Hey gang. Thanks for wandering over to look in on me. Time to throw some reviews at you and see what sticks.
Before I begin, a note on change in format. Ever since I started this thing, I have reviewed comics by company. Starting with this post, I will be reviewing "top to bottom". That is, from stuff that sits at the top of my meager pile to the bottom.
Lets begin, shall we?
Robin 171- Begins with what has to be the stupidest villain ever since the TV series days. But from there Chuck Dixon continues a stellar run. The interaction between Batman and Robin, while brief, is great. Conveys a real sense of family. Love the new "redbird" car. Dixon looks intent on bringing back everything interesting from his run. Speaking of that, the mystery of Ives gets a little deeper and more interesting. Having Tim without a girlfriend in his civilian life means that we will probably see Spoiler in an issue or two. Oh, and falling asleep on a roller coaster? Funny as all hell, and something that a guy who jumps from rooftop to rooftop would do.
World of Warcraft 4- Well, some of you must be reading this since #1 went into a second print. Our heroes escape and meet up with some resistance fighters in Ashenvale. During the conflict, we see the awesome powers that Broll can inflict. Talk about an epic fighter! I had been wondering how Walter Simonson would handle a "raid" like battle, and he did a terrific job. In most "raids", there are no clear cut winner or losers, just a show of strength. This portrayed that perfectly, counters and moves that mirror the game. The story elements get some side coverage and look to show more and more of the Kingdoms. Can't wait.
Fantastic Four 554- First part of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's run. This has been debated about on the forums and there seems to be a mixed reception. For me, this was a great jumping on point. You don't have to have read the last 500+ issues to get up to speed with this. A nice starting point to (hopefully) a defining run. Hitch handled the art with feeling, even giving the Thing great expressions. I look forward to the next issue to hear more about how the earth is going to die. Knowing Millar, probably something gruesome. Sweet.
Wolverine 62- This shot to the top of my pile after looking at one page. I am so freaking happy that Ron Garney got rid of the style he was using on SHAZAM and got back to pencils. And wow are they good! Not sure about Jason Aaron's story, but I like where this is going. I am so freaking tired of him chasing crap, this looks like a start to a chase that could be intriguing. The fact the Mystique can become anyone must be driving Wolvie nuts. Also, I liked the interaction between Cyclops and Wolvie. Sanction without really saying that? That's Logan's bread and butter. And the fact that he's going it alone instead of one of the other tired books? Yep, there's going to be a decent bodycount here.
Invincible 48- I admit to coming late to the party on this book, but man it rises to the top of my pile everytime it comes out. The in jokes about the other heroes? Funny as all get out. Loved the interaction between the mom and the director. The battle between Mark and the underground dwellers was beautifully rendered. The fact that Doc Seismic looked surprised for half a beat before proclaiming victory was kinda funny, sort of the look you would see on the Joker or Dr. Doom's face if they actually succeeded. Should be a great next issue.
Superman/Batman 46- I must admit that I dropped this a long time ago when budgets over ran my love for comics. But after hearing the promo for this, I had to pick it up. Our intrepid heroes are travelling the world looking for all the remaining Kryptonite. Turns out there is a new color, silver Kryptonite, which causes Clark to revert to teenage attitudes. This was a really fun issue and may, just may, convince me to put it back on my list. Michael Green did a wonderful story full of fun and humor, and if you don't like it "ssik ym ttub." If you read the story, you get the joke.
Green Arrow/Black Canary 5- Telling the backstory of Connor, we see Ollie at various stages in his life. Turns out he knew all along about him and was (I think) ashamed of his actions. Dinah proposes to him and an intimate wedding occurs. However, someone has taken Connor and the chase is on. I know that people either love or hate Judd Winick's work, but I must cop to falling somewhere in the middle. This is an example of good Judd, nice characterizations, a plot that moves ahead even if it's not the main thrust of the issue. Hopefully, the good Judd will stick around for a while.
