Avengers, but it looks like #9 is going to be dealing with that, judging by the cover.

Then there is Greg Land. Oh Greg Land. You have had a few good issues recently, Avenging Spider-Man #4 being one, but then there is an absolute crap one like this. Characters face's don't convey the emotion that Gillen's script is giving. Character's basic look doesn't even stay consistent. Hope's face changes from panel to panel. This just shouldn't happen with someone who calls themselves a professional artist. Then there is also the small panel with Psyclock and her ass. Dear god Marvel, get this guy off of this book.

Uncanny X-Men #8 gets 3/5.

Marvel Comics

Venom #14: Circle of Four ends, and it ends on a good note, even though one character is destroyed in character purposes.

Rick Remender ends Circle of Four in a traditional fashion. Big battle, and the heroes are finally seen as heroes and not the people who caused it. Venom has a lot of threads that will fuel his book for a while, as does Hulk. X-23 and Ghost Rider don't fair as well though. X-23 doesn't have to much to do, but Alejandra is pretty much destroyed as a character. She is a complete ass and I do wish that Blaze would be the Ghost Rider again. I liked her in her series, but she is now lost on me. A better ending to the series would have had Johnny Blaze get the Ghost Rider back and start having his own series again. Remender does give Venom lots of room to be a hero, and ties in to Secret Avengers.

Tony Moore pencils this issue, and as usual, his pencils are very detailed. His pencils fit the demon atmosphere, with Vegas never looking better. Characters have a great amount of emotion, and even contain that emotion even when the shots start to zoom out. It's sad that his pencils take so long to complete, as he is such a natural fit for this series.

Venom #14 gets 3.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Winter Soldier #3: It's a damn good week for Ed Brubaker.

Ed Brubaker is somehow writing an espionage book and it involves Dr. Doom. That's a hard thing to do, but Brubaker makes it work. The plot is interesting and ties into Marvel history rather well. The entire Secret War (the Bendis one) is summarized fairly quickly and well too. Sometimes it seems that Brubaker is stuck in World War II, with many of his Cap stories taking place in that time or referencing it a lot. The Cold War has replaced it rather well. It does seem like Brubaker is taking the same formula and rehashing it, but it's still a great read, so who really cares. Hopefully he can change it a little more in the future. Even with all the Dr. Doom work, Brubaker gives Natasha and Bucky plenty of times to be themselves and expand on their personality a bit.

Butch Guice continues to pencil a beautiful espionage book. He experiments with panel work in this issue, and it works really well. The panels lead your eyes right where they need to go, and not once did I have trouble figuring out where I needed to read next. The panels are really detailed as well, given he only has a month to do this.

Winter Soldier #3 gets 4.5/5.

Marvel Comics

Wolverine #302: Jason Aaron's final arc on Wolverine is going down as one deep to the character.

Aaron treats this issue almost like a greatest hits for this current volume that started in 2010. The Hell angle, Logan's unknown kids are brought back in a way, and even Mystique. It's very nostalgic for fans who have been reading Jason Aaron's run on the character for so long. He uses this all without it feeling forced or there to just make you remember everything that Aaron has done on the title in the past few years. Aaron falls back into old Wolverine cliches, with him using violence to solve anything and fucking anything that moves, when he could have aimed for something a little deeper. But the issue is still an enjoyable read overall. I still feel nothing for this new Silver Samurai, as the character feels forced to fit in with Wolverine's adoptive daughter.

Billy Tan and Steve Sanders take turns penciling this issue. Their pencils don't mesh well together well, with the transition being jarring every single time they change art duties. Tan's pencils have fallen drastically in recent years. Sanders seem to comical for this serious story. This is most evident when the dragon makes an appearance. It looks funny instead of menacing.

Wolverine #302 gets 3/5.

Old Comics

Avengers #22 gets 3.5/5.

The Might Thor #11 gets 4/5.

Ultimate Spider-Man #7 gets 5/5.

John Layman talks all things Chew and his love of Plastic Man

2012-03-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

Tony Chu, the star of Layman's Chew

John Layman has been weaving one interesting tale in his creator owned book Chew. Rob Guillory (artist) and he have created Tony Chu, a character who can see the past of things when he eats them. That includes human flesh.

Lately, you have been adding more and more 'powers' in the Chew universe. Where did you get the idea for all of these?

John Layman: I don't know where my ideas come from. I always get asked that, and I have no good answer.

