Quick Comic Reviews - October 24th, 2010

Brightest Day #12 -  Written by Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi and Art by Patrick Gleason, Scott Clark, Ivan Reis & Joe Prado.  Hi, this is DC Comics and we like to put a character on the front cover who is barely featured in the issue.  Good day!  This is another Martian Manhunter centered issue.  For those of you who just groaned, I agree.  He meets this other Green Martian and they fight and talk and talk and talk while fighting.  A veritable crap fest of nothing interesting happening there.  There are a few interesting moments in this issue, but not many.  Why does Brightest Day continue to be the biggest disappointment in comics?  The keep revealing things about mysteries that we couldn't care less about.  Who was the other green martian?  Didn't care.  The was half a decent reveal towards the end, but still, this title feels like the bad episodes of Lost that did nothing to forward that series.  I was actually glad to be done with this issue, because by the time I was done, I had wished I skipped it this week.  Just plain boring and goes nowhere, skip it.

Batman and Robin #15 - Written by Grant Morrison and Art by Frazier Irving.  This issue started off interesting, but the last few pages were WTF moments.  There are times when I think that Grant Morrison comes up with an idea and then expect all of his readers to figure out what he just did.  I thought they did an interesting job of tying this into the return of Bruce Wayne, but it seems to be missing something.  The grotesque and macabre artwork fits at times, but I get sick of it real quick.  Don't get me wrong, Frazier Irving is a tremendous artist, but at this point I'm sick to death of his Pyg and all the bizarre characters he draws.  Just bloody sick of it.  So by the time I got done with this issue I was annoyed anyway.  I enjoyed the previous issues, but I think a little bit of Morrison's work can go a long way before you get tired of it.  The final reveal was ok, but it made a lot of the stuff that's happened the last few issues seem totally irrelevant somehow.  It seems like Morrison is suddenly in a hurry to tie a bunch of loose strings together so we can bring Bruce back.  I hate the idea of Bruce being back already anyway, so I thought this issue was pretty rotten, skip it.

Daken: Dark Wolverine #2 - Written by Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu and Penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli.  The plot with Daken and this mystery man continues.  Did Daken really help Wolvie get sent to hell?  We then spend half the issue of him flirting with Mystique, but the send off from that is pretty good actually.  The issue itself is actually kind of interesting.  That's something Daken hasn't been in a few months.  This issue he shows that he's a walking contradiction in terms.  We see him trying to feel what people feel and then at the same time working only for himself and moving himself forward.  Sometimes you wonder why he's playing these games and what is he really trying to accomplish.  I think Daken has become one of those guys who just plays both sides as just a way to amuse himself.  So that leaves the character feeling a little soulless, but in this issue it worked pretty well.  Not a bad issue at, but I'm hesitant on recommending it as a buy, it does have some moments though.

Deadpool #28 -  Written by Daniel Way and Penciled by Carlo Barberi.  After Steve Rogers asks Deadpool to join the Secret Avenger's we're off on an adventure that Deadpool quickly messes up.  His methods aren't quite what Steve Rogers was hoping for.  But alas, it isn't really Steve Rogers, just a clone with about half his skill.  So what happens when the real Secret Avengers show up?  A few hi-jinx, not much else.  I thought this issue was much weaker than last issue.  The comedy wasn't as funny and seeing him screw up with a bunch of clones wasn't too fun.  It was more fun when we thought it was Steve Rogers.  That's what we really wanted to see.  However, Steve would never let Deadpool in, even on the Secret Avengers.  Carlo Barberi does another great job with the artwork here, his style just fits the type of stories being told.  The first several pages were good but just kind of lost their bluster and the comedy started failing.  I wish it was better, but it was just ok.  The first several pages are funny and then it falls off fast, not a buy this week.

