Might as well start off with the best part of this book, McNiven's pencils. The entire issue looks great, but certain panels like the flashback of Wolverine deserve to be stared at for hours. Sadly, McNiven's work here far outshines the writing of Mark Millar. After the first issue of this eight part event I was still really excited about the storyline and I still am after this one, but this issue just wasn't that good of a read. In the first issue Millar clearly and skillfully established Wolverine as a poor farmer who had put his super-hero life behind him. That being said I don't understand why we were continuously hit over the head with that concept in the often cheese-y dialogue between Logan and Hawkeye in this issue. Speaking of dialogue, it lost that period piece touch that was in the first issue which is unfortunate because that was part of the charm which really made last issue feel like it was taking place in a unique world. Things picked up in the last six pages as the story went in some directions that I was not expecting but enjoyed. As I said, I'm still interested in this world Millar has created and am eager to find out both where the story is going and what happened to get the characters in their current circumstances. I have no doubt McNiven will continue to impress throughout this event, hopefully Millar will catch up.
7/30/08
7/25/08
More reviews from this week
Superman #678
Robinson's first issue of Superman was a good start to his run; it didn't reveal too much but it still managed to be quite entertaining. Some people had a problem with the character of Atlas, but in this his second issue Robinson has already managed to make the character someone you want to see more of. Most of the issue is devoted to flushing out Atlas' story. Robinson even puts another mysterious villain into the fray during that process. The scenes with Louis and Jimmy were nicely done also. We also get to see more of the Science Police, but thankfully they don't stick around for as long as they did last issue. In fact, the only person we don't see much of is Superman, but this doesn't bother me at all. I don't think just because a characters name is the title of the book he or she has to dominate the book at all times. The art in the book is great especially in the Atlas flashback scenes. While not on the same level as John's current Brainiac arc this book should still be on your pull list.
Invincible #51
This is the first issue of Invincible I've ever read. For a long time I have wanted to start buying the hardcover collections and get caught up on this title, but when I heard this issue was a great jumping on point I couldn't resist picking it up. While the book was not as new reader friendly as I would have hoped I was still able to enjoy it without feeling completely lost. It was a fun quick read that I would recommend to anyone even slightly interested in super-hero comics. The art while not my favorite style to look at fits the feel of this particular book perfectly. After reading this I think I'm going to be ordering those hardcovers sooner than I had anticipated. I know this book has had problems shipping on time so hopefully I'll be able to read the previous 50 issues before #52 hits stores.
Daredevil #109
I'd like to personally thank Greg Rucka for coming along to give my favorite super-hero's monthly book a nice kick in the ass. This run has brought Daredevil back to the level it was at during Brubaker's first arc on the title. With this issue we delve deeper into the mystery surrounding Ben Donovan and the murder of three young children without getting too much more information than we already had from the first two issues. However that is not to say that nothing happened in this issue because that is far from the truth. My only fear is that the finale will have to rush to tie everything up because I don't think Brubaker plans on leaving anything dangling from this four part storyline.
7/24/08
Some reviews from yesterdays books
DMZ #33
As I've said in previous reviews I am enjoying this arc, but it is also leaving a lot to be desired. I mean that in the sense that the story of Delgado and the election is an interesting one, and I want to see it looked at from a variety of angles that Wood hasn't given us, yet. With something this important happening in the DMZ I want to see some people besides just Matty and his Mother. Granted Wood doesn't really have the room to explore them in this arc, but I just hope that the aftermath of the election changes the status quo of the DMZ in a serious way and we continue to get more from this storyline otherwise this arc will seem like kind of a waste in retrospect. To get to this specific issue, Wood and Burchielli give us a solid issue as the citizens of the DMZ get closer to the polls. The end of the issue was pretty predictable, but I have faith Wood will give us some curve balls when the finale hits next issue.