PvP 38- What, you think I would let this slip by? Oh hell no! The only reason it falls where it does is that after all the fighting and exposition and posturing, it's great to read an issue that can make you laugh. Sometimes so hard you show your teeth. The guys from "PvP" get a new officemate who seems reluctant to share who and what they are, so they break in. Mayhem and hilarity ensue. Kurtz brings in a guest artist for a brief story that has an ending, while gross, could make even the sourest puss smile.
Countdown 11 & 10- The battle begins in earnest on Apokolips. All the storylines seem to be converging there for the Great Disaster, which I hear will be shown in COUNTDOWN before the next mini. Mary Marvel gets her power, her true power back, while Harley and Holly get granted powers by the gods as well. Una becomes infected by Brother Eye, don't really know what will happen there. I am wondering who killed Granny. I don't think it was Darkseid since he didn't use his Omega-beams. OMAC assimilates Apokolips and looks to be the beginning of the end. Two great issues that really ratchet up the action.
Flash 237- A one and done to fill in between Mark Waid and Tom Peyer. A nice issue dealing with the kids. They are given the task of stealing Superman's cape and watching them interact with each other and how they handle villains was nice. Also liked the interaction between Supes and Wally. Looks like the kids have the values we want all out kids to have; Jai by an unconscious Superman with his cape hanging in the breeze: "No. Stealing is wrong." I am willing to give Peyer a chance simply because he's bringing Freddie Williams back do to the art. I have loved his stuff and look forward to see his take on the Flash.
Amazing Spider-Man 550 &551- I have been taking a beating on why I am still buying this from some. I know I hated OMD, and I am not really all that thrilled with how they have handled the FUBAR reboot so far. But if I am willing to stick for some (FF), then I should be for others. I wanted to give each writer and artist team their first arc to see if they could do something interesting with a (supposed) clean slate. So far, a mixed bag. Nice humor, some good action, but just not a lot there to hold people. I have been collecting ASM for a long time and it's tough to give up something you love, something that got you into reading comics. Unfortunately, it may be time. OMA, or "one more arc", then I'll decide.
New Avengers 38- Jessica and Luke end their marriage. Yawn. This would have been better done in CIVIL WAR as opposed to this stuff. Man, it looks like Bendis has been watching daytime soaps to come up with this dialogue. Only redeeming part? That Lentil Yu was not the artist. The fact that he is doing the SECRET INVASION may put me off of it.
OK, that's it for now. Go savage or praise me, but at least give me credit for having an opinion!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Odds and Ends....
Hey there gang. just thought I would take some time and throw a few things out of my brain and into your face. I've included a couple of comic reviews to wake you up so my noodlings don't totally make you sleepy.
-I was estatic over the Super Bowl. Not just the fact that the Giants won, but that it was an entertaining game. Even my wife, who had no rooting interest and was basically reading in the same room, put her book down once the game hit the 4th quarter. She puts up with me as a diehard Ravens fan, and enjoyed the fact that she could sit in a room with me and not have me totally mental over the game.
-On a side note, is it me, or are the commercials they aired just trying too hard? The trailer for the IRON MAN movie was awesome, and I admit to liking the screaming animals tire one and the Budweiser "Rocky" one, but other than that, they were forgettable at best. I think the hype over the commercials is getting bigger than the hype over the game, if that's possible. They have been slowly going downhill.
-Jim put up a nice posting of a few books that you should be reading. If I may be so bold, one I would like to pimp (other than PvP, but you guys know my love for that book) is World Of Warcraft. Issue 3 came out a week or so ago, and I would reccommend it to anyone who likes the sword and sorcerer type. Walter Simonson does a terrific job balancing telling a story and making sure to be faithful to the game and it's environments. You can tell that the artist, Ludo Lullabi, studied early Joe Madueria, and gives the characters an distinctive feel based on their races and classes. I know that Wildstorm has had some hiccups in doing some things, but so far this one has been done well. Give it a shot.
-I also started to read Dynamite's Superpowers, but found myself dozing off. For a buck, it's a great intro, but man is there a heavy cost. You know how sometimes you can breeze through a book in about 10-15 minutes? Not here, brother. I love Alex Ross, his stuff runs the gamut from pedestrian to breathtaking. But his protege, Jim Krueger, must have studied under Bendis. Still, for a buck, it did have some pretty pictures.
