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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 29, 2017 20:35:06 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2017 21:19:44 GMT -5
I bought it (haven't gotten it in mail yet). . but. . the spelling of this title?
"MYSTIK U" ??
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2017 21:21:23 GMT -5
Slow (5th) week. Only bought 2 Annuals. For me annuals are hit or miss. Aquaman Annual 2017: Written by Philip Kennedy Johnson. Art and Cover by Max Fiumara. This was a miss for me. We have seen this story before with other characters. Nothing new here or any unique twists. I don't know this writer. It read like fan fiction. And sorry but the art was not to my liking. It was a third rate Frank Quitely. Ugly faces. Distorted bodies. I always thought Frank's art was an acquired taste with his doughy faces but his backgrounds were detailed & he was a good storyteller. 2/10. Skip this one. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2017 21:32:10 GMT -5
The next one Super Sons Annual 2017: Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Paul Pelletier. Cover by Jorge Jimenez. This one was a hit. Krypto & Titus are the stars in this story featuring the other Super Pets & Detective Chimp. Krypto & Titus "solve" the mystery behind the disappearance of pets in the area. It was a fun story with amazing art. Pelletier had to illustrate "expressions" by body language on the animals to tell the story since Tomasi did not use the old trope of thought balloons from the pets. It was a little confusing at times but overall Tomasi pulled it off. I wouldn't mind another team up like this. Maybe a back up in the regular book once a year? 8/10. Fun story with great art. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 29, 2017 22:17:54 GMT -5
I bought it (haven't gotten it in mail yet). . but. . the spelling of this title? " MYSTIK U" ?? It seems like just an "uber-cool!" spelling, but its actually the German word for mysticism so it makes a lot of sense as the name of a centuries old university of magic. As for the book itself.... Mystik U #1Written by Alisa Kwitney Art by Mike Norton Summary: Leave the mundane world behind and step through the magical doors of Mystik U a young Zatanna Zatara and some of the DCU's most famous magical heroes.
Plot: I've been looking forward to this book for what feels like ages and Alisa Kwitney does not disappoint in this new introduction to the magical side of the DCU. Not only do we get a young Zatanna just discovering her abilities but we also get new takes on some older characters like Mr. E, Madame Xanadu and Doctor Occult/Rose Psychic...and that's really the strong point of this book so far; it could easily just be a nostalgia driven fan-service project full of "clever" easter eggs but instead it's a strongly character driven narrative that immediately introduces these characters and makes them each feel new and unique. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot here for long time fans of past works like the Books of Magic but it is very much its own thing which is really refreshing. The over arching plot of the mystic cataclysm we're introduced in the first few pages and serves as the mystery for the unfolding story feels as old as using an "unstoppable" alien horde to a team of heroes a reason to join together but that's really the only stumbling point here and the strength of the characters and the budding relationships is more than enough draw to keep me going.
Art:I love the soft, clear line work by Norton in this book. It's subtle, and real giving the book a feel of maturity like the vertigo books of yore which is a perfect fit for the story at hand. Though by far I think my favorite part was the costume redesign he came up with Zatanna; it's a less revealing more modern and fashion forward outfit that still retains the overall look that we associate with Zatanna which is an important element for a successful update.
Grade:9/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 29, 2017 22:27:06 GMT -5
Slow (5th) week. Only bought 2 Annuals. For me annuals are hit or miss. Aquaman Annual 2017: Written by Philip Kennedy Johnson. Art and Cover by Max Fiumara. This was a miss for me. We have seen this story before with other characters. Nothing new here or any unique twists. I don't know this writer. It read like fan fiction. And sorry but the art was not to my liking. It was a third rate Frank Quitely. Ugly faces. Distorted bodies. I always thought Frank's art was an acquired taste with his doughy faces but his backgrounds were detailed & he was a good storyteller. 2/10. Skip this one.I haven't picked this up, and I probably won't as I'm not interested in Aquaman but I typically love Max Fiumara's art; his work on Abe Sapian in particular was utterly amazing. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2017 22:37:51 GMT -5
Slow (5th) week. Only bought 2 Annuals. For me annuals are hit or miss. Aquaman Annual 2017: Written by Philip Kennedy Johnson. Art and Cover by Max Fiumara. This was a miss for me. We have seen this story before with other characters. Nothing new here or any unique twists. I don't know this writer. It read like fan fiction. And sorry but the art was not to my liking. It was a third rate Frank Quitely. Ugly faces. Distorted bodies. I always thought Frank's art was an acquired taste with his doughy faces but his backgrounds were detailed & he was a good storyteller. 2/10. Skip this one.I haven't picked this up, and I probably won't as I'm not interested in Aquaman but I typically love Max Fiumara's art; his work on Abe Sapian in particular was utterly amazing. Yes I could see his art style working on a Hellboy themed book. On Aquaman it was a poor fit. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 29, 2017 22:58:52 GMT -5
