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!

Quick Comic Book Reviews - October 31st, 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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Quick Comic Book Reviews–October 3rd, 2010

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 25th, 2010

5 Quick Reviews for today, but this is a rarity as all five are winners today!  And that’s not an easy feat, but I was surprised with these issues.  You might want to grab some of these for sure!

Secret Avengers #5 – Written by Ed Brubaker and Art by David Aja, Michael Lark & Stefano Guadiano.  At the end of last issue we had a reveal of what appeared to be Nick Fury in Shadow Council garb.  This issue we have the back story behind it.  Steve Rogers confronts Nick Fury about what’s going on and Fury realizes who, or what, this really is.  So we get introduced to Max Fury, an LMD who develop intelligence thanks to the Zodiac Key.  The whole issue is really just a big backstory drop for what I assume are the bigger things to come.  It does an excellent job of piecing this story together for us without becoming too overbearing.  So it’s a pretty good little story and the artwork of the combined artists works out pretty well too. In fact, I really liked the art in this one.  An issue worthy of reading, but maybe not as much if you don’t like a lot of exposition and backstory.

Hulk #25 – Written by Jeff Parker and Art by Gabriel Hardman.  In this issue we deal with the Red Hulk or… Thunderhulk Ross?  In it, Banner reveals that M.O.D.O.K. and Leader released an Endgame Scenario entitled “Scorched Earth” where a bunch of certain things all happen at once that are very bad.  Apparently, it’s time for that endgame and Steve Rogers has to enlist Thunderhulk.  So they send him off on a mission and Iron Man mistakes him for an enemy still.  So he has the same lines of communication most of us have at our jobs.  The creative change in this title was much needed.  Parker seems to know how to handle the characters better and make the story more interesting.  Gabriel Hardman also provides a nice change of pace art style that makes the whole thing seem more serious.  I am a big fan of these changes, because Hulk has become a ridiculously terrible title in the past year or so.  However, I think Jeff Parker has watched too much Babylon 5 where then President Clark turned all the defense systems against Earth in what was know as… Scorched Earth.  But it was still ok, despite ripping that stuff off, most people wouldn’t even realize this anyway.  So better artwork, better ingredients.  Papa John’s?  Oh, there’s also a bonus back-up story starring A-Bomb (aka Rick Jones) which is ok and takes on the lighter side of the character.  Written by Jeff Parker and Art by Mark Robinson.  Just a fun little continuing tale.  The art is pretty fun and bright and vivid, decent stuff.  Nothing amazing, but a good addition.  No, Hulk is better and might be worth looking into as a good change of pace, this was certainly an entertaining issue.

The Flash #5 – Written by Geoff Johns and Art by Francis Manapul.  The Rogues versus The Renegades (aka Future Rogues).  Flash is trying his best to prevent the breaking off a giant mirror that could unleash the Mirror Lords.  We’re pretty much told that it would be an absolutely terrible idea.  The Top tries to assist in getting this fight stopped and letting his Renegades know that they should not arrest the Flash.  This issue ends with a series of twists that I did not see coming at all.  The last several pages are full of “oh crap” moments that were outstanding.  Add that to Manapul’s amazing artwork and this is nothing short of a winner.  I love the Rogues and Renegades battling it out.  We also get some shout-outs to the whole Rogue Wars from a few years back as well.  Just really outstanding stuff and so much stuff that I want to talk about, but I can’t because the spoilers involved would ruin it for you all.  Go, run, ZOOM out and buy this issue quick before it’s gone.  You’ve been warned.

Deadpool #27 – Written by Daniel Way and Penciled by Carlo Barberi.  Deadpool just wants to buy a burrito with some gold, but the man at the counter refuses to take it.  In walks some other people there, dressed up uniforms.  All hell breaks loose and these guys regenerate.  The whole world goes crazy and eventually Steve Rogers and his Secret Avengers show up to the rescue.  Well, I guess it’s a rescue, but anyway, things get really messed up.  Such is an issue of Deadpool.  But Daniel Way knows how to write for the absurd and this issue is no different.  Full of hilarious moments and great artwork.  I laughed a LOT at this issue.  His interaction with Steve Rogers was some of the funniest Deadpool stuff I’ve seen in a long time.  Deadpool just wants to be a hero and next issue he just might get his chance.  If it’s anywhere near as funny as this issue, it’ll be a winner for sure.  Another great comic and worth picking up if you enjoy a good laugh out of your otherwise serious Marvel comics.