Hulk #26 - Written by Jeff Parker and Penciled by Gabriel Hardman.  We continue the story from last month with Scorched Earth being set-off by M.O.D.O.K. as a final plan in case everything else failed.  Of course, they stole this from Babylon 5, but I digress.  Anyway, all this crap is going down, Rulk has to fight alongside Iron Man and does pretty well.  Then Thor comes along for the next assignment and once again, beats the crap out of Rulk.  Steve Rogers is semi-exasperated by this whole thing, but Rulk shakes it off and carries on.  So really, we've got a lot of people getting the one-up on Rulk now, not that he doesn't deserve it.  But after last issue we have this again.  It seems like going back to the well.  Let's not keep going this route and focus on the story instead.  It has promise, but this issue didn't live up to that promise and felt a little bland.  There was one great moment with Thor that I really liked and made me laugh out loud.  Other than that, the story wasn't all the interesting and the fight between Thor and Rulk I could have done without.   The back-up feature with A-Bomb was surprisingly fun though.  Written by Jeff Parker and Art by Mark Robinson.  Seeing A-Bomb's style of heroics and even his victory dance were fun stuff.  Rick becoming a super-hero is not without it's ups-and-downs, just like what we're seeing.  A fun little story going on here. The issue is a pretty decent issue, but at $3.99 it's a good thing there's a back-up story in here because this issue isn't a must buy.

Superman/Batman #77 - Written by Joshua Williamson and Art by Ale Garza.  A lot of fun interaction in this one with Damien Wayne and Supergirl teaming up.  Although, it isn't really Kara's idea, she just kind of gets stuck with him.  We have a fun little adventure as they try to find out who's causing a string of deaths involving some of Luthor Corporation's up-and-coming youngsters.  I really liked this story.  Nothing terribly complicated or anything, just good storytelling and some great moments.  I liked Dick implying that Damien has a crush on Supergirl and Damien's reaction to it.  So really, this comic can be very hit or miss, but I think this one is hit.  Ale Garza's artwork has a fun style to it and it was perfect for this issue.  The art made the comic even more enjoyable to me.  If you want a good one-shot storyline this week, it's worth picking up.

Quick Comic Reviews - October 24th, 2010

Quick Comic Reviews - October 14th, 2010

With my peed on computer out of commission, I haven't redone the stuff I was working on.  I just don't have the time to go back and fix it all.  I'll keep on trucking with my comic reviews for now.  It just takes me a little more time without Windows Live Writer.  Enjoy the smattering of delicious offerings!

Taskmaster #2 - Written by Fred Van Lente and Art by Jefte Palo.  Fred Van Lente has a wonderful sense of humor and this is a showcase of that.  In this issue we are introduced to the "Don of the Dead" who is dressed up like a crazed marachi singer and a skeleton mask.  We're are treated to several pages of terrific humor as Taskmaster tries to tie pieces of his memory together.  Keep in mind, there's a huge bounty out for our Taskmaster as everyone believes he gave Steve Rogers information on all these secret societies like A.I.M. and Hydra, amongst many others we're introduced to.  The artwork is pretty dead on and gives the issue an added sense of energy.  Sure, this comic probably isn't going to make a huge splash in the Marvel continuity spectrum, but what it does deliver is pure entertainment.  Putting Van Lente in charge of this title was the right move.  Sadly, most comic fans will probably miss this mini-series and they shouldn't be missing out.  This is a must purchase! 

Hawkeye & Mockingbird #5 - Written by Jim McCann and Penciled by David Lopez.  The Final Chapter of Mockingbird's showdown with the Phantom Rider(s) culminates in this issue.  This is your traditional blow-off type issue when you have a major story like this.  Surprises?  There are a few towards the end, but you could almost see them coming.  They were pretty well done though and Hawkeye ends up going slightly overboard and realizing what he's doing.  So there are some great scenes with him in it.  David Lopez does a serviceable job, but some of his action scenes just feel a little stiff.  Like I was saying before though, the scene with Crossfire and Hawkeye (and if you read it, you'll know it when you see it) is a major turning point here.  So overall, a pretty good ending to the story arc and some good twists towards the end to keep you interested with the direction they're going.  I'm still slightly confused at times about all this Phantom Rider stuff, but that doesn't detract from enjoying it.  Once again, another very good issue that's worth checking out and pretty much a must if you're following the story so far!