I haven't picked this up, and I probably won't as I'm not interested in Aquaman but I typically love Max Fiumara's art; his work on Abe Sapian in particular was utterly amazing. Yes I could see his art style working on a Hellboy themed book. On Aquaman it was a poor fit. He definitely draws a mean monster, but what made Abe such a unique and special book were the human moments and those were great under Fiumara: |
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Post by The Captain on Nov 30, 2017 6:38:40 GMT -5
Slow (5th) week. Only bought 2 Annuals. For me annuals are hit or miss. Aquaman Annual 2017: Written by Philip Kennedy Johnson. Art and Cover by Max Fiumara. This was a miss for me. We have seen this story before with other characters. Nothing new here or any unique twists. I don't know this writer. It read like fan fiction. And sorry but the art was not to my liking. It was a third rate Frank Quitely. Ugly faces. Distorted bodies. I always thought Frank's art was an acquired taste with his doughy faces but his backgrounds were detailed & he was a good storyteller. 2/10. Skip this one.I leafed through this as the LCS yesterday, as this was a "borderline" potential purchase, but that art completely turned me off from picking it up. Glad to see I didn't waste the money, as the story was apparently lacking as well. I agree about Quitely as well. Good storyteller, but he may be the only artist on the planet who could make Emma Frost look bad. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 30, 2017 19:02:40 GMT -5
I don't have a lot of time to review it, but I wanted to get on here and say how much I loved Batman Annual #2. I call myself one of the biggest Catwoman fans at CCF, and I'm rather inclined to be very critical of Catwoman stories, especially in modern comics. But they've actually been a doing a pretty good job with her lately. The three-part story that just ended in Batman gets a big thumbs-up from me. And Batman Annual #2 ... Well, the next time I start making a Catwoman Top Ten, I'll be considering Batman Annual #2. The modern-day storyline was very well written, and there's echoes to the past and how Batman and Catwoman met that are respectful of past adventures. And then there's also a few pages looking at the future that I thought were very well-done, with a bit of a tip of the hat to those bizarre stories in the late 1950s and early 1960s about how Alfred was writing a series of fictional tales about what would happen to Batman and Robin in the future (and also an homage to the Earth-2 Batman's matrimonial fate). The best Catwoman story I've read in quite a while, even though I will admit I liked that run in the New 52 where she was a Gotham mob boss. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 30, 2017 22:50:18 GMT -5
BPRD #151Written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie Art by Lawrence Campbell Summary: Just when you thought the band was getting back together it begins to break apart as the threat begins to emerge and an old ally looks to return.
Plot: I've been loving watching the pieces come together after being shattered Ogru Jihad, and was great anticipating the moment when they fully got back together to face a new threat...but much to my disappointment it seems like Mignola doesn't want to get there just yet as once again Abe is left on his own as Liz goes back to possibly retrieve the corpse of Roger the humonculous. The individual pieces are well done but the fractured plots with little to tie them together is starting to get old. There really needs to be a central thread and so far we just haven't been shown it yet so the book is starting to meander.
Art: Campbell has long been a favorite of mine and I love how he nails all the characters but he was really wasted in this issue as nothing really happened.
Grade: 6/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 2, 2017 9:50:50 GMT -5
Star Trek: Discovery#1Written by Kirsten Bayer and Mike Johnson Art by Tony Shasteen Summary: Witness the beginnings of the man who would be T'Kuvma: the Uniter of the Klingon Empire.
Plot: For any Trek fan who has followed the tie in's like I have the name Kirsten Bayer should be all you need to see in order to know that this is going to be one well written book as under her pen Voyager was actually amazing; I'm serious, if you never liked Voyager then check out her Pocket books and you'll see what it could have been. What's more, since she's one of the writers on Discovery this really is a true behind the scenes look at that world which makes it exciting. So far I'm really enjoying the depth Bayer and Johnson are giving these characters and the Klingon culture as a whole. We saw the political side a lot in Next Gen but never the lives of your everyday Klingon and that's really what we got here which really made it fun.
Art: IDW's Trek books often feature wildly uneven art, but at least for their movie tie-ins( and now this tie in to Discovery) they've always relied on the capable Tony Shasteen. You're not likely to see anything and be blown away, but there's nothing jarring about his work that will take you out of the story which is something you really can'y say about a lot of the artists that IDW has entrusted the world of Star Trek to over the years.
