Welcome back, true believers! We’ve got a great round-up of comics for you this week. Take a look behind the cut for all the reviews you’ve come to know and love from your favorite crew.
I’d also like to remind you, you can check out our rating system below:
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!
Daredevil #507
Poor Matt Murdock. I imagine that out of every hero in the Marvel Universe, it is probably hardest to be him. Nothing ever seems to go his way, and no one ever wants to make his life easy. It is said that every outgoing Daredevil writer has to put him in some kind of impossible situation, and it’s the incoming writer’s job to make it all make sense. Well, kudos to Diggle and his partner Johnston for crafting one of the most intriguing and beautiful moments in recent Daredevil history.
As of lately, Daredevil has been in Japan dealing with the uprising taking place inside the Hand. His hope is to unite all the families of the criminal ninja organization together under one roof, where he can monitor and hopefully shape it into some kind of force for good. However, with last issues betrayal revealed, this issue is largely dedicated to bringing everything to a close in order to make way for the upcoming Shadowland event. And what a close it is!
The issue is largely told through a voice over from the shadow leaders of the Hand, as they lay out their plans for the manipulation of Daredevil and explain how everything has come to pass. The issue absolutely shines in it’s dialogue as it is overlayed with the various action sequences, with the dialogue matching Murdock’s struggle to fight off the ninjas attacking him during key moments. We also begin to have more understanding of how all the issues have tied together, and what has been going on without the reader, or Murdock’s knowledge. Diggle and Johnston have crafted such a fantastic story, and I’m very excited to see what exactly awaits in Shadowland.
The true triumph in this issue belongs to Marco Checchetto, though. Featuring a battle in the snows of Japan, Checchetto’s battle is a feast for the eyes. His handle of the action sequences between Daredevil and the Hand are so intense, and there are two pages joined together and sectioned in such a way that it’s like you’re watching an action sequence in slow motion. It’s one of those moments where I paused, took myself out of reading the comic as I normally do, and just sat and studied the pages presented to me. Absolutely fantastic.
Needless to say, Daredevil continues to be a fantastic Marvel underdog. I feel like a lot of people could really get into this book if they gave it the chance, and Shadowland should certainly prove to everyone what they’ve been missing out. While every run of Daredevil so obviously reflects the style of the writer authoring it, Diggle’s run so far has been nothing short of amazing, and this issue certainly belongs in every collector’s long box.
Continued belowFinal Verdict: 9.1 – Buy
Nemesis #2
It’s always fun to write a review for a Mark Millar comic book because before I sit down to write it out I get to ask myself, “Well, what did I expect?” For the most part, in any book that he has written in the past couple of years, the answer to that question is often times “Not much.” For the most part, all I expect out of him is for him to write a ridiculous story with over the top action that is entertaining for what it’s worth, and it needs to help show off the talent of whatever artist he’s chosen to work with at that particular time.
For better or worse, Nemesis does this. As a far better improvement on the first issue, we learn the secret origin of Nemesis as well as his whole reasoning for the book. However much you want to buy this/go with it is ultimately up to you, but as far as villainous origins go, it’s definitely a tad different – yet ultimately, it makes sense given the intension of the book. What proceeds to happen is a series of odd riddles, over the top villainy scenes of supreme destruction, and one of the most amusing action sequences in a Millar I’ve ever read.
We are long past the days when I could honestly expect more out of Millar, so if he writes a comic that entertains me, I can usually call it square. As much as I like to say otherwise about certain titles, sometimes a comic can be good when all it does is entertain. I certainly don’t think Millar deserves any accolades for this work in comparison to how he used to write, but I’d generally say that this is what his fanbase encourages now and he still manages to deliver. Nemesis’ car splitting apart, turning into a motorcycle and then launching into the air while Nemsis fires a rocket at a helicopter upside down that he pulled out of nowhere isn’t exceedingly intelligent fiction, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t laugh and find the whole sequence of events a fun show.
