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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 15, 2016 13:08:10 GMT -5
Here we are again for another week of reviews of the latest comics by you, our ever talented users! That's right, I said it; these reviews aren't from paid spokesmen but you the average reader so if you want to contribute jump right in whether its a full review or just a few quick words about a book. And with out further ado, here are this week's releases: Archie:Archie #14Sonic Universe #92 Boom!:Adventure Time #5 Backstagers #4 Joyride #7 Kong of Skull Island #5 Slam #1 Dark Horse:Aliens #3 Black Hammer #5BPRD #147Briggsland #4 DHP #28 Spell on Wheels #2 DC:Aquaman #11Batman #11 Cave Carson #2 Cyborg #5 Doctor Fate #18 Green Arrow #11 Green Lanterns #11 Justice League #9 Nightwing #9Raven #3 Suicide Squad #6 Superman #11 and thoughts by MD62 and ThwhtguardianTrinity #3Dynamite:Battlestar Galactica #4 Bobs Burgers #16 Control #6 Red Team #5 IDW:Angry Birds #11 Atomic Robo #4 Electric Sublime #2 GI Joe Revolution #1 Godzilla #4 Micronauts #7 Star Trek Waypoint #2 Image:Demonic #4 Hadrian's Wall #3 Horizon #5 Hunt #4 Invincible #131 Kill or Be Killed #4 Peter Panzerfaust #24 Reborn #2 Snowfall #7 Spawn #267 Marvel:Wolverine #14 Amazing Spider-Man #21 Black Panther #8Sam Wilson #15 Carnage #14 Doctor Strange #14Infamous Ironman #2 Jessica Jones #2 Old Man Logan #14 Hellcat #12 Silk #14 Spider-Man #9 Thanos #1 Uncanny Inhumans #15 Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 As the reviews come in I'll hyperlink them here, and if you read something and I missed it I'll add it. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2016 9:12:55 GMT -5
Superman #11: Another fun issue. The focus is on Robin and Superboy this issue. Superman and Batman have the boys in a super hero boot camp of sorts with challenges that the 2 boys must solve together. We see Jon being bright, optimistic, and friendly while Damian cannot be bothered with his new partner. The art was nice. Gleason draws children who look like children and not mini adults. We also see the growing friendship between Batman and Superman. Alfred has a nice scene too. This story felt like a modern day silver age story. As I have said before, if you are skipping over Superman, you are missing out on some fun! I still don't care for the new Robin, but if his friendship with Superboy balances him out...I just might change my opinion!
8.5/10
Nightwing #9: My store didn't receive their copies of Trinity and in order to use my check card, I had to spend $5. I noticed Superman was on the cover of Nightwing, so I picked it up. Glad I did! Nightwing is having nightmares and Superman shows up to help him out. Although this isn't Nightwing's Superman, the two find they are becoming fast friends. A villain that I have always liked shows up as well as cameos by other DC heroes. The art was cool. It fit the dream-themed story. I have not read Dick Grayson's adventures since Rebrith (I did read Grayson and loved it), but I really did enjoy this done in one story. It was nice to see Nightwing and Superman interact. Hanging with Batman would be cool no doubt, but to hang with Superman--that would be totally aweseome and we get that perspective with Nightwing. Solid issue.
8/10
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2016 17:24:35 GMT -5
 Script by Francis Manapul. Art and Cover by Clay Mann. When I first started to read this I thought Manapul's art looked "off". So I flipped to the last page & read the credits. I don't know if Mann is a fill in or the new artist. This issue's focus is on Batman as he relives his past with some details changed. Superman & WW are with him. Meanwhile Lois attempts to break into the barn to rescue Jon from Poison Ivy. It looks like next issue will focus on WW. My thoughts: uh oh. Is DC suffering from the 3rd issue curse? IMO Superwoman went off the rails with #3. Trinity may be repeating that pattern. After two strong issues the story felt muddled. Bruce "relives" his life after his parents death but with some details altered. This could have been told in a few pages not a whole issue. The art: while Mann is an amazing artist...most readers are picking this up to see Manapul's art. I have to admit Mann's art looks great but it's not Manapul. Score: 6/10. A big drop in quality from the first 2 issues. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 17, 2016 17:34:35 GMT -5
I thought Trinity looked kind of interesting and I flipped through the first issue and I thought "This isn't nearly good enough to take itself so seriously."