-I have a question....who did Leinil Yu service at Marvel to get the cherry crossover of the Skrull Invasion? Other than Bendis , I mean. Have they looked at this guy's art lately? Marvel does not seem stacked with as great a lineup of artists that DC has, but they certainly could have given it to someone better. Paul Pelletier comes to mind. They are pulling him off of Fantastic Four after a pretty good run, why not give it to him? That's a team book, right? He's worked with some great writers, don't they think he could handle Bendis? OK, spleen vented.
- I am ending this on a serious note. We have had a major health scare in my wife's family this past week. Her sister, who is 45, suffered a major heart attack. She had a blockage of the Left Anterior Decending artery, or LAD, which is called "the widowmaker" for a reason. It appears that they got to her in time, but there is some damage. I bring this up for a reason. She has been taking Plavix for clot breakage for a while, but stopped for a week or 2. While I am upset that she did that, I use this to make a point. PLEASE, if you are taking any type of meds, anything for an ongoing condition, DON'T STOP! There is usually a reason for you having to take it in the first place, like me with my diabetes.
I just don't want to see any of my family and good friends check out needlessly. I love all you guys!
Be good.
-I was estatic over the Super Bowl. Not just the fact that the Giants won, but that it was an entertaining game. Even my wife, who had no rooting interest and was basically reading in the same room, put her book down once the game hit the 4th quarter. She puts up with me as a diehard Ravens fan, and enjoyed the fact that she could sit in a room with me and not have me totally mental over the game.
-On a side note, is it me, or are the commercials they aired just trying too hard? The trailer for the IRON MAN movie was awesome, and I admit to liking the screaming animals tire one and the Budweiser "Rocky" one, but other than that, they were forgettable at best. I think the hype over the commercials is getting bigger than the hype over the game, if that's possible. They have been slowly going downhill.
-Jim put up a nice posting of a few books that you should be reading. If I may be so bold, one I would like to pimp (other than PvP, but you guys know my love for that book) is World Of Warcraft. Issue 3 came out a week or so ago, and I would reccommend it to anyone who likes the sword and sorcerer type. Walter Simonson does a terrific job balancing telling a story and making sure to be faithful to the game and it's environments. You can tell that the artist, Ludo Lullabi, studied early Joe Madueria, and gives the characters an distinctive feel based on their races and classes. I know that Wildstorm has had some hiccups in doing some things, but so far this one has been done well. Give it a shot.
-I also started to read Dynamite's Superpowers, but found myself dozing off. For a buck, it's a great intro, but man is there a heavy cost. You know how sometimes you can breeze through a book in about 10-15 minutes? Not here, brother. I love Alex Ross, his stuff runs the gamut from pedestrian to breathtaking. But his protege, Jim Krueger, must have studied under Bendis. Still, for a buck, it did have some pretty pictures.
-I have a question....who did Leinil Yu service at Marvel to get the cherry crossover of the Skrull Invasion? Other than Bendis , I mean. Have they looked at this guy's art lately? Marvel does not seem stacked with as great a lineup of artists that DC has, but they certainly could have given it to someone better. Paul Pelletier comes to mind. They are pulling him off of Fantastic Four after a pretty good run, why not give it to him? That's a team book, right? He's worked with some great writers, don't they think he could handle Bendis? OK, spleen vented.
- I am ending this on a serious note. We have had a major health scare in my wife's family this past week. Her sister, who is 45, suffered a major heart attack. She had a blockage of the Left Anterior Decending artery, or LAD, which is called "the widowmaker" for a reason. It appears that they got to her in time, but there is some damage. I bring this up for a reason. She has been taking Plavix for clot breakage for a while, but stopped for a week or 2. While I am upset that she did that, I use this to make a point. PLEASE, if you are taking any type of meds, anything for an ongoing condition, DON'T STOP! There is usually a reason for you having to take it in the first place, like me with my diabetes.
I just don't want to see any of my family and good friends check out needlessly. I love all you guys!
Be good.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Hope You're Comfortable...
