Welcome back, friends of all ages, races, sizes and species! We’ve got a great round-up of comics for you this week, and an exciting book for our BOTW slot. I’d also like to remind you, we’ve got this brand new rating system up:
0: Uwe Boll will direct the adaptation of this comic
0.1 – 1: Burn upon touching
1- 1.9: Abysmal
2.0 – 2.9: Art. Writing. Editing. All bad.
3.0 – 3.9: You’d be a masochist to pick this up.
4.0 – 4.9: “I’ll give it another month…but that was not good.”
5.0 – 5.9: “Really? The Watcher? In the face? I guess it was fun.”
6.0 – 6.9: “Hmm. That was decent.”
7.0 – 7.9: Well made but a few problems
8.0 – 8.9: Nearly flawless
9.0 – 9.9: Outstanding
10: Perfection. Issue of the year contender
For those wondering, Pass would be anywhere from 0 to 3.9, Browse would be 4 to 6.9, and Buy would be from 7 to 10. So what are you waiting for? Hop on past the jump and enjoy!
Also, are there any books you’d like to see us review? Let us know in the comments, and one of us will get right on it! We’ll also keep those books in mind for future weeks!
Book of the Week: Blackest Night #7
Matt’s Thoughts: Wow.
I don’t even know how to properly review this. I feel like, no matter what I was going to say while reading the issue, it’s irrelevant now that I’ve seen the last page. I don’t think there has ever been a single more triumphant moment than the last page of this issue. It is everything I’ve ever wanted out of the comic.
I suppose, as we build up to that, I was a bit afraid. This is the penultimate issue, after all. One has to concede that there are certain things to be wary of when going in. And indeed, as I read I noticed that there were several things I didn’t like. With everyone attacking the big bad in the center of Coast City, I didn’t like that we had to take time out to see Lex Luthor throw a fit due to the orange ring. That’s just not something I cared about.
But it was all wiped away by that ending… wow. I can’t think of any other comic I’m looking forward to more now than Blackest Night #8.
David’s Thoughts: I’m not going to lie, this was definitely the best issue yet. I think it was very good, packing a ton of action and a lot of revelations into its pages, along with a somewhat predictable but still remarkably awesome finale.
Here are my few big beefs with this series: it still follows the same formula that every issue has followed, the mysterious subtext to the series leads to Johns using characters to overexplain events, and the continuous double standard other reviewers (not us) have laid upon this series.
I’ll address my third problem first: I’ve said this in other reviews, but Secret Invasion was chastised throughout its existence because it was effectively an extended fight over a day or two. Blackest Night is glowingly reviewed for the same thing. While Johns, Reis, and the series itself are not to blame, I just find that curious.
The fact that every issue follows the same tempo and story beats every issue (discussion, fight, discussion amidst fight, revelation, splash page, repeat – each issue ends for sure with a big ol’ splash) mitigates the storytelling power for me significantly. Throw in the fact that we know so little about Nekron and the Black Lanterns and the happenings on each page that Johns has to get characters to explain every event that goes by. This is not very naturalistic storytelling and something Johns has been guilty of in the past and it was a major flaw of this issue in my book.
Continued belowIvan Reis completely murdered 95% of this issue. He is making some absolutely astonishing imagery throughout, and his splash pages are so damn dense with detail and power that I can hardly believe my eyes. The 5% I’m docking him on are the very first two pages…so we’re supposed to believe, spatially speaking, that Nekron was monologing with a Guardian in his grasp and he didn’t know the infinity billion Lanterns coming his way? Really? It seems like it was a huge leap in battle spacing, and it really bugged me on my initial read.
All in all, this was a very good issue. A very good issue that I still had problems with, but at least it’s starting to feel like a real Green Lantern event. About damn time!
Gil’s Thoughts: The penultimate issue of Blackest Night is the Book of the Week, and with good reason. Before I even had a chance to read it, there was a lot of buzz on twitter about how awesome it was. And it does not disappoint. A lot happened in this issue, with killer art provided by Ivan Reis and a solid script penned by staff favorite Geoff Johns. There was a tone of action and even more twists and turns, with a final twist that no one really saw coming. If you haven’t read it (why didn’t you?!) I won’t spoil it, but it’s definitely worth the read.
To disagree with David, though, the fact it takes place during one night shouldn’t be a form of criticism. It wasn’t the criticism for Secret Invasion and it’s not a problem for BN. My problem with Secret Invasion is that while it was fun, there was little to no substance. I feel much more satisfied after reading Blackest Night rather than Secret Invasion.
