Showing posts with label amazing spider-man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amazing spider-man. Show all posts
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Quick Comic Book Reviews - October 31st, 2010
More quick reviews. Not super quick like the last one, but let me know which format you prefer. If you kind of like me switching it up here and there, I can do that too. Just getting harder for me to get much computer time to do all of this.
Justice Society of America #44 - Written by Marc Guggenheim and Art by Scott Kolins. There's an underlying plot going on with Jay Garrick becoming the Mayor. But then we flash back a few weeks to when Jay says he's planning on retiring and Alan Scott trying to talk him out of it. First, we have some ultra tough bad guy pop up. The battle has very bad results for the JSA. I thought this issue was really pretty good. An interesting set-up as I wonder how Jay becomes Mayor. A mysterious bad guy who takes no prisoners and they think is a terrorist, and then an epic battle. All-in-all I thought it was good. Scott Kolins provides from pretty good art in this one as well. I know a lot of people didn't like this issue, but I'm not sure why. It isn't a must buy, but it's a good issue that's worth at least checking out.
Detective Comics #870 - Written by David Hine and Penciled by Scott McDaniel. The Impostor Joker storyline culminates in this issue and boy does it! We have Batman frantically trying to step the mass hysteria the Imposter Joker has created at the fun park. Things quickly go from bad to worse to terrible in this issue. We also finally get an even better sneak behind what's driving Heath (the Impostor) to do what he's doing. You know that it still isn't a good enough reason, but that with someone who has snapped, it might be a logical conclusion for them. The entire storyline has been a return to the heart of Batman and gives us a really good tale. We've also gotten a bold new villian who has purpose and motivation. Sure, he's a knock-off of Joker, but it's about time we see villians created by the people who are affected by the war between good and evil. Scott McDaniel's artwork really has a strong cartoony feel, but I like it. It's simple, yet flows well and fits what we're seeing. I really thought it was quite excellent. This is a must buy issue of Detective Comics!
Captain America #611 - Written by Ed Brubaker and Art by Daniel Acuna. We see the fall-out from Baron Zemo releasing the information that CapBucky was actually the Winter Soldier. The media frenzy is all over it and it threatens to eat up the Avengers as well. They try to put a very realistic spin on this and I think it works. Steve Roger's meeting with the President and his Chiefs of Staff is interesting as well. It gives readers a good reference point and background info on what happened with Bucky. We feel like this one is going to be hard to get out of, but have faith! With Steve Rogers on the case, nothing is as bad as it seems. However, as much as they talk about Steve Rogers, it's how Bucky reacts to this all that will make or break it. So a lot of good stuff spotlighted in this issue, it will be interesting to see where they go with it. Not a big fan of Acuna's artwork. I think the coloring was way too dark this issue. We also get a Nomad story in this issue. Written by Sean McKeever and Art by Filipe Andrade. Okay, I'm a little bitter Young Allies was canceled before it really had a chance. But I am glad that McKeever is still going with Nomad for now. In this one, Black Widows and Nomad team-up. It is an interesting pairing, but a bit of an odd couple. A short but sweet story. The ending of the story I actually did not expect. So one issue, two pretty good stories. I'm not saying run out and buy it, but one to keep on your radar if you're out to pick up a good issue in the Mighty Marvel way.
The Amazing Spider-Man #646 - Written by Mark Waid and Art by Paul Azaceta & Matthew Southworth. Yay! The last issue with Azaceta who they've teamed up with Soulworth to save the issues from being awful. The final chapter of The Origin of the Species. Lizard has the baby that everybody wants and will do anything to get. Spidey has been going gung-ho on beating up bad guys to find out what happened. He assumes the baby is dead, but find out from the Chameleon that it isn't so, so now he's off to try and rescue the baby before the Lizard does something very bad to him. The semi-team-up of Spidey and Doc Ock in this issue is interesting and sometimes amusing. Some pretty good stuff and interaction between those two. The final showdown has some really clever stuff involved as well. I really liked the wrap-up of what has happened and there are some developments that should lead to even more interesting stories down the road. Mark Waid ended up salvaging a story I thought was terrible at first, but now I like it. Azaceta's artwork on the first few issues was downright terrible and embarrassing for Marvel. However, when they teamed him up with an artist, it really salvaged things as far as the art goes. So the last Waid written issue for awhile is worth picking up to see the storyline come to a conclusion and see what's going on.
Justice League: Generation Lost #12 - Written by Judd Winick and Penciled by Fernando Dagnino. This is a completely Ice centric issue. We focus on her origin and back story, which hasn't been much delved into anywhere that I've seen. So that did make for some interesting reading. She gets into a knock-down and drag-out fight with Fire that is very interesting as well. Ice seems supercharged now and we see that it was always a possibility, but she was able to maintain control. With her life being threatened, she has been pushed over the edge. But is she really the second coming of a Goddess? There is a lot here to like, but at the same time, the whole flashbacks might not be interesting too you. The artwork is very mediocre in this one as well. So, if you're looking for the Max Lord story to advance in this issue, forget it. It isn't about that, but I do really like this revamping of Ice and making her a much more interesting character. To me, this is an excellent issue that I'm glad I read and you might feel that same way. However, I can see a lot of people not like this issue as it is very focused on a character that many don't care for. So with this issue, your mileage may vary, but I certainly enjoyed it.