Booster Gold #36 – Written by Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Pat Olliffe.  While Booster, Barda and Miracle are taking care of the Planet Pounder, Blue Beetle is having some one-on-one time with the Queen.  When he finds out he’s about to be wed due to his indiscretions he rebukes it.  Barda and Miracle ditch Booster and Booster has to go back and pick-up Blue Beetle on his own.  When he goes back he find that Ted (Blue Beetle) has been turned into a chipmunk.  Then the Darkstars come and arrest them.  Hilarity ensues!  Man, what a great issue as Booster and Beetle have some classic conversations.  Skeets has to try and play hero, to limited success.  We meet a young Brainiac 5 and get a look at who’s on a slave ship during the Invasion storyline from years back.  So Giffen and DeMatteis keep the humor high in this story and the issue moved by so quickly I was kind of sad when it was done.  It leaves you waiting for next issue so you can see how they’re going to get out of this one.  Giffen even makes sure we understand we’re having a Laurel & Hardy moment when Booster says, “well here’s ANOTHER fine mess you’ve gotten me into.”  Oliver Hardy made that line famous and it is still a funny line to this day when applied properly.  The artwork by Pat Olliffe is pretty good.  He’s a bit more of a blocky penciller it seems, but he has a fine grasp of storytelling through comics.  And what the heck kind of name is Estrogina?  Wow, you’ve just gotta check this one out, it’s great stuff!

Technorati Tags: secret avengers,ed brubaker,david aja,michael lark,stefano guadiano,hulk,jeff parker,gabriel hardman,mark robinson,the flash,geoff johns,francis manapul,deadpool,daniel way,carlo barberi,booster gold,keith giffen,j.m.dematteis,pat olliffe

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 25th, 2010

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 24th, 2010

10, count em, 10 titles all reviewed today!  One of my biggest posts EVER!  Will it be epic?  What will I think of the awesome titles in today’s edition?

New Mutants #17 – Written by Zeb Wells and Art by Leonard Kirk.  Illyana gets a vision that Pixie has been kidnapped and teleports the team to Limbo.  A move that everyone would clearly be thrilled with.  In Limbo they have more time to get ready for taking care of Ulysses and rescuing poor Pixie.  The mutant/demon hybrids are ready for battle with the New Mutants and it’s only a matter of time before they jump into action.  Some of the stuff that happened in Limbo was a little confusing.  I guess Limbo is like that.  However, the story continued to move forward with some decent characterization going on.  It was a pretty interesting issue of a good storyline.  The artwork continues to be very well done as Leonard Kirk is becoming one of my favorite artists.  A pretty decent issue, the only problem was that it didn’t feel like it was really moving the story along much, but I think maybe that’s because it started as kind of a flashback, giving it the feeling that nothing happened.  So being a pretty good issue, it’s worth checking out if you haven’t yet, but it isn’t a super spectacular issue if that’s what you’re looking for.

Birds of Prey #5 – Written by Gail Simone and Penciled by Alvin Lee & Adriana Melo.  So we start off the issue with a set of shocking revelations about Savant as he was about to throw Oracle off a bridge.  Huntress is really pissed about Black Canary running off and having to let the Penguin go.  So Black Canary heads off with White Canary to Bangkok.  Meanwhile, Hank Hall heals up as does Lady Blackhawk.  Lady Blackhawk isn’t about to taking any of the news lying down either.  We end the issue with a “shocking” revelation?  Anyway, there’s plenty of subplots going on here and the main plot is a little confusing.  Yeah, she killed all the brothers of White Canary, but really Shiva is the one who set-up Black Canary in the first issue, so now she has to ally herself with White Canary.  Come again?  I guess I don’t understand exactly why Shiva is important, so that doesn’t help.  Because of that and the lack of an explanation behind the motivation of Canary, I only feel this is an average issue.  Plus the art fluctuates in this issue and isn’t as good as it has been in previous issues.  I’m not sure if it’s Lee or Melo because last issue it was Melo teaming up with yet another artist.  So who needs whom here?  I have no idea.  I’m just confused about the whole damned thing.  It’s ok for what it is, but damn it’s a tad confusing, but I have to say, Huntress is awesome in these issues.