Plus, of course it takes place in one night. It’s called Blackest Night (not plural) after all.
Brandon’s Thoughts: This was by far the best issue of the series. This issue packed all of the impact of a semi driving 100 MPH into a mountain’s rocky wall. This issue begins with more of the same but at the point Guy Gardner busts onto the scene with the combined forces everything starts to really hit it’s stride.
Johns and Reis should be commended for turning in such a solid issue. It has surprises galore including an ending that shocked the shit out of me. I mean literally I had to change my pants. It was just a perfect ending that left the reader in a great WTF?! moment while they wait for the final issue of this event.
The ending also makes something from a tie in issue make more sense from a storytelling point of view. In Green Lantern 50 it’s teased that Sinestro might snag the power of Parallax but instead the predictable happens and Hal takes on the entity. It left me disappointed that such an obvious thing would happen. When it comes to the end of this issue I expected the long awaited rumors of the White Ranger…I mean Lantern to happen but instead a surprise twist occurs turning the message boards on their whiny over-predicting asses.
Bravo and congrats to DC and the creative team. The ending of this book makes the Green Lantern 50 moment a great setup for this issue because it gets you thinking that the balls just aren’t there to do something big. Well this issue is the event pulling its pants down and showing us what it’s packing and let me tell you it’s got the package that would make Ron Jeremy quit the porn industry.
MATT’S REVIEWS
Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island #1
Frak yeah, Warren Ellis! Ellis does a lot of stuff for Avatar, but I’ve been highly anticipating this one for a while. Just from the cover alone I was sold. And needless to say, this was awesome. Part of me wants to say it’s typical ol’ crazy Ellis, but it’s not. And while he assures us that this not another steampunk title from him, that’s ok, because I love this more than I loved all of Ignition City already.
Pretty big praise right off the bat, but allow me to elaborate a bit.
In Captain Swing, we follow the ravings of a mad man electricity pirate as he runs mad through the streets of London. The story is told from a mystery author perspective who explains the elements of the time the tale takes place in (London, 1830). The story opens with a murder and ends with a punch in the face. What more could you want?! And right off the bat, we’re given Ellis’ penchant for crazy technological advances that are all too impossible for existence, yet make perfect sense. This is one of my favorite things about Ellis. He has an amazing way of taking the unbelievable and making it so realistic that we ask, “Well, why don’t we have this yet?”
I’m not too familiar with Raulo Caceres in comparison with other artists that Ellis has worked with on Avatar, but so far the book looks pretty grand. The art is a great reflection on the time as well as done in a rather interesting format when it comes to the deeper explanations of the story. The book as a whole looks absolutely grand, and the handling of the fantastical elements (i.e. electrical flying row boats) fit in perfectly. As I sit here, I can flip to any page in this issue and be blown away by something in the art, whether it’s Captain Swing’s design, his ability to hop from rooftops, or even his mad electrical bullets and the pace at which they’re shot. It’s beautiful.
Needless to say, Captain Swing was a no question buy, and an amazing pay-off. In all honesty, I look to Avatar a lot these days for titles, and I’m repeatedly rewarded with books like this.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
Avengers: The Initiative #33
I’ve never been a big fan of the Initiative, despite the writers on the title being ones I do enjoy. I only started heavily reading around Secret Invasion because the general idea of the Initiative always annoyed me. Now that we’re in Siege, I’ve gotta say – the title couldn’t be better.
The quick one-shot about Taskmaster being in the Cabal was the first one I noticed being of a higher quality, but with this issue and the previous one, we really do get an excellent side look at Siege. This issue heavily focuses on Siege #2 and how other characters play a part in it. We start with the beatdown of Thor, we get to see Sentry versus Ares, and we even have the exact moment where Steve Rogers enters the fray by throwing his shield. That right there shows great initiative on Gage’s part, to make sure his tie-in ties-in, which is a big problem one can have when reading events.
Of course, then we get to the stuff with the Hood, and I debate this initiative. Where the Hood stuff falls in with the New Avengers title timeline is still up in the air, but I can say this: Avengers: The Initiative is allowing some of the biggest pay-offs to the Hoods entire career as a villain since becoming a big threat in New Avengers. I won’t say more than that.