Action Comics #894 - Written by Paul Cornell and Art by Pete Woods. What the hell happened here? Paul Cornell finally writes a great issue of Action Comics. In this one, as Luthor is apparently on his deathbed, he is visited by Death herself. We get some very interesting conversations between the two characters. Death has a bit of a flippant style and you can see Lex getting very aggravated. To make matters worse, he's in a situation that he can't control. Lex hates that! Pretty good art and an fun little tale that gets into the mind of Lex a bit more and sees someone playing a game with him finally. I really liked this story. Next week get our double feature with Jimmy Olsen. Written by Nick Spencer and Penciled by RB Silva. The Dalwythians are alien from outerspace that everyone thinks are about to invade. However, they just wanted to come to Earth and party. Unfortunately, Jimmy gets selected to help "show them a good time". It is the last thing Jimmy wants. Especially when it's revealed that the Dalwythians get intoxicated in our atmosphere. Worse yet, every planet they party on ends up being destroyed. I liked that Chloe only played a bit part in this one and wasn't as forced on us as in the previous issue. The whole story and Jimmy being involved in it is really classic and fun stuff. As far as a back-up story goes, one of the best ever. Just so much fun to be had in this issue, pick it up!
Green Lantern Corps #53 - Written by Tony Bedard and Penciled by Tyler Kirkham. A leftover from last week. But I would be remiss if I didn't point this issue out. The Weaponer who made Sinestro's ring has come back for payback. He goes after Sinestro's daughter, Soranik Natu. However, he also confronts Kyle Rayner. Well, let's just say the Weaponer is a total bad ass that you do not want to deal with if you can help it. He whips up on Kyle and takes the girl. So now Kyle has to beg for the help of Sinestro. Easier said than done, with Sinestro usually being a downright bastard. So um... good luck with that one. This certainly is an interesting issue and gives us a little more insight as to what went on. The use of the Weaponer makes sense. Sinestro owes him, but the question is, what exactly does he owe him at this point? Anyone who can make weapons as powerful as he does must be a bad dude and this just shows it. Tyler Kirkham does a decent job with the art, but nothing too great. I don't care much for his rendition of Sinestro for some reason. But really, a pretty good issue. Then again, I'm a big fan of Tony Bedard. So pick this issue up for a storyline that has the guts to put a "Brightest Day" logo on the issue but nothing in the blue blazes to do with it!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Quick Comic Reviews - October 20th, 2010
The Siouxland Voice site has been acting up. So yes, I've been updating my blog. Unfortunately my feed isn't loading there like it should be doing. Not sure what's going on there. So just bookmark my page instead. You know you want to anyway! Finishing up a batch from last week. Didn't get them all reviewed, but I did try. Just a LOT of titles last week!
The Amazing Spider-Man #645 - Written by Mark Waid and Art by Paul Azaceta & Matthew Southworth. Spidey is mad. Spidey is FIGHTING mad! After losing the baby, Peter goes on a rampage to take out all the villians to show them how pissed off he is. Boy did they make a mistake! I have to give credit here, Azaceta's artwork wasn't bad in this issue at all. He finally seems to be getting how to draw the characters a bit better and it showed. A lot of Spidey just kicking butt and taking names as he thinks the baby was killed. The villians running scared of Spider-Man is really pretty fun and you find yourself cheering him on to beat the snot out of each one of em. A good amount of humor is mixed in with some darker moments. Definitely an interesting issue and the best from the Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta. Of course, I'm betting that Azaceta had a good amount of help from Southworth, but hey, I'm trying to give Paul SOME credit. Actually worth checking out and maybe even picking up!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Quick Comic Book Reviews–October 3rd, 2010
The new releases this week were not on the impressive side. In all actuality, I was pretty much not excited to do many reviews this week because of the lackluster titles. Here’s the first batch with two issues from last week’s stuff that I figured I would check out.
Justice Society of America #43 – Written by James Robinson, Penciled by Jesus Merino, Inked by Jesse Delperdang. This is the epilogue of the “Dark Things” storyline that was unfolding in JSA and JLA. To be honest, I didn’t read any of it because Bagley was drawing JLA and I refused to read it because of that. Things seem to be calm in this issue though as Alan Scott has a heart-to-heart with his son Obsidian. They mainly discuss what’s going on with the Starheart and how Obsidian can never come in contact with Jade again. There is some deep thinking and portrays a more human side to these characters. This issue revolves really around these two, so don’t expect much of anything else. I think it’s good for writers to sometimes let their own characters take a step back and react to what has happened. That being said, the build in this issue is a bit different than you would normally see in a comic. There’s only internal conflict going on here and that can throw you off. The artwork in here is fantastic and this is about my favorite rendition of Obsidian I’ve seen yet. I can almost feel Alan Scott’s age in this one, he’s drawn so well. A great job there! A pretty good issue, but be prepared for a lot of backstory and no action, so this issue is not for everybody.
The Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force #1 – Written by Scott Reed and Penciled by Miguel Munera. This title features the Micronauts… or as they’re now known, Enigma Force. So recently Hulk’s estranged son Kiro-Kala ferreted away a planet from the Microverse that Enigma Verse protects. The Enigma Force itself is the “living” essence of the Microverse, whatever that means. Arcturus Rann and his companions are fighting off a Psyklops as we join them. Bug returns to the crew to help out as they attempt to find Kiro-Kala. But upon finding the kidnapped planet, Arcturus is cut off from the very source of his powers. Wow, I expected nothing out of this issue and was blown away. I never liked the Micronauts stuff back in the days, but this way absolutely great stuff. You get some good background in here and an explanation for a lot of the things going on in the Hulkverse right now. It just works! Plus having Bug join up with them was a really great moment. The artwork is very consistent and quite good. I like Marvel utilizing some characters I haven’t seen in awhile and they do a fantastic job of doing the right thing with them here. This issue is definitely worth checking out folks!
