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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 28, 2017 22:52:28 GMT -5
BPRD #152Written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie Art by Laurence Campbell Summary: Liz and her team land in Colorado at the site of the former BPRD headquarters and make a startling discovery.
Plot: The book so far is still far too disjointed to truly call a story, it's a just a string of vignettes with different groups of characters on seperate missions that as of yet don't seem to be connected. If we were to focus on only one mission or maybe two and let them breath but three to four an issue is just too much going on and there aren't enough pages to make them meaningful. There were some scenes here that were pretty powerful, the conversation between Liz and Carlico about how she views the lives of the non-powered BPRD members was incredible...but then you turned the page and were on to something entirely different so there was no further build up. I get the feeling Mignola really wants to tie things up but this isn't the way to do it. That last page though? I'm not going to spoil it but though I may be disappointed by the format here I'm so pumped for the next issue.
Art: Campbell is great as always and the way he drew the character on the last page looked amazing.
Grade:6/10 |
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Post by String on Dec 29, 2017 11:48:31 GMT -5
 X-O Manowar #10. Written by Matt Kindt. Art by Renato Guedes. Cover by Lewis LaRosa. An interlude issue. This issue fills in the backstory of the Hunters, the intergalactic bounty hunters hired by Aric's enemies to depose & kill him. It sets up the direction for the next arc. This was the first issue in this re-launch of X-O that I didn't enjoy. After the high octane action of the last 9 issues this issue was below the standard that Kindt has set for this series. The art was decent. 5/10. Are those the Armor Hunters that Vendetti introduced awhile back or a different group altogether? |
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Post by String on Dec 29, 2017 12:20:14 GMT -5
Doomsday Clock #2 - by Johns and Franks
Well, it's official now, Watchmen has crossed over into the DCU proper with the arrival of Adrian, Rorschach, Mime, and Marionette in Gotham City as Adrian fitfully tracks Manhattan to this universe. We see a flashback featuring Mime & Marionette's last crime which was halted by Dr. Manhattan during his brief time as a costumed hero. Adrian offers up hints as to how the unusual interaction between the trio at that moment may be a key to changing his mind about saving the world once they find him.
Meanwhile, Adrian and Rorschach split up to confront the two smartest men on DCU Earth (three guesses on who that duo is eh?) to try and gain their help in searching for Manhattan. Adrian's visit doesn't start off too well (their reaction upon hearing Adrian's previous plan made me giggle) while Rorschach follows in his predecessor's footsteps by discovering the hidden secrets of his target. But the surprise return of one certain character seems to have thrown an impossible wrench in Adrian's plans.
I thought this issue was more enjoyable than the first. Yes, we got the big elephant out of the room by finally bringing Watchmen characters into the DCU. The hints of the differences (and similarities) between the two universes was interesting. Johns layers in quite a number of references to DC history also, from the Outsiders to Invasion! to Nathaniel Dusk of all characters. And while it's still unclear what, if any, influence Manhattan has had upon the DCU, the idea is suggested that he may be hiding in plain sight after all. The text pages at issue's end offers up more explanation for certain scenes as a new conspiracy theory is being given heavy credence, a reaction that may invoke a similar type of backlash for DC's superheroes that the Watchmen heroes received.
The new Rorschach continues to be my new favorite here, his conversations with Adrian tinged with the right amount of apprehension and accusation. His actions near the issue's end, upon visiting the home of his target, were wonderful. I never knew that I'd want these two characters to ever meet till right now and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.
Again, your mileage may vary given your stance on the sanctity of Moore's work, but for me, this was
8/10
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Post by String on Dec 29, 2017 12:53:29 GMT -5
Phoenix Resurrection #1 by Matt Rosenburg and Lenil Yu
Cerebro detects an unusual energy reading which leads Kitty Pryde and her X-Men to a strange assault upon two kids in Jean Grey's home town of Annadale-on-the-Hudson. Further scans reveal the same energy reading at three distinct locations around the globe. Splitting the teams up (basically, the X-Blue team, the X-Gold team, and the Weapon X roster) to investigate, our merry mutants suffer unusual attacks by familiar foes at each location. Then a vision of a giant fire bird is seen in the sky across the world.
For a young Jean Grey also sees this vision as she finishes her work shift at a local diner. She returns home, telling her parents that she feels unwell before a very surprising suitor comes calling at her front door.
Rosenberg does a very good job in this opening issue. He creates a strong atmosphere of what may or may not be real throughout, leaving you guessing on what may really be going on here. He's also done his X-history homework as all three locations seen here have a strong connection to Jean Grey's past. Plus, his dialogue and interactions among the various members of each team was very good. Yu's art was refined, as his work also contained instances of what may or may not be real for the sharp-eyed reader. I quite enjoyed that as well. This rebirth is off to a very interesting start.