I think it would work a little better if it was treated more like the old World's Finest series, only with Wonder Woman thrown in. The Composite Superman should return. The Crime Rocket should be a recurring phenomenon. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite should be joined by Wonder Fairy for pranks and hijinks. Luthor, the Joker and the Angle Man could team up for an elaborate nonsensical revenge plot. Of course, each plot would take four to six issues instead of being wrapped up in 12 pages.
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 17, 2016 17:36:17 GMT -5
Wouldn't Egg Fu be a great foe for a Trinity storyline?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2016 18:12:27 GMT -5
 Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Philippe Briones. Cover by Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessy. Aquaman is in the hospital recovering after his beating by the Shaggy Man. Mera takes him back to Atlantis to recover. NEMO is frustrated that Aquaman messed up their plans with the Shaggy Man. They then launch an attack against the USA posing as Atlanteans... Abnett continues to knock this title out of the park. All the characters are written well. The action is intense. The plot is paced well. Great job. I really like Briones art style. I can't wait for the next arc...the Deluge! Score: 7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2016 23:52:53 GMT -5
 Script by Mark Waid. Art and Cover by Joe Eisma. Archie tries to set up his parents anniversary party & also tries to be more like Jughead to avoid girls. Meanwhile the rivalry between Veronica & Cheryl escalates at the all girl school. Veronica discovers not only does she miss Archie but also a "normal" life in Riverdale. Waid continues a great run on this book. Archie still can't do anything right but is still likeable. Jughead is a great friend. Veronica grows as a character. Cheryl Blossom "assumes" the more annoying role that Ronnie filled before. I like Eisma's art. Overall another good issue set in the New Riverdale. Looking forward to the addition of the Reggie title next month... Score: 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2016 10:15:00 GMT -5
Best of the Week: Script by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. Art and Cover by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray. Part 2 of 2. The debut of the Super Sons. This issue has the sons going thru tests devised by their dads. Of course after some set backs they triumph. But by the end of the issue they are arguing & fighting with each other. Again (I sound like a broken record) another FUN issue. If the Super Sons title is this good I will have to read it too! This issue felt like an old World's Finest issue. That's a compliment. This title celebrates what I love about comics. Pure escapism. The sons are written & drawn as kids not little adults. My only minor complaint...Batman doesn't really know this Superman. He seems too trusting here of this Superman. In other books Batman is watching him to see if he is worthy to be Superman. Score: 9/10.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 18, 2016 19:09:20 GMT -5
I thought Trinity looked kind of interesting and I flipped through the first issue and I thought "This isn't nearly good enough to take itself so seriously." I think it would work a little better if it was treated more like the old World's Finest series, only with Wonder Woman thrown in. The Composite Superman should return. The Crime Rocket should be a recurring phenomenon. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite should be joined by Wonder Fairy for pranks and hijinks. Luthor, the Joker and the Angle Man could team up for an elaborate nonsensical revenge plot. Of course, each plot would take four to six issues instead of being wrapped up in 12 pages. It's not the most compelling story, the whole under a spell/drugged sleep/ alternate reality story has been done before and to better affect but the art here is absolutely top notch and the character moments about fatherhood and family are so well done that they easily make up for the shortcomings of the narrative itself. And I definitely think Mannapul could pull off the kinds of stories that the old World's Finest series used to do, he has a great balance between fun and seriousness to his style that those saturday morning cartoon kind of stories would feel right tonally under him. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 18, 2016 21:10:06 GMT -5