The Immortal Iron Fist #17
Let's be honest Duane Swierczynski's run on Iron Fist is probably never going to be as incredible as that of Fraction and Brubaker. However, that doesn't mean the book isn't worth reading. Swierczynski hits the ground running with this issue and it was a lot of fun. He had a good handle on all of the characters, and stayed true to the status quo established by the previous creative team. We even get a look at another previous Iron Fist who will hopefully continue to show up in this arc and others. The story being set up for Danny Rand has my interest after this first issue, and I hope a lot of the people who decided to drop this title change their mind. Although if art is of primary importance to them maybe they shouldn't change their mind after all. The flashback scenes of the previous Iron Fist are done well, but the same can't be said for the rest of the story. At times it wasn't so bad like in the scenes from Danny's birthday party, but in others particularly the fight scenes it just doesn't do it for me at all. One panel in particular makes Danny look like he is about 100 feet tall. Overall the dark and gritty style just doesn't fit with the book. Yes to some extent Iron Fist is a street level super hero book, but it is also a fun, mystical, kung fu epic. Regardless unless art is of the utmost importance pick this up.
More reviews later this weekend.
As I've said in previous reviews I am enjoying this arc, but it is also leaving a lot to be desired. I mean that in the sense that the story of Delgado and the election is an interesting one, and I want to see it looked at from a variety of angles that Wood hasn't given us, yet. With something this important happening in the DMZ I want to see some people besides just Matty and his Mother. Granted Wood doesn't really have the room to explore them in this arc, but I just hope that the aftermath of the election changes the status quo of the DMZ in a serious way and we continue to get more from this storyline otherwise this arc will seem like kind of a waste in retrospect. To get to this specific issue, Wood and Burchielli give us a solid issue as the citizens of the DMZ get closer to the polls. The end of the issue was pretty predictable, but I have faith Wood will give us some curve balls when the finale hits next issue.
The Immortal Iron Fist #17
Let's be honest Duane Swierczynski's run on Iron Fist is probably never going to be as incredible as that of Fraction and Brubaker. However, that doesn't mean the book isn't worth reading. Swierczynski hits the ground running with this issue and it was a lot of fun. He had a good handle on all of the characters, and stayed true to the status quo established by the previous creative team. We even get a look at another previous Iron Fist who will hopefully continue to show up in this arc and others. The story being set up for Danny Rand has my interest after this first issue, and I hope a lot of the people who decided to drop this title change their mind. Although if art is of primary importance to them maybe they shouldn't change their mind after all. The flashback scenes of the previous Iron Fist are done well, but the same can't be said for the rest of the story. At times it wasn't so bad like in the scenes from Danny's birthday party, but in others particularly the fight scenes it just doesn't do it for me at all. One panel in particular makes Danny look like he is about 100 feet tall. Overall the dark and gritty style just doesn't fit with the book. Yes to some extent Iron Fist is a street level super hero book, but it is also a fun, mystical, kung fu epic. Regardless unless art is of the utmost importance pick this up.
More reviews later this weekend.
7/17/08
Comics from July 16th
Captain America #40
Brubaker's run has obviously been incredible, but even its biggest fans such as myself have at times been a little annoyed by the slow pacing. In this issue fists are flying pretty much non-stop which is not necessarily my style, but it works for this book after a number of excellent but relatively slow installments. As you can see from the cover this is the issue where we finally get the big Cap vs. Cap showdown. These scenes were really well done, and I look forward to seeing the next interaction between these two. However, what I enjoyed the most in this issue were the other two fights, one physical and one verbal. Like last issue, Sharon and Sin stole the show for me, but the arguments amongst the trio of villains were great too. This whole big storyline is coming to a close with #42 in September so were are likely to see some fireworks, but we can't be sure just yet of which players in this game will be fighting it out. Before that though we have to see how Brubaker handles the big cliffhanger he gives us on the last page. Needless to say Steve Epting drew the hell out of this book.