Justice League: Generation Lost #11 - Written by Judd Winick and Penciled by Aaron Lopresti.  This issue has Fire, Ice and Rocket Red facing off with the Metal Men.  Meanwhile, Booster, Captain Atom and Blue Beetle investigate another site.  I will not lie, I love the Metal Men, so it should be no surprise that I really liked this issue.  No, no.  Loved this issue.  Now keep in mind, the Metal Men don't have their typical banter in this, so if you're looking for it, it isn't really quite here.  But that wasn't the point of it.  There's so much going on here that this issue flew by.  And with the masterful pencils of Aaron Lopresti, this issue just shines.  Everything seemed to work well in this issue.  The only thing I didn't care for was the cover as it kind of ruins a surprise.  I also loved the surprise at the ending, because if there's a character that needs a bit of a redesign, it is this one.  I won't ruin it, but it was needed I think.  So this title has direction, it has hi-jinks and hilarity, along with a solid dose of action and intrigue and... well, it is everything a comic should be.  The best title there is twice a month!  Pick it up, read it, saran wrap it, send it into space for aliens to read and enjoy, because it's great stuff!

Superman #703 - Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Penciled by Eddy Barrows.  After a bit of a delay, we get issue 703 in the "Superman's Walk for the Cure" or whatever they're calling it.  Anyway, in this issue Supes encounters Batman and makes a compelling argument for why he shouldn't be wandering around amongst the normal people.  Certainly he's just inviting disaster.  Cue ominous music and obvious foreshadowing award!  So what happens?  Well, some shards of the planet New Krypton come crashing to Earth and we finally see signs of a plot!  Apparently the stuff makes people Batshit crazy and powerful.  Cue the next 8 months of issues.  It wasn't as bad as I make it seem.  There's a strong play on how super-powered being like Superman would be viewed by normal people.  JMS seems to be riding that out for what it's worth.  Barrows artwork is just ok, nothing note worthy here.  So the issue is ok, it isn't bad, but it doesn't exactly breath new life into Superman.  Still, it's better than most Superman stuff in the past year and a half, but that isn't saying much.  If you skip this, nobody will blame you.

Green Lantern #58 - Written by Geoff Johns and Penciled by Doug Mahnke.  We start off with an interesting scene involving Sinestro and Atrocitus as they're hunting down the Rage entity.  We also clean up the stuff involving Carol and the Star Sapphires.  We get a heaping helping of Larfleeze and we get to meet the Blue Lantern entity Adara.  All-in-all, it ends up being a pretty good issue.  We have more great Larfleeze moments, some outstanding Atrocitus stuff, and some background bits that are very interesting.  Mahnke's art is pretty decent this issue, with the exception of the last page when he draws the Flash like an emaciated teenage kid who hasn't eaten in a month.  He must be hanging out with Mark Bagley too much.  They continue to present a lot of characterization, but the main flaw is that we're all over the place and not getting to stay with any one character too long.  Sometimes that can be a blessing, others a curse.  Johns seems to juggle it pretty well this issue, but it does become hard to keep track of what each character is doing.  Geoff has created a lot of interesting characters and not enough pages to fill them with.  That's part of why we're up to 3 Green Lantern titles a month (sometimes more).  A pretty good issue that any Green Lantern fan will want to pick up.

Quick Comic Reviews - October 14th, 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 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.

