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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2018 17:31:12 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 11:01:10 GMT -5
Tony Stark: Iron Man #1.
Written by Dan Slott. Art by Valerio Schiti.
A year ago I was hardly buying any Marvel titles. But Marvel has pulled me back in with some good storytelling over the last several months. Dan Slott ends his decade long rein on Amazing Spider-Man this week & starts his run on Iron Man with this issue (& Fantastic Four in Aug).
Overall it was a great issue. Slott portrays Tony's balance of brilliance & charisma well. He also gives a look into the "new" Stark Unlimited where Tony has surrounded himself with old friends & brilliant thinkers. The art sells the story. It was light hearted but sold the action. Tony doesn't suit up as Iron Man until half way thru the issue when he goes up against Fin Fang Foom. I have no idea how Tony is back. The last IM I read was Bendis' first arc.
My only complaint was Slott felt like he was trying a little too hard to make the book "funny". Iron Man in a transformer style armor. A miniature remote controlled Iron Man. These felt a little too silly for me.
8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 11:09:42 GMT -5
 Man of Steel #4.Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Kevin Maguire. This issue was a bit better than #3. The shadowy figure in the flashbacks is finally revealed. We also find out where Bendis' Action #1000 story fits in. We get some more backstory on Rogol Zaar. Hal shows up again. Good action. Bendis is finally selling the story better (for me). the pacing in this series is not the best. Bendis should be better at balancing plots & moving the story along. Great art. The bad? Bendis' portrayal of Supergirl as an impulsive hot headed teen. Still not sure where Bendis is going with the Lois/Jon backstory. 7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 11:15:26 GMT -5
 Daredevil #604.Written by Charles Soule. Art by Mike Henderson. DD gets some help fighting the Hand by the Order of the Dragon. And he appears to be winning up until the last few pages when everything falls apart.... for both Matt & DD. Soule's writing on this arc has been a roller coaster. Some issues are amazing. Others like this one feel "forced" to get to the end result Soule wants for this story arc. Hopefully he nails the conclusion next issue. 5/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 11:23:51 GMT -5
 Justice League #2.Written by Scott Snyder. Art by Jorge Jimenez. Team books are not my favorites anymore as I get older. I was on the fence with Avengers #1 & I finally tried it a few weeks ago but it just didn't pull me in enough to keep raeding it. JL #1 captured my attention enough to read this first arc. This issue focused a little more on Luthor, John Stewart & Hawkgirl while advancing the overall story. I have to admit I feel a little confused & I wonder if that is because I did not read the weekly mini series No Justice last month. I still am intrigued & entertained enough to keep reading as Snyder interweaves new ideas along with some old classics (Hall of Justice, Legion of Doom). Jimenez' art was beautiful this issue. 6/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 20:54:58 GMT -5
The Man of Steel #4: Lots of cinematic style action in this issue, although I did get a bit turned around as the plot jumped back and forth. Nice to see GL Hal show up. Supergirl appears too, but didn't quite seem like Supergirl. She's another character that is a victim of the multiple reboots. Who is she now...a rebellious, sassy teen?
Interesting reveal on who shows up at the Kents' home...but it sort of seemed like Lois and Jon weren't sure who he was which confused me (didn't they all meet not that long ago?). I am assuming the mystery will reveal Lois and Jon are with this person for safety reasons, especially with what Rogol Zaar is up to. The ending was a bit abrupt, which made it all that more unsettling. I loved the art and would definitely buy a Superman book by Maguire.
