Quick Comic Book Reviews - Nov 2nd, 2010

A pretty darned good crop from last week and there was more goodness out there as well that I didn't review at all.  Sad, but there's just so much good stuff going on out there.  Just gotta taste it all!   But here's a good selection for you to check out!

Teen Titans #88 - Written by J.T. Krul and Penciled by Nicola Scott.  This issue was promised as a bit of a refresh on the Teen Titans that have suffered much neglect and inconsistent writing, mixed with storylines that they never did anything with.  Krul mixes a story together and gives the characters a driving focus in this issue.  We actually see some team dynamics form for a change and it seems to work very well.  What worked for me in particular?  Well, the interaction with Wonder Girl and Superboy was great and had some excellent moments.  Bart or Kid Flash being written just like he should be, some really great stuff with him.  Feels like how Peter David would have liked him being written.  Even Ravager has some really strong moments in here.  Despite all of this character development we see, what Krul does best is balance in action and an underlying story through it all.  So instead of making it just a character driven issue, we also have some bad stuff going on in the background that in the upcoming issues the characters will try to solve.  The artwork is pretty decent.  I really liked it and I thought it really brought out the characters well.  I particularly like how Nicola draws Kid Flash and Ravager.  Ravager, drawn in the wrong hands, looks very boring.  Not so this issue.  I enjoyed this issue a lot and I definitely recommend you checking it out this week!

Thunderbolts #149 - Written by Jeff Parker and Art by Declan Shalvey.  The Thunderbolts disobey the direct orders of Songbird as she takes Fixer to the hospital.  They view it as a chance to prove themselves so the whole operation doesn't go belly up.  So off they go to find the Undead Hand horde of ninjas.  In this issue we learn a few VERY interesting things about Crossbones, one of which will forever change the character.  Another thing with Crossbones is the "oh no, he didn't just do that, did he?" moment we won't soon forget.  Also worth looking out for is Man-Thing being absolutely sliced and diced into a sad salad.  So there are plenty of excellent moments in this issue.  To categorize it as awesome would be an understatement.  Parker definitely has the pulse of this new team, he's got some great humor and plenty of huge moments that make this an issue that you can't afford to miss.  Plus Declan's art is very well done in here and seems to fit the whole Shadowland storyline very well.  So just in case you missed it, BUY THIS ISSUE!  It is just that amazing and awesome that if you don't, well, that will make you a sad panda.  Bet on it!

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #4 - Written and Layouts by Dan Jurgens and Art by Norm Rapmund.  Why does this series get a bad rap?  I'm just not understanding what people don't like about it.  Sure, they're supposed to be looking for Batman, but that ISN'T what the story is really about.  I don't think that people get what this is all about and I think the story is at the point that they may just finally get it.  Anyway, this issue is about fighting some evil sorcerer who wants to manipulate the time stream and use it for his own good.  More importantly, the gathering of evil with Black Beetle at the Vanishing Point is building as he manipulates the last two of the Linear Men.  So a grand plot is unfolding there as well.  I like that we get a bit more of Supernova, as I think his character still has a lot of life if DC chooses to utilize it.  I like getting the bits and pieces of Rip Hunter's background as well.  I think that is some of the best parts.  What I didn't like it Hal Jordan once again ripping unnecessarily on Booster.  Yes Dan, we know the image that Booster Gold has conveyed, but let's not make it this over the top anymore.  We get it!  But besides that, a pretty solid issue and some great art.  I love issues that Jurgens does any layout or art for.  But is this a must buy?  Not at all, merely a borderline issue that is not nearly as bad a series as people will make it out to be.  You can skip it and not miss a beat, but there's still a good comic underneath it all.

Zatanna #6 - Written by Paul Dini and Art by Jesus Saiz.  Zatanna is about to get married?  Well, not really, but mind control is a hell of a thing.  So it's up to Zach to come running to the rescue?  Yup.  So we have a face-off with a really angry demon in this issue.  But it's all good fun and the final solution will make you think a couple of times about it and the implication thereof.  I like how they really play on Zach's jealousy, but more importantly, his need for approval from Zatanna.  They've fleshed out his character a bit and really made Zatanna interesting relevant.  I actually look forward to reading each issue as I know there will be plenty of clever moments and a truly fun story involved.  So far, Paul Dini has not let me down at all.  And boy, does Jesus Saiz draw a truly grotesque demon of greed.  There were a few off spots, but there were a few panels I mistook Benjamin Raymod for Zach.  But overall he does a good job of storytelling with his art.  Maybe I'll blame it on my bad eye for details some days.  Yep, I'll just blame it on that.  So do you need to buy this issue?  Well, I really like it every month.  But is that enough for you?  On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this as a 7.5, very enjoyable and you might enjoy this title, but it isn't an absolute must.