Technorati Tags: incredible hulks,greg pak,tom raney,dark son,scott reed,brian ching,young allies,sean mckeever,david baldeon,amazing spider-man,mark waid,paul azaceta,shadowland,power man,fred van lente,mahmud asrar,thanos imperative,guardians of the galaxy,dan abnett,andy lanning,miguel sepulveda,daken,dark wolverine,dan way,marjorie liu,giuseppe camuncoli,brightest day,aqualad,geoff johns,peter j. tomasi,ivan reis,scott clark,joe prado

Quick Comic Book Reviews - August 22nd, 2010

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 12th, 2010

Still playing a game of catch-up!  But I’m getting there!  This batch we have some hits and two major league misses.

The New Avengers #3 – Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Penciled by Stuart Immonen.  Well, we finally get a clue as to what we’re dealing with here and the story continues to be interesting.  But we join this issue with Power Fist in possession of the Eye of Agamotto.  We have ghosts/demon-ish things flooding out of the sky and… Ghostbusters references.  So right away, that scores some high points with me.  The Thing and Spiderman exchange quite the witty banter and just go well together.  I really like this line-up of the Avengers and they continue to make it interesting.  I really like Ms. Hand in this one, she has some of the highlights of this issue for sure.  Just some really great stuff from Bendis in this one.  Check it out!

Justice League: Generation Lost #8 – Written by Judd Winick and Penciled by Aaron Lopresti.  Here’s another great issue full of solid comedic moments and some serious stuff going on in the meantime.  The plot doesn’t move forward a ton, but it sure makes the little bit we get interesting nonetheless.  Winick knows how to execute comedic timing and write these characters to be interesting.  I’m really loving this comic as it seems to really get better as it goes.  But the premise of this issue is simply that our group is caught invading Checkmate while trying to find Max Lord.  Oh, and they’re all dressed up in Rocket Red suits.  So a lot of wacky stuff, mostly solid art through-out and just a damn good time.  Last issue was a tiny letdown, but this issue gives me some moments that I really enjoyed.  Worth looking into because it’s just a fun comic and maintains serious implications on the DC Universe.

Brightest Day #9 – Written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi with Artwork by Patrick Gleason, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.  So, we’ve got some weird guy that Aquaman had a vision about, Deadman having to track down everyone and then some damned story about the forest in Star City.  Sound like fun?  And what the hell happened to Hawkman?  Lord, talk about a whole lot of to-do about nothing.  Uneven artwork, boring and listless storytelling.  This isn’t epic anything besides fail.  The series really is needing to get somewhere and quick, because it sure doesn’t hold any of my interest.  I could care less about what goes on with Mars.  And the whole stuff in the forest is ok, but Martian Manhunter’s stuff was just confusing and annoying.  I didn’t feel like there was much value in any of this.  So my basic thought is, if you want to waste $2.99, you might as well just send it to me.  Seriously, send it this way.  I’m broke.

Hawkeye & Mockingbird #4 – Written by Jim McCann and Penciled by David Lopez.  So we’re off and running trying to backtrack to what happened at the end of last issue.  So you can just guess that the explosion we saw actually took a good 10 minutes before it went off.  I hate that trick, they used to do it in the old serials of the 30’s and 40’s.  You see what happened at the end of last episode and then you rewind and show what happened “in-between” frames basically.  Cheap gimmick and this one was especially not well crafted.  But we’re setting up for the final showdown with Phantom Rider and Crossfire versus Hawkeye and Mockingbird.  Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of very good story going on here, but I’m less impressed with David Lopez as we go.  It also seems like McCann has a good first act and then follows it up with a weak second act.  So I pray our third and final act (or our Climax) brings us a great close to this.  A pretty good first four issues, but it’s starting to slip a little already.  I hope McCann can right his ship a little as it’s listing to the side.  I wanted to like this issue more than I did.  It’s just okay.