Avengers: The Initiative is a good (not great) title which has steadily gotten better, and now that it’s almost over I can say I’ll be missing it it a bit. I never really was a fan before, but the two main Siege issues have been great, this one especially. I’m interested to see where it’s going to go from here in the last two issues, and I can definitely say I’m looking forward to it.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
X-Force #24
Necrosha is something I had high hopes for but I’m unsure of the execution. On the one hand, I enjoy it. On the other hand, I have a tough time reading because it’s so damn hard to see. I’m not a Crain basher at all, I actually like his work. But I just couldn’t figure out some of the panels in this issue. It’s not as bad as the previous issue, but it’s still pretty muddy. That and as much as I love Kyle and Yost, it seems a bit … I don’t know the word. Confusing comes to mind.
The thing is this – we’ve haven’t had a lot of build up to Necrosha so much as we have had build up to Second Coming with Bastion, so when Bard and Selene come out of left field to bring us this event, we’re kinda thrown off the deep end. Ok, I can deal with that. But then when we start getting into the book, a lot of it isn’t that accessible of a storyline to new readers. There is a heavy emphasis here on stories that have existed longer than this volume of the book has. There are character relationships that I’m unfamiliar with, as well as a general scheme of threat I just haven’t felt connected to. I have loved X-Force since it came out of Messiah CompleX, but this storyline has been off and on with resonating with me.
The issue did have some great moments. The scene where X-Force finally arrives on the ruins of Genosha is incredible, and delightfully dark. It’s a very twisted issue, considering it’s the penultimate book before the final battle against God Selene. I’m not saying that the book is all bad. There’s clearly enough good to keep me buying and reading. But Necrosha, as a whole, has been pretty disappointing to me.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – Browse
Amazing Spider-Man #622
This is the first issue of Spider-Man I haven’t loved in a while. I think since #600, there hasn’t been a bad issue in the bunch until now. Which is really unfortunate given the creative team on the book.
I love Fred Van Lente, but his Morbius story didn’t cut it for me. The whole Gauntlet thing has mostly been about Spider-Man having to come over obscene adversity, but with this, it was a very dry story that seemed rather unimportant to the general scheme of things. Ok, so Morbius made an appearance, but does it have anything to do with anything other than a brief nod to what’s going on in Punisher and Marvel Zombies (also by van Lente)? Not really. Which leaves me as a huge fan of the series a bit empty. Plus, the art when compared to Marcos Martin? No thanks.
Then we have the story by Greg Weisman, which brings Flash back in. Does anyone remember issue #574? It was this incredibly moving portrayal of soldier’s in Iraq, with Flash in the context of the story and what Spider-Man means to him. I thought it was a very appropriate piece for the time, as well as a nice thank you to the troops who serve our country. And then we get this, which just feels… disrespectful. It’s not that this story has anything to really do with the troops in anyway, but Weisman takes a character that had reached a great point if honor and nobility, and turned him into a backwards whiner. I really didn’t like it.
Like I said, it’s disappointing I didn’t like this issue considering how great Spider-Man has been, but them’s the breaks, right? It just seemed odd to me that the book would take a “break” from it’s main storyline like this, and in such an odd double story way. It didn’t really work, and honestly I’d skip it.
Final Verdict: 3.4 – Skip
Batman and Robin #9
How do people not LOVE this book?! Call me a Morrison fanboy, but I thought this issue absolutely killed it. Everything about it was great. I know some people were weary on the previous two issues due to a multitude of reasons, but talk about pay-off! I mean, this is how you do it people. This is how you make a three-issue arc, and this is how you do it right, even more so than the past two arcs.
As we wind down Cameron Stewart’s run with Morrison, we’re given so many treats: the true pay-off of “zombie clone Batman” (who talks like he’s a member of We3), the magnificent return of Batwoman, and the fight we’ve all been waiting for. Everyone mans up in this issue, from Alfred to Damian, and I feel like people who have been unhappy with Morrison’s story telling can quietly hush up now and eat maybe a tiny bit of crow. It was so good!
Continued belowAnd man oh man, talk about Cameron Stewart. I know we all love Frank Quitely, and everyone wishes he would be back on the book, but to be honest? If the rest of the book was drawn by Cameron Stewart, I would be so thrilled. This issue is absolutely gorgeous. His fight scenes are impeccable, his twisted “flashbacks” are maniacal, and his his full page spread of Batman saving Robin was so triumphant. For those of you who are Cameron Stewart doubters, all I have to do is point you in the direction of this issue.