8/10
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2017 14:57:07 GMT -5
X-O Manowar #10. Written by Matt Kindt. Art by Renato Guedes. Cover by Lewis LaRosa. An interlude issue. This issue fills in the backstory of the Hunters, the intergalactic bounty hunters hired by Aric's enemies to depose & kill him. It sets up the direction for the next arc. This was the first issue in this re-launch of X-O that I didn't enjoy. After the high octane action of the last 9 issues this issue was below the standard that Kindt has set for this series. The art was decent. 5/10. Are those the Armor Hunters that Vendetti introduced awhile back or a different group altogether? I think these are new ones. I no longer have that run of X-O so I can't check. I donated a box of comics a few months ago. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2017 10:37:33 GMT -5
Daredevil #596 didn't come out this week, but as I only just got it yesterday, I thought I'd talk about it here. But overall I like where it's going and so far it looks like a reasonably skillful mixture of politics and super-heroics. I sort of recognize the name of the writer - Charles Soule - and it seems to me that I've seen the name in connection to some REALLY DUMB MODERN COMIC BOOK STUFF but I don't think it's something I read myself and I must be remembering something I saw on the Internet. I'm not going to look it up. Maybe I'm getting him mixed up with somebody else. In any case, I'm going to give "Mayor Fisk" a chance. After all, I gave James Robinson a chance on Squadron Supreme and then Wonder Woman, didn't I? (Don't remind me how that turned out!) IMO Soule's run on DD started out a little weak but improved after the first 10 issues. His run has been pretty good putting new twists on classic ideas. He wrote the first year of Superman/Wonder Woman, She-Hulk & various DC & Marvel stuff. |
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Post by hondobrode on Dec 30, 2017 12:05:21 GMT -5
Daredevil #596 didn't come out this week, but as I only just got it yesterday, I thought I'd talk about it here. But overall I like where it's going and so far it looks like a reasonably skillful mixture of politics and super-heroics. I sort of recognize the name of the writer - Charles Soule - and it seems to me that I've seen the name in connection to some REALLY DUMB MODERN COMIC BOOK STUFF but I don't think it's something I read myself and I must be remembering something I saw on the Internet. I'm not going to look it up. Maybe I'm getting him mixed up with somebody else. In any case, I'm going to give "Mayor Fisk" a chance. After all, I gave James Robinson a chance on Squadron Supreme and then Wonder Woman, didn't I? (Don't remind me how that turned out!) IMO Soule's run on DD started out a little weak but improved after the first 10 issues. His run has been pretty good putting new twists on classic ideas. He wrote the first year of Superman/Wonder Woman, She-Hulk & various DC & Marvel stuff. He also wrote Swamp Thing and Red Lanterns, both of which were good, as well as his creator-owned Letter 44 from Oni Press.  There's something up there. As newly elected President Stephen Blades reads the letter left for him in the Oval Office by his predecessor, he learns this stunning secret: seven years earlier, NASA discovered an alien construction project in the asteroid belt. A crew of heroic astronauts was sent to investigate, and they're nearing the conclusion of their epic journey. Don't miss the first chapter in this thrilling tale of real-world space travel, intrigue, and secret histories! |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2017 13:14:39 GMT -5
IMO Soule's run on DD started out a little weak but improved after the first 10 issues. His run has been pretty good putting new twists on classic ideas. He wrote the first year of Superman/Wonder Woman, She-Hulk & various DC & Marvel stuff. He also wrote Swamp Thing and Red Lanterns, both of which were good, as well as his creator-owned Letter 44 from Oni Press. There's something up there. As newly elected President Stephen Blades reads the letter left for him in the Oval Office by his predecessor, he learns this stunning secret: seven years earlier, NASA discovered an alien construction project in the asteroid belt. A crew of heroic astronauts was sent to investigate, and they're nearing the conclusion of their epic journey. Don't miss the first chapter in this thrilling tale of real-world space travel, intrigue, and secret histories! I knew he written some other stuff. I just wrote down the ones that I remembered. That Letter 44 looks interesting. Was it good? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2017 13:29:09 GMT -5
I liked Letter 44. I liked his debut series from Image (before he wrote for Marvel or DC) called Twenty-Seven (and it's sequel Twenty-Seven Second Set) even more. It's probably my favorite thing he has done in comics.  -M |
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Post by String on Dec 30, 2017 16:15:13 GMT -5
Are those the Armor Hunters that Vendetti introduced awhile back or a different group altogether? I think these are new ones. I no longer have that run of X-O so I can't check. I donated a box of comics a few months ago. Oh okay. Armor Hunters was one of my favorite Valiant crossovers and during that time as Vendetti explored their backstory, he established a real strong Star Wars-type vibe for X-O, something I wish they would have continued with. But judging by your reviews so far, is that a similar type of vibe that Kindt has established for this volume? |
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Post by String on Dec 30, 2017 16:18:39 GMT -5
