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 Book Reviews–August 19th, 2010

Huge set of reviews here folks!  I’ve got plenty more stuff I’m reading, but boy, having a third kid under the age of 4 really takes away most of your time.  I’m struggling to read all this stuff, let alone write about it.  Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Batman #703 – Written by Fabian Nicieza and Artwork by Cliff Richards.  A Fabian Nicieza issue of Batman! Boy, does that have me stoked, but Fabian has always been one of my favorite writers.  He doesn’t do anything that takes your breath away, but just tells good, solid, interesting stories.  This is the story of Batman losing track of a new Getaway Genius and trying to track this one down.  Of course, Batman doesn’t know it isn’t the original (or does he?) and trying to figure out how to do so.  Well, it also appears that Vicki Vale is getting inside info on where the Genius will strike next.  So Dick Grayson confronts her about the Batman insinuations she has been making recently, trying to expose who Batman and Robin really are.  So there’s some build-up for another big plot down the road.  This is one of those self-contained issues where you read the whole story and you’re pretty much done.  But it’s a really fun story and these are the kind of stories I really enjoy as well.  The artwork doesn’t do much for me.  The facials are pretty good, but Cliff Richards’ style just leaves me cold.  But the story made up for it and the art wasn’t terrible, just not my cup of tea.  This is worth picking up if you’re looking for a comic that you can pick-up and read just to test it out this month.

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #2 of 4 – Written by Allan Heinberg and Penciled by Jim Cheung.  The supposed spiritual heirs of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are a part of the Young Avengers.  Wiccan and Speed.  They are on a quest to try and find the Scarlet Witch to help Wiccan maintain control of his powers.  However, Magneto also has the same idea.  In this issue, we have a run-in with the New Avengers who believe Magneto is up to no good.  Throw in a guest appearance of Quicksilver and this issue is really pretty interesting.  I managed to completely miss the first issue and I’m kind of sorry I did.  I really like Jim Cheung’s artwork and the big Avengers fight scene is great.  So the art really adds to this issue.  I think, overall, this is an outstanding issue with a purpose.  I’m actually very interested to see what happens next.  This could be a great mini-series!  Check it out!

The Amazing Spider-Man #641 – Written by Joe Quesada and art by Paolo Rivera and also Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, and Richard Isanove.  So we reach the final installment of “One Moment In Time” storyline.  We see what finally happened to drive the relationship apart in this alternate reality.  Well, let me just say this.  This is the most piss poor excuse for a Spider-Man story ever.  Joe hinted that it was a story to bring Mary Jane and Peter back together, but instead, it’s to drive the final wedge into their relationship so that it’s finally over and he can probably get rid of MJ.  The only good thing from this run is that Paolo Rivera is a pretty decent artist.  Quesada’s artwork has been terrible and he’s really just become a hack.  I’m so glad he’s done with the series now so that we can get back to some real stories.  I was excited about this story at first, but man, he took it in a different direction than anyone expected and gave us a very forgettable story.  It wasn’t interesting at all.  The drama was pretty non-existent.  I guess when you’re the Editor in Chief you can push crap out the door and people will tell you it is good.  Hear that Didio and your terrible Outsiders issues?  But anyway, don’t pick this up, don’t waste your time, Quesada shows that he doesn’t connect with the Spider-Man audience.

Batman and Robin #14 – Written by Grant Morrison and Artwork by Frazier Irving.  This is part two of “Batman and Robin Must Die!” and as bizarre and macabre as it is, a wild and fascinating romp.  Robin attempts to take out the Joker, but alas, it was a set-up by the Joker the whole time.  Commissioner Gordon is kidnapped by Pyg’s piglike perps of putridness.  I don’t want to give too much away, but darn is it a wild one folks.  The story flows very fast and reaches a heart pounding pace as the good guys try to outwit the bad guys who are all but stepping on each other.  The artwork in this issue grew on me a bit.  Once again, not a style I liked, but it does portray the rather nightmarish images in a realistic sort of way.  At times, it’s like an insane hallucination frame-by-frame.  As much as I didn’t like it last issue, to me, with Grant Morrison’s crazy writing style, yeah, the art fits.  I’m not crazy about it, but it has a noir feel which I think is really some of the stylization that we’re going for here.  Overall, this issue a roaring romp of a good time, so pick it up!

Secret Six #25 – Written by Gail Simone and Art by J. Calafiore.  So we throw out the storyline from the last issue because apparently it was just a weird thing they decided to do.  So we have our two Secret Six teams out there on their own missions and their paths are about to cross.  Bane and Jeanette are leading up a team that now includes King Shark, Giganta, Lady Vic and Dwarfstar.  Catman’s team consists of Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Deadshot and Black Alice.  What’s this?  You didn’t know there were two teams either?  Well join the club, because apparently they don’t like each other.  I guess there was something that went on awhile back that happened but it didn’t, but now it did, or… ok… this issue has some great moments, but it is a giant WTF moment.  I have no idea what missions these teams are on, why they’re on them or anything.  I’m completely lost for a second issue in a row.  At least the previous issue some things made sense if we’re just playing pretend in that one.  This however… just ugh!  I love Calafiore’s artwork and he has some key facial expressions that he hits dead on in here.  It is as twisted as always, but also a chaotic mess that leaves you tapping out waiting for some sort of logical explanation.  Poor storytelling and mass confusion makes this a must miss.

