|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 27, 2016 21:32:42 GMT -5
 The Lies: Part 5. Written by Greg Rucka. Art and Cover by Liam Sharp. Down time for our characters. This story accomplished a lot. Steve & Diana talked about her relationship with the New 52 Superman. They kiss & it looks like they may be a couple. The supporting characters get some time. And Diana finally finds her way home...or is it really home? Wow! I have really loved Rucka & Scott's Year One story but have been underwhelmed with the Lies story. But with this issue this storyline became everything I have missed in a modern WW comic. Rucka has established a decent supporting cast. Moved Steve & Diana into being a couple again. Have Steve be a person worthy of Diana. Set up a cliffhanger for the next part. And Sharp's art is beautiful. From the mall scene to the beach scene to Paradise Island he nailed it. Score: 10/10. Best book this week!I swear: "down time" issues are usually my favorite issues! When the obligatory plotlines and action sequences are absent, true and organic character growth has free reign. The last issue that featured Cheetah was similarly one of those character issues and it was fantastic. Gail Simone's run on Wonder Woman is one of my favorite comic runs period but this one is catching up. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2016 8:18:14 GMT -5
Action 966: An interesting issue with lots of things happening. I love seeing Superman as a dad. He is caring, fun, and reassuring to his son. The first few pages are fun with Superman and son trying out powers, discussing when Clark discovered his powers, etc. Lots of things to come for Lois as well. I thought Jurgens did very well applying real world situations to Superman and family. Lois returning to work and Jon's reaction. There is a good scene with Lana as well and a LSH member's name is dropped. There seems to be many stories in the works for Superman and company. The last page was very ominous, however.
It feels like Superman's (and Lois's) world is coming together in the Rebirth era, but I can't help but wonder how long the happy times will last. As I was reading this issue, I was thinking how awesome it would be for Conner Kent to return (the pre-flashpoint version) and be a big brother to Jon. I'm guessing he may turn up at some point, but who knows. The art was nice, very fluid. Superman looked "super". Jon looked like a child instead of a caricature of a child. Superman and Action are two of the books I can't wait to read every two weeks.
9/10
Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special: Lots of short stories, pin ups, and a very nice section devoted to Brian Bolland's 90s covers. The art ranges from horrible to wonderful. The stories are very much like the ones you would find in the recently canceled Sensation Comics. My favorite art in the special is Colleen Doran's. Her story is at the end of the book. If you don't want to pay the 7.99 price, don't worry. You aren't missing anything, but if you are a Wonder Woman fan and want a keepsake, pick it up. There is a great pin up by Phil Jiminez as well. While I am liking Wonder Woman in Rebirth....I can't help but miss the star spangled bustier and shorts that WW wore for so many years. Another minor WW quibble. While I was re-reading some 80s WW comics, I noticed that her home was referred to as Paradise Island post crisis and the capital city was Themyscira. I'm guessing Perez eventually just started referring to her home as Themyscira in an effort to make it sound less like an all inclusive resort, but I like Paradise Island better, haha! There is a short story in the special where WW reflects on her island home that made me think of this.
6/10 (low rating due to the shoddy art. WW's 75th deserved better talent and for $8, I expected more.)
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 28, 2016 11:25:03 GMT -5
Witchfinder: City of the Dead #3 Written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson Art by Ben Stenbeck Colored by Michelle Madsen Summary: Sir Edward Grey is hot on the trail of the vampire lord Vlaimir Giurescu, but as he storms his lair he finds the fiend has already fled.
Plot: Mike Mignola is the master of playing the long game when it comes to his story telling, and if you didn't know that by now I think I would present this story as exhibit A. Long before Sir Edward Grey ever got his own title, before he was even seen on page he was mentioned first, almost in passing, in the briefing that Hellboy received before heading out to hunt vampires in 1996's Wake the Devil, "August 8th, 1882 Sir Edward Grey writes to Queen Victoria warning that a visiting nobleman named Giurescu is actually a supernatural being plotting the establishment of a secret, evil empire." and here in 2016 we get the very story that is referenced in passing in that book. For those keeping score at home, that's 20 years between when the story was referenced to when it actually saw publication. Since that time Grey has become a central character in the Hellboy mythos and this is the story that is establishing why that is. It's slow and brooding but as a long time Hellboy reader you can't help but turn each page with excitement to learn yet another clue of why Grey is so important, and for the new reader you get a solid vampire story, one that in universe is said to be the basis of Stoker's Dracula. It's fun and at this time of year it really hits the spot.