Are there a limit to the number of 'powers'?

JL: Not so far!

(Laughs) ok. Most creator owned books seem to have an end issue in mind, like Scalped ending with #60. Does Chew have and end issue, or one that just goes as long as the ideas keep flowing?

JL: Yep, Ends at issue #60. And, yes, we already know the ending, and are working toward it.

Does that mean you have another book in the works?

JL: Not yet. I'll probably start getting nervous around issue #45.

There were some rumors a while back that Chew was in development as a series on Showtime as a half hour comedy. That still in the works?

JL: Not a rumor. It's actually in development with Showtime. These things move slow.

Can't wait for it. If you had to pick one actor to play Tony, available or unavailable, who'd you pick?

JL: Ken Leung. Miles from LOST.

The LOST fan in me approves of your choice. In the current arc, Major League Chew, Dan Franks is using baseball players as a way to find sexual fantasies. Where did this twist come from?

JL: I have no idea where my ideas come from.

On Reddit recently, Rob Guillory said you both collaborate on the background jokes. Has there ever been a joke that you guys didn't agree on, or decided to use at a different time?

JL: Sometimes there are small things I'm not crazy about-- not often, but occasionally. But I've learned to pick my battles. Very rarely is there something I disagree with enough to make a stink about. My philosophy is both the artist and writer need to be happy, and have freedom to do what makes them happy. So I'm not gonna step in unless it really, REALLY matters.

Have you ever seen a panel/page and went, "Well, it could be more gruesome/disgusting."

JL: Nope. Again, I've learned not to overthink. At least, not on the art end. I'm sure Rob does that enough for the both of us, just like I do for the script.

Yummy

What's next for Tony and the rest of the cast?

JL: We're wrapping up Chew Vol 5, Major League Chew, and Tony's in for a long hospitalization after those events. The next arc, Space Cakes, will focus on his twin sister Toni.

We can finally see how it ties into last year's #27

JL: Yep!

Have there been any characters, teams, or books at the big two publishers that you have wanted to get your hands on?

JL: It's my dream to write Plastic Man.

Why's that?

JL: He's just always been my favorite, and I never feel like DC is willing to do justice to the character.

Chris Eliopoulos talks Cow Boy and the advantages of creator owned work

2012-03-06T07:18:00.000-05:00

Chris Eliopoulos, the artist for Cow Boy, recently sat down with Mr. Comic Book to talk about the story of a 10 year old bounty hunter. It's being released on http://www.cowboycomic.net/ with a good chunk of the book already available to read for free. The hardcover will be released on May 1st

The release method of Cow Boy is rather unique. Why release it free online first then the trade later?

Chris Eliopoulos: This was a new product that no one had really seen before, unlike say, Spider-Man. You have an idea what you'll be buying. Not the case here. So, we had a choice and we felt that the work was strong enough that when people got a look at it online, they would really want to have the book. It's a chance, no doubt, but something we're willing to try.

Well, I'll say I already have it preordered. With an all ages book though, what's the challenge of making material that appeals to both adults and kids? This seems to be a tough market to sell these days.

CH: The trick, if there is one, is to make a book that doesn't speak down to kids, but tells a story that everyone can enjoy. It's a tough market in the direct market because it's dwindled down to a pretty specific demographic. But if you look at movies and books, that market is booming. Our trick is to make a book that appeals somewhat to the comic book market but in general to all demographics.

Where did this idea for a 10 year old cowboy come from? How did it become what it is today?

CH: Really, it started with Nate Cosby. He wanted to do something that we could both work on and he conceived the idea of a kid bounty hunter. He sent me the first script and I went to sketching him out and bringing this world to life.

Your pencils seem to fit the all ages motif well, ever thought about doing an ongoing? Be it with the big two or a creator owned book?

CH: I've done Franklin Richards for Marvel and I would love to do a series with either Marvel or DC, but I think they are now focused mainly on the super hero genre. I've been trying to branch out and try to get my foot in the door at Children's publishing houses. But, really, I think I'm more interested in creating my own characters and stories than working on someone else's.

Have any creator owned characters in the works?

Page from Cow Boy

CH: I do. It's with an editor right now. Waiting to see if they like it or if I have to take it somewhere else.

Hopefully it will work. There seems to be an upswing recently with creator owned work. Do you think todays market helps creator owned work more than it did in say, the 70's or the 80's?