Superman/Batman #76 – Written by Judd Winick and Penciled by Marco Rudy. We have a flashback issue that deals with Superman losing Batman during Final Crisis. Once Dick Grayson decides that he wants to become Batman to honor him, Supes has some major disagreements and must come to terms with what has happened. That’s the basic premise, but boy, I did not like it. The way he reacts to Grayson wearing the cowl just seems very un-Superman-like. I didn’t enjoy it one bit when he’s ready to blast Dick for wearing it. I thought it felt pretty contrived. Don’t even get me started on the inconsistent artwork. Superman looks different on almost every page. Not only that, he looks like Joe Average, which isn’t who Superman is. Just a rotten issue that I couldn’t wait to put down, I hoped for more but got less.
Valkyrie #1 – Written by Bryan J.L. Glass and Art by Phil Winslade. We take a journey back to see how Valkyrie returned to the Marvel Universe after sacrificing herself to help out during the Ragnarok event. We see a Hotel employee fall to her death because of a patron who wanted a little too much from room service. As they start to try to revive her, lightning strike the defibrillator and Valkyrie is reborn. She starts to remember who she is and now she must try to bring vengeance to the mortal who’s life was taken and who’s body she now inhabits. I like that Marvel recognized that didn’t explain how she suddenly reappeared and a little something like this goes a long way to fix continuity gaps (which Marvel has plenty of). I like her conversation with Janet Van Dyne before her unfortunate demise in Secret Invasion. The whole issue is really just a pretty decent story that tells a good self-contained story. This is just a one-shot, so it didn’t need to be more than what it was. But we’re talking continuity and this fixes the breach. I think that it’s a pretty darned good issue with solid artwork that’s worth checking out since it’s a one-shot and you don’t have to keep buying the title.
Captain America #610 – Written by Ed Brubaker and Penciled by Butch Guice. Bucky Cap finds himself on Zemo’s father’s island where Bucky was presumably killed years back. Rogers figures out where he’s going on races to the aid of Barnes. In the meantime, Bucky Cap gets tossed from a plane and then has to forge his way towards the inevitable trap Zemo has placed for him. A pretty good battle ensues and we have some moments that seem stolen right from a James Bond movie. When Zemo gets the upperhand, he tries to take Bucky out the “old fashioned” way. This was a strictly by the numbers type of issue. I never felt that Bucky was ever in any real jeopardy or that any of this would ultimately affect… anything really. Nothing really special that makes it stand out, nothing that makes it really awful. It just IS. The artwork by Guice is a bit off in this issue, some scenes have overshadowing going on from the inker, some have over coloring going on, it just made for an uneven experience and I don’t think Guice is necessarily to blame for that. But I can’t be sure on that either. Next, we have the Nomad back-up story. Written by Sean McKeever and Art by Filipe Andrade. Rikki has to make a final decision on whether to go back under Steve Rogers’ wing or not. We have some pretty good “moments” in here that were really fun and good stuff. Andrade’s work seems a bit rushed in spots but isn’t bad or anything. Just a decent little addition to the book. Unfortunately, the rest of this issue is high on the “meh” scale and wouldn’t be worth buying if I wasn’t a Nomad fan.
Wonder Woman #603 – Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Penciled by Don Kramer, Eduardo Pansica and Allan Goldman. We follow the Amazons’ travel through the desert to relative safety. However, the Turkish guides they hired are found slaughtered with no sign as to how they die. Only Diana can see the Keres, which are apparently some demonic women ghasts from Hell. Diana loses her battle, but then the battle is only just beginning. So we have an interesting premise that just seems a little randomly thrown in here. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why they did it, but I’m guessing they’re just doing a mythology type tone to this. However, the mix of mythology and modern warfare makes an odd combo. I want to like this latest reinvention of Wonder Woman, but it doesn’t feel all that compelling now. In fact, after this issue, I’m considering skipping these completely in the future. With three sets of pencils, this issue’s art is even a mess. I think the JMS experiment has collapsed. There’s nothing here that makes me want to come back for more. This issue’s journey into the absurd would take your typical reader right out of their seat. It isn’t a smart move to put something in that holds no value to the series overall. We waste several pages on it. It seems like a filler plot device that JMS might use in a TV show. However, that format doesn’t work here. If you’re looking for something interesting, you’ve come to the wrong place, go elsewhere this week.
Action Comics #893- Written by Paul Cornell and Penciled by Sean Chen. This week Lex Luthor travels to the Uganda in search of another Black Ring energy field. However, his good buddy Gorilla Grodd has his own intentions for it. The two former allies become enemies trying to outsmart each other. Ok, well, I don’t buy it. I would have figured Grodd would have tried to work out a deal or something with Luthor. It doesn’t seem to fit in the best interest of Grodd to attempt to kill Lex. So this just doesn’t work and it makes a leap that we won’t think so. I really like Sean Chen’s artwork and he isn’t desperately trying to make Luthor look like his Smallville TV Series version. So there’s a mixed bag in this one, art is great, the story still isn’t catching. At least in this issue I can figure out what’s going on because Chen is a fabulous storyteller with his art. Then we have our back-up story for Jimmy Olsen. Written by Nick Spencer and Penciled by RB Silva. Olsen tells a tale of of him outsmarting a genie using morse code to call Superman. However, his love life takes a turn for the worse when Chloe Sullivan dumps him. To make matters worse, he then sees her wife Sebastien Mallory, an up-and-comer for Lex Corp and pompous jerk in general. So this pretty much exists just to introduce Chloe of Smallville fame into the DC Continuity. It isn’t a far stretch really and doesn’t take much work to add her into the story. What are they going to use for her background is a good question, but I’m thinking they’re just saying she’s a reporter and leaving it at that. At least, I hope they are. This isn’t a bad little tale, just not terribly interesting. The artwork by RB isn’t fantastic, but it does ok, but I think it might be better with a different colorist who isn’t so big into over shading things. That made everything way too dark around the edges and I don’t care for that. In fact, I don’t care for this whole issue, so strike this one from the records Judge!