Needless to say, Morrison is simply once again proving why he is the best writer out there today. THE BEST WRITER. I’m being bold and brash, I know, I apologize, but this issue was so damn good. Even I was critical of the past two issues, but this made it all worth it to me.
Final Verdict: 9.6 – Buy
Walking Dead #70
Oh, Robert Kirkman! You can never leave well enough alone, can you?
The Walking Dead is one of the creepiest books on the market, repeatedly pushing the boundaries of what is tolerable and what is not. We’ve seen some pretty gross things in the past, but this issue… man. The odd thing about it is that we don’t actually SEE anything. It’s all in discussion, but it’s one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever had to read, and if you’ve already read the issue then you know what I’m talking about, and hopefully agree. It’s that kind of thing that makes me wonder what’s wrong with Kirkman, that allows him to come up with such twisted stories. Unless of course that actually comes from a real place, which in turn makes it that much more disgusting.
Never the less, Walking Dead has been at a bit of a lull for a while. The danger level is much lower than it’s ever been, and it’s making reading the book uncomfortable. Remember the Governor? Well I’m still waiting for that to happen with this new town, because this is definitely not the final arc of the book, so I’m going to go ahead and guesss that something terrible is about to happen, something truly horrific. It’s just… how much more brutal can the book get? After 70 issues, I feel like this is the first time where we’re getting a “familiar” plot, due to all the stuff with the Governor. Granted, this is all under different circumstances, and I’m willing to be surprised, but seeing as the previous lingering arc has been destroyed (of someone knowing the cause of the outbreak), I’m beginning to be a little skeptical.
Never the less, a generally solid issue. Not a stand out in comparison with the rest of the book, but I’m still sticking with it.
Final Verdict: 7.3 – Buy
DAVID’S REVIEWS
Flash: Rebirth #6
A lot of things brought this issue down, but the primary negative was this: between Blackest Night: The Flash and Blackest Night itself, any and all dramatic tension was completely erased. In fact, when the conflict between Team Flash and the Reverse Flash was resolved at the half way point of the issue (more on that later), we already knew what Thawne’s final fate would be. That essentially means the first half was an exercise of Geoff Johns letting Ethan Van Sciver stretch his legs, and stretch he does. While he was overshadowed by the dynamicism of Ivan Reis this week, he does some damn fine work here himself.
Back to the finale of the series conflict coming halfway through. What does that give us for the rest of the issue? Well, I think the most complimentary thing I can say about is it exists as a good preview of Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul’s upcoming Flash series starring Barry Allen. Realistically, it read like Johns/Van Sciver had enough for five and a half issues and filled the rest out with teases of that upcoming series. Besides the very touching bit between Barry and Iris and the very cool part where Barry goes back into Keystone PD to close his mother’s case, the whole exercise reads like a story spinning its wheels.
Continued belowThis issue was very well illustrated one by Van Sciver (although his versions of the new Impulse are awkward at best), but I’m not going to lie, I found Barry Allen’s overall return and the expansion of his relationship with the Speed Force to not be a very satisfactory story overall. This issue had story elements that I enjoyed, but it did not exist as a very cohesive whole. When combined with the delays and the spoiled conclusion, I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed.
Final Verdict: 6.2 – Browse
Choker #1
Going into this series, my expectations were pretty high because I really dig Ben Templesmith’s work and the premise seemed like a variation on another Templesmith work: Fell. In actuality, it reads like a marriage between Fell and Blade Runner, placing our detective hero in a dystopic city ridden with mutated humans and vampires.
Just like those two, it’s also quite good.
McCool has created a tale that in many ways reads like a Warren Ellis title, giving us a put upon detective in Johnny Jackson thrown into a situation where failure is likely expected and life expectancy is low. The brilliant thing is they quickly developed him as a savvy, if not defeated, detective who could come to surprise us over the six issues of the series.
Their other exceptional creation is the world of Shotgun City, a city so depraved that they’d likely go to Fell‘s Snowtown for a vacation. The streets are alive with varied people, neon lights, and shadowy corners, standing out like the dystopic noir we never knew we wanted. My only beef with the writing so far is the dialogue is perhaps hard boiled to the point of caricature. Some of the lines that come from Jackson’s mouth early on are almost too overdone.