Art: Although I loved John Severin's art in Grey's second outing, Lost and Gone Forever, Stenbeck has really become the voice of Grey's world. He's more detailed than Mignola usually is but he knows how to use shadow to convey mood and emotion just about as good as Mignola himself, which is saying a lot. The one thing I'm missing is the coloring, although beautifully done Madsen's pallet lacks the bold contrasts that Dave Stewart usually provides.
Conclusion: This is a must read for long time fans of Hellboy and vampire stories in general.
Grade:9/10 |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Oct 30, 2016 19:15:27 GMT -5
Action 966: An interesting issue with lots of things happening. I love seeing Superman as a dad. He is caring, fun, and reassuring to his son. The first few pages are fun with Superman and son trying out powers, discussing when Clark discovered his powers, etc. Lots of things to come for Lois as well. I thought Jurgens did very well applying real world situations to Superman and family. Lois returning to work and Jon's reaction. There is a good scene with Lana as well and a LSH member's name is dropped. There seems to be many stories in the works for Superman and company. The last page was very ominous, however. It feels like Superman's (and Lois's) world is coming together in the Rebirth era, but I can't help but wonder how long the happy times will last. As I was reading this issue, I was thinking how awesome it would be for Conner Kent to return (the pre-flashpoint version) and be a big brother to Jon. I'm guessing he may turn up at some point, but who knows. The art was nice, very fluid. Superman looked "super". Jon looked like a child instead of a caricature of a child. Superman and Action are two of the books I can't wait to read every two weeks. 9/10 I'm start to get a little worried about how convoluted things are getting... do we really need so very many 'Supers' (as Lana said). I've loving Superman and Lois as parents, and Jon is the best Superboy since the clone version (I mean, who doesn't love Tactile Telekenesis?), but we have some sort of impostor Clark, now we have Lois impersonating herself and noto telling anyone.. it's could get really messy. OTOH, the stories and characters have been great so far, so I'l try not to borrow trouble and just enjoy it. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 8:50:00 GMT -5
Action 966: An interesting issue with lots of things happening. I love seeing Superman as a dad. He is caring, fun, and reassuring to his son. The first few pages are fun with Superman and son trying out powers, discussing when Clark discovered his powers, etc. Lots of things to come for Lois as well. I thought Jurgens did very well applying real world situations to Superman and family. Lois returning to work and Jon's reaction. There is a good scene with Lana as well and a LSH member's name is dropped. There seems to be many stories in the works for Superman and company. The last page was very ominous, however. It feels like Superman's (and Lois's) world is coming together in the Rebirth era, but I can't help but wonder how long the happy times will last. As I was reading this issue, I was thinking how awesome it would be for Conner Kent to return (the pre-flashpoint version) and be a big brother to Jon. I'm guessing he may turn up at some point, but who knows. The art was nice, very fluid. Superman looked "super". Jon looked like a child instead of a caricature of a child. Superman and Action are two of the books I can't wait to read every two weeks. 9/10 I'm start to get a little worried about how convoluted things are getting... do we really need so very many 'Supers' (as Lana said). I've loving Superman and Lois as parents, and Jon is the best Superboy since the clone version (I mean, who doesn't love Tactile Telekenesis?), but we have some sort of impostor Clark, now we have Lois impersonating herself and noto telling anyone.. it's could get really messy. OTOH, the stories and characters have been great so far, so I'l try not to borrow trouble and just enjoy it. I agree about all the Supers running around. I am thinking this is all going to play into something bigger coming up. And yes, I miss Superboy with his tactile telekinesis! I am enjoying the ride so far, hoping it doesn't go off the rails. I haven't enjoyed Superman this much since before the new 52. |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 31, 2016 14:33:09 GMT -5