The Amazing Spider-Man #644 – Written by Mark Waid and “Art” by Paul Azaceta. Spidey continues to try and get Menace’s baby to safety while fighting off hoards of villians. Carlie Cooper also draws the attention of Tombstone and that’s never a good thing. That’s a quick synopsis and there is a good surprise at the end that I liked. The story still seems a little off and far fetched. Now onto my favorite part, the artwork. An Azaceta tried posting a comment on my blog about how I didn’t know art, blah blah blah. Well, this may be art, but that doesn’t make it good. I’m sure that outside of a super-hero setting, Paul’s artwork makes sense. But here, it’s very out of place and I guarantee has turned away some readers. The artwork he does has improved in this issue as we have no Fat Spider-man scenes. He’s good at storytelling and everything he does makes sense. His just his style comes across poorly in this title. For a supposed flagship title, Marvel sure makes some poor choices with this one! The issue is just ok, but loses some points for the artistic stylings of Azaceta, and I’m just glad the madness ends soon. Skip it for the art style alone!
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Funny Thing About Paul Azaceta
What could be more disgusting than Paul Azaceta ruining another comic?
Apparently I’m not the only one who hates the new artwork for Spider-Man. I was checking out my site statistics and saw how one person found my site. They searched for “paul azaceta terrible” to get to my page. So I am not alone in this world. Yes my friends, he is terrible. But fear not, after this storyline is done it looks like there will be a different artist and maybe we can actually ENJOY Spidey again.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Quick Comic Book Reviews - August 22nd, 2010
This installment, we find a hidden gem and a horrible new title that will make you throw-up in your mouth a little bit. Brightest Day finally has another solid issue and me and Paul Azateca throw down in a knock down, drag out, battle royale for the ages.
Brightest Day #10 – Written by Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi with Art by Ivan Reis, Scott Clark and Joe Prado. This issue focuses on Firestorm and Aquaman’s stoylines. Professor Stein finds out that something big is going on with Firestorm and reveals it to Jason and Ronnie. Could Firestorm recreate the Big Bang? Then we are off on a hunt for Aqualad. Black Manta wants to find his son and he’s racing with Aquaman to get to him. Manta’s son starts learning the truth about his father from the man he thought was his father. This issue is smart in that it focuses on two stories and makes sure we understand them. Unlike last issue’s Martian Manhunter story, this one makes some sort of sense. I particularly like the Aqualad storyline and him finding out who his father is. It’ll be interesting to see how much Aquaman trusts Mera from here on out. The artwork is better than usual and consistent through-out. Definitely one of the best Brightest Day issues. This one is actually worth checking out!
Daken: Dark Wolverine #1 – Written by Dan Way & Marjorie Liu and Penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli. We start with a flashback that Daken has about his father, good ol’ Wolvie. Then we’re off to Milan where Daken is attending a fashion show and being a total douchebag like usual. He has a person there designing his new costume which is a take on the old Wolverine outfit. We also learn of a mysterious man who is giving Daken orders. There were times in the Dark Avengers that I really liked Daken and how he manipulated things. However, he’s really being portrayed as a man with no redeeming qualities and it’s hard for a reader to get into a character like this. The story wasn’t very interesting and didn’t feel like it actually advanced anything. We had a brief interlude with a mystery man and the information revealed means nothing if you haven’t read the new issue of Wolverine. I really liked the artwork here, but that was the only redeeming quality of this issue. When you think about it, that’s very much like Daken himself. Oh, you also get a bonus history section about Daken which could be helpful to new readers. Overall, skip this issue unless you have to have a number one, because this issue is forgettable at best and I hope the writers have some ideas on how to make Daken a character we might be able to identify with.
Thanos Imperative #4 – Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with Art by Miguel Sepulveda. Drax has disintegrated Thanos while in the Cancerverse. This could have huge ramifications as the Avatar of Death is needed to save our universe. Lord Mar-Vell traverse our universe looking for an anomaly to make sure our universe doesn’t introduce death into his. Nova and friends make sure that he doesn’t kill the anomaly that is Namorita. So the events unfold in epic fashion. There is a lot going on, but not too much and everything happens at a brisk pace, really engaging the reader. Some people are probably sick of Thanos, but I still find some enjoyment with him. Plus any comic with the Guardian of the Galaxy earns bonus points with me. But Abnett and Lanning really paint a picture of a universe that is nothing but a nightmare and it trying to expand has our whole universe going nuts. There are some very interesting moments in this issue! The artwork is pretty good stuff in this issue and I can tell what’s going on here and who everyone is. I had a complaint about that in past issues as they made it hard to understand what was going on in the story with the artwork. But a very good issue, if you want to try a “cosmic” storyline, this is definitely one to check-out!