8/10
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 20:59:45 GMT -5
Archie's Superteens Versus Crusaders by Ian Flynn, David Williams, Gary Martin, Kelsey Shannon, and Jack Morelli: I am not very familiar with the Crusaders, but this was a fun (if weak) story. Weak may be too strong a word as there are several funny lines and the story has a very silver age tone mixed with modern times. I was interested in the Eliminators more than the villain at Riverdale High. It was fun to see Superteen, Pureheart, Miss Vanity, and Captain Hero. The art was ok and reminded me of Lee Moder in some panels. This may have been better told as a giant one shot rather than spread out over 2 issues, but we'll see (and fingers crossed that Reggie shows up with the villains, ha!)6/10
6/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 22, 2018 16:25:03 GMT -5
Shanghai Red #1 Written by Christopher Sebela Art by Joshua Hixson Summary: Shanghaied against their will and made to serve aboard a cruel ship for two years, the poor souls serving beside "Jack" learn there are worse things in life... Plot: I often like to take risks with by reading, trying out a hand full of new titles at random and seeing what sticks. Although it can often be more miss than hit the exploration of different publishers and genres is always fun even if the outcome isn't always memorable in this case however this book definitely falls into the later category as it was an amazing read from start to finish. I've never read anything by Sebela, or indeed ever even heard his name mentioned but the slow burning revenge tale he began here makes me think he's going to be a new favorite of mine. In one issue he introduces a compelling and multilayered protagonist with a very complicated case of identity issues, immerses us into a very realistic 19th century world with both nautical and classic western elements and gives us action of course revenge. It's a tall order for a single issue, especially in these days of decompressed story telling, but the pacing is perfect with every element getting its due time in the spot light. If you're looking for something dark, mysterious and horror-tinged then this is definitely the book for you. Art: Hixson is another name I'm unfamiliar with, and looking at his site that seems to because he's truly fresh on the scene but with this book under his belt I'll imagine there will be many knocks at his door in the future; especially for his work as a colorist. With the heavy contrast between his dark, heavy inky shadows and bright flashes of color his work is immedietely striking but it has more technical depth to it as well. Hixson, like the old black and white film makers of yore, expertly uses darkness and light to guide the reader’s eye and emphasize important details; the shadows all have a felling of distinct purpose which draws tour eyes all over the panel making you really soak everything in making this book something of a lasting experience which is rare for a comic. On top of that the distinct pallet of colors used in the flashbacks, like the one in the last panel below, are muted compared to the story’s present day setting them off beautifully from the rest of the narrative in a purely visual way that needs no explanation.  It's all just so subtle and brilliant, bringing a book that was already pretty good already to another level entirely. Grade:10/10 |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 22, 2018 19:31:38 GMT -5
Tony Stark: Iron Man #1.
Written by Dan Slott. Art by Valerio Schiti.
A year ago I was hardly buying any Marvel titles. But Marvel has pulled me back in with some good storytelling over the last several months. Dan Slott ends his decade long rein on Amazing Spider-Man this week & starts his run on Iron Man with this issue (& Fantastic Four in Aug).
Overall it was a great issue. Slott portrays Tony's balance of brilliance & charisma well. He also gives a look into the "new" Stark Unlimited where Tony has surrounded himself with old friends & brilliant thinkers. The art sells the story. It was light hearted but sold the action. Tony doesn't suit up as Iron Man until half way thru the issue when he goes up against Fin Fang Foom. I have no idea how Tony is back. The last IM I read was Bendis' first arc.
My only complaint was Slott felt like he was trying a little too hard to make the book "funny". Iron Man in a transformer style armor. A miniature remote controlled Iron Man. These felt a little too silly for me.
8/10. I had totally forgotten that Slott was going to Iron Man (nice marketing, Marvel), so I grabbed this when I was at the mall today. I read Slott's Spidey and thought, 'why isn't this an Iron Man story?', so now he's actually writing Iron Man, it's a good thing, right? Well, on the plus side, it was a good story. Slott is clearly going for the RDJ version of Tony Stark.. that's fine with me. I actually liked the Mega-Anime Iron Man, it was super fun.. and the nanobots totally made sense in the story. It could get annoying if it was a regular thing, but I think it was meant to show that Tony can do lots of different stuff, which I like. I LOVE the corporate part, and having the Controller as the first big bad is pretty sweet. On the down side, it almost felt like it wasn't in continuity it was so differently jarring from what has come before. Granted I didn't read the 'Search for Tony Stark' storyline yet.. but no sign or mention of Riri, Rhodey's alive and the movie version of himself again, and Tony is massively rich again. Never mind the whole coming back from the dead himself (again) thing... there was a flippant comment from Rhodey 'you just got that body', which was funny on a number of levels, but I don't love having continuity ignored completely. I also wonder what happened to Pepper (and Mary Jane, for that matter)... I suspect Pepper could still be running (Starkless) Resilient, but Mary Jane should be around, or have a reason not to be. Also missing but not missed at all, the overpowering AI Friday and the Bendis-created Tony's mom. There was no chance I wasn't going to buy this anyway, but I'm actually lookin' forward to it now  Rating: 8/10 |