Writer: James Tynion IV Art: Alvarado Martinez and Raul Fernandez Summary: Batman has compiled a Bat-Family S.W.A.T. team, a group of paranormal super-hero types who train as a group to (hopefully) develop into a combat organization that can band together when needed to take out the bad guys in situations where the usual Gotham "lone wolf" approach might seem to be an inefficient way to tackle the problem. The group is being trained by Batwoman. The other members are: The Spoiler (Stephanie Brown), the Clue-Master's daughter, who became a solo masked vigilante and hung out in Tim Drake's comic book for a while, then she was Robin (for like two pages), then she was beaten to death by Black Mask (she got better) and then she was Batgirl. (Well, probably not in the Rebirth continuity. Barbara Gordon is barely 20 and has barely had time to be Batgirl! So I don't know what the Spoiler's story is in current DC continuity. Forget I said anything.); Red Robin (Tim Drake), an athletic 'and intellectual prodigy who is much more qualified to be Batman than Bruce Wayne. For one thing, he's not super-paranoid all the time. Drake was believed dead after the new team's first mission, but he's actually alive in a glass cage somewhere. (And it's just a rumor that "Red" in "Red Robin" stands for Redundant."); Orphan (Cassandra Cain). I don't know what to tell you what's up with her in Rebirth. She may have been Batgirl during that three- or four-month period where Barbara Gordon was Oracle. Probably not. (And good luck finding out anything from her. She doesn't talk.); and Clayface (Basil Karlo), a horror actor who got turned into magic clay somehow (a magic grotto, maybe?) and was a bad guy for a while and now he's trying to go straight. The team is recovering from a really bad cross-over where somebody thought they would improve on a classic story from the first issue of Batman (from 1940) and … well, let's admit that it didn’t go quite as bad as the heist in [/b]Reservoir Dogs[/b]. Now, they have a chance at redemption as a new multi-part story – The Victim Syndicate – begins in Detective Comics. Plot: Somebody has vandalized the lobby at Wayne Enterprises … and killed three Gotham cops doing it. Batwoman and Renee Montoya are on the scene. There's a huge red bat symbol on the wall, followed by the words "NO MORE!" What does it mean? Meanwhile, Batwoman is worried about her little team. Red Robin is dead (they think), and the Spoiler is taking it hard and not responding to calls. And Batman also seems to be much affected by the problems besetting the team. He shows up to threaten Batwoman's dad (long story) every once in a while, but he's not otherwise much engaging with the team. Clayface and Orphan seem to be doing OK, mixing it up in the Bat-Cave's Danger Room. Everybody goes to a charity ball. (Because there is apparently nothing much else to do in Gotham City if you're grotesquely wealthy.) Lucius Fox's smarmy, annoying son shows up. Then the Victim Syndicate attacks! They are sending a message to the greatest villain Gotham City has ever known! BATMAN! To be continued … Art: As much as I bag on this series, I have loved the art. There are a lot of main characters running around in this book, but everybody is an individual. The small amount of acceptance that I feel for Clayface (and to a lesser extent, Orphan) can be attributed to the warmth and humanity in the art. Batwoman is pretty awesome-looking all the time, and that's a big plus. Conclusion: So far so good with "The Victim Syndicate." I like Stephanie Brown a lot, and she seems to be acting completely in character here. Batwoman is stepping in to keep things together while Batman deals with losing another Robin. It was great seeing Montoya! And Luke Fox, man, I really hate him! But I think I'm supposed to. The Victim Syndicate – which seems to be blaming Batman for many of Gotham's problems (and presumably their own personal problems as well) – is a very interesting idea that has a lot of potential, not just for this storyline, but for the future. And I liked the first issue a lot! (It helped a great deal that only one of the guests at the charity ball was Clayface.) Rating: 7/10 [/quote] I just finished this myself and while I found the pacing to be a little slow there was some fun characterization, and the look of the first victim was interesting. |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 31, 2016 15:05:37 GMT -5