Templesmith is an artist whom you either love or hate. I really do not think there is a middle ground. I’m a fan of the guy, and this is the type of book he thrives in: a delirious fusion of grim, gritty and intensely violent. This is an artist who knows who he is, and you won’t be seeing him putting in a guest appearance on Tiny Titans any time soon.
This was a damn fine opening issue, and one that has found me eager for future issues. Here’s hoping McCool and Templesmith can keep this gravy train rollin’.
Final Verdict: 8.4 – Buy
X-Factor #202
God this book is awesome.
Really, what else can you say about this book? Peter David crafts another expertly paced story that is action packed, massively entertaining, and filled with great character bits. I don’t know what else a person can say about X-Factor – it is so uniformly superb that stating that fact over and over just feels redundant.
David is particularly adept in this issue with the Doom/Layla dynamic, really laying the intrigue on thick about the two of them. Plus, they provide some really entertaining moments and are unsurprisingly a great pair.
His gift for dialogue is always underrated, and this issue gives us some great bits. My favorite? On page four when the real Reed Richards is explaining what the villain did to him, and Madrox responds with “so he was monologing” (which we were all thinking anyways). Reed of course responds in a very Reed way, but the moment is all Madrox: Peter David has a better grasp on that character than perhaps any writer has on any character today. As long as he is in this book, it’s a must read. And I don’t think he’s going anywhere.
Bing Cansino does a fine job in this issue. X-Factor has always been
weighed down by bad to mediocre artists, but Cansino is not the worst of the lot by any means. While he often gives us some awkward looks, he can also really sell visual humor like a champ. He brings a good amount to the table and doesn’t take a lot off.
This issue is another fine example as to why this is one of the best books on the market, flat out. It’s the best ongoing X-Men series by such a large margin it’s a little unfair. If only Marvel realized that.
Final Verdict: 9.2 – Buy
Scalped #35
Before I picked up this issue, I saw Jason Aaron’s tweets that if you hadn’t read any of Scalped before that this was a good issue to check out. As a completely standalone story, it really is a great issue to read if you are a Scalped newbie. As for long time fans such as myself, it is a marvelous read. It gives us a look at the Rez from a the point of view of a long married couple who chose to live like their ancestors did instead of like the oft depraved and frequently criminal activities that go on within the city. By doing so, we’re given a quiet, introspective story that is a phenomenal example of the power the medium of comics can convey.
R.M. Guera steps out for this issue and Danijel Zezejl gives us a fiercely powerful visual tale. He captures the same tones and moods that Guera handles so ably, but his weary character models for Mance and Hazel are living breathing people come to life on the page. The scene that he and Aaron depict of Mance and Hazel in bed, alone with their thoughts and fears but still together fully, is everything that you could want from a writer and artist combo. The words and imagery of this issue work so effortlessly in concert with each other that it’s hard not to label this immediately as my favorite issue of the year so far, of any book.
If you aren’t reading this book, I don’t know what to tell you at this point. It gets better and better with each passing issue, and this issue was a marvelously understated and beautiful issue packing more emotional power than every other comic I’ve read so far this week combined.
Final Verdict: 9.8 – Buy
GIL’S REVIEWS
Fantastic Four #576
I love this book. I’m actually not the hugest Fantastic Four fan, but Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham are two creators I love, and reading this once again proves why. Hickman has one of the most imaginative pens out there; pushing the boundaries of what we think is possible for a comic book. His scripts are remarkably high concept and cause the wheels in my head to turn. The only other writers I can say do that are Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison. It’s about time we Americans had one of our own!
And Eaglesham! Wow. I’ve heard some complaining about his art, I’m always bowled over by the detail that he puts into it, and how much fun it is to read. There’s a sense of humor in his art, which is as whimsical as it is beautiful. One look at Johnny Storm, and you laugh, but there’s a definite method to his madness, as while he’s in the frozen tundra, he’s still the Human Torch. People derided the choice, but I was instantly amused, while still engaged.
Overall, the book is just too good to not read. I don’t know why you wouldn’t read it. But them’s the breaks. Hopefully you can fix that soon.
Final Verdict: 8.5 — Buy
Thor #607
Well, when they said Norman had all of Tony’s resources, they weren’t kidding. We saw the return of a key character this issue, one that caused quite an impact in a certain event a few years back. And he makes another big impact today, at the expense of poor Volstagg.
