Reviews 

WINCBD! Gil’s Stack (9-9-10)

By | September 12th, 2010
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

You know the drill by now. Matt and I do our reviews this week and here you get 6 reviews too! Here I have New Avengers #4, Green Lantern #57, Amazing Spider-Man #642, Justice League Generation Lost #9, Invaders Now! #1, and American Vampire #6. What did I think, well, check it out! Our scoring system follows, which if you don’t know, is quite helpful.

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

New Avengers # 4
WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILS: Stuart Immonen
COVER: Stuart Immonen

With reality under furious attack by arcane power far beyond anything anyone on Earth has ever dealt with before, the Avengers have to start getting creative or forfeit all that we know. The rules of magic and mysticism in the Marvel Universe are about to change in a gigantic way and it’s all going to happen here! All this plus a brand new chapter in the oral history of the Avengers.

My God, or as the dearly departed Kurt Connors might say: “Mein Gott.”

This book is a clear favorite for me in terms of the Avengers titles. Brian Bendis knows exactly what he wants to do with the characters and stories and he tells them well. Now, it’s not perfect, I feel like this issue and the previous issue could have easily been combined into one and the issue would have been a little better for it. Sure some of the little banter might have been lost, but overall, I think the book might have actually benefitted from a little more compression. It seems that each book follows the same formula: There’s some witty banter, there’s a fight, and then it ends with a big moment. The formula can work great, and it does here, but I would like Bendis to break AWAY from this sometime.

But while I think that the books could use a little bit more in terms of big moments, it’s still quite solid. Immonen’s art is some of the best it’s been, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but somehow he just keeps getting better. His women are downright sexy and well, his Iron Fist is too. After the adventure that Iron Fist went on, he comes back with a slight costume tweak. In my opinion, it’s a change for the better too. The green in his suit are replaced with a white, which makes the gold stand out even more than it did. And the booties are still gone! Hallelujah!

Basically, when it comes to the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, New Avengers is still the mightiest…est if that makes sense. But I still think some work could go into making it better.

Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy

Green Lantern #57
WRITER: Geoff Johns
ARTISTS: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
COVER: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy

BRIGHTEST DAY continues as what readers have been asking for finally arrives: a male Star Sapphire in the form of the Predator. But how is this entity unlike the others? And what does it want with Carol Ferris? Meanwhile, the White Lantern is defended by an unlikely hero…

Continued below

Now that we’re in the middle of the Brightest Day, there have been good things and bad things about it. This isn’t a bad book at all. I’m really digging the New Guardians storyline, and there’s a big reason why: Larfleeze.

OK, maybe not *just* him, but he’s a big part of it. Geoff Johns was brilliant to add him as a regular in this book, as he adds some much needed comic relief to an otherwise really serious book. When they go to Las Vegas to look for the Love Entity Predator (a name I have my issues with, but I’ll get into that later.), Larfleeze goes wild. He’s clearly in his element as there is no other city as well known for its opulence and greed. I’ve noted on my tumblr that it was me, and while it may not be “me,” it certainly made me laugh and kind of wish it WERE me. Larfleeze is seriously becoming my favorite character in the GL Universe, and I hope that after the Brightest Day ends, if the other colors are somehow extinguished, that somehow Larfleeze sticks around on Earth being greedy and hilarious.

And the art…well, it’s Doug Mahnke. Doug Mahnke is one the best artists on DC’s payroll, and this issue once again proves it. He can do beauty like Immonen, he can do ugly like Ethan Van Sciver, and he can story tell like no one’s business either. And even his ugly art is adorable, case in point: Larfleeze (again)

But while we’re on the subject on Green Lantern, I think there need to be a few things brought up about how people perceive Carol Ferris’ character is being handled. Months before this book even came out, people were upset at the fact Predator was holding Carol in a Slave Leia-like position, complete with chain and submissive pose. I mean, people were LIVID. HOW DARE THEY make this cover! HOW DARE THEY show a woman in any pose other than deflecting bullets with her accessories and ALWAYS kicking ass! Um…no. If there weren’t these pictures, it would just lose all drama.

Oh yeah, and Predator? That’s the one problem I have with these entities. The Love Entity is called Predator. You might as well tell me that the little guy collecting all the entities is Chris Hansen. Sheesh.

Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy

Amazing Spider-Man #642
WRITER: Mark Waid, Stan Lee
PENCILS: Paul Azaceta, Marcos Martin
COVER BY: Marko Djurdjevic

A five part spider-odyssey begins in ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES! With Peter Parker’s ONE MOMENT IN TIME behind him and Mary Jane back in his life, Spidey finds himself ready for a new start, but the various threads of his life since his BRAND NEW DAY are about to crash together violently. When Norman Osborn’s baby is born, every villain on the planet wants the first ever strain of pure Goblin blood, leaving Spider-Man’s friends and family exposed to a Sinister plan that threatens to bring down every strand or Peter’s life that’s been stitched together carefully over the past few years. It may be a cliche to say it, but after ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES absolutely nothing will be the same. Also this issue, we begin a series of covers by the brilliant Marko Djurdjevic that when all put together will form a giant wall-sized Spider poster featuring the people in Spider-Man’s life! Plus: the Spidey Sunday feature continues breaking the 4th wall of Web-swinging Wonder by legends Stan Lee and Marcos Martin (well, Stan’s a legend; Marcos is just a man who draws like one.)

Now that OMIT is mercifully over, we’re back to our old fun and games with Mark Waid writing “The Origin of the Species. It’s a rather ominous title, and one that doesn’t quite make sense yet. But we got a glimpse into what it means with all of Spider-Mans rogues all in one place and the behest of everyone’s favorite cephalopod- themed villain, Doctor Octopus wants…something (or in this case, someone, as we find out at the end of the issue.

Continued below

It was nice to see that this is following up on threads left in place during Brand New Day, even though it’s over. It’s also great to see that while every other superhero title forgets that there’s a secret identity, this one lets Peter stay front and center. Waid, who is a long time comic fan and encyclopedic mind for pretty much any character you can think of, does get the character and his wit.

What I didn’t like though, was some of the pride that Peter seemingly is full of. He would rather lose all his clothes than ask the Avengers for help? Come on. I don’t get it. He spends time at not only one but TWO major Avengers clubhouses, but doesn’t think to crash there until he gets back on his feet? No? Ugh, ok. Character work is fine, but this level of bullheadedness is just over the top. I guess I should at least be thankful they acknowledge he’s an Avenger in the book though

And then there was the art. I would have called myself a fan of Paulo Azaceta, but here the art is just horrendous. Peter looks almost as bad as he does when Quesada draws him, and the women like Mary Jane or Michelle are not very attractive. I’m not saying everyone has to be like Ivan Reis or Dough Mahnke, but TRYING would be nice. I think I would prefer Romita on the title. Romita has always been a solid artist on Spidey.

Overall, the books missteps overshadowed what I did like, even though I did like some of the book. If you’re a Spidey fan you’ll probably pick this up regardless, but if not I’d just browse at best.

Final Verdict: 6.5 – Browse

Justice League: Generation Lost #9
Written by JUDD WINICK
Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO
Covers by CLIFF CHIANG

DC’s biweekly JUSTICE LEAGUE event continues! Fire has been keeping a dangerous secret from the team, and her past literally comes back to haunt her when she’s forced to confront the darkest of demons!

Meanwhile, still hot on the trail of Max Lord, the former members of the Justice League International pick themselves up after their disastrous battle at Checkmate headquarters. But can they locate Max while The Dark Knight himself is hot on their trail?

This book is good. No really, it’s the best book with the Brightest Day banner on it. There’s a cohesive and seemingly insulated storyline that only has light crossovers with other books (and even then, it’s because they STAR characters in this book), and there’s a small core cast of characters that allow for better building of relationships and make you care about what’s going on.

Winick once again proves that he was one of the most underrated writers over at DC for a long time, as he is now writing a book this good. Bore you could have credited Giffen and not him, but now that Giffen is gone, it’s all Winick. Max Lord is a great villain, and he’s a lot of fun to read about here, especially when he gives the whole League a run for their money. When he manipulates a huge fight with the other Leaguers as a distraction, he takes them to their limit, all by himself. While there wasn’t much in the way of plot development, I found it a bit more tolerable than other books this week, and the teaser for the next issue is intense! I know it ties directly into Max Lord’s mission from the White Entity, but I can’t wait to see it go down. Even if I hate the character in question who Max recruits for at the end of the issue. Ugh.

One beef is the art. Lopresti was off his game it felt like, and Max Lord was CARTOONISH. There was a brilliant moment where he said he wasn’t a moustache twirling villain, but there were moment where the facial expressions betrayed that sentiment it was unnerving and all around not really palatable.

Continued below

This book is still one of the most solid books on the market though, and you should be reading it if you want an awesome JLA story. If not…well, I just feel sorry for you.

Final Verdict: 7.8 – Buy

Invaders Now! #1
STORY: Alex Ross and Christos Gage
WRITER: Christos Gage
PENCILS: Caio Reiss
COVER: Alex Ross

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Invaders Now #1, from superstar creator Alex Ross, writer Christos Gage, and artist Caio Reiss, with packaging by Dynamite Entertainment!! For the first time in decades, the original Invaders are alive and active at the same time. When a mysterious force from the past brings the Invaders together, they must do battle like never before! Featuring Captain America, Namor, the original Human Torch, Steve Rogers and more, Invaders Now #1 brings back this incomparable team for an all-new adventure!