Justice League: Generation Lost #9 – Written by Judd Winick and Penciled by Fernando Dagnino.  Fire is face-to-face with Max Lord and Max has to do what he needs to.  So what does he do?  He mind controls her.  A huge battle breaks out and the team has to come back together as they have to fight one of their own… and Max Lord as well.  This issue gives us a nice face-to-face confrontation with Max Lord and the Justice League in their former home.  We also get to see the damage taken by Rocket Red who still manages to bring moments of levity to the issue.  Another great issue of storytelling, but the artwork was a little limp here.  I’m just not a big fan of how Dagnino draws his faces.  From a storytelling perspective, he does a fine job.  But some of the visuals just aren’t up to par with some of the other art in this series.  Still a solid buy if ever there was one.

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #2 – Written by and Layouts done by Dan Jurgens and Finished Art by Norm Rapmund & Rodney Ramos.  Rip Hunter is faced with figuring out where and when he is and get back to everyone else so they can track down Bruce Wayne.  However, he’s hooked up with a guy who looks like he’s straight from a Conan novel.  Meanwhile, the rest of the team gets themselves involved in a fight that they might have been better staying out of.  Supernova also tries to figure out what’s going on with the Vanishing Point.  Plus some other bad guys plot some naughty stuff.  So this was a typical job of Dan Jurgens telling his stories.  Nothing too spectacular, but easily enjoyable.  Honestly, it really had nothing to do with Bruce Wayne at the end of the day.  It almost seems like that’s merely a subplot of what they’re doing here.  If you’re looking for them to be getting clues about Bruce Wayne, etc., then steer clear.  If you just want a decent Dan Jurgens story with some pretty good artwork, then it might be worth checking out.

X-Factor #209 – Written by Peter David and Penciled by Emanuela Lupacchino.  So Lady Sif has taken off with Pip to Las Vegas.  Madrox feels bad about it and heads off to Vegas to confront Lady Sif.  So off he heads to Las Vegas with his team.  Come to think of it, with THAT team, it might be really a bad idea, as Madrox soon has to find out.  What a totally fun issue though!  This has a lot of funny and entertaining things going on.  I love Shatterstar trying to throw-down with the fake pirates and being in utter disdain of them.  And didn’t anyone stop to think that Longshot in Vegas would be a completely terrible idea?  I love it!  The interaction and personalities of the group is what really makes this comic work.  It isn’t just a mutant title, it’s much more than that and is really top notch work by Peter David.  Emanuela provides some very nice artwork as well.  It isn’t overly detailed and it manages to capture each character quite nicely.  A fantastic issue and worth picking up and checking out!

Uncanny X-Men #507 – Written by Matt Fraction and Penciled by Whilce Portacio with Leonard Kirk.  The Five Lights saga continues on as the X-Men race to find the new mutants that showed up and usher in a new age of mutants.  They try and track down a brand new mutant who’s power manifest, speeding everything about himself until he seemingly vanishes into thin air.  Then it’s up to Hope to come in and pull him together using her unknown, but beneficial powers.  There’s a whole series of crap involving Emma Frost in here that’s just… boring.  I could care less about her character and Whilce can’t draw her anymore apparently.  In fact, I’m guessing Whilce just phoned it in on this issue too and they had to get Leonard Kirk to come in and save the mess.  Fraction keeps writing Emma like the ice queen that she is, but the way he writes the other characters opining for her attention is lame.  This storyline has potential, but they need to drive away from Emma for awhile and get a real artist.  Like I’ve said, I usually enjoy Portacio’s artwork, but this seems like a job he’s doing for a little extra cash and could give a crap about how the art looks.  It really shows here.  So just an issue you can probably pass on for now.

Shadowland: Ghost Rider #1 – Written by Rob Williams and Art by Clayton Crain.  Ghost Rider is summoned by Kingpin in previous issues of Shadowland.  Now Kingpin wants to talk to Ghost Rider who is not very impressed by Wilson Fisk.  Fisk informs him that if he wants to be free from the Hand magic Kingpin used to summon him, then he must destroy the Hand at their seat of power.  Sounds easy enough to Ghost Rider, but we all know it’s never that easy.  Things don’t go quite as planned (do they ever?) and Ghost Rider has to make some “changes”.  Wow, the art was breath-taking in this issue.  Clayton Crain’s art alone makes this worth reading.  And the story isn’t too bad, but a few times I questioned if some of those things Ghost Rider would really say.  Other than that, a beautiful and great issue.  Not much else to say here.  I would highly recommend this to anybody who wants a good Ghost Rider story with amazing artwork!