Batman & Robin #13 – Written by Grant Morrison and Art by Frazier Irving.  I’m a bit behind on my Batman reading so I’m trying to catch up.  Grant Morrison’s run on Batman and Robin has been kind of weird.  I like his portrayal of Damien, but that’s really been about it.  However, the road he’s been going down is starting to make some sort of sense.  We start this issue with the return of Thomas Wayne.  WTF you say?  Yes, Thomas Wayne.  And we get a huge shock I’m not going to spoil, but it’s crazy.  Then we flashback to 3 days prior and we have Batman and Robin talking to the Joker who has turned over a “new leaf”.  Batman finally starts piecing things together about what’s been going on for the past year.  Meanwhile, we get a nice stark visual moment that reminds me of the Joker being in the opposite position he was in during "The Killing Joke”.  Good stuff there.  The artwork has a very noir feel.  Sometimes I like it, sometimes I hate it.  Just depends on the page.  Batman is very realistically rendered, but I don’t buy comics for that bit of realism.  So, to me, the artwork is good, but it detracts from the comic medium.  Especially something like Batman, I just appreciate your “normal” comic art better.  Although it’s still better than Mark Bagley’s SpiderBatman.  Hey, Mark Bagley, Batman is NOT Peter Parker under that suit.  Anyway, the story is heavy but solid stuff.  This might be a really good point to jump on, but the artwork could detract from this for some.

Franken-Castle #20 – Written by Rick Remender and Art by Tony Moore, Paco Diaz and John Lucas.  All the reviews I had been reading about Franken-Castle had cast it in such a spectacular light I had to see what was going on here.  Boy was I disappointed.  In this issue Franken-Castle continues to square off with the man who killed him, Daken.  We have Wolverine in on this too and we have an epic battle of epic epicness.  Need I say more?  The whole thing is over the top, the artwork is over the top, it just doesn’t work for me.  The way things ended up was gross, bizarre, and twisted.  I don’t always mind that, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for with this series.  I expected weird, sure, but not this.  The artwork just looks cheap and downright awful in spots.  I can’t stand the way it all comes together.  However, the preview for next issue has me excited as I’m a big Dan Brereton fan.  I’m not sure if he’s doing the artwork and story for the next issue, but if so, boy will it be fantastic.  And the way thinks are going with Frank Castle, I’m thinking this is right up Brereton’s alley.  Avoid this issue like the plague and let’s see what next issue brings!

Technorati Tags: New Avengers,Justice League: Generation Lost,Justice League,Brightest day,Hawkeye & Mockingbird,Batman & Robin,Franken-Castle,Rick Remender,Tony Moore,Paco Diaz,John Lucas,Daken,Wolverine,Dan Brereton,Mark Bagley,Grant Morrison,Frazier Irving,Jim McCann,David Lopez,Joker,Geoff Johns,Peter Tomasi,Patrick Gleason,Ivan Reis,Joe Prado,Deadman,Hawkman,Martian Manhunter,Judd Winick,Aaron Lopresti,Brian Michael Bendis,Stuart Immonen

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 12th, 2010

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 28th, 2010

Uncanny X-Men #526 – Written by Matt Fraction and Pencilled by Whilce Portacio.  So the main plot is that 5 new mutants showed up and their powers haven’t manifested yet, so it’s time to find them before the bad guys get in the way.  But, why is it that the back-up story involving Magneto and his “grandsons” is the more interesting story in this issue.  Matt Fraction gives a valiant effort, but he doesn’t seem to have the whole dynamics of the group down yet.  Plus I think Whilce Portacio phoned it in on him.  Whilce seems to be just drawing to draw and must have needed some extra bucks, because I just don’t feel him being at his best.  When Hope finds out her parents died she and was talking about it at first, the facially expression couldn’t have matched what she was feeling.  The artwork just felt a little soulless and maybe that how Whilce feels drawing the X-Men, but he isn’t doing his writer any favors.  I’m interested in finding out what Hope can do and how the next breed of X-Men will turn out.  But the sub-plots in this one are weak and contrived, except for the Kitty Pryde part.  I don’t feel they’re following up on the fall-out from Second Coming very well.  We should be feeling heavier repercussions than any mutant series is really dealing with and that’s too bad, because I thought Second Coming was a good X-Men crossover.  This stuff is ok, but nothing spectacular.