Action 966: An interesting issue with lots of things happening. I love seeing Superman as a dad. He is caring, fun, and reassuring to his son. The first few pages are fun with Superman and son trying out powers, discussing when Clark discovered his powers, etc. Lots of things to come for Lois as well. I thought Jurgens did very well applying real world situations to Superman and family. Lois returning to work and Jon's reaction. There is a good scene with Lana as well and a LSH member's name is dropped. There seems to be many stories in the works for Superman and company. The last page was very ominous, however. It feels like Superman's (and Lois's) world is coming together in the Rebirth era, but I can't help but wonder how long the happy times will last. As I was reading this issue, I was thinking how awesome it would be for Conner Kent to return (the pre-flashpoint version) and be a big brother to Jon. I'm guessing he may turn up at some point, but who knows. The art was nice, very fluid. Superman looked "super". Jon looked like a child instead of a caricature of a child. Superman and Action are two of the books I can't wait to read every two weeks. 9/10 Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special: Lots of short stories, pin ups, and a very nice section devoted to Brian Bolland's 90s covers. The art ranges from horrible to wonderful. The stories are very much like the ones you would find in the recently canceled Sensation Comics. My favorite art in the special is Colleen Doran's. Her story is at the end of the book. If you don't want to pay the 7.99 price, don't worry. You aren't missing anything, but if you are a Wonder Woman fan and want a keepsake, pick it up. There is a great pin up by Phil Jiminez as well. While I am liking Wonder Woman in Rebirth....I can't help but miss the star spangled bustier and shorts that WW wore for so many years. Another minor WW quibble. While I was re-reading some 80s WW comics, I noticed that her home was referred to as Paradise Island post crisis and the capital city was Themyscira. I'm guessing Perez eventually just started referring to her home as Themyscira in an effort to make it sound less like an all inclusive resort, but I like Paradise Island better, haha! There is a short story in the special where WW reflects on her island home that made me think of this. 6/10 (low rating due to the shoddy art. WW's 75th deserved better talent and for $8, I expected more.) I was a little disappointed by the last issue of Action Comics but this was an improvement. I'm still not entirely sold with replacing Lois but the scenes with Clark and Jon were fantastic. Superdad may be the greatest development in Superman. |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Oct 31, 2016 21:49:23 GMT -5
Deathstroke #5
I'm not sure I'm liking this version of the Wilson family.. they're just a little too over the top as far as evil and dysfunction goes, and really I mostly just like Joey anyway.
That said, Priest needs to be writing Batman.. NOW. I absolutely love his take. His Damian is a little too flip, but that's not the end of the world. The weird narrative style of having random chapter titles is getting old, too. On the plus side, following Batman's logic and seeing him be right eventually was really fun.
Art wise, good faces and expressions, but not alot going on action wise... also there was a minor plot error with the art that bugged me.
Plot: 4/5
Art 3/5
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 1, 2016 17:30:33 GMT -5
Deathstroke #5 I'm not sure I'm liking this version of the Wilson family.. they're just a little too over the top as far as evil and dysfunction goes, and really I mostly just like Joey anyway. That said, Priest needs to be writing Batman.. NOW. I absolutely love his take. His Damian is a little too flip, but that's not the end of the world. The weird narrative style of having random chapter titles is getting old, too. On the plus side, following Batman's logic and seeing him be right eventually was really fun. Art wise, good faces and expressions, but not alot going on action wise... also there was a minor plot error with the art that bugged me. Plot: 4/5 Art 3/5 Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of the family dynamic but I really like his Batman, but I had a feeling I would as I did back in the 80's when he did a fill in story too. |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 1, 2016 20:26:54 GMT -5
I really just glad to see Priest back.. he's one of my favorites. I can't say I'd be buying the book with a different writer.