Because I have a truckload of comics to review. So many that I am starting this during halftime of the Super Bowl. Not really going to comment on that until later if needed. I will say this. After seeing the IRON MAN trailer, I am convinced that it will give THE DARK KNIGHT a run for the money this spring.
So, on to the comics!
Marvel-
Amazing Spider-Man 547 &548- I really loved Dan Slott's run on THE THING. It was the best superhero book with humor out there. That being said, this has not been a great start. I know he is hamstrung by Quesada's agenda, and he probably cannot start any real good storylines because of the "Secret Invasion" stuff. (real quick sidenote on that; I may pick an issue, but having Yu doing the artwork to such a big project is turning my stomach. His stuff has not looked as strong as his earlier stuff. In my opinion.) So with all that, he managed to do put an OK start to this FUBAR hero. Not great, but OK. I will stay with it for a bit more and see what he can do before the hammer drops.
Astonishing X-Men 24- We're almost done with this Whedon /Cassaday run, and I know that a lot of you are happy about that. You know my feelings for Master Joss, and I love just about anything Cassaday does, but I think I feel the same way. He has tried to write this at times like his shows, or at least I think he does. I loved the line from Wolverine; "when does Pete get to throw me at something?" But for the most part, the story has been really sort of blah.
Captain America 34- The "new" Cap begins his run. There have been lots of stuff written about this, most of it by people who never bothered to pick up a comic in their lives. I like the fact that Bucky is using a different suit and his explaination of why he is using a gun. Steve Epting does a great job drawing the battle and Bucky's inner conflict at wearing the colors seems in place. Brubaker does a terrific job ratcheting up the suspense in this issue and the next should be as good.
Daredevil 104- Mr. Fear uses Lilly to drive Milla over the edge and beat the living crap out of her nurse. Matt is too busy plaing catch-up and discovers too late what is happening. Meanwhile, Mr. Fear and the Hood are meeting to (I guess) join forces. This has been a pretty good arc from Brubaker. He has turned DD from a reactive hero to a proactive one. The things he does to Ox with a blow torch , while not MAX line stuff, is not the usual fare from ol' hornhead.
Fantastic Four 553- This is Dwayne McDuffie's last issue before Mark Millar takes over the writing chores. Man, did this one give me a headache. Timelines, alternate timelines, Kang's 3rd law of time, yada, yada yada. Wow, felt like I needed a Phd or something at the start of this. As such, was not the best issue to start on. But we got a big battle with Dr. Doom and a nice wrap-up so I can't complain too much. On the whole, McDuffie's run has been one of the better one on FF in the past few years, with Mark Waid's really the best of the past decade or so. I look forward to seeing what Millar and Brian Hitch can cook up for the First Family of Marvel.
Iron Man 25- To begin with, I must agree with Jim's assessment of Marvel's continued gouging of it's fanbase. Charging 1 to 2 dollars more without giving more story or anything of signifigance is just wrong. If I want to read about the origin of IM, or see a preview of another miniseries, I'll look elsewhere. That being said, the main story was pretty good. We are FINALLY going to see Iron Man vs. the Mandarin. Can't wait to see that.
New Avengers Annual 2- Big battle, Jessica Jones turns herself in. Not really a whole lot more than that. Dr. Strange kicks them out of the house and leaves the group. And who the hell is the demon controlling the Hood? If it is Mephisto, I am holding a public burning of anything Marvel.
Punisher 54- We see a series of flashbacks on what made the Barracuda such a bad mofo. Man, the way that Frank finally ended him was so brutal, so final, it makes it tough to think that there will be any more miniseries.
Ultimate Spider-Man 118- First part of "Spidey and his Amazing Friends" arc. Don't know if that's what they're calling it, but I'm calling it that. So, Liz is the new Firestar? That's....cool. One thing the Ultimate universe prides itself is taking characters and putting some spins on them. This is one I like. I also like this kid Kenny. He seems somewhat grounded and has potential. Have to say I was not real thrilled with Stuart Immonen's art on this ish, but to quote Spider-Man from "Family Guy"; "everybody gets one save". So I'll consider this his.
Wolverine Origins 21- Not really much to say here except for one word; Deadpool. This issue really did nothing for me except make me laugh at a couple of times. The opening "duck" sequence was a pacesetter for how this arc is going to go.