Shadowland: Power Man #2 – Written by Fred Van Lente and Penciled by Mahmud Asrar. The new Power Man continues his fight with Luke Cage. We also get some background into his character this issue and see him and his family and what happened to his father. A mysterious person sends out their forces to attack the new Power Man. Suddenly there’s bad 70’s Harlem bad guys flying around. Names like Cheshire, Cockroach Hamilton and Mr. Fish. These guys are the Rivals, a group that Luke Cage belonged to long ago. Wow, what a power packed issue. No pun intended! Okay, well, it was intended, but live with it folks. I like finding out more about the new Power Man’s background. Boy is this kid powerful! There is also a great feel of these 1970’s Harlem style bad guys that is just fun and amusing. I hope to see more of them in the future, but not so much that they should come back often. I think this comic has the makings of a great series. Mahmud Asrar’s art continues to improve this issue, even though it was pretty weak out of the gate. I really liked it much better. He still has a few rough spots, but it does not detract from the comic. He just has to get to the point where his artwork ADDS value to the story a little more and he’ll be great. I’m expecting big things out of this and strongly believe you should all pick-up and support this exciting new comic!
The Amazing Spider-Man #643 – Written by Mark Waid and Art by Paul Azaceta. Spidey rescues the baby from the clutches of the nefarious Doc Ock. But now what? Spidey has to figure out what the heck he’s going to do and the choices aren’t as easy as he had hoped. Especially with Electro and Sandman joining the fray. The story is fun, a little over-the-top, but yuck on the artwork. Azaceta needs to be replaced and soon. I can’t stand his art and he’s ruining what might be a really fun story. At this point, all he does is show the weakness in this story because now you’re not feeling the story properly. Then again, maybe this whole story is supposed to border on the ludicrous and the ridiculous artwork is supposed to augment that. If so, poor choice, because it looks like amateur night. If a new reader picked up this issue, what would they think? That’s how Marvel should view one of it’s top line comics. If nothing else, keep using Paolo Rivera who does a great old school feel style. I just can’t recommend this due to the awful artwork.
Young Allies #4 – Written by Sean McKeever and Penciled by David Baldeon. Nomad and Arana are being held captive by the Bastards of Evil. If that wasn’t bad enough, they are about to be executed on live TV. Now it’s up to Gravity, Toro and Firestar to save the two before things get really messy. That’s the basic premise of this issue and it’s very well executed. Some people might frown on a couple of overtones here so far. First, he blew up Ground Zero with a nuclear character and now he has his heroes with sacks over their heads about to be executed terrorist style. So it is very possible you could be offended by this. The Bastards are just rotten people and you really want to see them get their tails whipped permanently. There is another character at the end that is behind all of this and I’m hoping we get a good explanation for all the damage that is being caused. I have faith in McKeever, because so far this has been interesting. The artwork is pretty great as always. A pretty decent issue and a super-team that is still in its fledgling stages, might be worth checking out.
The Incredible Hulks #612 – Written by Greg Pak and Penciled by Tom Raney. So the World War Hulks is now over and we see how the “Hulk Family” is handling things. Betty Banner seems to be having trouble coping with it and Bruce pushes just the wrong buttons to cause some chaos to ensue. An amusing little story in this one. It summarizes all the members of the “Hulk Family” pretty well. But it comes off a tad lame at times. The problem I’ve had with Hulk for awhile is you never know if the comic is taking itself seriously or not. It always plays this half-tongue-in-cheek style that’s hard to get a feel for. Sometimes I wish they would take it a little more seriously, but all these Hulks, it’s hard to take them very seriously at this point. So, while I want to like it, it isn’t easy. Then we have the back-up (or is it the main) story of Dark Son. Written by Greg Pak and Scott Reed with Pencils by Brian Ching. We’re further introduced to Hulk’s other son, Hiro-Kala. Hiro has gotten rid of the Old Power and used the Worldmind of the planet K’ai. He manipulates it for some unknown reason as they are hurtling to who knows where. I’m guessing Earth, but I could be wrong. The whole story is a tad confusing and I feel like I’ve missed something with this story. Honestly, it just isn’t very interesting. Maybe I would have to go back and read the Planet Hulk saga to appreciate. Then again, maybe I’m not missing anything. Either way, the art here is very good and better than Tom Raney’s in the first half. I guess the issue is ok, but I’m just not interested and I’m not sure if it would hold anyone else’s interest either.
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Monday, September 20, 2010
Quick Comic Book Reviews - August 20th, 2010
The Amazing Spider-Man #642 – Written by Mark Waid and Art by Paul Azaceta. Finally, One Moment in Time is done and we go on with our lives. Now we have “Origin of the Species: Part 1”. This episode finds our wall-crawler adapting to life without any money and running into several humorous moments because of it. Meanwhile, tons of supervillians gather at the behest of some unknown bad guy who wants an “item” of some sort and he’s willing to pay a lot for it. You have guys ranging from Morbius to Sandman and Electro. Why they would line-up for this, I’m not sure, but whatever. Must seem like an easy job. But this seems to have stolen the old “Rat Race” movie thing of beating everyone else to the object, because boy do they scramble. It seems a bit out-of-character because I don’t think Mysterio has ever scrambled before in his life. We eventually find out who the mystery man is and what he’s after and it’s really pretty good stuff. Mark Waid writes a pretty decent Spidey tale, aside from the villians running out the door to try and outwit each other. But my big gripe is the awful artwork by Paul Azaceta. He single-handedly turns this otherwise good issue into utter crap. He makes Spidey look fat in half his drawings. He can do decent storytelling with his art, but the fact that everything he does draw looks like junk doesn’t help matters. A fat Spider-Man? Really? Fanatics you can pick this up, but the rest of you skip this until they get a new artist.