As far as the artistry goes, though, McNiven is definitely much more impressive and in his general style with this issue than the last one. I don’t know what it was with the previous issue, but as much as this still doesn’t feel like a McNiven book (and by that I mean it doesn’t look like Civil War or Old Man Logan), it looks a tad more in his style – especially the final sequence of events. The look here is much smoother than the previous issue, and a lot of issues I had with that book’s art I don’t have here. While I still feel McNiven could do better, it is interesting to see him try out this new look. And even so, his attention to smaller details in larger sequences is still great.
So I see no reason to bash Millar in the dirt like others seem to want to do. Lately, I haven’t seen Millar present himself or his writing at anything other than face value, and I’ve come to accept that. Do I miss the days when going out and buying a Mark Millar comic book was something really exciting? Yes. Do I hate the stuff he’s currently putting out? No. There’s a balance and a method to his madness, and I’d say I’ve gotten used to his style enough to find his comic books still fun and worth buying and reading all the same.
Final Verdict: 7.8 – Buy
X-Men: Hellbound #2
I’ve been a huge fan of the whole Second Coming saga, but Hellbound is the only real element that I stand at odds with. Elaborating on the Illyana disappearance as well as plot threads created the first time Yost handled these charters, Hellbound is very much the disconnected element of Second Coming that most event-weary fans dread. So the question with it becomes, how good is the book, and does it’s quality help justify it’s inclusion in your pull?
Unfortunately, I’m going to ultimately be the naysayer in this. While some of it is due to my unfamiliarity with the larger story (at least, the entire thing – the New X-Men in Limbo – the Quest For Magik – was the only arc I ever read myself (unless I’m delusional and that’s the only one that mattered)), something about it felt off. I suppose, to me, it would be the resurgence of Death Gambit, which was a story decision that I never really understood or particularly liked. Having that aspect elaborated on feels like a waste of the character to me when Rogue is being handled so well, and having his … darkness, or whatever you want to call it, spread onto others seems out of place considering how it was that he got these “powers.” That and the final twist of the issue just doesn’t seem very believable, at least in a cliffhanger aspect because, to quote fellow writer Josh Mocle, “Yeah, as if Pixie is going to kill Magik.”
Largely my complaint goes to this not feeling very relevant to the overall story of Second Coming. Second Coming has been a grand and intense battle between the X-Men and the resurrected villains that they’ve been put up against by Bastion, and it is doing an excellent job of being self contained to itself following a set path between so many writers. While we of course will wonder what happened to Magik and the team who has gone to rescue her, it doesn’t really feel like a tie-in so much as it does a sideways tale just to elaborate on a story that probably should have been done off on it’s own.
All that aside though? I can’t fault Yost for still being a good writer in this situation, with dialogue that’s still good considering, and I can’t fault Tolibao and Raney for some fantastic artwork in the book. The overall story just doesn’t do it for me, and it’s certainly not as good of a tie-in to the overall tale as Blind Science was.
Final Verdict: 6.4 – Browse
PunisherMAX #8
I don’t entirely know why I keep picking this book to review because I honestly have such a hard time writing it. To be honest, I don’t like picking a book that I know will be fantastic, because then what do I have to say? But PunisherMAX is one of those books that I so consistently get excited to read, and am always satisfied with by the time I finish, that I can’t help but pick PunisherMAX to review if only so I can tell people – you need to be buying this freakin’ book already.
Continuing the story of Bullseye and Punisher’s first encounter, the book has a much smaller focus on Bullseye – although his actions here are tenfold worse than what we’ve seen him do. After kidnapping a family and murdering the patriarch, Bullseye drags the family through the worst day of their life in order to recreate the situation that created the Punisher. This is juxtaposed with the Kingpin’s now rocky relationship with his wife and the Punisher torturing a crooked cop for information, until all three shorelines are brought together with similar events that offer both a reflection of the story and the characters – as well as pushing Frank Castle into an even worse hole than he was already in.