Thunderbolts #148 – Written by Jeff Parker and Art by Declan Shalvey.  Shadowland crossover time!  We get a little look at life on the Raft with the Bolts while Cage is out dealing with Daredevil.  That means the tower they usually go to is off limits and they have to eat with the general populace and that provides for some interesting moments.  Luke eventually calls them in to help with freeing people on the underground of the castle, the Underhand.  So now I know where Underdog came from.  But anyway, the group is brought in mainly because it seems Luke wants to help an old friend out.  Ninja mayhem ensues.  So a pretty good story here as we find out what life is somewhat like for the Bolts and we also get some background time with Luke as well.  Just a pretty well written issue as they’ve all been so far since Parker took over with this new Thunderbolts team.  The crossover aspect works, because now we’re seeing another side of Shadowland that we haven’t really explored much yet.  Next issue should be really fun!  The artwork seemed a tad off at times and there were just some scenes where it felt like he drew things weird and then didn’t bother fixing it later.  But really a great issue and next issue has lots of potential so run and grab a copy for yourself.

Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #3 – Written by Ed Brubaker and Art by Dale Eaglesham.  Machinesmith has captured Steve Rogers and removed the super solider serum from him.  So now Steve has to deal with being depowered and in a tight situation.  Can he find aid in the robot that thought it was Erskine’s wife?  A pretty solid issue here as we get some good flashbacks to Steve growing up.  Not many issues tell about him as that scrawny runt we first saw, but this issue actually talks about it.  It helps us relate to him more.  The best part is that all the training her underwent, that you can’t take away.  I still don’t see how removing the serum would make him scrawny again.  If you sucked the steriods out of Jose Canseco, would he automatically get smaller?  I’m gonna put my money on “hell no” and call it a win.  Other than that gap in logic, it wasn’t too bad at all.  The artwork was neither here nor there.  It certainly wasn’t fantastic, but I’ve seen a lot worse the past few months.  So this is a pretty decent issue, but not quite something I would necessarily say you should buy.

Green Lantern #57 – Written by Geoff Johns and Penciled by Doug Mahnke.  So Hector has seemingly eaten the Orange Lantern and boy is Larfleeze freaking out.  But Hector bolts to find Carol who is in Vegas.  So Hal totes Larfleeze along with him to Vegas.  Do you see how this could be a bad idea?  Two of the worst people in comics to take on Vegas trips go there in comics this month, go figure.  Carol has to hunt down The Predator entity to restore the Sapphire battery.  But Carol disagrees and thinks there may be another way.  Anyway, the Predator possesses a human with an obsession with a waitress at a Casino.  Then Larfleeze arrives and everything quickly goes downhill.  A much better issue with some interesting points being made in this one.  Larfleeze does his best to give us some good comic relief and Mahnke’s artwork is actually pretty spot-on this issue.  He also seemed to reduce the shine on Hal’s outfit, so maybe he heard my complaints.  Yeah right!  So the hunt for the Entities goes on I guess.  But this was a pretty good issue with some pivotal moments that are must read, so grab this issue!

Technorati Tags: green latern,doug mahnke,geoff johns,steve rogers,super solider,ed brubaker,dale eaglesham,thunderbolts,jeff parker,declan shalvey,shadowland,ghost rider,rob williams,clayton crain,whilce portacio,matt fraction,uncanny x-men,x-factor,peter david,emanuela lupacchino,time masters,vanishing point,dan jurgens,norm rapmund,rodney ramos,justice league,generation lost,judd winick,fernando dagnino,birds of prey,gail simone,alvin lee,adrian melo,new mutants,zeb wells,leonard kirk

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 24th, 2010

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 13th, 2010

More catching up and more fun today!  This time around we have some pretty good stuff and only a few duds.  Also, in Friday’s Sioux City Journal there will be an interview with me, so check that out!  On with the show!  (I just did an old comic book thing, put exclamation points at the end of everything!  Again!  Wow!  Ok, just stop.)