X-Men 207- End of the "Messiah Complex" crossover. Other than *spoiler warning* Professor X ending up dead, what the heck really happened here? What is the deal with Bishop? Will he be a pariah? This is leading into the ongoing CABLE series, but sorry, not for me. Oh, would someone please tackle me and explain the deal with Rogue? I know she is one of Rusty's favorite character, but just what is her damage?
So, on to the comics!
Marvel-
Amazing Spider-Man 547 &548- I really loved Dan Slott's run on THE THING. It was the best superhero book with humor out there. That being said, this has not been a great start. I know he is hamstrung by Quesada's agenda, and he probably cannot start any real good storylines because of the "Secret Invasion" stuff. (real quick sidenote on that; I may pick an issue, but having Yu doing the artwork to such a big project is turning my stomach. His stuff has not looked as strong as his earlier stuff. In my opinion.) So with all that, he managed to do put an OK start to this FUBAR hero. Not great, but OK. I will stay with it for a bit more and see what he can do before the hammer drops.
Astonishing X-Men 24- We're almost done with this Whedon /Cassaday run, and I know that a lot of you are happy about that. You know my feelings for Master Joss, and I love just about anything Cassaday does, but I think I feel the same way. He has tried to write this at times like his shows, or at least I think he does. I loved the line from Wolverine; "when does Pete get to throw me at something?" But for the most part, the story has been really sort of blah.
Captain America 34- The "new" Cap begins his run. There have been lots of stuff written about this, most of it by people who never bothered to pick up a comic in their lives. I like the fact that Bucky is using a different suit and his explaination of why he is using a gun. Steve Epting does a great job drawing the battle and Bucky's inner conflict at wearing the colors seems in place. Brubaker does a terrific job ratcheting up the suspense in this issue and the next should be as good.
Daredevil 104- Mr. Fear uses Lilly to drive Milla over the edge and beat the living crap out of her nurse. Matt is too busy plaing catch-up and discovers too late what is happening. Meanwhile, Mr. Fear and the Hood are meeting to (I guess) join forces. This has been a pretty good arc from Brubaker. He has turned DD from a reactive hero to a proactive one. The things he does to Ox with a blow torch , while not MAX line stuff, is not the usual fare from ol' hornhead.
Fantastic Four 553- This is Dwayne McDuffie's last issue before Mark Millar takes over the writing chores. Man, did this one give me a headache. Timelines, alternate timelines, Kang's 3rd law of time, yada, yada yada. Wow, felt like I needed a Phd or something at the start of this. As such, was not the best issue to start on. But we got a big battle with Dr. Doom and a nice wrap-up so I can't complain too much. On the whole, McDuffie's run has been one of the better one on FF in the past few years, with Mark Waid's really the best of the past decade or so. I look forward to seeing what Millar and Brian Hitch can cook up for the First Family of Marvel.
Iron Man 25- To begin with, I must agree with Jim's assessment of Marvel's continued gouging of it's fanbase. Charging 1 to 2 dollars more without giving more story or anything of signifigance is just wrong. If I want to read about the origin of IM, or see a preview of another miniseries, I'll look elsewhere. That being said, the main story was pretty good. We are FINALLY going to see Iron Man vs. the Mandarin. Can't wait to see that.
New Avengers Annual 2- Big battle, Jessica Jones turns herself in. Not really a whole lot more than that. Dr. Strange kicks them out of the house and leaves the group. And who the hell is the demon controlling the Hood? If it is Mephisto, I am holding a public burning of anything Marvel.
Punisher 54- We see a series of flashbacks on what made the Barracuda such a bad mofo. Man, the way that Frank finally ended him was so brutal, so final, it makes it tough to think that there will be any more miniseries.
Ultimate Spider-Man 118- First part of "Spidey and his Amazing Friends" arc. Don't know if that's what they're calling it, but I'm calling it that. So, Liz is the new Firestar? That's....cool. One thing the Ultimate universe prides itself is taking characters and putting some spins on them. This is one I like. I also like this kid Kenny. He seems somewhat grounded and has potential. Have to say I was not real thrilled with Stuart Immonen's art on this ish, but to quote Spider-Man from "Family Guy"; "everybody gets one save". So I'll consider this his.