I suppose one of the general complaints that people have with some mainstream comics is that they feature violence and mayhem with no real context or purpose, and that it’s just gratuitous. Where PunisherMAX succeeds and those books fail, though, is that this is how the book operates and what it feeds off. This is the bread and butter that allow it to operate in cohesion, and as disturbing as the sequences are, it’s the fact that they are so gratuitous and disturbing that make them great, both as a general comic and as a Punisher book. PunisherMAX succeeds where every other current Punisher story is failing because it understands the core concepts of the character and his world, and it presents itself to the reader fantastically.
Continued belowThis is, of course, due to the fantastically dark mind of Jason Aaron. Aaron’s redrafting of the Punisher’s world helps make the character feel generally relevant and purposeful again, and not just as ancillary character for other characters to point fingers and snub noses at. In fact, based on Bullseye’s last line, I kind of have to wonder about Aaron a little bit, and where his inspiration comes from, because he this book is dark. Of course, teaming him up with Steve Dillon, who had a famous run with Garth Ennis on the Punisher which also helped to define the character for so many people is a brilliant move, because this book is very reminiscent to that tale. Aaron and Dillon are basically taking what worked about Ennis and Dillon’s work together, reshaping it to Aaron’s own image, and creating the best and only Punisher book you should read, as well as a perfect place for new readers to enjoy the character.
I’ll say it once, I’ll say it twice, and I’ll say it a thousand times after this: the PunisherMAX is a fantastic book, and you need to own it. There’s no question about it in my mind. If you are a fan of dark and gritty gang/crime books, you want PunisherMAX in your collection – and there’s nothing more to it than that.
Final Verdict: 9.2 – Buy
DAVID’S REVIEWS
Chew #11
John Layman writes comics that I love.
Granted, I have a considerable bias given that I think John Layman may be the single nicest guy I’ve talked to in comics, but still; Chew continues to be a comic that consistently impresses me as much as any book on the market. Every issue packs tastes of everything I want in a comic: humor, romance, action, plot development, great character work, horror, and culinary arts. Okay, maybe that isn’t my perfect recipe, but it still astounds me that every issue of this book connects with me as well as it does.
This issue begins with our hero Tony Chu looking nervous as he sheepishly jokes about his first, gore covered date with reporter (and saboscrivener) Amelia Mintz. This gives us a place for the whole issue to build to, and its one that is filled with everything that there is to love about this book. Whether its unconventional couplings (Colby and Director Applebee anyone?), a truly unique adversary (a diner’s club in which only the rarest of foods are consumed — Dodo eggs and Wooly Mammoth!), or the adorable pairing of Mintz and Chi, this book was on it here. Plus, we get out steady taste of gore from Layman and Guillory when Chu ices a rather saucy Diner’s Club member.
Guillory continues to perform admirably, but I do have to admit his first page was a bit awkward for me. His Amelia Mintz on page one looks like a cross between one of the aliens from The Arrival and a pig on her lower half, and I actually stared at it for a good few minutes trying to figure out exactly what was going on with her. This is definitely not enough to demerit for the whole book, but it was a bit off putting.
Chew is a book that is easy to love, and easy to figure out the reasons why one may like it so much. It’s just a remarkably well told book with clever concepts and damn solid art. What more do we really need to ask for from a comic book?
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
Justice League: Generation Lost #3
When I found out that it wasn’t going to be Giffen and DeMatteis writing this book but Giffen and Judd Winick writing it, I was a bit skeptical. While I really like Winick’s work on his creator-owned books, I haven’t greatly enjoyed his superhero work. Of course, his humor and precision plotting fits perfectly in a JLI based book, and I should have realized that before launch as this book just continues to excel, albeit with some flaws. In its third issue, Justice League: Generation Lost brings in more former JLI members (or at least legacy versions of them) and continues to show the manipulative nature of Maxwell Lord as he toys with our remaining heroes.