Daredevil #509 – Written by Andy Diggle and Penciled by Roberto De La Torre.  Ever get a case of déjà vu?  That’s what this felt like.  Andy Diggle has had some hits and misses in this Shadowland event, but I felt like I knew about the same at the end of this issue as I did at the beginning.  There are a few new bits of information, but nothing too interesting that skipping it doesn’t seem to be a big deal.  The artwork is good, but not in a classic comic book approach.  Everything is very washed out and dark and forboding, which I guess suits it well enough.  The way this one is going, next issue they’ll cover it again anyway.  So if you read last issue, just read Shadowland #2 and skip this one.

Brightest Day #8 – Written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi and Pencilled by Ardian Syaf, Ivan Reis, and Patrick Gleason.  I thought LOST was over, but this comic book keeps me about as frustrated as when I was watching LOST.  This issue is largely Martian Manhunter and Hawkworld centric, and boy is it bad.  In fact, they pretty much rip off an entire scene from LOST, but oh well.  A boring issue with nothing really important seeming to happen.  Any surprises fall flat on their collective faces.  Just a walking crap fest.  The artwork is uninspired except for the nicely pencilled first few pages.  I can’t figure out what the hell their doing with this storyline, if maybe they’re trying to do a reinvent of “52”, but it’s a poor attempt at that.  If you avoid buying one issue out of my list, avoid buying this turd.

Green Lantern Corps #51 – Written by Tony Bedard and Pencilled by Ardian Syaf.  The story improved from last issue and the artwork is decent, supported well by the brilliant colors in this issue.  So our fair Lanterns are still trying to survive the nefarious Cyborg-Superman who has taken over the Alpha Lanterns.  Cyborg-Supe has Ganthet and Stel pretty much held hostage and there are some interesting moments involving that in this issue.  Bedard does a good job at making sure that despite the human side we sometimes see from Hank Henshaw (aka Cyborg-Superman), he’s still a right evil bastard that deserves contempt.  We also have a surprise return of a Lantern which is completely ruined by the front cover, but Hannu returns and that is also interesting considering how he’s feeling about the Corps right now.  Nothing really wrong with this issue, it just kind of flies by though and you don’t feel like you got a whole lot of story out of it.  Just an average, decent sort of issue, no need to rush yourself out to buy it or anything.

Avengers Academy #3 – Written by Christos Gage and Pencilled by Mike McKone.  Well, McKone’s artwork is much better this issue, if still a tad inconsistent at times, but it is getting there.  In this issue our cadets get a scared-straight trip to the Raft.  Also we get to know Hazmat much better and see her origin as well.  Valkyrie’s guest teaching are humorous to say the least.  I kind of wish we would see more out of Speedball, and I’m sure we will, as he continues to cope with the past in his own way.  To me, that’s really interesting stuff.  There’s a lot of characters to juggle here and some of them are bound to get overlooked in some issues.  The story is solid and fun and we get a crossover with the Thunderbolts that continues there.  The characters continue to grow and are very interesting.  There are a few hokey moments with the Thunderbolts, but nothing too bad. So this issue is a definite must, especially if you’ve been following to this point.

Zatanna #4 – Written by Paul Dini and Pencilled by Chard Hardin.  Well Viva Las Vegas!  Zatanna is set to open up a new show in Vegas and has to contend with the Royal Flush Gang (who are constantly changing anymore, but I still like them) and then prepare for her big night.  Things just don’t turn out as planned.  Need I say more?  Paul Dini continues to keep Zatanna surprisingly fresh, funny, and bold.  This issue is no different.  A lot of sub-plot being worked in and it will be interesting to see where this new story arc will go.  Suffice it to say, this is going to be one fun ride.  I still can’t believe how boring Zatanna used to be, but she’s gone a complete 360 under the right team.  Chad Hardin does a very good job of visuals and those visuals help complete the story.  The subtle things some artists would miss, he really doesn’t.  He uses the medium to help the writer in the telling of the story, and I love that.  Pick this book up and pick it up NOW!