Superman #11: Another fun issue. The focus is on Robin and Superboy this issue. Superman and Batman have the boys in a super hero boot camp of sorts with challenges that the 2 boys must solve together. We see Jon being bright, optimistic, and friendly while Damian cannot be bothered with his new partner. The art was nice. Gleason draws children who look like children and not mini adults. We also see the growing friendship between Batman and Superman. Alfred has a nice scene too. This story felt like a modern day silver age story. As I have said before, if you are skipping over Superman, you are missing out on some fun! I still don't care for the new Robin, but if his friendship with Superboy balances him out...I just might change my opinion! 8.5/10 Nightwing #9: My store didn't receive their copies of Trinity and in order to use my check card, I had to spend $5. I noticed Superman was on the cover of Nightwing, so I picked it up. Glad I did! Nightwing is having nightmares and Superman shows up to help him out. Although this isn't Nightwing's Superman, the two find they are becoming fast friends. A villain that I have always liked shows up as well as cameos by other DC heroes. The art was cool. It fit the dream-themed story. I have not read Dick Grayson's adventures since Rebrith (I did read Grayson and loved it), but I really did enjoy this done in one story. It was nice to see Nightwing and Superman interact. Hanging with Batman would be cool no doubt, but to hang with Superman--that would be totally aweseome and we get that perspective with Nightwing. Solid issue. 8/10 I did the samething with Nightwing, although I had a heads up based from MD62's review of the last issue of Nightwing. However I wasn't as big a fan of the issue as you. I felt this version of Superman was drawn too young and I didn't get the same paternal personality about him that I've been loving over in Superman. |
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Post by Dizzy D on Nov 19, 2016 4:43:43 GMT -5
Doctor Strange #14 Written by Jason Aaron
Pencils by Chris Bachalo
Inkers: Al Vey, John Livesay, Victor Olazaba, Wayne Faucher and Tim Townsend (The Army of Inkers is Back!).
Colours: Antonio Fabela and Java Tartaglia.
What went before: Weakened by the war, Strange has been targetted by his greatest foes. Mordo, allied with Dormammu, failed but is still around. Nightmare trapped Strange in his dreamworld, but Strange defeated him and escaped, but he left the Dream Dimension for Satana's Hell. Not really an improvement, I'd say. Summary: Satana has drawn Strange into her Hell and explains to him her plans: she intends to make her Hell dimension the most attractive afterlife (would you like to play harps and sing hymns for eternity? Or do you rather have drinks with rockstars and novelists). For this plan to succeed she needs the souls of interesting people to be her hosts and she intends the doctor to be her star attraction. Strange disagrees, but the side of Demon bacon Satana forced him to eat, is killing him and once it does, his soul is hers for eternity. Plot: Still enjoying the second arc, but there are some minor issues I have with this issue. Overall I like it though, Satana switches between charms and threats constantly and her idea sounds like it could work. The thing I like most is that she makes clear that Strange is not essential to her plan. She likes to have him around for her purposes, but she will not bend to his wishes because others can fill his role in her plan as well. The thing I'm disappointed with is Master Pandemonium's role in the story. I never read West Coast Avengers, but I liked his design. This time he's just Satana's minion and it seems like a waste of an interesting character. His part in this story could easily have been filled with a throwaway demon. Next time: Aaron brings in one of his personal favourites, The Orb. Classic fans often complain about decompression and lack of standalone stories and I think Aaron is doing a good job on this second arc to make stories that both fit into a larger storyline, but that still work as standalone issues. Art: I'm still a Bachalo fan and the Army is still doing fine work on making things clear and comprehensible, though the scenes within Strange's digestive tract get confusing (though that is not surpising). There are a couple of familiar faces in the backgrounds, which I always enjoy. Grade: 8/10 |
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Post by Dizzy D on Nov 19, 2016 5:05:39 GMT -5
Black Panther #8 Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Pencils/layouts by Chris Sprouse
Inks/finishes by Karl Story and Walden Wong
Colours: Laura Martin