My favorite point of this book has to be the appearance of Jamie Reyes (the newest Blue Beetle), who doubles as probably my favorite new superhero character of the past decade. His inclusion in the book does wonders for the team dynamic and introduces a really awesome little loophole Maxwell Lord forgot — computerized life forms like Skeets (Booster Gold’s best buddy) and Jamie’s Scarab have not forgotten Lord, as there is no way that his powers would have erased that information. Granted, that opens up the major story flaw of “how did the Justice League records get altered?” and “why can’t someone seriously go on a microfiche machine and find a newspaper that has Wonder Woman breaking Lord’s neck on the front page?”, but I suppose as with all comics, a certain suspension of disbelief must be there at all times. Still, demerits to the team for that — that is tough to explain (they may have said that Lord put a block on people seeing the truth, but that feels like a reach).
Another tough moment was when Fire went to Checkmate to find out if why her status as an active roster was revoked. While the whole scene was handled well (and made me miss Greg Rucka’s stellar book), to bust out another round of one of our heroes confronting a fake Max Lord in the second straight issue is a bit disconcerting. Why fall back on the same routine so soon? Granted, it is a good move in terms of further discrediting Fire, but it seems like a storytelling crutch here.
With those negatives in mind, I have to say it was still a very fun read. It is always fun to see these characters interact with each other, and I love the way Winick and Giffen are weaving these characters in to the regular DCU. Fernando Dagnino makes it three for three in terms of quality artists on this book to date, although Aaron Lopresti still is the pinnacle of art on this book so far. Dagnino handles the action sequences and the more quiet moments with equal aplomb, and props to DC for continuing a good run of artists here.
While it wasn’t as good as the first two issues, it continues to be solid. There were some pretty major story flaws that continue to be apparent however. If I’ve missed something as far as that being covered up is concerned, I’m more than willing to discuss it. As it is, I don’t know if I can give this book a full out buy this week.
Final Verdict: 6.8 – Browse
Secret Six #22
This is a curious issue for the book, and one that exemplifies what I think will be a major turning point for the series in general. On one hand, we see the culmination of the recent “Cats in the Cradle” arc, as Thomas Blake (aka Catman) swiftly deals death to those who have harmed him, and on the other hand we see what looks like the disillusionment of the current team to a certain degree. Granted, Gail Simone has put the team in a position where it looks like they’ll carry on no longer before (this is expected given that these are criminals deep down), but this time really feels like there is a bit of finality. For that, this book was a bit of a tough read for me, albeit a well crafted and entertaining tough read.
It all falls square upon Blake’s back, as his story wraps up and we get a look at the major turning point of his youth. That moment is effectively handled by Simone and J. Calafiore, showing the devastation Blake goes through when forced to kill his mother as well as the resolve that takes him over as he kills his father mercilessly. While this was a major moment for the character, it didn’t stop him from becoming what happens to be the moral center of the team. To paraphrase Deadshot from previous issues, Blake is the only one of them that wasn’t broken entirely, and that was because of his mother’s love. In this issue, he becomes what Deadshot says he wasn’t my killing all of those men who wronged him coldly. Granted, they deserved it, but you can already tell that he is no longer the character we knew and loved. It’s brilliant work by Simone.
Continued belowWithout Blake’s steadying hand, the team that is off searching for him (Black Alice, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, and Deadshot) quickly falls into disarray. Black Alice channels Etrigan and battles Scandal as the other two look on, but the meaning is clear: they need Blake to be a team. It leads to a lot of very interesting moments, namely when Ragdoll stands tall to support Alice (everyone’s shock that ‘Doll stood up straight was a great moment). ‘Doll may be a bit of a freak, but he’s an oddly loveable one that has finally found someone to connect to after Parademon’s death. The connections on this team between all of the characters are shockingly strong for any team, especially for a squad entirely comprised of less than reputable characters.
While J. Calafiore continues to put out strong work that continues the look and feel we’ve grown to love on the book, I have to say I genuinely miss Nicola Scott in issues like this. There are moments that I feel could reach a higher level in her capable hands (namely the flashback scene with Blake’s parents), but I don’t want to discredit Calafiore for the efforts put out here: the work is very strong. The final scene where Blake confronts the mastermind behind his current situation is phenomenal, and Calafiore really captures the tension and the power of it in all its glory.