After the somewhat annoying issue last month, filled with stupid and easily manipulated Gods, they seem to have redeemed themselves, with at least Volstagg standing up for what’s right, instead of just seemingly just listening to everything Loki says. Gillen really is starting to make the most of this short stint penning the tales of the Norse Gods, even if the eponymous character is somehow missing in action (mostly because he’s getting the smack down from Osborn and company.)
Continued belowAnd I have to say, the art is much improved from the last issue. While last month was just a mess, this month was a lot cleaner, and the characters were much more detailed and just overall better.
If there is a problem, I have a slight beef with a prophecy that was foretold in the issue, as it seems like the prophecy came to pass before the issue even came out.
Overall, the book is solid, but not necessary if you’re keeping up with Siege; which is kind of weird, considering this is about the Asgardians.
Final Verdict: 6.3 Browse
Superman #697
You know, while I liked how this direction in the Superman mythology has taken us to some legitimately new places Superman and his cohorts have never gone. But as someone pointed out to me, was THIS really necessary? Couldn’t World of New Krypton have taken place in either Action Comics or this title here? Did we really need the adventures of the Nightwing and Flamebird as a main title? Could Mon-El have just stayed in the phantom zone?
The answer is a little complicated. I think that these adventures of Mon-El are important, as Metropolis needs someone to protect them while Superman is off-planet. But he hasn’t really done much aside from spin on his heels and kind of react to the problems that General Lane causes for him. They’ve recently inducted him into the Justice League, but for what reason? It seems like the only reason he’s in the Justice League is because he has a Superman badge on his chest. It’s kind of awkward.
But there seemed to be actual plot movement with the addition of the Legion of Super-Heroes to the mix, and the possible relocation of our hero Mon-El to the future (where he belongs, right?) There was a guest spot starring Matt’s favorite half-Kryptonian Conner Kent. But does that make sense? Not really. I have a feeling James Robinson just wanted our EIC to pick up the book and love it! I just loved the reappearance of the Legion, even though there were some issues with that to, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
The art though, it’s rough. It’s actually rather uneven, and there’s some terrible art in the beginning of the book, with some rather tacky crosshatching (I don’t like it when Leniel Yu does it, and I don’t like it here), and the design for Saturn Girl is confusing at best, with her face completely hidden behind a mask, but her cleavage is in plain view. While I initially found it somewhat alluring, I quickly changed my mind and found it distracting. But on a lighter note, the book definitely gets better with some much cleaner art in the later pages. There are some problems with it, mostly in the weakness of the facial designs on some characters. That being said, it’s not terrible. But why do we have two artists sharing duties like this anyway? I don’t know.
Overall, there was some solid plot development along with some serviceable art. If you’re a fan of Superboy (like Matt) or the LoSH (like me) you’ll want to check this issue out.
Final Verdict: 6.8 Browse
Nation X #3
Nation X is what it always seems to be; a mixed bag. Sometimes it’s really awesome; other times it’s piss poor. Even still, other times it’s got great art and a poor story, and then even vice versa. So I’ll break it down by story.
Unresolved Issues: The story wraps up a thread between Armor and Danger that had been brewing ever since Joss Whedon’s…Astonishing run with the X-Men. Armor really doesn’t like Danger because of how she murdered her friend Wing. The battle was one that was needed to resolve the issues between the former villain and the young X-Man (X-Woman?). The art was originally off putting, but I grew to enjoy it after a few readings.
Continued belowBig Boy Pants: I’m not entirely sure why they decided to put Anole in the front seat here, as he’s just a whiny brat, complaining that he has to farm. I get that what follows is a lesson is being a team player and thinking about the future. That is completely understandable. But it’s so heavy handed that is borders on obnoxious. The art does a bit better, however, as it’s clean and bounces off the page.
Boxes: This one made ZERO sense to me. Granted I’m not very aware of the characters, but at the same time, there was no effort to get the reader adjusted to a new mutant from Alpha Flight who had a past with Madison the Machine Man. Maybe someone who is more aware of Lillian Crawley could inform me of who she is, but I don’t care. The ending too was unexplained and it just didn’t make sense, even after multiple read-throughs. I must be missing something.
Cannonball: All bad. Oh, I’m sorry, I should be more careful so I don’t start an international incident. The whole basis for the story was absolutely terrible (what kind of idiot can’t tell the difference between “our” and “we’re”?). A really poorly constructed story with awful dialogue and really bad manga styled art absolutely killed what promise they had for a story based on the former X-Force member Cannonball. So upsetting.