Wolverine Origins 21- Not really much to say here except for one word; Deadpool. This issue really did nothing for me except make me laugh at a couple of times. The opening "duck" sequence was a pacesetter for how this arc is going to go.
X-Men 207- End of the "Messiah Complex" crossover. Other than *spoiler warning* Professor X ending up dead, what the heck really happened here? What is the deal with Bishop? Will he be a pariah? This is leading into the ongoing CABLE series, but sorry, not for me. Oh, would someone please tackle me and explain the deal with Rogue? I know she is one of Rusty's favorite character, but just what is her damage?
DC Comics-
Action 861- Looks like Brainiac wasn't such a bad guy after all. Turns out the JLE is using one of the lost Legion guys to turn the sun red. Then Brainiac loses control of his planet and the universe is headed towards war. This was a really terrific issue and Gary Frank's artwork (at least to me) got really better. Maybe he just needed to get his feet wet again, as I don't think he has done any monthly work in a while. If I'm wrong, I humbly apologize. As for Geoff Johns, this guy is becoming the Bendis of DC. Or maybe Brubaker is better. Anyway, just about anything this guy touches is done right and feels like a sure fire winner.
Batman 673- I love Grant Morrison's stuff, but sometimes it takes me awhile to catch up on what the heck is going on. Case in point, last issue Bats got shot in the chest and was left for dead, or so we thought. It was not until the last page that we actually discovered what happened. On the plus side, we did get a peek into what Bruce subjected himself thru during the Nanda Parbat thing. My unconfortableness aside, this was a pretty good issue upon further reading and I am looking forward to finding out just who is this guy in the other Bat suit.
Countdown 15-13 - I can pretty much sum alot of this up in one sentence. Superman Prime is the biggest jerk in the 52 universes and acts like a petulant child. But I have to say issue 15 had the line of the week during the battle between Wonder Girl and Donna Troy; "I'm Donna Troy, bitch. Donna. Troy.". Loved it. Darkseid makes his move and Monarch is killed, maybe along with Superman Prime (I hope).
Green Lantern 27- Creation of the Alpha Lanterns. They are the internal affairs of the corps. they will police the police, as they say. John Stewart had a chance to join, but refused the offer, perhaps sensing something is not all wel and good in Oa. An interlude in the issue shows a "guardian" asking Ash to recover the corpse of the Anti-Monitor. Last panel on that page shows it all. It also shows why I love Geoff Johns. He introduced an idea during the conclusion to the Sinestro Corps War and even though it won't become a major thing until 2009, he is already starting to sow the seeds. For the love of God DC, don't screw this up and let him go without completing this epic!
Justice League of America 17- Alan Burnett takes over the main story arc here while McDuffie writes the back-up. Main story deals with some villians looking to the JLA for sanctuary from the Suicide Squad. The stories are geting back to the JLA about the planet the bad guys have been put on (see SALVATION RUN for that one) and they aren't happy about it. Looks promising. Back up is dealing with Vixen's new powers, that of being able to leach the abilites off of her teammates as opposed to animals. For me, Jon Boy Meyers drew about as sexy a Vixen as I have ever seen. This story has me curious as to where it will lead. Is this something that she can control, or is it part of something more sinster using her as a bait? We'll see.
Robin 170- Well, it didn't take Chuck Dixon long to make himself right at home back on Robin, did it? He brings back one of Tim's better supporting cast (Ives) and introduces a new female villain in purple (Stephanie? nope.) to chase around. There has been a bunch of speculation on the 'net about if Steph will actually return from the dead or not. Me? I sure as hell hope not. I like the girl Tim has in his life now, and bringing her back will just draw Batman back into the mix, and he really works well as an ancillary character here.
Well gang, thats gonna wrap it up for me right now. There are a few more that I will comment on later, since I'm back to being poor and my selection will be come slim again. But I promise that there will not be any more 3 week breaks like this again. 2 at the max, no more.
See ya! =)
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