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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 18, 2019 8:37:35 GMT -5
Here we are again, another new week and another new batch of fresh comics! Welcome to... OFF THE RACKS The Classic Comics Forum's home for real reader reviews! If you read it, let everyone know what you thought right here! |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2019 14:05:57 GMT -5
 Aquaman #55. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Robson Rocha. The conclusion of the Mecha Manta arc. Wow. There was a lot of stuff crammed in this issue. The Aqua-family saves Amnesty Bay from the wrath of Mecha Manta. Black Manta shows his cowardice. Mera shows why she is a hero by herself. Aqualad gets some decent time. DeConnick really does a great job wrapping up a lot of plot threads while leaving enough dangling to expand on in future issues. I felt she stumbled a bit on her first arc but with her last two arcs she has really made her mark on Aquaman. I also feel Rocha has grown as an artist and is doing some tremendous work on this title. I look forward to a long run on this title by this creative team. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2019 14:13:05 GMT -5
 Daredevil #15. Written by Chip Zdarsky. Art by Francesco Mobili and Marco Checchetto. Zdarsky puts Fisk through the wringer in this issue. Also Matt and Elektra team up. Matt asks Foggy for help. Matt continues his fight without his red suit. He returns to his Year One black outfit. Zdarsky has really taken the slow burn style of returning Matt and Fisk to their old roles. In the hands of a lesser writer this approach would have failed by now. But this "feels" right and more grounded IMO. Zdarsky adds enough to each issue so the longer story doesn't seem boring or padded or decompressed. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2019 14:21:51 GMT -5
 Legion of Super Heroes #2. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Ryan Sook. This title should play to Bendis' strengths. Teen/Young Adults. Large cast. Lots of dialog. And mostly the book succeeds. But I can't put my finger on it... it feels like something is missing. Fun interactions with Jon/Superboy. Nice moments touching on past Legion versions. Great tie in to the present with Aquaman's trident. Some neat differences from prior versions like Damian and New Gotham being mentioned. The Legion being too busy to allow Jon time for his 31st century orientation. And of course beautiful Ryan Sook art. 7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2019 14:38:12 GMT -5
Quick Reviews:
Invaders #12: the conclusion of this series. This series started strong and by midpoint started to fall apart. The ending "felt" unsatisfying for me. It felt unfinished. I hated that Namor is not trusted. That Torch is now a "robot" with his head stuck on an Iron Man suit. He is the "Human" Torch and should look that way instead of looking like a robot. Torch always seems to get "screwed" in modern day stories. 5/10.
Shazam! #9: While I prefer the classic trio of Billy, Freddy and Mary I didn't mind the addition of 3 more with the New 52 Shazam. However I am NOT a fan of adding Billy's Dad as a 7th champion. I hope this is only temporary. Again the delays and multiple artists have killed the momentum of this book. 5/10.
Death Defying Devil #4: Simone starts revealing the mysteries behind the Winslow House and DDD's role in this story. I like how she utilizes his Bart Hill ID and his ties to Black Terror and others. But her choice to leave readers in the dark for the past 2 issues made for a confusing story. I really have mixed feelings with this series (and the current Black Terror series). I like that Dynamite is using the Project Super Powers characters but sometimes the results fall short of good stories. 5/10.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 19, 2019 20:20:55 GMT -5
I picked up Star Wars: Empire Ascendant and it wasn't what I was expecting. Instead of a sort of quasi-event book bridging what Marvel has done with Star Wars since getting the book back and moving on to the Empire Strikes Back like it was billed as it was instead more of a sample book with short features from the creative teams that are getting new number ones in the new year. They weren't bad per say, and I'm looking forward to Vader, Bounty Hunters and Doctor Aphra but I definitely would have preferred a real story.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 20, 2019 9:12:28 GMT -5
Picard: Count Down #2Summary: A native rebellion backed by the Tal Shiar frees Picard from Romulan captivity but the Admiral's ship is in trouble.
Plot: I'm really enjoying this comic so far, which is great as Star Trek comics are usually more miss than hit with me. In many ways it feels like one of those great two part episodes that made Next Generation so much fun to watch; there's enough action to keep the casual fan enthralled while the meat of the story is much more personal and usually ended with those quiet character moments providing the solution to the problem at the end. On top of that, as a precursor to the new show this issue introduced who I assume are the two Romulans we saw approaching Picard in the trailer, giving us a great introduction to characters who will no doubt be more important later on, and while they will hopefully be fully fleshed out in the episode proper a little foreknowledge is always fun.
Art: While I enjoy the photo-realistic take on Picard, and the character work is excellent the back grounds are all very bare which really defeats the purpose of depicting an alien world. There's one scene in particular where this flaw is painfully obvious, as the natives lead Picard and his new first officer to their secret strong hold Picard reacts wonderfully to his surroundings and marvels at the beauty of the nature and especially the usidedown waterfall. While the emotions are clear on the characters faces, the back ground itself is nearly empty so with out the dialogue I wouldn't have known why they seemed to be experiencing such a sense of wonder...and the upside down waterfall? It looked normal to me.
Grade:6/10 |
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