Scalped #19
Unfortunately, Guera didn't do the pencils for this issue, but fill-in artist Davide Furno did a solid job. I thought he did an okay job on the last issue also, but something about his pencil work this time around just seemed slightly better perhaps because it wasn't as sketchy across the board, at least to me. Aaron starts off by giving us a great scene which flashes back to an aspect of Dash's life that is rarely [if never before?] touched upon in the series. Hopefully we continue to get some more about that situation in later issues. The rest of the issue centers around Carol, her past, and her relationship with Dash. We get some great panels which focus on the similarities between Carol and Dash, and others which help to give us a lot of insight into the two and their relationship even though they barely speak to one another. Aaron also provides us with a great cliffhanger for the final piece of this two part arc. You can go ahead and add Carol to the list of characters in this title that Aaron has made me care immensely about. What the excellent issue #18 did for Officer Falls Down and previous issues have done for people like Red Crow, this issue does for Carol. Start reading this book people.
Brubaker's run has obviously been incredible, but even its biggest fans such as myself have at times been a little annoyed by the slow pacing. In this issue fists are flying pretty much non-stop which is not necessarily my style, but it works for this book after a number of excellent but relatively slow installments. As you can see from the cover this is the issue where we finally get the big Cap vs. Cap showdown. These scenes were really well done, and I look forward to seeing the next interaction between these two. However, what I enjoyed the most in this issue were the other two fights, one physical and one verbal. Like last issue, Sharon and Sin stole the show for me, but the arguments amongst the trio of villains were great too. This whole big storyline is coming to a close with #42 in September so were are likely to see some fireworks, but we can't be sure just yet of which players in this game will be fighting it out. Before that though we have to see how Brubaker handles the big cliffhanger he gives us on the last page. Needless to say Steve Epting drew the hell out of this book.
Scalped #19
Unfortunately, Guera didn't do the pencils for this issue, but fill-in artist Davide Furno did a solid job. I thought he did an okay job on the last issue also, but something about his pencil work this time around just seemed slightly better perhaps because it wasn't as sketchy across the board, at least to me. Aaron starts off by giving us a great scene which flashes back to an aspect of Dash's life that is rarely [if never before?] touched upon in the series. Hopefully we continue to get some more about that situation in later issues. The rest of the issue centers around Carol, her past, and her relationship with Dash. We get some great panels which focus on the similarities between Carol and Dash, and others which help to give us a lot of insight into the two and their relationship even though they barely speak to one another. Aaron also provides us with a great cliffhanger for the final piece of this two part arc. You can go ahead and add Carol to the list of characters in this title that Aaron has made me care immensely about. What the excellent issue #18 did for Officer Falls Down and previous issues have done for people like Red Crow, this issue does for Carol. Start reading this book people.
7/11/08
Books from July 10th
Secret Invasion #4
I really thought this would be the issue where Bendis turned around this book, but boy was I wrong. Secret Invasion #4 was a complete and utter disappointment. What is the point of spending half the book giving us information we already know. Just because it is coming from "Spider-Woman" doesn't make it new or interesting. Wow, the heroes of the Marvel Universe can't trust each other. Someone should remind Bendis that everybody knew this before the event even started! What about last issue's big reveal, Nick Fury, what does he do in this issue? Barely anything. Don't have such a big reveal and then have the character stand put with a huge obnoxious gun that takes up almost half the page in the next issue. Also, I really didn't need more scenes of characters I don't care about fighting Skrulls in Manhattan. The scenes with Tony Stark and "Spider-Woman" in the Savage Land cover pretty much the same ground they did last issue, but the Tony Stark strand of this story is about the only thing I'm even remotely interested in at this point in the event. Perhaps Bendis has taken on too large of a work load because obviously he is capable of much better stories than this. I don't even think the trio featured on the cover for Issue #6 can save this event. What a disappointment.
The Invincible Iron Man #3
Fraction starts this issue off right where he left us last month which is a good thing because we have all been wondering about our dear Pepper. Not that the character was boring the first two issues, but man does Fraction make Ezekiel Stane down right sinister in this issue. Of course Fraction nails Iron Man too even though this issue doesn't feature as many scenes showcasing just how much Tony is juggling in his mind at one time. Personally I love these scenes, but I also think that they go a long way towards explaining the character. As I've said before this book has quickly become one of if not my favorite super hero book. Larroca's pencils and D'Armata's coloring are great in this issue, and while some of Larroca's faces still look a little off the problem isn't as bad as it was in the other two issues. You better be reading this book.