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 2, 2016 11:02:43 GMT -5
I really just glad to see Priest back.. he's one of my favorites. I can't say I'd be buying the book with a different writer. Same here, I've never been that big of a fan of Deathstroke but I bought it because I love Priest's writing. The second he leaves the book I'll probably drop it unless there is an equally compelling writer on board. |
|
|
|
Post by Dizzy D on Nov 4, 2016 12:36:30 GMT -5
Eh, thirded. Never bought Deathstroke before, buying it for Priest.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dizzy D on Nov 5, 2016 6:50:52 GMT -5
Dr. Strange: Mystical Apprentice Written by Will Corona Pilgrim Art by Andrea di Vito Colours by Laura Villari
Also contains reprints of stories by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. You might have heard of them before? What went before: Nothing! It's issue #1 and it's a movie tie-in. I didn't realise this when I bought it, but it takes place halfway through the movie. So if you haven't seen the movie: spoilers (but nothing you didn't figure out already.). Summary: Newly introduced to the mystical arts, Dr. Strange tries to master astral projection but keeps failing at it. Also: reprints of the origin of Dr. Strange and Dr. Strange's first fight with Nightmare. Plot: The summary pretty much sums it up, the whole issue feels like a deleted scene from the movie and if you've seen the movie, you get why they would have deleted this scene. Art: Andrea di Vito tries with what he's given, but there's so little here and he doesn't do anything interesting with the few things he got. Grade: 3/10(for the new story. The reprints are fantastic, but there are dozens of ways to get those two) |
|
|
|
Post by Dizzy D on Nov 5, 2016 7:34:28 GMT -5
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #1 Written by Robbie Thompson Pencils by Javier Rodriguez Inks by Alvaro Lopez What went before: I't's a #1, but it's taking place in regular Marvel continuity so a short recap of the main Dr. Strange series, I guess? Anti-magic fanatics the Empirikul have attacked the Sorcerer's of Earth. Strange and his allies managed to drive them off, but at the cost of much power. Summary: Ages ago, Merlin imprisoned many evil beings deep beneath the Earth. Now Merlin faces the Forgotten, a threat set free by the Empirikul, so he travels through time to gather many Sorcerers Supreme to help him defeat his enemies. Plot: We are thrown in the thick of it with little introduction, the prologue is Merlin imprisoning his former student and another being. Then we skip to the present where Merlin recruits Strange and takes him back to Merlin's time. Already gathered are other Sorcerers Supreme: Wiccan from the future, Isaac Newton and his creation the Mindful One (a Mindless One who can speak and think), a young version of the Ancient One, Kushula a Native American Sorceress Supreme and Nina, a gun- and sabre wielding conjurer. Then the Forgotten appears and immediately throws the team in disarray. It's still unclear how they all fit into the Marvel timeline I knew so far (as the Ancient One has been Sorcerer Supreme for 500 years in the Marvel timeline, so how do Isaac Newton and Nina fit in?), but the new characters seem interesting so far and they are different enough to create some tension within the team and there is some history between characters that promise some nice plothooks for the rest of the series. Art: The art is pretty good for most of the issue, but there are a few great pages like the page where Merlin and Strange travel through time. According to credits there is only 1 colorist and 1 inker throughout the whole issue, but there are some pages that are differently coloured or ink. In case of the timetravel and intro, it makes sense, but the page where Strange meets the young Ancient One and realises who he is, the inking or colouring is different and I don't get why. Grade: 8/10 Plotwise, it's introducing a new group of characters so it's still build-up, but it's a promising start and the art gives it that little bit extra to push the grade to an 8. |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 5, 2016 18:38:33 GMT -5
 I feel like this story is dragging, big time. Kai gets beat up when Batgirl realizes she was tricked out of the country, and starts putting the pieces together as to what's going on. It turns out Kai was couriering some sort of viral-encoded data, but after he got beat up and hospitalized it's gone, so he's in trouble. Batgirl tells him she's protecting him, but to leave Barbara alone (how he can't figure out stuff is kinda dumb). Meanwhile, we get some pretty cool fight scenes and pretty art... I'd ready to go back to Burnside, though. Plot: 2.5/5 Art: 4.5/5 Total 7/10 |
|