The Invaders are back! It’s the first time since World War II that the all the members of the original super team have all been alive at the same time, so it was inevitable for them to team up, right? Well, it works out…alright.

It’s not terrible, not by any means; it’s just that this issue was entirely set up for the following issue. There’s some sort of freak that seems to infect others with his touch, and only The Invaders can take care of it! That means we see them all assembled by the Golden Age Vision (who, by the way, is the most interesting character in the entire issue) for some unknown reason. We find out the twist on the VERY last page, and that is exactly why they need to take care of it. It’s an admittedly surprising twist, but not a very good one. There is a continuity issue though, as The WWII Human Torch claims to have killed Hitler, when Bucky claimed to in the New Avengers title last year.

One thing that is appreciated is the addition of a character from our time frame. With the exception of Union Jack, a British Spy character, all the characters are lifted from WWII continuity, which might make it hard to connect. But we have Union Jack, who will be “us” in the story. We don’t know anything about this and neither does he. Why were the Invaders such dicks in the past?

That’s right! The Invaders were dicks! And you thought that was only Namor! Oh well.

To its credit, it has some nice art, which is realistic yet slightly cartoony, which is perfect for a book like this. I’m not exactly sure why Reiss decided to draw everyone with stuffy noses though. They’re all red, when the rest of the body is flesh colored. It’s a small issue, but one I can’t help but notice.

At the same time, I wonder why this book is even necessary. It’s a fun diversion, but it’s just another book with Steve Rogers, who is turning into the new Norman Osborn. It’s turning into oversaturation. Check it out if you want something slightly different, but it’s not exactly a book worth raving over.

Final Verdict: 6.5 – Browse

American Vampire #6
WRITER: Scott Snyder
ARTIST: Rafael Albuquerque
COVER: Rafael Abluquerque

“At a time when vampire stories engulf pop culture, this one’s actually fresh and original.” — ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

It’s Las Vegas circa 1935, and Skinner Sweet and our gal Pearl are about to learn the hard way that the bloodsuckers in Hollywood were nothing compared to what awaits them in Sin City.

In just a few short years, young police Chief Cash McCogan has watched his native city of Las Vegas go from cow-town to wild, glittering boom-town. And when the bodies of prominent businessmen start showing up drained of blood, Chief McCogan finds himself facing a threat much darker and deadlier than anything he could have imagined…and the only sure bet in town is that Skinner and Pearl are right in the thick of it!

So belly up to the bar and lay your chips on the table, because “Devil in the Sand,” the next cycle of AMERICAN VAMPIRE, begins now!

Continued below

Now that the first arc has ended, I was wondering where this book was going to go from there. Pearl’s story seemed over, and we had the origin of Skinner Sweet taken care of. Sure we had what looked like Skinner Sweet on the cover, but other than that, we had nothing to really go on.

Thankfully it’s not over after one arc, and we have a new antagonist in: Skinner Sweet. Yes, the supporting character in the first arc is now what looks like the villain. That definitely makes sense though, as he is the American Vampire.

For what it’s worth, I really love the concept. We see Skinner first in the 1880’s and then he and Pearl in the 1920’s. Now it’s 1938 and he’s in Las Vegas during the construction of one of the biggest projects in American history. It seems like we’re going to see him progressively through time until I imagine we his modern day, seeing him at important points. It seems like it might be a bit more of a terrifying Forrest Gump, if you know Forrest was a vampire.

A real step up in the series is the introduction of a cohesive story in a single issue. It was a brilliant coup from Scott Snyder to get Stephen King to pen the origin of Skinner Sweet, but at the same time, the story feels more fleshed out and real when the story takes up 22 pages as opposed to 11.

And the art from Rafael Albuquerque is just as good as it’s always been. I’ve always known him to be on slightly cartoonish work (like Blue Beetle or Superman/Batman), but his pencils are perfect for this title. The dark shadows and rough lines add to the overall horror theme, especially when it comes to Skinner, who looks somehow more intimidating ing this book.

If you’re not reading this book, I don’t know what to say, you should be. It’s probably one of the best titles Vertigo is putting out at the moment.

Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy


Gilbert Short

Gilbert Short. The Man. The Myth. The Legend. When he's not reading comic books so you don't have to, he's likely listening to mediocre music or watching excellent television. Passionate about Giants baseball and 49ers football. When he was a kid he wanted to be The Ultimate Warrior. He still kind of does. His favorite character is Superman and he will argue with you about it if you try to convince him otherwise. He also happens to be the head of Social Media Relations, which means you should totally give him a follow onTwitter.

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