Captain America #609 – Written by Ed Brubaker and Penciled by Butch Guice.  We continue to see what’s going down with Baron Zemo’s master plan of revenge on Bucky Cap.  And this time Zemo leaves a message for Bucky and he’s off, knowing that he’s probably walking straight into a trap.  It kind of has an old movie feel to it where the villian tries to play a head game with the hero and sets up traps.  So the cat and mouse game comes to bear this issue.  The artwork is pretty solid with this issue and the story works pretty well.  Nothing groundbreaking here, but it’s pretty decent.  We also have a back-up Nomad story as well.  Written by Sean McKeever and Art by Filipe Andrade.  Nomad mulls over starting training with Steve Rogers and joining him.  Of course, this could have profound implications for the Young Allies team.  Very appropriate that Sean McKeever is the writer in that case.  A lot of inner turmoil going on here and Steve Rogers helping out.  This is a good back-up story.  Overall, pretty solid issue, nothing spectacular but very solid.

Batman #702 – Written by Grant Morrison and Art by Tony Daniel.  Well, leave it to DC to come out with an issue that deals with how they’re going to explain-away the eventual turn of Bruce Wayne.  And they do owe that much to the fans.  The explanation I find lacking though.  Grant Morrison has been hit and miss with me.  While I’m a huge fan of his Animal Man and Doom Patrol work, this explanation leaves me feeling completely unexcited about the return of Bruce Wayne.  DC has pretty much always let it be known that eventually Bruce Wayne would be back and it was just a matter of time.  They continue to handle it a lot like how Captain America was handled by Marvel.  Neither time did I buy it, but the end result of Steve Rogers returning in a different role was good.  I’m hoping this pans out along those lines as well.  The artwork has a very sketchy feel to it and it wasn’t too bad.  There were spots where it was excellent, actually.  I think this might be a good issue if you don’t know what happened to Bruce Wayne and want to find out what occurred, otherwise the story isn’t anything interesting.

Curse of the Mutants: Storm & Gambit #1 – Written by Chuck Kim and Penciled by Chris Bachalo.  This issue in the crossover event of… whatever, brings us to the adventures of… guess who!  Storm and Gambit, just like the cover states!  This one-shot gives us the tale of the quest for Dracula’s body.  And guess what?  The story is actually pretty interesting!  Storm and Gambit form an interesting team that I didn’t think would be all the good, but it was.  Despite the artwork being a tad too “manga” for my taste, I couldn’t deny that the artwork also helped with the ebb and flow of the issue.  In some aspects, “manga” style sometimes leads to some simpler but more fluid artwork, and it really worked well here.  There are a few “mystery” pages where it looked like they were just suddenly scribbled together.  I’m not sure if that was entirely intentional or not.  I loved seeing Storm have to rely on something other than her weather manipulation powers, it was a pleasure to see.  Some hard choices have to be made this issue as well.  The best book in the Curse of the Mutants crossover yet.  That may not be saying much, but this is a very good issue and enjoyable!

New Mutants #16 – Written by Zeb Wells and Art by Leonard Kirk.  A quick word of warning, this issue does not feature the actual New Mutants at all.  Instead, it focuses on General Ulysses and the history of his group in Limbo.  So we see a lot of weird stuff going on here and why Ulysses is so peeved right now.  It’s more of a military viewpoint and really, some interesting stuff.  I like the fact that Zeb Wells is willing to basically make this a New Mutants free issue of New Mutants.  He understands that the backstory does have to be told for everyone to understand what is driving this General.  And better yet, there are some mysteries that could come from all of this.  There is a great surprise at the end of this issue as well and boy was I stoked to see it.  I liked what I saw, I won’t ruin the surprise though.  The artwork by Leonard Kirk was solid as always and he drew some very interesting scenes quite well.  I’m not sure a lot of artists would have taken this task on quite so well.  Zeb really is doing a fantastic job of setting major things up!  Honestly, this is a pretty great issue and if you’re a "Marvel Mutants” fan, this is an issue I highly recommend.

Wonder Woman #602- Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Penciled by Don Kramer with Eduardo Pansica.  Well, our second full JMS issue of Wonder Woman and we’re treated to Wonder Woman returning to help save the Amazons from the terrible invading army that’s trying to kill them.  I can’t quite figure out why the soldiers are so hell bent on killing the Amazons, but whatever.  We get a glimpse at some back story and some moral issues that Diana must face.  So what do we really get?  Well, you get to see Wonder Woman kick some butt and wax about the choices she must make.  Nothing too spectacular.  I honestly get tired of always having to see what the Amazons are up to.  I would rather JMS have just ditched the Amazonians and made Diana deal with the world we live in and integrate more into that.  He, however, just keeps bringing us back to this.  The Amazonians are the reason I never found Wonder Woman that interesting.  It kind of continues to be that way, so I guess, nothing has changed.  It is alright for what it is, but nothing very special going on here.