While it was a very good issue, as I said, I do find it troubling. Simone often puts her characters in precarious situations in which I’m uncertain as to where she’ll go next, and as a reader it makes me tentative. With that said, she’s proven herself time and time again a master of sculpting these situations into periods of growth and not ones of finality, and I’m confident in the fact that she’ll do so again. Here’s hoping the new dark period for Thomas Blake is nearly as good as the previous period.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy
Echo #22
This issue of Terry Moore’s Echo ups the stakes dramatically (which is saying something) as we race towards the conclusion of the book at #30. It seems Ivy and Julie are knee deep in something that is even more intense than they originally believed, as they just went from “end of the world: possible” to “end of the world: probable.” Never a good start to your day after a nice cuddle, but such is the place Moore positions his characters, and it never ceases to entertain.
The beginning of the book looks back at who I THOUGHT was the doctor who killed himself some 4 or 5 issues ago contemplating the mistakes he made in the Henri project for a somewhat confusing intro, but that quickly transitions into Ivy and Julie getting perhaps a bit too cozy for Julie’s tastes (and just right for Ivy) after the destruction of last issue. It’s a very entertaining scene entirely told by Moore the artist, and this is the type of visual storytelling and small moments that he really excels in.
That scene is followed up by a rather gruesome interrogation of Hong (Henri’s cyborg super-scientist from China) by Ivy, who quickly finds out his end game: he gave the alloy back to China for a super-weapon. This of course spins everything up to another level (as well as sealing Hong’s grisly demise), and sends our two heroines along, with one of them without pants, the other without a shirt, and both of them running short on time.
This is a very solid issue by Moore, and one that is told at a very brisk pace. The book is traditionally one of the quicker reads on the market, but it is also uniformly quality which makes up for any length disparities. The developing relationship (you interpret it as you will) between Julie and Ivy is very natural feeling and a long way from where we started at, but I have to wonder where Julie’s once longtime compatriot (or at least in the scale of Echo) Dylan has scampered off to. When are they going to meet up?
Continued belowThere are a lot of questions to be answered along the remainder of this journey, but I do feel that in the hands of such a phenomenal creator that we’ll have no problem getting everything we want from this book. So far he’s delivered on every promise we’ve been given, now we just need to get all of the threads pointing in the same direction. I’m looking forward to that happening in coming issues.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy
GIL’S REVIEWS
Jonah Hex #56
Jonah Hex is a newfound love. I haven’t been reading it long, but it’s one of those titles that’s really easy to jump in on because of its one-and-done setup, and while the Western Genre might be even more niche than the superhero genre, it’s an entertaining title that doesn’t suffer from the same lag that westerns tend to do.
There are two yarns in this issue, one about an elderly American Indian woman who asks for his help regarding a man and his sons attempting to bully her into selling her property, and her attempts to prevent this by hiring our hero to scare them off if need be. I really liked the old lady because while she was nearly or at 90 years old, she was still full of life and rebellious even though she was wise and reserved. She was only in half of the book, but I wanted her to stick around. That’s some skillful writing there. The second story, which gave us a peek into the past of Jonah Hex, was not as compelling in my opinion, but it was still beautifully written, giving a never before seen look into the mind and heart of Jonah Hex (or at least, never before seen to me).
The art was a tad uneven, with Windslade’s art in the first half being a tad better than Smith’s in the second, but it was only preference, as I could really see why someone would like the Smith’s art. I liked it too, just not as much as Winslade.
This is a great series, and I suspect a great one to introduce new reader of comic books to, with its setup and execution.
Final Verdict: 7.8 Buy
Captain America #606
Is it weird that I enjoyed the back-up more than the original? Because I totally did. That’s not to say that the main story was terrible, but I found myself not really caring about the return of Baron Zemo to his roots of villainy (because the idea of a reformed villain is much more interesting in my opinion), and now he’s trying to kill Bucky? I hope we’ll find out why soon, because right now it doesn’t make sense, and it’s a little irritating.