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #2 – Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Penciled by Fernando Pasarin. So Guy Gardner is off to uncharted territory, but not without some help from friends. Arisa and Kilowog decide they’re going with and off we go. But first, we need to make a detour, and that detour is spoiled by the arrival of a nasty person. We also find out that Arisa still believes Sodam Yot is alive after he sacrificed himself. There is also an introduction of Zardor of Kralok which is probably setting up for future issues. So we have all this stuff going on in the second issue and it’s not bad at all. Arisa’s dream is downright creepy. It’s interesting to see how Kilowog is coping with everything that has happened. So this issue has a lot of good stuff going on. Guy’s side journey ends up making total sense for his character and give us a reason to see some of my favorite Lantern Corps color. The end of the issue totally is given away by the cover too. I hate when companies do this, but it doesn’t totally ruin the issue. The issue is solid and the artwork is fine. Really, just a good issue that could go either way for you. I’m a huge Green Lantern Corps fan, so I really like it, but if you aren’t you might want to skip it, newer readers might enjoy this though.
The Invincible Iron Man #30 – Written by Matt Fraction and Art by Salvador Larroca. We start off with Tony driving away with Sasha Hammer from last issue. But Tony’s interests are anything but romantic. Tony is trying to figure out what the Hammer women are up to with their current expansion of business. The trip doesn’t end exactly as planned for anybody. There’s a weird sexual tension created by Sasha Hammer the whole time as well. We also get to see the test driving of the new Stark Resilient car. But Detroit Steel also plans on launching a new application that launches, the giant phallic symbols of DOOM! Ah yes, be prepared for a scene for giant flying penises on their way to destroy Tony Stark for the cover of next issue. I hate the design of those things and I often wonder if that’s completely intentional. The story has an interesting pace and everything is building, then it calms down, and then we get the climatic conclusion of the issue when things go crazy again. Matt Fraction continues to do an excellent job with his run on Iron Man. Salvador provides some very good artwork that’s got a realistic feel without being too realistic. His facial work is some of the best, so it’s easy to tell who the characters are, and that’s important. So pick up this issue because this is one of the better comics out there today.
Thor #614 – Written by Kieron Gillen and Pencils by Doug Braithwaite. The climatic conclusion to the Hel versus Disir in Hell saga concludes with this issue and it was worth it. Part 4 of “The Fine Print” joins our hero Thor calling out the name of the Disir who cannot ignore when their name is called. So off they go to try and kill Thor. The Eir-Gram sword is still trapped when Thor calls for them, so will he be able to withdraw it and finish off the Disir and save Hel from a fate worse than Death itself. To me, this is a great Thor story. Plenty of drama and the conclusion to it all is pretty amazing stuff. The way Thor is able to take care of this made sense and was a total “well duh, you’re pretty smart their Thor,” moment. Kieron is able to capture the mythological aspect of the Thor title well. Some might be looking more for a super-hero type encounter, but this is something else. It all is very interesting and well done and it doesn’t feel like the same old stuff people might get bored with. The artwork is a little sketchier than Salvador Larroca’s but it reminds me a little of his work. It isn’t quite as polished, but I really thought it was quite good. There’s a great moment in this comic as we see Asgard and Balder is standing over the map. On the map is scribbled “Scan of Map of Asgard?” So apparently nobody put that scan in at all and didn’t manage to erase the words the penciller put in. Oops! So look for that little Easter egg. This is worth picking up!
X-23 #1 – Written by Marjorie Liu and Art by Will Conrad. This issue deals with X-23 the dilemmas of her being involved with the X-Force project that everyone now knows about. Her involvement seems counter productive to getting rid of the idea of her being reversing her descent into a killing machine. So now things have to be dealt with and Laura isn’t having an easy time of it all. So this issue mainly deals with feelings and that may not appeal to everyone. I’m not sure where this title is going to go, but for a first issue this is just ok. At the end they do include a history of X-23 which was really interesting and helpful to me, as I had not known much about X-23 prior to this issue. Will Conrad’s art isn’t very good though. I don’t care for how he draws Laura and half of the other characters. His characters look very robotic and the main facial expression is a glare. Everything just seems a little off with Conrad’s art and it’s enough to turn me off from this issue. A good issue to pick-up for a history of X-23, but the artwork will really detract from what would otherwise be a solid issue.
X-Men #3 – Written by Victor Gischler and Penciled by Paco Medina. Namor has recovered the head, Storm and Gambit have the body. Dracula is alive again and the ramifications could be huge. Wolverine is sent out to find Jubilee and rescue her from the big bad vamps. So we flash back and forth between Wolvie’s journey and the conversation the X-Men have with Dracula. This is probably the best issue of the series so far. Wolverine’s battles seem a tad random, but the stuff at the end was very good. I like the interaction Xarus and his Royal Court with Jubilee. I felt that Dracula acted like he probably should. Paco Medina’s artwork really shined in this issue and has improved quite a bit. I think he improved enough to where his art makes this issue better than it might be otherwise. I didn’t like his work in th first issue, but here it looks like he’s adapting to the X-Men well. I’m still not completely sold on the storyline, but the story here was okay. Still, not a X-Men title that I particularly like, but this one was actually ok. If you want to see what’s going on with the “Curse of the X-Men” storyline, this would be the issue to check out, but still slightly skippable.