Wolverine #1 – Written by Jason Aaron and Penciled by Renato Guedes.  When I first heard the concept of Wolverine going to hell, I was skeptical.  We have vampires going on over in the normal X-Men series and now we have this to boot?  Well, I was wrong about this one.  We start off with Wolverine visiting Wraith and them talking about things like faith.  We then end up seeing a much different Wolverine and apparently some minions from Hell going after Wolvie’s girlfriend.  I’m really interested in knowing what exactly happened to Wolverine and the implications this has.  The only thing I’m disappointed in is the continuity that Marvel has.  When I say that, all the other X-issues will probably have Wolverine acting normal and everything and never even mention that this happened.  That gets annoying in a shared universe how nothing ever ties into anything else until it’s time for the big crossovers.  However, I did like this issue and the artwork is very well done.  The back-up story with Silver Samurai wasn’t very entertaining though.  Worth checking out and seeing what the heck is happening with the world’s favorite mutant.

Taskmaster #1 – Written by Fred Van Lente and Art by Jefte Palo.  The Taskmaster finds the repercussions of his recent actions come bearing down on him.  He has managed to anger the entire underworld of evil henchmen, like Hydra, A.I.M., and Secret Empire.  Boy do things go downhill for our non-hero fast!  I’ve been a real fan of Taskmaster as of late.  Van Lente seems to know how to write him well too.  The character has been really interesting and I like that they gave him a mini-series.  I really like how the explore how his memory works as well.  This can only lead to bad things though.  The artwork is pretty solid and fits in well with what’s going on.  I might not have liked it so much if not for the spectacular color job on it.  It was also interesting to have a dossier at the end of the book that told about these teams like Hydra, so it’s a pretty decent jumping on point.  I really thought this was some great stuff, check it out!

Shadowlands: Elektra #1 – Written by Zeb Wells and Art by Emma Rios.  Two issues I’m reviewing this time that were done by Zeb Wells.  This time we see some background on Elektra and her past involvement with the Hand. She has these half-hallucinations going on through-out.  Honestly, where Zeb Wells hits homerun with New Mutants, here he fails miserably.  I think that has more to do with the material requested of him than anything else.  Listen Marvel, there is no reason to even publish this issue besides trying to make more money off the tie-in.  The story isn’t terrible, it’s just completely unnecessary and useless.  Couple that with the fact that I wasn’t interested in the least by this and you’ve got a real dog.  The artwork was just kind of bland and Elektra looked like she might have taken Anime meth or something.  Add this one up and this issue is better off being sent in to the recycling center than anything.

Technorati Tags: captain america,batman,curse of the mutants,storm,gambit,new mutants,wolverine,wonder woman,taskmaster,shadowlands,elektra,zeb wells,emma rios,fred van lente,jefte palo,jason aaron,renato guedes,silver samurai,j. michael straczynski,don kramer,eduardo pansica,leonard kirk,chuck kim,chris bachalo,grant morrison,tony daniel,sean mckeever,nomad,steve rogers,filipe andrade,ed brubaker,butch guice

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 13th, 2010

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 30th, 2010

Boy, am I running far behind!  I’m trying to catch-up on issues, so stick with me as I try to do just that.  More quick comic reviews will be coming up shortly! 

Secret Avengers #4 – Written by Ed Brukbaker and Penciled by Mike Deodato Jr.  Well, we journey into the final part of the current saga involving one of these crazy crowns that makes you possessed by some ancient celestial baddy.  And then we have Steve Rogers using the Nova Force, which evoked some pretty cool scenes and a neat costume in my book.  Can’t wait for an action figure of that one either.  But the storyline wrapped up a lot of what it needed to without an overly complicated explanation.  At the same time, the whole issue is just “meh” to me.  Nothing too terrible, nothing too fantastic.  I wish the Ant-Man that Robert Kirkman created was utilized in his sheer brilliance, but they don’t seem to really know how to handle him most of the time.  Moon Knight barely does anything, nor the Beast, we just get characters kind of hanging out in the background.  I like a bit more of the under utilized characters in these team series, not the over-utilized Steve Rogers being utilized even more.  I’m reminded of when the Justice League of America first started and they didn’t want to oversaturate their main stars too much, while still realizing the importance of their draw and need.  So what they did was they would always send Batman and Superman off while the “lesser lights” got their chance to shine.  I would still prefer that.  Overall, a “meh” issue with lots of cool artwork, but you can probably just skip it.