The art in both didn’t blow me away either. It was fine but nothing special, and the lack of detail in the back-up was annoying. Are faces really that hard to draw? Oh well. Luckily the story in the back-up finally made me care about our displaced Nomad. She’s in genuine danger and I CARE. I couldn’t believe it.
Overall, it wasn’t exactly a strong start to an arc I was looking forward to; I hope it gets better with time.
I’m also quite sick of the Heroic Age header. I wish it would go away.
Final Verdict: 6.5 — Browse
Uncanny X-Men #525
What a fun issue. I was initially wary of this event because the X-men Events seem to have been relentless. I thought that Messiah War was almost pointless, and I didn’t even bother with Necrosha. But this event has been pretty solid save for a few missteps.
This issue was obviously no exception. It was a tad less packed with action than the previous couple issues, but it was no less good. I had a few issues with it artistically (and that was only on inaccurate panel) but other than that, Terry Dodson’s art was phenomenal. He handled the story jumping to where there was still story progression, which is something that from which the guys writing the Brightest Day title could learn.
Continued belowSpeaking of knocks on DC, there was a certain line from everyone’s favorite Grant Morrison X-Character Fantomex that made me burst out laughing, so much so that I tweeted about it. Good stuff Matt Fraction.
I’m also glad we’re getting more involvement from the rest of the A-List heroes outside of the dome as well as the X-Men’s story inside the dome. I was pleased to see the further involvement of The Avengers and The Fantastic Four, since they’ve been letting the X-Men rot, so to speak. I did have one problem with the though. Aren’t there like a dozen or so Hulk’s somewhere? Get them to help out. Then it shouldn’t be a problem, right?
If there’s a place for worry in the writing, however, it might be the X-Force and Cable in the future with relatively little time to achieve their objective. I hope that can be resolved quickly, or the entire story might just fall apart.
Final Verdict: 7.9 — Buy
Prince Of Power #2
In the issue of the Heroic Age tie-in “The Prince of Power,” a lot of threads are running along, from Amadeus’ search for Hercules (which I really relate to, because I can’t accept his death either!) to the villain Vali Halfling wrestling control of The Olympus Group from Hebe while Amadeus is off looking for everyone’s favorite Greek Hero.
In his adventures, Cho has the unfortunate luck of being framed by Vali and has an even more unfortunate run-in with Herc’s sometimes friend Thor. They have a dust-up, as that’s what happens in unlikely team-ups, but are soon brought together by their common goals. The end is a cliffhanger I can’t say I didn’t see coming, but it was amusing at the very least.
Pak and Van Lente’s trademark humor is present in the book, with Cho’s sort of sarcastic and almost aloof humor peppered into the scenes as much as his smarts. Even Thor is a bit on the humorous side, which is something I never thought I’d say.
I did like the art a lot too. It wasn’t the same as the artist from the Incredible Hercules series, but it had the same tone, which was nice. I just wish he had done the cover, because Khoi Pham’s cover was NOT my cup of tea. Ugh.
It’s a worthy follow-up to a great series which I suspect will be a mini that connects two ongoings. I can’t wait.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy
BRANDON’S REVIEWS
Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #2
Warren Ellis and Kaare Andrews continue their run here as we learn more about the children who seem to have been born with mutant like features. This issue was more enjoyable than the last issue as far as the story goes but the art was still a deterrent to me at times.
Andrews’ art in this issue in parts had some elements that had me thinking he had the characters down to a T and other elements that make me just roll my eyes upon first glance. His Beast at times looked great and in a few panels looked more like a blue bulldog than the feline Beast.
The main element I could have done without being the artist’s depiction of Emma Frost. It’s just overly cheesecake which I am sure is intended but in my opinion it’s past satire and more into ridiculous. The length of Storm and Emma’s hair was the most ASTONISHING portion of this book as I can only imagine the amount of money they spent on horsehair extensions. It had to have been costly.