Teen Titans #15 by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Ed Benes, and Jorge Jimenez: Future, Hypertime or wherever he comes from Tim Drake continues his quest to kill Superboy as well as getting a new costume and code name in the process. Not a bad segment in this crossover story. There is a nice scene between Robin and Superboy that entails the genuine friendship between them. I liked the scenes of Tim and the Titans discussing his mission and their reactions. For me, the biggest treat was seeing Titans of Tomorrow. Still not exactly sure what’s going on, but I’m enjoying the story. The art suffers a bit with a switch close to the end, but overall, a fun issue with echoes of previous Titans teams. 8/10  Teen Titans #15. Super Sons of Tomorrow. Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. Cover by Francis Manapul. Art by Ed Benes and Jorge Jimenez. TT is a book that suffered with New 52 IMO. I haven't really checked it out with Rebirth. Mainly because it was written by Percy whose Green Arrow I dropped. However this issue was written by the Superman writers & it was the third part of the Super Sons of Tomorrow story arc. And yeah it was great like mrjupiter states above in his review. I really am enjoying this arc/crossover. 8/10. See, for my money this was a little lackluster; especially after the first two chapters. I just don't care about any of the Titans and there was nothing here to make me care here so other than the scene in the submarine with Damian and Jon (which was excellent) the rest of the issue just had me rolling my eyes. I enjoyed this segment. Tim getting a new makeover (love the coat/cape combination), and the Titans of Tomorrow trying to reign him back home. The scenes with Jon and Damian were great but I also liked the arguments among the Titans on whether to help Tim or not. The split views between Starfire and Gar were interesting, which Robin are you willing to trust more? 8/10 |
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Post by String on Dec 30, 2017 16:24:44 GMT -5
Action 994 by Dan Jurgens and a slew of folks finishing the art: Superman’s adventure with Booster Gold continues as they visit a Krypton that isn’t quite right as well as giving Superman a glimpse into what might have been. The team up with Superman and Booster Gold is fun. They play well off each other as Superman seeks answers and Booster wants to protect time. Interesting to see Jore-El and Zod working together in this tenuous timeline. Lois has an interesting couple of pages as she too seeks answers about her father (and seems to be poised to get in a mess). A fun issue that really doesn’t provide any answers, however I believe something really major must be in the works with all the time based stories happening in Action, Superman, Super Sons, Teen Titans, Titans, And recently in Detective. 7.5/10 Haha, this was sooo much fun! (I'm gonna have to dig out Jurgens' last Booster title and re-read it now, just because of this arc) A lot of timey-wimey stuff here with what may be fixed and what may not, but Jurgens did great in showing the emotional toil on Superman in seeing this potential future (especially that page shot of what his life and family would be like on New Krypton). Toss in the Eradicators and things are really about to get dicey. Lois seems prime to set off on one of her own adventures again though what will Jon think of it? 8/10 |
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Post by String on Dec 30, 2017 16:28:00 GMT -5
"The Victim Syndicate" storyline keeps roaring right along. They've taken over Arkham Asylum and have demanded Batman's surrender or they'll start releasing the inmates! Sheesh! Its so nice to like Detective Comics pretty regularly after being so down on it for so long. Heck, I even liked the way they used Clayface in this issue! And the cliffhanger! OMG! I can't stand it! I'm glad I only to have wait two weeks! Yeah, tensions are running high from the public outcry against Batman to the Syndicate's demands of him to the Mayor's office throwing down a gauntlet to him directly. I didn't think it was possible but I kinda feel sorry for Basil here at the end, I don't know what's going to happen next. 8/10 |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2017 16:31:07 GMT -5
I think these are new ones. I no longer have that run of X-O so I can't check. I donated a box of comics a few months ago. Oh okay. Armor Hunters was one of my favorite Valiant crossovers and during that time as Vendetti explored their backstory, he established a real strong Star Wars-type vibe for X-O, something I wish they would have continued with. But judging by your reviews so far, is that a similar type of vibe that Kindt has established for this volume? Yeah I get a Star Wars type vibe. This series has been a mix of Sci Fi, fantasy, & superheroes. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 31, 2017 9:06:56 GMT -5
Rasputin #3 Written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson Art by Christopher Mitten Summary: Professor Bruttenholm is dropped off behind enemy lines in German occupied Paris to hunt down Rasputin.
Plot: This early tale of the good Professor's pre-Hellboy adventures by Mignola and Roberson continues to be a fun thriller of a story with great connections to little vistited corners of the world Hellboy. Previously we saw the beginnings of Brutenholm's friendship with Henry Midleton who would often get name dropped by Hellboy and seen as a ghost much later on and here we get to see the Professor meet up with Sandhu whom we met previously in the Black Flame. For someone with out the back ground knowledge the meeting wouldn't be significant but for long time readers its a lot of fun but the whole pulpy, Indiana Jones energy to the story would make it a pleasure to read for anyone even with out that fore-knowledge.
Art: Mitten really gets to go all out here; between briefly depicting the various creatures from Sandhu's flash backs to the firefight with German soldiers and finishing it off with a horde of Nazi Frankenstein monsters created by the infamous Dr. Kroenen. It was all just so much fun to see, and you could tell Mitten loved finally getting the chance to delve into this classic Hellboy stuff.
Grade:10/10
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