The Amazing Spider-Man #640 – Written by Joe Quesada and Penciled mainly by Paolo Rivera.  Once more down the crapfest that is “One Moment in Time”!  Excelsior!  They need to fix this slopfest quick, because this is getting awful.  Ok, so Wilson Fisk hires someone to go after relatives of Peter and MJ because Aunt May lived.  Doctor Strange gets put to the task of making everyone forget the secret identity of Spider-man.  Hey wait a minute.  Didn’t everyone just assume that when Mephisto changed things, he made it so Peter’s identity was never revealed?  Damn, one important take-away I must have missed somewhere.  So ever the revisionist we just scribble out things and change them.  And from reading this dreck, it looks like everything is being done on the fly.  Paolo Rivera’s artwork is the only bright spot in this mess.  You cannot produce Spider-Man EVERY stinking week or two an expect quality writing.  Why Marvel doesn’t just split this up and bring back the Spectacular Spider-Man or something and make it relevant, I have no idea.  It used to be you could get three good to average Spidey titles a month.  Now you’re stuck with 3-4 issues of a below average comic.  Way to go Joe!  Skip this and bury it in poop.

Shadowland – Power Man #1 – Written by Fred Van Lente and Penciled by Mahmud Asrar.  So we’re introduced to the “NEW” Power Man in this issue and learn a little bit about his background.  Danny Rand and Luke Cage also learn about this guy using the Power Man name.  So we’ve got the new Power Man fighting off the Hand and them in a snit fit about it as they try to expand their territory.  We also learn that this new Power Man likes to profit off his work by using Craigslist.  So we have quite a set-up for this one.  The art work and the writing start off limping badly, but they do pick up some momentum as the issue goes on.  But boy there are several pages where they’re fighting in “Purgatory” where you can’t tell what’s going on and everything looks like a 10 year old drew it.  But it does get better towards the end.  I found the issue interesting, but this whole Craigslist type thing we saw with The Web from DC last year.  However, they definitely have me interested in what happens in the future.  An ok debut, starts weak, finishes strong.  Not a must buy unless you want the first issue this kid appears in.

Hulk #24 – Written by Jeph Loeb and Penciled by Ed McGuinness.  Did I ever mention how much Jeph Loeb’s Hulk is crap?  Oh, btw, it is terrible and continues to be terrible.  The original Red Hulk storyline wasn’t cool and to be honest, not a huge fan of Ed McGuinness either.  But I figured this was a culmination of a lot of storylines so it was worth checking out.  So the final battle occurs between Red Hulk and Green Hulk and the world rejoices.  We have to bare the pain of constantly going back and forth between Red and Green thought bubbles to see what each is thinking.  So it doesn’t read fluidly at all.  The artwork just seems like anime on steroids and I could care less for it.  Never has there been a more overrated duo than Ed and Jeph.  The last few pages were almost interesting, but not enough to make up for everything else.  And another thing that hasn’t been covered before.  How big of a dump would the Hulk take?  I now know the answer.  The size of the number of copies of this issue.  Wipe your butt with them folks, they aren’t worth it.

S.H.I.E.L.D. #3 – Written by Jonathan Hickman and Penciled by Dustin Weaver.  This is the first issue I’ve checked out about S.H.I.E.L.D. but it seemed Marvel has re-written the backstory and made SHIELD a giant conspiracy type group.  They go way back in history and it just doesn’t make a ton of sense yet, but the writing isn’t bad.  There’s just a lot going on to wrap your mind around.  So I’m withholding judgment until I can see a bit more.  In this issue we find out who the current head of this group is and who they are.  Guess what?  It’s somebody historically famous!  There’s a whole re-working of history in general which is kind of fun to see, I just hope it’s going somewhere.  It kind of reminds me of the set-up of the old Eternal Warriors by Acclaim Comics.  Close, but not quite.  So this issue is interesting, but not a must.