Ellis’ story here was much stronger than the first issue. The reintroduction of Ghost Boxes got my intention immediately as it was a concept I hadn’t expected to hear from so soon. It made the arc more important to me as I found myself interested to see how else this might connect and what its implications might be.
Continued belowAll in all this issue was an improvement over the last one. The story was stronger and the art seemed less ridiculous but still ridiculous enough that I was distracted at times by it. It did entertain me and I was left in a more interested place than last issue.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – Buy It
Booster Gold #33
Booster Gold is a title that i’ve stuck with throughout despite some points where I thought maybe it had been better than it was at the time. This issue with Giffen and Dematteis on writing chores has returned it to the great heights it started at. Throw in some solid art from Chris Batista and this issue becomes one of the better issues in the series.
The story centers on the return of Max Lord and most peoples inability to remember him. The time travel to the JLI days was a great trip down memory lane. The Booster and Martian Manhunter portion had me cracking up. I also enjoyed the continuing cursing side plot that continued until the very last page of the book. The writing here was top tier.
Batista was no slouch either though. His art had the perfect feel for the JLI era. The emotion on Booster’s face when standing in his old room was touching and the Manhunter Blue Beetle stuff just recaptured the JLI vibe in a single page. I am excited to see more of his work on the this title and wouldn’t mind seeing Batista on an ongoing JLI title if we are lucky enough to get one at the conclusion of Justice League: Generations.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy It!
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #11
Review pending, check back soon!
House of Mystery #26
This is the first issue of this title that I’ve read. I’m not entirely sure what is going on here but the issue said it was the beginning of the storyline so I figured it was a great chance to check out a title I’ve been wanting to try. While it was a great read that left me interested in reading more it wasn’t necessarily the greatest book to jump on board with.
I really enjoyed the different art for the different sections of the book. It really adds an anthology feel to the book despite the fact that it is still telling the same story. The art from Luca Rossi and Cristiano Cucni were so drastically different in vibe that it should have felt like a strange mash up but instead the the lighter work of Rossi just made the art Cucni all that more dramatic and chilling.
My favorite portion of this book is writer Matt Sturges and Cucni’s bank robbing father portion of the story. It was so unexpected. I was reading this book for the first time like I mentioned so I was starting to feel like this book was a lot lighter in tone than I thought it would be. Then those pages hit and BAM! my perception of the book was turned on it’s ear.
Overall I’d have to say that this book was nothing like I expected it to be. Having said that I found a great book to add to my pull list. You better believe I’ll be going back to read the previous issues too. If you haven’t checked this book out yet I think it’s worth your time to try it out.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – Buy It
WALT’S REVIEWS
Batman #700
Let’s be honest: I love Morrison. I grew up loving Batman. Morrison’s run on Batman rekindled my love of comics. Is it safe to say that I might have had unrealistic expectations of Batman #700? Probably.
I don’t mean to imply that this was a bad issue. Having Frank Quitely and Andy Kubert in the same issue is a-ok with me, even if Quitely did forget Dick’s bat-emblem in one panel. I’ve always felt like Tony Daniel is just a poor man’s Jim Lee, and his art in this issue is fine while hardly surpassing that. Kolins, on the other hand, is normally a favorite of mine, but his pages in this issue were kind of strange. When you factor in that he was a stand-in, though, you can’t really get too angry at him.
The story was good. Really. I just couldn’t help but feel that just having one or two more pages would have been great. While Damian’s part of the story and the future epilogue are fine as is, there were a couple of points in Bruce and Dick’s chapters where the compression seemed a bit much, even by Morrison’s standards. I enjoyed it plenty, but I think if DC had cut out a couple pages of pinups for actual story pages it would have been perfect for new readers, which is how landmark issues like this should be. But that’s just me being fickle. Other than that minor problem, I thought this was a fun little read, with all sorts of fun references (aww yeah Two-Face 2!). However, if you haven’t been enjoying Morrison’s Batman run you probably won’t like this one either.