X-Men: Legacy #239 – Written by Mike Carey and Penciled by Clay Mann. While in India the X-Men run into a new Mutant on the run and a Sentinel close behind. Of course, we aren’t quite sure that she IS a Mutant, we’re just assuming that the Sentinel is after one. Paras also has to deal with his future bride who he has never met before. Gotta love pre-arranged weddings! Our new character Luisa also has some interesting secrets that start to unravel here as well. So our story is a pretty decent one. There’s lots of action and interesting things going on here to keep the reader compelled and that’s always a good thing. Magneto and Rogue are still bickering as Rogue completely does not trust Magneto. I like Paras’ pre-arranged wedding and having to deal with that and the interactions with his parents. The art work is not quite there yet. I see some styling of an early Whilce Portacio here, but Whilce was better at having his drawings tell a story. Clay is not quite there yet. The first few pages are very confusing and I had to go back and look at them several times just to tell what the hell was going on. That’s not a good thing when a reader has to do that. If he can just work on his facial details and storytelling through his art, he has the potential to be a very good artist. An okay issue, but nothing too special, you can probably skip it.
Zatanna #5 – Written by Paul Dini and Penciled by Chad Hardin. We have fire demons trying to take out Zatanna as we saw in last issue. She also has to deal with her Cousin Zach feeling underappreciated by her and she promises to make his show tonight. Well, those are always famous last words when you’re a busy magician who’s wanted by the Great Mammon. We get introduced to our big bad demon of hell and also find out what his game is. And since we’re in Vegas, things all kind of just make sense here. So a trap is set and Zatanna has troubles resisting this one! Another pretty fantastic issue as I love the way Zatanna deals with the fire demons. Is she lucky? Sure, but it was still ingenious. Mammon’s motivation seems to be somewhat logical. As logical as something in this series will ever be I guess. Zach’s disappointment is pretty interesting as well. The final several pages are just fantastic stuff that you don’t want to miss. Chad Hardin’s pencils are solid, nothing wrong there at all. Paul Dini continues to make an underrated character into a solid hit for me. I’ve said it before, I never thought I would like this character, but Dini has made me a fan. That has to count for something. Pick up an issue and get instantly hooked!
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Saturday, September 18, 2010
Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 19th, 2010
Huge set of reviews here folks! I’ve got plenty more stuff I’m reading, but boy, having a third kid under the age of 4 really takes away most of your time. I’m struggling to read all this stuff, let alone write about it. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Batman #703 – Written by Fabian Nicieza and Artwork by Cliff Richards. A Fabian Nicieza issue of Batman! Boy, does that have me stoked, but Fabian has always been one of my favorite writers. He doesn’t do anything that takes your breath away, but just tells good, solid, interesting stories. This is the story of Batman losing track of a new Getaway Genius and trying to track this one down. Of course, Batman doesn’t know it isn’t the original (or does he?) and trying to figure out how to do so. Well, it also appears that Vicki Vale is getting inside info on where the Genius will strike next. So Dick Grayson confronts her about the Batman insinuations she has been making recently, trying to expose who Batman and Robin really are. So there’s some build-up for another big plot down the road. This is one of those self-contained issues where you read the whole story and you’re pretty much done. But it’s a really fun story and these are the kind of stories I really enjoy as well. The artwork doesn’t do much for me. The facials are pretty good, but Cliff Richards’ style just leaves me cold. But the story made up for it and the art wasn’t terrible, just not my cup of tea. This is worth picking up if you’re looking for a comic that you can pick-up and read just to test it out this month.
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #2 of 4 – Written by Allan Heinberg and Penciled by Jim Cheung. The supposed spiritual heirs of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are a part of the Young Avengers. Wiccan and Speed. They are on a quest to try and find the Scarlet Witch to help Wiccan maintain control of his powers. However, Magneto also has the same idea. In this issue, we have a run-in with the New Avengers who believe Magneto is up to no good. Throw in a guest appearance of Quicksilver and this issue is really pretty interesting. I managed to completely miss the first issue and I’m kind of sorry I did. I really like Jim Cheung’s artwork and the big Avengers fight scene is great. So the art really adds to this issue. I think, overall, this is an outstanding issue with a purpose. I’m actually very interested to see what happens next. This could be a great mini-series! Check it out!
The Amazing Spider-Man #641 – Written by Joe Quesada and art by Paolo Rivera and also Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, and Richard Isanove. So we reach the final installment of “One Moment In Time” storyline. We see what finally happened to drive the relationship apart in this alternate reality. Well, let me just say this. This is the most piss poor excuse for a Spider-Man story ever. Joe hinted that it was a story to bring Mary Jane and Peter back together, but instead, it’s to drive the final wedge into their relationship so that it’s finally over and he can probably get rid of MJ. The only good thing from this run is that Paolo Rivera is a pretty decent artist. Quesada’s artwork has been terrible and he’s really just become a hack. I’m so glad he’s done with the series now so that we can get back to some real stories. I was excited about this story at first, but man, he took it in a different direction than anyone expected and gave us a very forgettable story. It wasn’t interesting at all. The drama was pretty non-existent. I guess when you’re the Editor in Chief you can push crap out the door and people will tell you it is good. Hear that Didio and your terrible Outsiders issues? But anyway, don’t pick this up, don’t waste your time, Quesada shows that he doesn’t connect with the Spider-Man audience.
