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Post by String on Apr 25, 2017 12:21:54 GMT -5
Batman #21 - seeing as how this is a crossover mini with the Flash (a title I do read), let's see what's been going on with the Button.... We start off witnessing a pro hockey game between the franchises of Gotham and Metropolis respectively. As can happen in a hockey game, a fight erupts between two opposing players which quickly escalates in violence and severity. Meanwhile, Bruce, in the Batcave, with the Button, contacts Barry in wanting to renew their investigation into this item. However, Barry is currently engaged in a conflict on his own but advises Bruce that he should be there within a minute. Suddenly, enter Eobard Thawne, recently revived, having been drawn to the Batcave by the energies of the Button, which he wants. Bruce, of course, declines and a fight ensues. It's quickly apparent that Bruce is severely over-matched, his only hope being that he can survive this encounter for a minute till Barry arrives. Despite Bruce getting in a few good licks here and there, Thawne ends up leaving Bruce bloodied and battered into unconscious. (It doesn't help that a minute passes...and no Barry. He's late). Thawne picks up the Button and... {Spoiler: Click to show}
...vanishes into a blue light. A few seconds later, he reappears barely alive. He whispers that he's seen the face of God and collapses dead beside Batman. Barry arrives, saying that he was late because he stopped by the Gotham arena to check if they needed any help but it was too late, the hockey player was dead, having been beaten to death. Barry freezes upon seeing the bloody scene before him on the Batcave floor. I'm not sure what to make about this issue. As for the mystery of the Button, we know no more about it now than we did before this issue. The inclusion of the hockey game events was strange unless it was meant as some kind of analogy to the events that unfolded in the Batcave. (Also, toss in yet another LSH tease when we see Imra along with other Arkham inmates watching this game. The carnage causes her to freak, screaming how Superman fails to arrive and everything is doomed). Jason Fabok is the highlight for me here, he conveys the menace and mayhem very well. King handles Thawne just as well, his arrogance and superiority shining through as he taunts and beats down Bruce. But as the opening act for this (apparently) important mystery, it felt a little flat for me, despite showcasing one of my favorite DC villains. Let's see how this picks up in the next issue of Flash. 5/10
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Post by String on Apr 25, 2017 12:42:01 GMT -5
Other thoughts:
Superman #21- this was quite the dark issue, if you think about it. The mystery of the Cobb family deepens, their effects upon Jon and Damian (the full page shot of him being hoisted into the air was chilling) more apparent. Superman's fight with the squid was good with the aftermath being enlightening on some people's perceptions (and expectations) of Superman's capability. The last shots of Superman disappearing into the darkness of the Cobb family's home was harrowing. This has been a mystery that's building some great suspense.
8/10
Super Sons #3 - Yeah, maybe a filler issue to a degree but the dynamic between Jon and Damian only intensifies more. They do seem to bring both the best and the worst out of each other. How their fathers' bearings influence their thinking and their responses is great.
7/10
Daredevil #19 - we're slowly getting to the explanation of what exactly Matt did to restore his secret identity but this was a good detour. Killgrave's intentions with the general populace here are insidious yet Matt's internal mental conflict to overcome Killgrave's control was good. The different aspects of DD seen here all had their right 'voices' from the Miller-like descriptions of young Matt of MWOF to the extreme opinions of armored DD of Chichester. How Matt thwarts Killgrave's intentions felt right and true to his character. Now, just tell me how the heck he pulled this trick off.
8/10
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 5, 2017 11:42:03 GMT -5
Supersons #3 Written by Peter J. Tomasi Art by Jorge Jimenz Summary: Jon and Damian continue on their first real solo mission together only to encounter an honest to goodness supervillain in Kid-Amazo.
Plot: The push and shove, competitive relationship that Tomasi is developing beyween Damian and Jon. The energetic, young rivalry is fun to see and feels truly organic and real; it's like seeing real kids interact and that's something you don't see everyday. It's full of a true sense of wonder and discovery and I can't wait to see where it goes.