Grade: 7/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 2, 2017 10:54:57 GMT -5
The next one Super Sons Annual 2017: Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Paul Pelletier. Cover by Jorge Jimenez. This one was a hit. Krypto & Titus are the stars in this story featuring the other Super Pets & Detective Chimp. Krypto & Titus "solve" the mystery behind the disappearance of pets in the area. It was a fun story with amazing art. Pelletier had to illustrate "expressions" by body language on the animals to tell the story since Tomasi did not use the old trope of thought balloons from the pets. It was a little confusing at times but overall Tomasi pulled it off. I wouldn't mind another team up like this. Maybe a back up in the regular book once a year? 8/10. Fun story with great art. I'd love a superpets back up, and not just once a year but every issue! This was pure fun. |
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Post by String on Dec 2, 2017 15:00:39 GMT -5
I bought it (haven't gotten it in mail yet). . but. . the spelling of this title? " MYSTIK U" ?? It seems like just an "uber-cool!" spelling, but its actually the German word for mysticism so it makes a lot of sense as the name of a centuries old university of magic. As for the book itself.... Mystik U #1Written by Alisa Kwitney Art by Mike Norton Summary: Leave the mundane world behind and step through the magical doors of Mystik U a young Zatanna Zatara and some of the DCU's most famous magical heroes.
Plot: I've been looking forward to this book for what feels like ages and Alisa Kwitney does not disappoint in this new introduction to the magical side of the DCU. Not only do we get a young Zatanna just discovering her abilities but we also get new takes on some older characters like Mr. E, Madame Xanadu and Doctor Occult/Rose Psychic...and that's really the strong point of this book so far; it could easily just be a nostalgia driven fan-service project full of "clever" easter eggs but instead it's a strongly character driven narrative that immediately introduces these characters and makes them each feel new and unique. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot here for long time fans of past works like the Books of Magic but it is very much its own thing which is really refreshing. The over arching plot of the mystic cataclysm we're introduced in the first few pages and serves as the mystery for the unfolding story feels as old as using an "unstoppable" alien horde to a team of heroes a reason to join together but that's really the only stumbling point here and the strength of the characters and the budding relationships is more than enough draw to keep me going.
Art:I love the soft, clear line work by Norton in this book. It's subtle, and real giving the book a feel of maturity like the vertigo books of yore which is a perfect fit for the story at hand. Though by far I think my favorite part was the costume redesign he came up with Zatanna; it's a less revealing more modern and fashion forward outfit that still retains the overall look that we associate with Zatanna which is an important element for a successful update.
Grade:9/10 Yeah, I read an interview with the creators about this title on CBR. I've always found the depth of DC's occult/wizard characters far more interesting than Marvel's. But I saw on comixology that this was a bi-monthly series? A $5.99 price tag may justify that so I may check this out regardless. But where is Tim Hunter???  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 2, 2017 22:35:16 GMT -5
It seems like just an "uber-cool!" spelling, but its actually the German word for mysticism so it makes a lot of sense as the name of a centuries old university of magic. As for the book itself.... Mystik U #1Written by Alisa Kwitney Art by Mike Norton Summary: Leave the mundane world behind and step through the magical doors of Mystik U a young Zatanna Zatara and some of the DCU's most famous magical heroes.
Plot: I've been looking forward to this book for what feels like ages and Alisa Kwitney does not disappoint in this new introduction to the magical side of the DCU. Not only do we get a young Zatanna just discovering her abilities but we also get new takes on some older characters like Mr. E, Madame Xanadu and Doctor Occult/Rose Psychic...and that's really the strong point of this book so far; it could easily just be a nostalgia driven fan-service project full of "clever" easter eggs but instead it's a strongly character driven narrative that immediately introduces these characters and makes them each feel new and unique. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot here for long time fans of past works like the Books of Magic but it is very much its own thing which is really refreshing. The over arching plot of the mystic cataclysm we're introduced in the first few pages and serves as the mystery for the unfolding story feels as old as using an "unstoppable" alien horde to a team of heroes a reason to join together but that's really the only stumbling point here and the strength of the characters and the budding relationships is more than enough draw to keep me going.
Art:I love the soft, clear line work by Norton in this book. It's subtle, and real giving the book a feel of maturity like the vertigo books of yore which is a perfect fit for the story at hand. Though by far I think my favorite part was the costume redesign he came up with Zatanna; it's a less revealing more modern and fashion forward outfit that still retains the overall look that we associate with Zatanna which is an important element for a successful update.
Grade:9/10 Yeah, I read an interview with the creators about this title on CBR. I've always found the depth of DC's occult/wizard characters far more interesting than Marvel's. But I saw on comixology that this was a bi-monthly series? A $5.99 price tag may justify that so I may check this out regardless. But where is Tim Hunter??? One of the back ground characters kind of looked like Tim so I wouldn't count him out completely. |
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