Batman and Robin #14 – Written by Grant Morrison and Artwork by Frazier Irving. This is part two of “Batman and Robin Must Die!” and as bizarre and macabre as it is, a wild and fascinating romp. Robin attempts to take out the Joker, but alas, it was a set-up by the Joker the whole time. Commissioner Gordon is kidnapped by Pyg’s piglike perps of putridness. I don’t want to give too much away, but darn is it a wild one folks. The story flows very fast and reaches a heart pounding pace as the good guys try to outwit the bad guys who are all but stepping on each other. The artwork in this issue grew on me a bit. Once again, not a style I liked, but it does portray the rather nightmarish images in a realistic sort of way. At times, it’s like an insane hallucination frame-by-frame. As much as I didn’t like it last issue, to me, with Grant Morrison’s crazy writing style, yeah, the art fits. I’m not crazy about it, but it has a noir feel which I think is really some of the stylization that we’re going for here. Overall, this issue a roaring romp of a good time, so pick it up!
Secret Six #25 – Written by Gail Simone and Art by J. Calafiore. So we throw out the storyline from the last issue because apparently it was just a weird thing they decided to do. So we have our two Secret Six teams out there on their own missions and their paths are about to cross. Bane and Jeanette are leading up a team that now includes King Shark, Giganta, Lady Vic and Dwarfstar. Catman’s team consists of Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Deadshot and Black Alice. What’s this? You didn’t know there were two teams either? Well join the club, because apparently they don’t like each other. I guess there was something that went on awhile back that happened but it didn’t, but now it did, or… ok… this issue has some great moments, but it is a giant WTF moment. I have no idea what missions these teams are on, why they’re on them or anything. I’m completely lost for a second issue in a row. At least the previous issue some things made sense if we’re just playing pretend in that one. This however… just ugh! I love Calafiore’s artwork and he has some key facial expressions that he hits dead on in here. It is as twisted as always, but also a chaotic mess that leaves you tapping out waiting for some sort of logical explanation. Poor storytelling and mass confusion makes this a must miss.
Shadowland #3 – Written by Andy Diggle and Pencils by Billy Tan. The third issue of the soon to be epic. We get a better glimpse at what Daredevil is truly becoming in this issue as we see things spiraling out of control. The heroes are turned back and have to make decisions on what to do. The Punisher returns in his normal form again and Ghost Rider is fully back in business. The return of the Punisher to his normal form isn’t even recognized or mentioned by the other heroes. Not even a “I thought you were dead!” Nope, just, “hey Pun, how you doing. Shoot anyone lately?” Tarantula shows deepening concern for affairs here. Moon Knight is taking on a more active role. There’s some good spots, but I just don’t get the Punisher part. Maybe they’ll retcon his death. This IS Marvel after all and they can do that. The artwork is pretty decent and is really matching moodiness, but it was a tad brighter overall this issue. Another really solid issue with one huge gap in logic, but still a good series to read as Matt Murdock’s decent into madness continues.
Batgirl #14 – Written by Bryan Q. Miller and Penciled by Lee Garbett. In this issue, Supergirl drops in for a guest appearance and wants to hang with our Batgirl, Stephanie Brown, for a day of fun. What starts as a day of fun quickly goes awry due to a messed up science experiment (do science experiments ever go right in comics?) and we have carnage on our hands. The experiment manages to create 24 vampires that the girls have to kill. It’s a crazy and fun romp with some witty zingers and just hilarious dialogue. Whoever Bryan Q. Miller is, he does some darned good work. Yeah, the story itself is kind of weak, but it’s made up for by the characters cutting loose and having fun. It doesn’t take itself seriously, so that helps. I’ve liked this Batgirl the best so far, plus her costume is probably the best designed one I’ve seen. Overall, she’s been a great character and her series has been pretty decent. The artwork by Garbett is great. He even captures great eye-rolling moments, and captures a great image of a vampire riding a Segue scooter that made me about die laughing. Awesome job, pick up this campy but fun issue of Batgirl and have some great laughs.
Teen Titans #86 – Written by Felicia D. Henderson and Penciled by Jose Luis. Well, we continue from last issue and the Wyld creature or whatever it is. It possesses Miss Martian and is attempting to kill off Raven. So we see the whole Titans team trying to take care of business and rescue her. I’m not exactly sure what all is going on in this issue, but it has some moments. Garth’s overzealousness to rescue Raven shines through as we know about his feelings for her. Wonder Girl and Superboy continue their romance (yawn already) and the only character that I really like, Kid Flash has like one line I think. But anyway, this story does show that this comic can and may be turning around. We then have the Coven of Three back-up feature. Written by Rex Ogle and Art by Ted Naifeh. I’m not big on this whole Coven of Three, but I was a tad surprised with this one. Enchantress isn’t quite like I remember her either, but that’s ok. So our heroes (?) are trying to find their three avatars to supposedly fend off impending doom. So the search begins to find them, but just when everything looks good, things go awry. But it has an interesting surprise at the end that got a chuckle out of me. A mostly “meh” issue, but nothing deplorable, just slightly below average, certainly not worth rushing out to get.
Daredevil #510 – Written by Andy Diggle and Anthony Johnston and Art by Marco Checchetto. Foggy Nelson and Dakota North try to play it safe and fail miserably. Meanwhile the city is going crazy and insane things are happening. Tarantula falls even further from grace and questions the unhinged and possessed Murdock. The artwork here is fantastic and really captures the essence of everything going on. It’s kept dark enough, but it isn’t quite the sketchy art in the last few issues and that’s ok, because this works. I love this story as Daredevil is one bad brother who is hell-bent on his style of justice and nothing else will do. However, I just feel like we all know how this one ends. He’ll be exorcised and then run off for a year or something because he feels bad for all that he’s done, yadda yadda. But they could surprise me and Diggle would be just the kind of guy who would throw you a curveball and set you down swinging. But this issue is excellent. One of the best issues yet! If you haven’t been reading the Shadowland stuff, this is the issue to buy and buy now!
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