Fantastic Four #584 - Written by Jonathan Hickman and Art by Steve Epting.  So we're selling simply off the fact that a member of the Fantastic Four is about to die.  I'm just not buying it though.  It's going to be one of the Reed Richards from an alternate timeline or something like that dying.  Blech.  Anyway, this issue focuses on the Thing.  Ben can take a special formula that he can take once per year to spend a week as a normal human again.  So Ben tries it out and we get a somewhat heartwarming, but ultimately fun, issue.  We get to see Ben go out and do things he normally doesn't get to do.  So while that was fun, I'm wondering what the hell any of this has to do with last issue.  Or even the issue before that.  The problem seems to be that Jonathan Hickman only exists to confuse the hell out of us!  Seriously, I don't know what the hell if going on half the time.  I hate all the alternate timeline Reed Richards crap that's been going on.  Now there's an alternate timeline/dimension Galactus?  And our Galactus is mad that he's dead?  I'm sorry, not OUR Galactus, I mean he's really everybody's Galactus.  But seriously, how does any of this make sense?  Hickman, you confound me!  This is a pretty good issue overall, but only if you view it as a one-shot because this series has made sense in ages.  Hickman is wildly inconsistent with what he's doing and there are some more gaps in logic in this issue as well.  Just a borderline issue with some good Ben Grimm stuff if that might interest you any.

The Incredible Hulks #615 - Written by Greg Pak and Penciled by Barry Kitson.  This issue is basically the prep and invasion of planet K'ai.  So we see them prepared and they get ready to fight and then start fighting.  That's the issue in a nutshell.  However, it is pretty well told and the interaction of the characters is decent enough.  Kitson's art is very well done.  So this was just a solid issue as far as the Dark Son storyline goes.  I'm still not totally pulled into this storyline, but hey, I really love A-Bomb as a superhero.  He's just happy when he gets something right, it's just fun to see him.  Nothing too spectacular here, just ok to decent.  Then we get a back-up feature that focuses on Red She-Hulk and the Punisher.  Written by Ben McCool and Penciled by Tom Raney.  This just tries to give us a glimpse into Betty's personality and motivation now that she's the Red She-Hulk.  We get to see how she's viewed by the Punisher and they use him as kind of a way for us to see how much she's changed.  Not a big fan of the artwork and the story was just mediocre.  We know that Bruce isn't going to give up on her, but really, they're wasting paper on this story when we could have just had more of the Dark Son story instead.  So an average issue, nothing terrible, but nothing great.

Quick Comic Book Reviews - Nov 2nd, 2010

Quick Comic Book Reviews - August 20th, 2010

The Amazing Spider-Man #642 – Written by Mark Waid and Art by Paul Azaceta.  Finally, One Moment in Time is done and we go on with our lives.  Now we have “Origin of the Species: Part 1”.  This episode finds our wall-crawler adapting to life without any money and running into several humorous moments because of it.  Meanwhile, tons of supervillians gather at the behest of some unknown bad guy who wants an “item” of some sort and he’s willing to pay a lot for it.  You have guys ranging from Morbius to Sandman and Electro.  Why they would line-up for this, I’m not sure, but whatever.  Must seem like an easy job.  But this seems to have stolen the old “Rat Race” movie thing of beating everyone else to the object, because boy do they scramble.  It seems a bit out-of-character because I don’t think Mysterio has ever scrambled before in his life.  We eventually find out who the mystery man is and what he’s after and it’s really pretty good stuff.  Mark Waid writes a pretty decent Spidey tale, aside from the villians running out the door to try and outwit each other.  But my big gripe is the awful artwork by Paul Azaceta.  He single-handedly turns this otherwise good issue into utter crap.  He makes Spidey look fat in half his drawings.  He can do decent storytelling with his art, but the fact that everything he does draw looks like junk doesn’t help matters.  A fat Spider-Man?  Really?  Fanatics you can pick this up, but the rest of you skip this until they get a new artist.