Art: Jiminez's slightly angular style gives the book a really snappy, energetic feel that really fits the youthful feel of the book. That said the cover by Dustin Nyugen was a bit of a tease as although Jiminez's art fits well Nyugen's art would be amazing.
Grade:8/10 I agree... the dynamic between Jon and Damian is brilliant, even if I do feel a bit like Damian is more over the top here than he is elsewhere. I love the call back to the Amazo virus, too, such things make me happy. The Jon with ripped Jeans thing is starting to annoy me though, he needs some unstable molecules or something. also, I had a different cover..  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 6, 2017 9:55:55 GMT -5
Supersons #3Written by Peter J. Tomasi Art by Jorge Jimenz Summary: Jon and Damian continue on their first real solo mission together only to encounter an honest to goodness supervillain in Kid-Amazo.
Plot: The push and shove, competitive relationship that Tomasi is developing beyween Damian and Jon. The energetic, young rivalry is fun to see and feels truly organic and real; it's like seeing real kids interact and that's something you don't see everyday. It's full of a true sense of wonder and discovery and I can't wait to see where it goes.
Art: Jiminez's slightly angular style gives the book a really snappy, energetic feel that really fits the youthful feel of the book. That said the cover by Dustin Nyugen was a bit of a tease as although Jiminez's art fits well Nyugen's art would be amazing.
Grade:8/10 I agree... the dynamic between Jon and Damian is brilliant, even if I do feel a bit like Damian is more over the top here than he is elsewhere. I love the call back to the Amazo virus, too, such things make me happy. The Jon with ripped Jeans thing is starting to annoy me though, he needs some unstable molecules or something. also, I had a different cover.. A more permanent outfit probably would be best, but the ripped jeans look reminds me of Superboy's leather jacket from the 90's so it's kinda fun. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 15, 2017 18:29:50 GMT -5
Poe Dameron #13 This is the big finale of Poe's running 'battle' with Terex... bad things happen to good and bad guys alike. I won't go into other details, since there's really no way to go into details without spoilers, but it was a good ending that does what a big story is supposed to do, give a solid ending and open up new story possibilities. This would be a terrible issue to jump on to (next issue would be good for that, I suspect), but if you've been reading the series, it's excellent. I was surprised to see Mister Bones (from Chuck Wendig's novel) make an appearance.. I didn't think there was that sort of co-ordination going on. 9/10  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 15, 2017 20:36:42 GMT -5
Poe Dameron #13 This is the big finale of Poe's running 'battle' with Terex... bad things happen to good and bad guys alike. I won't go into other details, since there's really no way to go into details without spoilers, but it was a good ending that does what a big story is supposed to do, give a solid ending and open up new story possibilities. This would be a terrible issue to jump on to (next issue would be good for that, I suspect), but if you've been reading the series, it's excellent. I was surprised to see Mister Bones (from Chuck Wendig's novel) make an appearance.. I didn't think there was that sort of co-ordination going on. 9/10 I still can't get myself to care about Poe, but that image is great. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 16, 2017 15:18:53 GMT -5
I had alot of trouble caring at first too, but the book has gotten progressively better. The other members of black squadron have gotten some time, and C3P0's role is amazing. While Poe is kinda bland, the main bad guy, Terex, is quite a cool, complex character and worth the price of admission if you see the trade for a good price.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2017 16:08:26 GMT -5
Poe Dameron #13 This is the big finale of Poe's running 'battle' with Terex... bad things happen to good and bad guys alike. I won't go into other details, since there's really no way to go into details without spoilers, but it was a good ending that does what a big story is supposed to do, give a solid ending and open up new story possibilities. This would be a terrible issue to jump on to (next issue would be good for that, I suspect), but if you've been reading the series, it's excellent. I was surprised to see Mister Bones (from Chuck Wendig's novel) make an appearance.. I didn't think there was that sort of co-ordination going on. 9/10 This is the second time they've had Snap allude to events from the Aftermath Trilogy. In one of the earlier Poe issues he said something like "I was 16 when I was in the Battle of Jakku". |