CH: That's hard to say. I'm HOPING that the iPad, the apps, the bookstores and digital publishing will help. Without the costs of printing, there is more likely to be more creator-owned works being published. The key with this and all work in general is that it must be good. Being good sells books, movies, comics. I think most creators realize that ownership of a product will help in the long run versus work-for-hire in that once you do something work-for-hire, the company owns it and you get no compensation down the line other than some royalties. If a creator-owned book were to be optioned, all that money goes to the creators.

Do you see Cow Boy as being something that could last a while? That's a whole new section of movies. Comic books for all ages adapted to film?

CH: I see Cow Boy as something that can go on and on. Just like the old West, there are so many stories. I would love to see new versions of it in movies, books or wherever. I think it has lasting power!

The Walking Dead "Judge, Jury, Executioner" Recap/Review

2012-03-04T22:01:00.002-05:00

"Judge, Jury, Executioner" sticker on GetGlue (from AMC)

* SPOILER WARNING *

Good job writers. Not being subtle at all with the title are we? Better than "Someone Makes a Decision and Someone Dies Because of the Previous Aforementioned Decision."

Darryl does the old Boondock Saints method of interrogation on Randall. Yes, telling Darryl that you watched as people raped a man's daughter is a perfect idea. Nah, he won't beat you more....OH SNAP guess he will.

I'm fine with T-Dog not being there, but a little explanation as to WHY would be nice. Even a "Hey guys, I'm going play Monopoly over here in the corner." That game takes forever to finish. Why thank you sound people, we did need a thunderstorm after Rick says "what happens, happens." Not foreboding at all. Bet the kid is getting a puppy.

"Carl, quit trying to get yourself killed man," says Shane. Hehe, I love irony.

Darryl's vest has angel wings on the back. Either the costume designer doesn't know how to be subtle or he's got some great 80's fashion going on. Hopefully the later.

Oh Carl. Kid's going through those hard times of when your best friend is eaten by another person. Must be a phase. Carol goes on about how she hasn't lost her mind. Considering she acts like a lunatic half the time, I think it's easy to assume she has. She needs to quack like a duck randomly once and we're all set.

Aaaaaand the writers reveal their hand with Carl. Hot damn, a full house. Yeah, Carl is killing Shane by the end of the season. The makeup artists seem to have a fetish with no lips. Makes the zombies look weird, but funny it keeps happening with the big close ups.

Dale's and Shane's conversation, taken out of context, sounds horribly sexual.

WAIT WAIT WAIT. I know we saw Beth in the background when Hershel was talking to Dale outside. Why is she suddenly back in bed again acting like an invalid? Is this like Space Mutiny where people who die come back to be extras in the background? "I'm glad you gave that dead woman another chance."

Quips aside, Hershel's conversation with Glenn is actually kind of sweet. The new direction for Hershel is a good choice.

Ah Carl, playing keep away from a zombie is never a good idea. Especially when you are a the thing that needs to be kept away. The zombie escaping was clear, as the cameraman couldn't stop showing us the zombie's feet. It's like Jimmy Fallon looking at the camera during skits in his SNL days....really fucking annoying.

T-DOG IS BACK. Must have lost that game of Monopoly. Someone must have called winners.

Dale has turned into the Piggy of the farm. If you don't understand that reference, go read Lord of the Flies. Carol, you're adding points into the crazy column by just throwing lines like that out.

Just when the writers trip up on one story, they surprise the hell out of us with another. I really need to rethink when I say that "this character is safe from being killed." Guess my Piggy reference was more on the spot then I thought.

It's hard to top the past few episodes. They have had a great balance of action and character drama. Sadly this issue feels like it's spinning it's wheels. We know how everyone would feel about this situation, so why dwell on it so much? The B-plot about Carl was a good delve into his psyche, and it sets up a lot of things to think about the rest of the season. I personally think the writers revealed their hands a little bit, but the ride towards the end will still be a fun one. Dale's stance as the conscience of the group went a tad overboard this episode, but it is good to see someone thinking rationally when everyone else isn't. The final scene worked well, showing how much Rick would be like Shane if it wasn't for his wife and son. Wasn't the most standout character moment, but a nice one. When The Walking Dead has an average episode, their endings are anything but average. The ending was great, and adds another layer to Carl's ongoing problems. Makes me wonder if he wanted to be written out of the show with the whole Frank Darabont thing. Overall, it was a good episode, if not the best the series has had.

Judge, Jury, Executioner gets 3.5/5.