What went before: The Crew has assisted the Black Panther in driving away Ezekiel Stane and his allies, but the rebellion has taken a turn for the worst when they rejected the teachings of their pacifist teacher. Meanwhile Shuri, T'Challa's death/comatose sister, is learning in the Djalia, which best can be described as a spirit-world, while her brother is working on a way to save her. Summary: Manifold brings the rest of the Crew home, but returns to help T'Challa save his sister. T'Challa recaps what actually happened to Shuri and how he has concluded that her soul is no longer within her body, so with the help of his technology and Eden's powers, they now travel to the Djalla to bring back her soul. Shuri is learning old Wakandan stories from a spirit that looks like her mother, but she is now understanding her new role. Plot: The subplot of Shuri being death/comatose is getting resolved this issue and Shuri takes the role of Aja-Adanna, the keeper of Wakandan Lore. I like the ancient Wakandan story that Shuri is told/telling, it makes Wakanda feel more a real country with an actual culture. Also glad that Shuri is back, because T'Challa desperately needs allies and Shuri's new role seems like it would be a good addition to battle the rebels. Art: I like Shuri's new costume a lot. T'Challa and Eden's trip into the Djalia is a bit disappointing (just them floating through streams of blue and white energy. More could have been done with that). I do love Brian Stelfreeze cover for this one. Grade: 7/10 |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2016 11:04:02 GMT -5
I did the samething with Nightwing, although I had a heads up based from MD62's review of the last issue of Nightwing. However I wasn't as big a fan of the issue as you. I felt this version of Superman was drawn too young and I didn't get the same paternal personality about him that I've been loving over in Superman. I read Nightwing #9 too. It was...different. I skipped reviewing it. Couldn't describe how I felt about it. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 19, 2016 18:53:48 GMT -5
I did the samething with Nightwing, although I had a heads up based from MD62's review of the last issue of Nightwing. However I wasn't as big a fan of the issue as you. I felt this version of Superman was drawn too young and I didn't get the same paternal personality about him that I've been loving over in Superman. I read Nightwing #9 too. It was...different. I skipped reviewing it. Couldn't describe how I felt about it. I know Superman was classically a big part of Robin's development and post crisis there were a few issues that tried to highlight that relationship but I'm struggling to come up with a story that highlighted that relationship post flash point so the whole Dick Grayson/ Clark Kent angle felt off to me. I think it would have been better if they had tried to develop that relationship more rather than just leaving it as understood that Dick was friends with the prior Clark and by having Superman come across as younger it not only felt discordant with what's been going on in the super books but it missed a great opportunity story wise here as I think Dick could have benefited from a more fatherly Clark Kent. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 19, 2016 19:26:40 GMT -5
Superman #11 Written by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason Penciled by Patrick Gleason Inked by Mick Gray Colored by John Kalisz Summary: Damian and Jon are placed in superhero boot camp by their fathers and if they want to pass they're going to have to learn how to work together.
Plot: Tomasi and Gleason finish up their Super Sons story with this issue and while lacking in depth it had a great Saturday morning cartoon feel. The energy was high, Clark and Damian's personalty clashes were spot on and fun and the action focused paced provided a fun read. That said, while I enjoyed Bruce and Clark comparing notes on being dads in the last issue it felt a little overly sentimental here at the end. Don't get me wrong, I love the super dads but it felt more than a little thick here, I want it to feel real not like a lifetime channel original.
Art: While the plot was a little thin Gleason's art was still top notch, I love the expressions he gave Damian and Jon and the action was clear and easy to follow. I will say that at times the inking was very inconsistent and when I looked closer at the credits the reason was clear...there were four separate inkers! None of them were terrible it was just that the differences in their styles were evident and I'm not sure why it was done that way.
Conclusion: A little light on story but the Saturday morning feel was fun enough but overall it was a slight bump in an otherwise fantastic run.
Grade: 6/10
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