Overall: It’s a book that has a lot of promise, but I can’t recommend based solely on one story. At least check out Unresolved Issues, but tread lightly.
Final Verdict: 4.5 – Browse
BRANDON’S REVIEWS
Ms. Marvel #50
I loved this series. Like any other series it had it’s up and downs but I really fell in love with the character through this title. I will say the last year has been the weakest for the title and because of that I am not entirely heartbroken to see it go. So did the last issue live up to the rest of the series which I enjoyed so much?
Well, yes and no. I felt the art was good and the backup interesting. I felt the main story with Mystique was also strong but for some reason it just didn’t seem to pack the super powered punch I hoped it would. It just didn’t seem to be that fitting of an issue to a story that began with Carol trying to be the best hero there is. Instead it ends with her basically settling on being mediocre. To me, a person who purchased all 50 issues, this was a cop out to the extreme.
I would like to commend Brian Reed for sticking with this title and giving us 50 issues of a character who I would never have guessed could carry their own title that far. Reed’s writing kept this baby on a high note for quite a long time. Compelling stories and a constant need to see Carol be the best kept fans like myself returning issue after issue.
Reed made us believe that she COULD be the best too. That to me is why this issue disappoints so badly. In the end, despite the build up Carol reached close to the top as the leader of the Mighty Avengers but then after that fell from grace. She never recovered and now her title is gone and we await to see where she ends up come post Siege.
Final Verdict: 6.1 Browse
New Avengers #62
I found the issue to be good but not great. While it’s a tie into Siege it seems like this issue falls into the tie-in in name only category. Until the last few pages you couldn’t even tell that it was a tie-in. It’s so disjointed from the main story that until the end you’re reading the title and thinking, “Where the hell does this fit in?”.
Outside of this major complaint the issue had it’s moments where it shown. The interactions between Spider-Woman and Spider-Man are key among them. These two characters under Bendis’ pen really interact amazingly. The interactions aren’t as good as they were last issue but they still made for some of the best scenes in the issue.
Continued belowThe other important aspect of this issue was the reunion of Steve Rogers and some of the New Avengers that he stood by during Civil War. Luke’s reaction to seeing his friend again was probably my favorite part of the issue. It made me really smile and long for the days of the early New Avengers. I mean as good as New Avengers is now when it first started it was so fresh and new.
With the countdown to the Avengers reorganization post Siege I am personally just soaking up my favorite era of Avengers history. I am admittedly a new era fan of the Avengers though. I just hope to see characters like Luke stick around in the Avengers mythos for a long time to come.
Final Verdict: 6.5 Browse
X-Men Legacy #233
The worst part about this issue is by far the cover that graces it’s front. Inside though we are given an issue with some great art and writing. In particular I really enjoyed the way Magento was drawn. Hell I suppose I enjoyed how Magneto was written as well. I enjoyed him more here than I have in Fraction’s Uncanny. This issue really made me long more so for Carey to be the main man on Uncanny.
This issue leaves Necrosha behind and puts some neat questions about characters pasts and presents in front of us. Will we see Proteus again? Is Blindfold’s Mother and Brother who I think they are? What is going on between Magento and Rogue? All in all this was another good issue from Carey and friends. A great mix of super heroics and character development.
Final Verdict: 8.4 – Buy it!
Ultimate Comics Enemy #2
The first issue of this mini was a surprise favorite of mine for the week in which it came out. This time around I found the title just as entertaining. This isn’t a book that will change everything but it does make the refreshed Ultimate Universe feel exciting again. It continues what the other titles in the Ultimate Comics Universe have done since the relaunch and that is to make the Ultimate U feel unique again.
The art on this issue is very clean and vibrant. It fits the event style feel of the relaunched universe. It fits the vibe of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man in the way it presents the art in a very new reader friendly way but yet doesn’t lose it’s flare in the process. I really am coming to be a fan of Sandoval.
The story is also fun and vibrant. It’s a simple concept but it’s done in a way that makes it riveting. Bendis leaves us with some great old school cliffhangers that while you know probably wont have much effect still leave you wanting to see where the story will go.
If you are enjoying the relaunched Ultimate Universe or are looking for a title to get a broad feel of the universe then this is a great mini to try. It’s only four issues and coming out of it you should have a good grasp on the relationships and structure within it. While the title is Ultimate Comics Enemy I find it being more like Ultimate Comics Friendly.
Final Verdict: 9.0 Buy it!