Thunderbolts #147 – Written by Jeff Parker and Pencilled by Kev Walker.  We pick up, not only, from last issue, but also from Avenger’s Academy #3 (and #4 which isn’t released yet).  There’s a power outage we saw on the Raft and the questions as to why it happened.  We also see the Thunderbolts dealing with the actual power outage, which leads to many interesting moments.  Moonstone does pretty much exactly what is always expected of her.  Juggernaut showcased some interesting things as well.  I’m curious to see where they go with the terrigen mutation incident and if there’s anything more to it that we’ll see in future issues.  Next issue we get another detour into Shadowland, but hopefully it’ll be pain free for us readers.  Parker really does another great job of scripting what could have been a very boring story and making it interesting.  I have a feeling he has some surprises waiting for us, just wish I could tell what.  The artwork has a grim stylization to it that fits the stories being told.  A fun read, but I’m borderline about calling it a buy.

Technorati Tags: uncanny x-men,matt fraction,whilce portacio,daredevil,andy diggle,roberto de la torre,brightest day,geoff johns,peter tomasi,ardian syaf,ivan reis,patrick gleason,green lantern corps,tony bedard,avengers academy,christos gage,mike mckone,zatanna,paul dini,chad hardin,thunderbolts,jeff parker,kev walker

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 28th, 2010

Quick Comic Book Reviews – August 15th, 2010

Brightest Day #7 – Well, it only took 7 issues before they got to the main plot.  We saw bits of mysteries going on and we now have a few answers that make sense.  But boy, did it take way too long!  It will be interesting to see how what was revealed in this issue will affect the other titles.  Could make things very interesting in some of those series.  I have some doubts, but we’ll see.  The art was fine in this issue considering all the different artists.  The issue zoomed right along as you actually wanted to figure out some of this stuff.  The big reveals are alright, the artwork changes every other page, but nothing too bad.  This is the only issue of Brightest Day you need to bother with buying so far.