Shadowland #3 – Written by Andy Diggle and Pencils by Billy Tan.  The third issue of the soon to be epic.  We get a better glimpse at what Daredevil is truly becoming in this issue as we see things spiraling out of control.  The heroes are turned back and have to make decisions on what to do.  The Punisher returns in his normal form again and Ghost Rider is fully back in business.  The return of the Punisher to his normal form isn’t even recognized or mentioned by the other heroes.  Not even a “I thought you were dead!”  Nope, just, “hey Pun, how you doing.  Shoot anyone lately?”  Tarantula shows deepening concern for affairs here.  Moon Knight is taking on a more active role.  There’s some good spots, but I just don’t get the Punisher part.  Maybe they’ll retcon his death.  This IS Marvel after all and they can do that.  The artwork is pretty decent and is really matching moodiness, but it was a tad brighter overall this issue.  Another really solid issue with one huge gap in logic, but still a good series to read as Matt Murdock’s decent into madness continues.

Batgirl #14 – Written by Bryan Q. Miller and Penciled by Lee Garbett.  In this issue, Supergirl drops in for a guest appearance and wants to hang with our Batgirl, Stephanie Brown, for a day of fun.  What starts as a day of fun quickly goes awry due to a messed up science experiment (do science experiments ever go right in comics?) and we have carnage on our hands.  The experiment manages to create 24 vampires that the girls have to kill.  It’s a crazy and fun romp with some witty zingers and just hilarious dialogue.  Whoever Bryan Q. Miller is, he does some darned good work.  Yeah, the story itself is kind of weak, but it’s made up for by the characters cutting loose and having fun.  It doesn’t take itself seriously, so that helps.  I’ve liked this Batgirl the best so far, plus her costume is probably the best designed one I’ve seen.  Overall, she’s been a great character and her series has been pretty decent.  The artwork by Garbett is great.  He even captures great eye-rolling moments, and captures a great image of a vampire riding a Segue scooter that made me about die laughing.  Awesome job, pick up this campy but fun issue of Batgirl and have some great laughs.

Teen Titans #86 – Written by Felicia D. Henderson and Penciled by Jose Luis.  Well, we continue from last issue and the Wyld creature or whatever it is.  It possesses Miss Martian and is attempting to kill off Raven.  So we see the whole Titans team trying to take care of business and rescue her.  I’m not exactly sure what all is going on in this issue, but it has some moments.  Garth’s overzealousness to rescue Raven shines through as we know about his feelings for her.  Wonder Girl and Superboy continue their romance (yawn already) and the only character that I really like, Kid Flash has like one line I think.  But anyway, this story does show that this comic can and may be turning around.  We then have the Coven of Three back-up feature.  Written by Rex Ogle and Art by Ted Naifeh.  I’m not big on this whole Coven of Three, but I was a tad surprised with this one.  Enchantress isn’t quite like I remember her either, but that’s ok.  So our heroes (?) are trying to find their three avatars to supposedly fend off impending doom.  So the search begins to find them, but just when everything looks good, things go awry.  But it has an interesting surprise at the end that got a chuckle out of me.  A mostly “meh” issue, but nothing deplorable, just slightly below average, certainly not worth rushing out to get.

Daredevil #510 – Written by Andy Diggle and Anthony Johnston and Art by Marco Checchetto.  Foggy Nelson and Dakota North try to play it safe and fail miserably.  Meanwhile the city is going crazy and insane things are happening.  Tarantula falls even further from grace and questions the unhinged and possessed Murdock.  The artwork here is fantastic and really captures the essence of everything going on.  It’s kept dark enough, but it isn’t quite the sketchy art in the last few issues and that’s ok, because this works.  I love this story as Daredevil is one bad brother who is hell-bent on his style of justice and nothing else will do.  However, I just feel like we all know how this one ends.  He’ll be exorcised and then run off for a year or something because he feels bad for all that he’s done, yadda yadda.  But they could surprise me and Diggle would be just the kind of guy who would throw you a curveball and set you down swinging.  But this issue is excellent.  One of the best issues yet!  If you haven’t been reading the Shadowland stuff, this is the issue to buy and buy now!

Technorati Tags: avengers,children's crusade,allan heinberg,jim cheung,young avengers,scarlet witch,magneto,batman,fabian nicieza,cliff richards,amazing spider-man,joe quesada,paolo rivera,coven of three,rex ogle,Ted Naifeh,danny miki,richard isanove,robin,grant morrison,frazier irving,secret six,gail simone,j. calafiore,king shark,dwarfstar,giganta,shadowland,andy diggle,billy tan,punisher,batgirl,bryan q. miller,lee garbett,supergirl,teen titans,felicia d. henderson,jose luis,daredevil,anthony johnston,marco checcetto

Quick Comic Book Reviews–August 19th, 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