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #2 – Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Penciled by Fernando Pasarin.  So Guy Gardner is off to uncharted territory, but not without some help from friends.  Arisa and Kilowog decide they’re going with and off we go.  But first, we need to make a detour, and that detour is spoiled by the arrival of a nasty person.  We also find out that Arisa still believes Sodam Yot is alive after he sacrificed himself.  There is also an introduction of Zardor of Kralok which is probably setting up for future issues.  So we have all this stuff going on in the second issue and it’s not bad at all.  Arisa’s dream is downright creepy.  It’s interesting to see how Kilowog is coping with everything that has happened.  So this issue has a lot of good stuff going on.  Guy’s side journey ends up making total sense for his character and give us a reason to see some of my favorite Lantern Corps color.  The end of the issue totally is given away by the cover too.  I hate when companies do this, but it doesn’t totally ruin the issue.  The issue is solid and the artwork is fine.  Really, just a good issue that could go either way for you.  I’m a huge Green Lantern Corps fan, so I really like it, but if you aren’t you might want to skip it, newer readers might enjoy this though.

The Invincible Iron Man #30 – Written by Matt Fraction and Art by Salvador Larroca.  We start off with Tony driving away with Sasha Hammer from last issue.  But Tony’s interests are anything but romantic.  Tony is trying to figure out what the Hammer women are up to with their current expansion of business.  The trip doesn’t end exactly as planned for anybody.  There’s a weird sexual tension created by Sasha Hammer the whole time as well.  We also get to see the test driving of the new Stark Resilient car.  But Detroit Steel also plans on launching a new application that launches, the giant phallic symbols of DOOM!  Ah yes, be prepared for a scene for giant flying penises on their way to destroy Tony Stark for the cover of next issue.  I hate the design of those things and I often wonder if that’s completely intentional.  The story has an interesting pace and everything is building, then it calms down, and then we get the climatic conclusion of the issue when things go crazy again.  Matt Fraction continues to do an excellent job with his run on Iron Man.  Salvador provides some very good artwork that’s got a realistic feel without being too realistic.  His facial work is some of the best, so it’s easy to tell who the characters are, and that’s important.  So pick up this issue because this is one of the better comics out there today.

Thor #614 – Written by Kieron Gillen and Pencils by Doug Braithwaite.  The climatic conclusion to the Hel versus Disir in Hell saga concludes with this issue and it was worth it.  Part 4 of “The Fine Print” joins our hero Thor calling out the name of the Disir who cannot ignore when their name is called.  So off they go to try and kill Thor.  The Eir-Gram sword is still trapped when Thor calls for them, so will he be able to withdraw it and finish off the Disir and save Hel from a fate worse than Death itself.  To me, this is a great Thor story.  Plenty of drama and the conclusion to it all is pretty amazing stuff.  The way Thor is able to take care of this made sense and was a total “well duh, you’re pretty smart their Thor,” moment.  Kieron is able to capture the mythological aspect of the Thor title well.  Some might be looking more for a super-hero type encounter, but this is something else.  It all is very interesting and well done and it doesn’t feel like the same old stuff people might get bored with.  The artwork is a little sketchier than Salvador Larroca’s but it reminds me a little of his work.  It isn’t quite as polished, but I really thought it was quite good.  There’s a great moment in this comic as we see Asgard and Balder is standing over the map.  On the map is scribbled “Scan of Map of Asgard?”  So apparently nobody put that scan in at all and didn’t manage to erase the words the penciller put in.  Oops!  So look for that little Easter egg.  This is worth picking up!

X-23 #1 – Written by Marjorie Liu and Art by Will Conrad.  This issue deals with X-23 the dilemmas of her being involved with the X-Force project that everyone now knows about.  Her involvement seems counter productive to getting rid of the idea of her being reversing her descent into a killing machine.  So now things have to be dealt with and Laura isn’t having an easy time of it all.  So this issue mainly deals with feelings and that may not appeal to everyone.  I’m not sure where this title is going to go, but for a first issue this is just ok.  At the end they do include a history of X-23 which was really interesting and helpful to me, as I had not known much about X-23 prior to this issue.  Will Conrad’s art isn’t very good though.  I don’t care for how he draws Laura and half of the other characters.  His characters look very robotic and the main facial expression is a glare.  Everything just seems a little off with Conrad’s art and it’s enough to turn me off from this issue.  A good issue to pick-up for a history of X-23, but the artwork will really detract from what would otherwise be a solid issue.