Action Comics #867
As a relative new comer to Superman this arc has been excellent for me thus far. I hope that anybody else who was considering jumping on to this book has done so. Johns is crafting not only an excellent story but an accessible story which is something one does not always fine in the DC Universe. Seeing Supergirl was a welcome surprise and again in this circumstance he gives new readers like me all they need to know about Kara without using tons of exposition on it. You know a scene is well written when you feel emotion for a character you were just introduced to it. My favorite scenes, which are always my favorite in any Superman story, are the ones with Clark and Pa Kent. I challenge any Superman hater to not enjoy those three pages let alone the whole book. Also, Steve is great in the worst way possible and I hope we continue to see more of him. The story takes a strong and almost sudden change of pace, but it works and I can't wait for the next issue.
7/4/08
FOREVER NEVER ENDS
Never Healed are from Oakland, and probably my favorite current hardcore band. One of the guys from the band was nice enough to give me MP3s from a limited tape they had for sale recently. It has a sick live set plus an Integrity cover. Enjoy.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/w4bnbi
7/3/08
Comics from July 2nd
Batman #678
I'm sure this issue pissed a lot of people off! Admittedly I was not thrilled with it after my first read through, but that was probably because I had to rush to get to work on time. After a second more careful reading the issue made sense which is not to say that Morrison has laid everything out there in this issue in fact he just gives us more to wonder about, but I'm certainly enjoying the ride and looking forward to the rest of the story. Already I have been reading Morrison haters jump all over this issue complaining that it makes absolutely no sense, and I beg to differ. Of course not everything is explained, but what fun would a story be especially a six-part epic if we were privy to all the details by the end of part three. Anybody who has been following Morrison's run or even anybody who has read the first two parts of Batman RIP and knows how to use Wikipedia should not have much trouble getting through this. Zur-en-Arrh and Robin Dies at Dawn should not be foreign concepts to people in either of the two categories I described above. Daniel's pencils were impressive again especially in the particularly polarizing last three pages. Another great issue, but ultimately I suppose its success depends on what happens in the remaining three to build upon and clarify all the things that have been introduced thus far.
Astonishing X-Men #25
Like most other comic readers I was a big fan of Whedon and Cassaday's run on Astonishing X-Men, but I think it was slightly over-hyped. My main reason for saying that is I think that their initial arc was amazing and their run never quite made it back to that level. So needless to say Ellis and Bianchi's first issue had a lot to live up to for me and all the other fans of the previous run. Unfortunately this second run doesn't start with a bang at all. It was an enjoyable read, but the new creative team did not knock my socks off the way Whedon and Cassaday did with their first issue. Ellis does a fine job with the characters and their dialogue, but not much happens besides a bunch of talk except for Storm returning and the set up for the murder mystery which the first arc will center around. Based off the quality of all his previous work and his handling of the characters in this issue I'm sure Ellis will craft a solid run on this title but with Matt Fraction joining Brubaker on Uncanny and the possibility of that title becoming a book that is released more often than once a month, and Astonishing being brought more into X-Men continuity thus losing its somewhat niche status it will have to impress me more with upcoming issues to keep me interested in picking it up every month.