Shadowland: Bullseye #1 – Wow, just wow. So here we have a story about a funeral for Bullseye held at the behest of a bunch of thugs.  Of course, they want Mr. Crossover himself, Ben Urich to cover it under much duress.  Any time you see an issue with Ben Urich, you’re about guaranteed it’s a tie-in to some major crossover to help make more money off it.  However, sometimes those tie-ins aren’t too bad.  This is one of those pointless issues in comic books that makes you say “why”.  It isn’t like you would miss anything if you skipped this issue entirely!  Not much makes any sense and the story is limp.  I hope John Layman doesn’t a habit of this type of writing.  It rather feels, though, like they dropped the assignment on him and he had to fill the pages with something.  If you’re a writer, that’s not always a good thing.  Sean Chen did an admirable job as the artist, but most people will look past his art because the story is poop.  This issue would only be good for kindling, but it’s too expensive to be kindling, so you’re kind of stuck with it.  Buyer beware of massive suckage!
Superman #702 – J. Michael Strazynski brings us to his second full issue of Superman and it continues just as the last one left off.  Superman is wandering across America, this time Detroit is the place and Superman ends up encountering some aliens living there in secret.  So Superman works out a deal with them that seems to occur way to suddenly and they basically build something over night.  So besides that stretch of imagination, this is still better than anything Superman put out last year.  It is a good enough story that continues to focus on the human side of Superman and that’s still a good thing to me.  But where is all of this going?  It would be un-JMS like to not have some grand plan.  I’m hoping to see where this goes.  The artwork is nothing that special, by Eddy Barrows, but I think the inker may have just gone overzealous in spots.  So hard to tell without seeing the originals.  So a pretty enjoyable issue here, despite gaps in logic, but not a must buy.
R.E.B.E.L.S. #19 – Ah, a tale of 3 Brainiacs.  The first three in fact.  Despite it all, Vril Dox (aka Brainiac 2) maintains himself as the cold, calculating and charismatic bastard of the bunch.  The original Brainiac (or as I call him, Papa Brain) is set free during an attack on their home world of Colu by Lyrl Dox (Brainiac 3), who just happens to hate his father Vril.  Lyrl has recently given a pulsar sentience and that thing is pissed and pretty flipping destructive.  Chaos ensures and Vril has to find a way out of this mess.  Tony Bedard continues to write one of the best and most consistent comics out there.  The artwork of Claude St. Aubin is very strong here and fits the style we come to expect here.  Yet another excellent read.  Bedard continues to make this a must buy!
Red Robin #15 -  So far, the 2nd year of Red Robin is off to a very fun and exciting start, with the credit going to Fabian Nicieza.  The storyline has a pretty traditional comic feel with plenty of twists, reveals and characterization.  The interaction between Tim Drake and Damian is great stuff and fun to read.  The story revolves around two crooked cops who hire an assassin to go after Tim Drake because they know he has dirt on them.  We see Tim continue his dark journey that has him acting more and more like Bruce Wayne, which has to be of great concern somewhere down the road.  It is an interesting evolution of a character and I’m sure there is plenty more good stuff to come.  If you like a good Batman type of story that seems like it is going somewhere and is always interesting, this is a good bet.  The artwork by Marcus To is good stuff and the colors are vibrant.  It feels like a comic should.  Check it out!
Secret Six #24 – We join up with our Secret Six in the old west.  Wait a minute, come again?  Ok, so the cast and crew of the Secret Six is in the wild west and boy are there problems.  A crazed outlaw is coming to town to take it over.  Always good news for our anti-heroes.  The story by Gail Simone is pretty gruesome and vulgar and not for the feint of heart.  The artwork by J. Califiore is solid as well and captures some pretty intimate details well.  The issue really throws a wrench in the work and boy, am I confused.  Not sure if this is a veritable joyride, but it might have appeal to some.  Me?  I’m mostly “meh” from the whole ordeal.  Buy if you think a spaghetti western Secret six appeals to you, if not, probably not worth forking out the bucks for.
Fantastic Four #581 – A delightfully warped Fantastic Four story.  Recently I haven’t been too impressed with Fantastic Four and the past few years have had no sense of purpose.  It just seemed like a comic book lost in limbo.  I think Jonathan Hickman may have this ship turning in the right direction.  However, at times I feel we’re getting wrapped up in all of these alternative timelines and that gets real confusing real quick.  This story seems to be making a logical way to tie some of those together and create what seems to be an interesting story so far.  It involves Reed Richards’ dad and an incident that draws them all together.  There is an fairly interesting secret about what’s going on with all of this and why Reed’s dad visits him before he has any powers.  In fact, in this reality, Reed’s power and Ben Grimm’s seem contrived by inventions.  And what a wonderful play on this characters that we now know and love.  We see a way to make them interesting in an alternative timeline and some sense of bittersweet irony in the way Ben Grimm approaches the invention they made for him.  It all works well together.  Neil Edwards’ pencil are alright, there are some rough spots, but hey, that’s the Fantastic Four in a nutshell.  This one is worth checking out.

Technorati Tags: R.E.B.E.L.S.,Vril Dox,Brainiac,Lyrl Dox,Tony Bedard,Claude St. Aubin,Red Robin,Fabian Nicieza,Secret Six,Gail Simone,J. Califiore,Brightest Day,Geoff Johns,Shadowland: Bullseye,Ben Urich,John Layman,Sean Chen,Superman,J. Michael Strazynski,Eddy Barrows,Fantastic Four,Jonatham Hickman,Neil Edwards

Quick Comic Book Reviews – August 15th, 2010