Technorati Tags: SHIELD,s.h.i.e.l.d.,Jonathan Hickman,Dustin Weaver,Eternal Warriors,Hulk,Ed McGuinness,Jeph Loeb,Shadowland,Power Man,Fred Van Lente,Mahmud Asrar,Luke Cage,Daredevil,amazing spider-man,spider-man,spiderman,joe quesada,paolo rivera,secret avengers,ed brubaker,mike deodato jr,robert kirkman,ant-man,moon knight,steve rogers,nova

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 30th, 2010

Quick Comic Reviews – July 31st, 2010

Just a quick rundown of some things that are recent that I’ve been reading the past few weeks.  Maybe you’ll find this helpful if you’re looking to buy some of these new titles.

Shadowland #1 – So now we see what’s going on with the Daredevil after he’s taken a break in the Marvel Universe.  First off, he’s got a new costume which looks pretty appropriate and he’s taken of the Hand.  The heroes of the Marvel Universe are starting to worry about Matt Murdock’s state of mind as well.  In this issue we see Daredevil eventually square off with Bullseye and we see exactly what Murdock is now capable of.  The artwork is alright but inconsistent in spots.  The problem with the issue is the content seems to go way too fast.  For what you pay, you feel like you just got started and it is over.  But an interesting but not totally necessary issue.  Decent, not a buy for me.

 

Daredevil #508 – A bit stronger in story than in the first issue of Shadowland and fantastic artwork.  Wow, everything is so grim and moody and the artwork of Roberto De Le Torre is right on spot here.  I feel that perpetual rain and feeling of something foreboding in the air.  Excellent issue as things pick up a bit and we have a few plot twists involved and some questions to be answered.  We all know eventually Matt Murdock will pull free of this, but part of me likes him more as this dark vigilante who is maintaining the peace with an unwavering hand.  Definite Buy! 

 

Captain America #607 – First, I can’t tell whether the inker or the penciller is being way too lazy on some pages or what.  Sometimes Cap looks like he was drawn by an 8 year old and inked in by the same 8 year old.  I can’t figure it out.  Then some pages are very strong, so I’m not sure I get it.  The story was ok as we get more involved with Baron Zemo’s master manipulations.  Common fair, get tired of the Nazi stuff after awhile, but whatever.  Then we also get a back-up story involving Nomad.  This isn’t as strong a follow-up to the story in last issue, but it’s decent fair with good artwork and bright vivid colors.  If you’re a fan of the Young Allies, this is a must.  Otherwise, it is decent, but not quite there.

The Avengers #3 – At first I wasn’t sure about John Romita as the artist for the Avengers.  I take it back, I’m starting to enjoy it.  He’s got kind of a sketchy style without being overly detailed and it’s the kind of artwork that’s sometimes missing in comics today.  Simple artwork, good crisp colors, with him and Bendis, it feels like a true Avengers comic.  The last few years the Avengers have been at the low point in their history and it’s nice to see we can get back to Heroes being Heroes again.  I really liked this issue for some reason.  It was fun, had a fast paced story and had a lot of good moments and the artwork did a splendid job.  If you like the old Avengers, I feel this is a must buy!

The Flash #4 – So far, Geoff Johns is writing a pretty good series here.  This book is a bit quicker of a read then I would like.  You have a sequence that should only take up 2 pages take up several and it feels like that is probably just so they can have a reveal at the end.  That can be a problem now days with the main writers doing several stories every month in different titles.  In a way, you can’t blame them for it.  However, with the price of comics, I hate these lazy habits.  So other than that little rant, a decent story, some facts (or are they?) revealed and the story continues on.  Due to the several page gimmick though, we don’t feel like we got very far in the issue and that is disappointing.  Buy if you’re a Flash fan, otherwise you can probably skip it. 

Young Allies #1 – I’m a sucke r for the newer Nomad and her sad story of being without a world and really, without a home.  Gravity is a character that really interests me and seeing just what exactly he is capable of.  Firestar has always been a solid character, so a chance at a new fun team title, I figure why not.  We see right away that they’re going to be dealing with those nasty Bastards of Evil.  A good first arch-team to face-off with.  We get an interesting new character in Toro and the now powerless Arana is back.  A decent little title with great artwork!  In fact, some very excellent artwork that has bright and bold colors and doesn’t feel dark and dreary.  Has some very interesting scenes in it and an interesting ending that makes me want to dive into the next one and see how they handle this!  Definite buy!

 

Technorati Tags: young allies,flash,geofff johns,mckeever,sotomayor,avengers,comic books,reviews,quick,daredevil,shadowland,captain america,john romita jr,brian michael bendis,andy diggle,ed brubaker

Quick Comic Reviews – July 31st, 2010