X-Men #3 – Written by Victor Gischler and Penciled by Paco Medina.  Namor has recovered the head, Storm and Gambit have the body.  Dracula is alive again and the ramifications could be huge.  Wolverine is sent out to find Jubilee and rescue her from the big bad vamps.  So we flash back and forth between Wolvie’s journey and the conversation the X-Men have with Dracula.  This is probably the best issue of the series so far.  Wolverine’s battles seem a tad random, but the stuff at the end was very good.  I like the interaction Xarus and his Royal Court with Jubilee.  I felt that Dracula acted like he probably should.  Paco Medina’s artwork really shined in this issue and has improved quite a bit.  I think he improved enough to where his art makes this issue better than it might be otherwise.  I didn’t like his work in th first issue, but here it looks like he’s adapting to the X-Men well.  I’m still not completely sold on the storyline, but the story here was okay.  Still, not a X-Men title that I particularly like, but this one was actually ok.  If you want to see what’s going on with the “Curse of the X-Men” storyline, this would be the issue to check out, but still slightly skippable. 

X-Men: Legacy #239 – Written by Mike Carey and Penciled by Clay Mann.  While in India the X-Men run into a new Mutant on the run and a Sentinel close behind.  Of course, we aren’t quite sure that she IS a Mutant, we’re just assuming that the Sentinel is after one.  Paras also has to deal with his future bride who he has never met before.  Gotta love pre-arranged weddings!  Our new character Luisa also has some interesting secrets that start to unravel here as well.  So our story is a pretty decent one.  There’s lots of action and interesting things going on here to keep the reader compelled and that’s always a good thing.  Magneto and Rogue are still bickering as Rogue completely does not trust Magneto.  I like Paras’ pre-arranged wedding and having to deal with that and the interactions with his parents.  The art work is not quite there yet.  I see some styling of an early Whilce Portacio here, but Whilce was better at having his drawings tell a story.  Clay is not quite there yet.  The first few pages are very confusing and I had to go back and look at them several times just to tell what the hell was going on.  That’s not a good thing when a reader has to do that.  If he can just work on his facial details and storytelling through his art, he has the potential to be a very good artist.  An okay issue, but nothing too special, you can probably skip it.

Zatanna #5 – Written by Paul Dini and Penciled by Chad Hardin.  We have fire demons trying to take out Zatanna as we saw in last issue.  She also has to deal with her Cousin Zach feeling underappreciated by her and she promises to make his show tonight.  Well, those are always famous last words when you’re a busy magician who’s wanted by the Great Mammon.  We get introduced to our big bad demon of hell and also find out what his game is.  And since we’re in Vegas, things all kind of just make sense here.  So a trap is set and Zatanna has troubles resisting this one!  Another pretty fantastic issue as I love the way Zatanna deals with the fire demons.  Is she lucky? Sure, but it was still ingenious.  Mammon’s motivation seems to be somewhat logical.  As logical as something in this series will ever be I guess.  Zach’s disappointment is pretty interesting as well.  The final several pages are just fantastic stuff that you don’t want to miss.  Chad Hardin’s pencils are solid, nothing wrong there at all.  Paul Dini continues to make an underrated character into a solid hit for me.  I’ve said it before, I never thought I would like this character, but Dini has made me a fan.  That has to count for something.  Pick up an issue and get instantly hooked!

Technorati Tags: amazing spider-man,mark waid,paul azaceta,green lantern,emerald warriors,peter j. tomasi,fernando pasarin,invincible iron man,matt fraction,salvador larroca,thor,kieron gillen,doug braithwaite,x-23,marjorie liu,will conrad,x-men,victor gischler,paco medina,x-men legacy,mike carey,clay mann,zatanna,paul dini,chard hardin

Quick Comic Book Reviews - August 20th, 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 8th, 2010

 

Brightest Day #6 – Wow, I really wish I knew where the heck any of this was going.  We keep getting weird little revelations from the past of characters and trying to piece it all together is making me feel like there’s no connection.  This is a largely Martian Manhunter centric issue with Hawkgirl and Hawkman nowhere to be seen, but I don’t exactly find myself caring what the hell happened to them.  The only part of the story that really interests me is the one going on with Hawk & Dove and Deadman.  Now that’s the storyline I’m enjoying as it unfolds, but boy, it is slow going.  This issue is decent and seems to balance things out a tad better than other issues.  None of the artwork is really terrible, but with so many artists it is hard to judge.  I hope we hit some pay-offs soon because this is looking like a bust of Ryan Leaf proportions.  This issue is decent though, not enough to be a buy.