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 16, 2017 17:47:38 GMT -5
I had alot of trouble caring at first too, but the book has gotten progressively better. The other members of black squadron have gotten some time, and C3P0's role is amazing. While Poe is kinda bland, the main bad guy, Terex, is quite a cool, complex character and worth the price of admission if you see the trade for a good price. If I see a trade I might give it another go, I read the first few issues and just couldn't get into it. There's just so much room to explore around the new film and it boggled my mind that the book set there focused on events that weren't even important enough to make the opening crawl of Force Awakens. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 16, 2017 20:53:51 GMT -5
Poe Dameron #13 This is the big finale of Poe's running 'battle' with Terex... bad things happen to good and bad guys alike. I won't go into other details, since there's really no way to go into details without spoilers, but it was a good ending that does what a big story is supposed to do, give a solid ending and open up new story possibilities. This would be a terrible issue to jump on to (next issue would be good for that, I suspect), but if you've been reading the series, it's excellent. I was surprised to see Mister Bones (from Chuck Wendig's novel) make an appearance.. I didn't think there was that sort of co-ordination going on. 9/10 This is the second time they've had Snap allude to events from the Aftermath Trilogy. In one of the earlier Poe issues he said something like "I was 16 when I was in the Battle of Jakku". I only read the first one, and he was still a kid (assuming it's the same guy).. do they actually do the Battle of Jakku in one of them? Or am I misremembering it? (I admit my memory of it is spotty, terrible book). |
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2017 20:59:43 GMT -5
This is the second time they've had Snap allude to events from the Aftermath Trilogy. In one of the earlier Poe issues he said something like "I was 16 when I was in the Battle of Jakku". I only read the first one, and he was still a kid (assuming it's the same guy).. do they actually do the Battle of Jakku in one of them? Or am I misremembering it? (I admit my memory of it is spotty, terrible book). Snap is Temmin. As seen in the second book Life Debt, Wedge gives him his nickname. The Battle of Jakku is in the third book Empire's End. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 16, 2017 21:03:44 GMT -5
That makes it a bit more tempting, then... does Wendig's style get any better?
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2017 21:10:57 GMT -5
That makes it a bit more tempting, then... does Wendig's style get any better? Certainly less fragment sentences. I think Wendig peaked with the second book and then didn't quite stick the landing. But like a lot of the new cannon stuff, it was all a little bland and probably will be until the end of the sequel trilogy to avoid stepping on any toes of the movies. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 23, 2017 8:46:52 GMT -5
While Nightwing was good it slipped a little IMO. The abrupt change in locale from last issue was jarring & I don't buy Damian being so easily subdued. I also missed the Dick/Damian interactions. I don't know... Deathwing took them both out at the beginning of the story line, it's not a huge stretch that he could capture Damian, especially when it was essentially an ambush. While I agree it wasn't done all that well, I do like them remembering the Dick hurt himself last issue.. so often in superhero books they don't. I'm not exactly sure where they are going with this story, but they sure are making me like Shawn, damn them. Sorry, Starfire! |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 26, 2017 13:19:02 GMT -5
Astro City #43I don't always pick up Astro City. I've been picking it up now and then since it started. I'm so glad I picked up #43. The Bouncing Beatnik! Also, the fascinating origin of The Gentleman, a character to whom I was fairly indifferent until now. Yeah, the Bouncing Beatnik was kinda fun, but I really don't like the meta-purple guy.. he's been around too long and doing nothing... I really would like either something to be done with him, or not. I was very unsurprised about the origin of the Gentleman, since I had always pictured him as Astro City's Shazam (since Samaritan is clearly Astro City's Superman).. decent story, but far from the best Astro City offering. |
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