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Post by The Captain on Jun 24, 2018 13:21:18 GMT -5
Captain America #704 The major disappointment that has been Mark Waid's return to Captain America ends here, in a story that is just utterly pointless. There's no impact, as it takes place in the future with descendants of Steve Rogers, and Captain America himself doesn't even appear. Rather, it's the idea of Steve Rogers, his dedication and resolve and ideals that drive the main character to action. This final arc of the series has been such an absolute waste of paper and ink, and to top it off, the art has this horrible cartoony look to it that even it cannot salvage the poor writing and story; I had a hard time thinking they could find an artist I would like less than Chris Samnee, but they actually managed to do just that. As I've read the previews and the set-up for the new Cap series by Coates, the failure of this series comes better into focus. It seems like Coates had the idea to try to rehab Steve's image in the aftermath of the Hydra situation from Nick Spencer's equally loathsome run, so Waid was probably kindly asked to wrap up his story about Steve traveling around the country to reconnect with America and repair his reputation and do something that would not interfere with Coates' upcoming work. I'm trying to convince myself of this, because I find it hard to imagine that a writer as skilled as Mark Waid would look at what he's produced for this series starting with the King Baby arc and think that it was worth putting onto paper. Captain America will always be a "must buy" for me, but this is definitely a set of issues I will never read again. 1/10 - These past six to eight issues have been some of the worst comic books I've ever read. Somehow, I'm hoping the reality is that Mark Waid was secretly replaced by a mentally-impaired chimp banging on an old typewriter, because I cannot believe this series came from the same guy who has written iconic runs that I've enjoyed on a number of other books.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 24, 2018 19:56:08 GMT -5
Man of Steel #4.Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Kevin Maguire. This issue was a bit better than #3. The shadowy figure in the flashbacks is finally revealed. We also find out where Bendis' Action #1000 story fits in. We get some more backstory on Rogol Zaar. Hal shows up again. Good action. Bendis is finally selling the story better (for me). the pacing in this series is not the best. Bendis should be better at balancing plots & moving the story along. Great art. The bad? Bendis' portrayal of Supergirl as an impulsive hot headed teen. Still not sure where Bendis is going with the Lois/Jon backstory. 7/10. I'm still not loving this, again the characterization is good and I like the action but the villain is too two dimensional to care about and the teases about Jon and Lois are pointless. I really wish he'd focus on one plot. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 24, 2018 20:04:27 GMT -5
The Herculoids story ended just how I thought it would, Animan was a child and with the help of his parents Amazot was put back together. Not very inspired but it was fun.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 24, 2018 20:26:09 GMT -5
Doctor Strange by Waid and Saiz continues to surprise. I went into this with low expectations but don't let that fool you, it's not just enjoyable because I set the bar low; it's excellent on by any standard. Stephen as a stranger in a strange land is fun and I really like the addition of Kanna, a female Arcaneologist, adds a very fun Indiana Jones feel to the sci-fi quest for magic in the stars. Over all it kind of gives off a Doctor Who vibe, which would seem an odd fit for a Doctor Strange book but it works.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2018 22:29:03 GMT -5
The Herculoids story ended just how I thought it would, Animan was a child and with the help of his parents Amazot was put back together. Not very inspired but it was fun. I was kind of disappointed in that outcome and I was going to write one up and I was so frustrated to learn that Animan was a child. Story was kind of shocking and I knew how the story has ended -- but to learn that Animan was a child -- I have to say this the story was not as good as the last three. Story 5/10, the Art was good 9/10. Not happy with it; what you said not very inspired -- you took the words out of my mouth. It was fun -- figuratively, but not the fun that I wanted to see in the first place. That's why I grade this book storywise the worst one of them all. That's why I did not want to write it up. Now, I did because I agree with your assessment. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 24, 2018 22:35:08 GMT -5
The Herculoids story ended just how I thought it would, Animan was a child and with the help of his parents Amazot was put back together. Not very inspired but it was fun. Yep. It was clear exactly where it was going about half way through the first issue. I’m honestly a bit surprised someone got paid for that story. I mean after the first two or three times we’d seen it. |
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