Amazing Spider-Man #638 – Hey, Jim Shooter gets some work reprinted in this one.  Makes it worth buying right?  Let’s see!  So Joe Quesada finally decided that this erased history with M.J. and Peter Parker should finally come to a close.  The experiment, to me, failed.  The issues just felt weird the whole time, so yeah, I’m interested in seeing how they piece this one back together.  We get a cobbled together story using the old artwork and story and adding in some new stuff to create a whole new “time-line” for what happened to cause MJ and Peter to NOT be married.  Kind of an interesting concept, not sure how well it was executed.  That being said, the artwork is all over the place and the best is really the artwork from the Spiderman annual where he marries MJ.  I thought some of Quesada’s artwork in One More Day was bullocks, here he can hide it by blending it in with other artists.  Quesada’s art has never thrilled me and his art seems to get worse the more time he has off from drawing.  This issue I wanted to be good, but it all feels damned disjointed and a tad confusing.  Skip this issue and hope the next one is worth it.

Zatanna #3 – What’s this?  Zatanna is actually FUN to read?  Yes, amazing things do happen and Paul Dini has managed to turn another boring character into something interesting.  For the first few issues we’ve been dealing with Brother Night and tracking him down.  In fact, issue #2 was an absolute blast and if you haven’t bought it yet, you really should.  This brings to conclusion the 3 issue story arc.  I’m hoping we’ll get to see plenty more where this came from too.  I thought Stephane Roux’s artwork was quite good and everything in the issues just seems to work.  While this isn’t quite as strong as the other two issues, it was still very enjoyable.  This issue really seemed to zoom by and the climatic battle was a tad anti-climatic.  It felt like this issue could have been extended out into two and given us a better send-off to the story.  But given what it is, a good and entertaining issue, just not what the last two were.  Buy if you’re looking to give something new a try.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #10 – This series is really getting better as of late.  In this one we are treated to the mind of Moon Knight as he takes on a mission with the new assembled Secret Avengers.  We get a decent yarn being spun and a look at what Moon Knight is thinking.  Makes for an interesting story and it is all over in one-shot.  No big two-parter or anything.  The story is very well written by Gregg Hurwitz, but the artwork is phenomenal.  I’m not sure how to best describe it besides it has a bit of a style you’ve seen out of Robert Crumb, but with a more realistic flavor thrown in at the same time.  And guess what?  It works.  The thing I like about Juan Jose Ryp’s artwork is that there is not much room for taking shortcuts.  With that style, you’re almost guaranteed that every panel is going to have an amazing amount of detail to it.  It is really fun to see and I can’t wait to see him on other projects.  Thoroughly impressed.  This issue isn’t a must buy, but it is worth picking up if you’re looking at picking up an extra title this month.

Shadowland #2 – So in this issue Daredevil finally decides if the heroes aren’t with him, they’re against him.  Haven’t we seen that somewhere before?  This seems to be building towards Daredevil’s downfall.  But once again, haven’t we seen something just like that recently?  Maybe Marvel will surprise me.  I do still like the fact that the Hand is corrupting him and he’s taking more extreme measures.  Despite everything else, this issue is pretty good.  We got a major surprise in it that would be ruined if you look at some of the upcoming titles in the Shadowland crossover.  Thankfully I really didn’t pay attention to that, so I was actually surprised and happy about it.  Spiderman does seemingly randomly shows up in this issue and Marc Spector joins the fray, but we knew he would all along.  The artwork is fine, no real complaints in this issue and things continue to unfold as Matt Murdock continues to lose his grip on things.  Andy Diggle is super busy with this series and it seems like it is coming together now and that’s a good sign.  Worth picking up!

X-Men #1 – Ok, seriously.  Who thought Mutants vs. Vampires was a good idea?  Sounds like an attempt to jump on the vampire craze that’s going on.  Marvel has single-handedly decided to kill any momentum the vampire craze has by bringing it back to comic form.  Congratulations Marvel!  Seriously, this whole concept does nothing for me.  We have an exploding vampire and a former X-Man get infected so she’s going to become a vampire.  The only good thing out of this series might be the fact that Blade returns next issue.  The storyline just seems hokey and the writing by Victor Gischler is even worse.  The artwork by Paco Medina is fair enough though and that’s about the only bright spot I could find.  This entire storyline is unfortunate because we’re coming out of an event “Second Coming” that I thought was quite good in classic X-Men major event tradition.  But in this, it’s like they’re almost ignoring most of what happened.  They should be patching things up, Storm should still be pissed at Scott, lots of things just don’t work in this issue.  This issue bites in more ways than one.

Technorati Tags: comic books,reviews,X-men,curse of the mutants,shadowland,andy diggle,paco medina,daredevil,matt murdock,brightest day,geoff johns,vengeance of the moon knight,paul dini,zatanna,jim shooter,joe quesada,amazing spider-man,one moment in time,stephane roux

Quick Comic Book Reviews – August 8th, 2010