Dark Tower: The Long Road Home Part 5 of 5
Before getting into the story I just want to start by saying that Jae Lee's artwork on these two mini-series has been nothing short of spectacular. Not only is it down right gorgeous to look at, but it perfectly captures the tone of the scene on every single panel. The finale of The Long Road Home was an excellent issue that not only provided a satisfying conclusion to this arc, but also set up the next story arc too. The "confrontation" between Roland and the Crimson King was very well done and fairly short lived, but considering fans now know these stories are going to continue for sometime I don't see how anybody reasonably expected a huge showdown. After this the issue doesn't let up and there are some surprises along the way as well as the unique tone and voice that Peter David has crafted for these books; in merely 12 issues he and the rest of the people working on this book have brought Stephen King's world to life in comic form. To heep more praise on this book I'd like to elaborate slightly on something I mentioned earlier about this issue setting up the next story arc. Often at the end of a story arc the author will provide a panel or two to tease about what is upcoming or in worst case scenarios nothing at all, but this issue spends a good portion of time delving into something that will obviously be explored much deeper in the upcoming story and I personally enjoyed that very much. For one, it helps to reinforce the fact that this story we as readers are a part of is connected and quite epic in scale. Epic indeed.
I'm sure this issue pissed a lot of people off! Admittedly I was not thrilled with it after my first read through, but that was probably because I had to rush to get to work on time. After a second more careful reading the issue made sense which is not to say that Morrison has laid everything out there in this issue in fact he just gives us more to wonder about, but I'm certainly enjoying the ride and looking forward to the rest of the story. Already I have been reading Morrison haters jump all over this issue complaining that it makes absolutely no sense, and I beg to differ. Of course not everything is explained, but what fun would a story be especially a six-part epic if we were privy to all the details by the end of part three. Anybody who has been following Morrison's run or even anybody who has read the first two parts of Batman RIP and knows how to use Wikipedia should not have much trouble getting through this. Zur-en-Arrh and Robin Dies at Dawn should not be foreign concepts to people in either of the two categories I described above. Daniel's pencils were impressive again especially in the particularly polarizing last three pages. Another great issue, but ultimately I suppose its success depends on what happens in the remaining three to build upon and clarify all the things that have been introduced thus far.
Astonishing X-Men #25
Like most other comic readers I was a big fan of Whedon and Cassaday's run on Astonishing X-Men, but I think it was slightly over-hyped. My main reason for saying that is I think that their initial arc was amazing and their run never quite made it back to that level. So needless to say Ellis and Bianchi's first issue had a lot to live up to for me and all the other fans of the previous run. Unfortunately this second run doesn't start with a bang at all. It was an enjoyable read, but the new creative team did not knock my socks off the way Whedon and Cassaday did with their first issue. Ellis does a fine job with the characters and their dialogue, but not much happens besides a bunch of talk except for Storm returning and the set up for the murder mystery which the first arc will center around. Based off the quality of all his previous work and his handling of the characters in this issue I'm sure Ellis will craft a solid run on this title but with Matt Fraction joining Brubaker on Uncanny and the possibility of that title becoming a book that is released more often than once a month, and Astonishing being brought more into X-Men continuity thus losing its somewhat niche status it will have to impress me more with upcoming issues to keep me interested in picking it up every month.
Dark Tower: The Long Road Home Part 5 of 5
Before getting into the story I just want to start by saying that Jae Lee's artwork on these two mini-series has been nothing short of spectacular. Not only is it down right gorgeous to look at, but it perfectly captures the tone of the scene on every single panel. The finale of The Long Road Home was an excellent issue that not only provided a satisfying conclusion to this arc, but also set up the next story arc too. The "confrontation" between Roland and the Crimson King was very well done and fairly short lived, but considering fans now know these stories are going to continue for sometime I don't see how anybody reasonably expected a huge showdown. After this the issue doesn't let up and there are some surprises along the way as well as the unique tone and voice that Peter David has crafted for these books; in merely 12 issues he and the rest of the people working on this book have brought Stephen King's world to life in comic form. To heep more praise on this book I'd like to elaborate slightly on something I mentioned earlier about this issue setting up the next story arc. Often at the end of a story arc the author will provide a panel or two to tease about what is upcoming or in worst case scenarios nothing at all, but this issue spends a good portion of time delving into something that will obviously be explored much deeper in the upcoming story and I personally enjoyed that very much. For one, it helps to reinforce the fact that this story we as readers are a part of is connected and quite epic in scale. Epic indeed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)