Final Verdict: 8.7- Buy it!
Invincible Iron Man #27
When I reviewed this book last month I bet Multiversity’s readers that we would be seeing a big payoff with this issue in exchange for the two exposition-heavy issues that kicked off this arc.
I was kind of wrong.
Every now and then you read an issue of a comic that just seems to be a teaser for the next month. Now, this is obviously what every issue in a story arc (other than the final one) is supposed to accomplish, but there’s a difference between a comic that gets you excited for the next week and one which goes “Come back next week, I promise it will be awesome! Seriously!” Unfortunately, I feel like this issue fell into the latter category. Sure, we see why we should be excited for next month, but Matt Fraction doesn’t really make us feel it. I’m only looking forward to it because I’m a big Fraction fan and I feel he will be able to do better; however, I’m sure if someone wasn’t familiar with Fraction and read these past three issues they would have lost interest by now.
One part I particularly didn’t care for was the interaction between Tony and Rhodey before they headed to Japan. Rhodey has played a very limited role in Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man, making a few appearances but not really being used in a way to examine the relationship between him and Tony. As such, this scene just kinda seems awkward and out of place. I don’t want to say it was just there to correspond with the recent movie release but…well, who knows? Here’s hoping the promised payoff actually comes.
Final Verdict: 6.4 – Browse
Unwritten #14
I’m not sure what I can say about this book that I didn’t say last week. After the ending of last issue, the dramatic tension in this one is so high you just want to reach through and tell Tommy Taylor who is hiding from him and how. But I won’t spoil it for you readers who haven’t gotten there yet.
For a literature nerd tangent: the end of this got me really excited regarding something written by Charles Dickens. That never happens to me. Dickens’ plots and stories were fine and all, but the truth is that he was paid by the word, so he can often get rather dreary. Despite this, I found the use of his work near the end of this to be completely riveting, which is normally a way I would never describe Dickens’ work. I recognized Lizzie Hexam’s name from Our Mutual Friend, but I thought it was a reference that might have been lightly touched on, rather than…well, I’ve already said too much.
Continued belowOther than that, I have the same great things to say about this that I said last week, but there’s no need to be redundant. If you’re reading this, you probably agree with me that it is the best comic being published now. If you aren’t reading this, I’m sorry.
Final Verdict: 9.3 – Buy it!
Deadpool: Wade Wilson’s War #1
Well, I guess this wasn’t awful, which is a lot of praise for yet another new Deadpool book. After the Merc With a Mouth became an internet phenomena (despite having a cult following for many years prior), Marvel realized they could make a pretty penny by releasing more Deadpool titles. A lot more. Most of these have been rather terrible, but Merc With a Mouth manages to fall into that category of “oh, I guess that wasn’t terrible.”
Duane Swierczynski tends to straddle the average bars. I’ve read things by by him that I’ve enjoyed, such as his surprisingly not underwhelming follow-up to Fraction and Brubaker’s Immortal Iron Fist, and he has also written titles that I’ve found to be a bore (*cough*Cable*cough). However, most things I’ve read by him fall around the same area as this issue; that is, not so bad you regret reading nor so good you think your time and money were well spent. Some of the jokes are alright, and the story is mildly interesting. The number one thing I appreciated about this issue was that it did away with the strange double internal monologue that has been showing up in all the other post-Cable and Deadpool books. Other than that, though, there’s nothing really to write home about.
The book loses a few points for the art, though. Maybe I just really didn’t like the stylization, but Jason Pearson’s art just didn’t “do it” for me. The strangely contorted faces, Bullseye’s Tim-Sale-Joker-esque smile and the generally odd proportions just added up to an odd look for the issue, though he actually drew Deadpool pretty well. Seeing as the story was already rather mediocre to begin with, though, this doesn’t cost the issue too many points.
Final Verdict: 5.4 – Browse.
