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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2018 17:28:25 GMT -5
So what did you read this week? Share your reviews with us!
     
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cee
Full Member
Posts: 105
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Post by cee on Jul 24, 2018 17:41:58 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 12:48:41 GMT -5
 Action Comics #1001.Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art and Cover by Patrick Gleason. This arc starts off where Man of Steel ended concerning the mysterious fires being set in Metropolis. Superman is trying to track down who is setting the fires both as Superman & as Clark at the Planet. He finds a lead and goes to investigate. Meanwhile we find out someone is tracking Superman's moves. The fires are being set by a crime boss who is killed by a being called the Red Cloud. And Lois is back from space... but without Jon and living separated from Clark. Bendis continues some of the plots he set up in MOS. This title is more "street level" in tone than Superman. I loved Superman's interactions with some bank robbers. Bendis nails the characters and really "gets" Superman IMO. Honestly I enjoyed this issue more than I did his first issue of Superman. And Gleason turned in the best art of his career. It was gorgeous. His Superman is massive! All the characters looked great. I can not say enough about Gleason's more "polished" art style on this issue. 9/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 12:54:23 GMT -5
 Amazing Spider-Man #2.Written by Nick Spencer. Art and Cover by Ryan Ottley. This issue we get to see more of Peter & MJ as a couple (yay). We find out why the Lizard is teaching Peter's class. Spidey fights some minor villains. And we get an awesome cliffhanger on the last page. Another great issue that really feels "old school" in a good way for Spidey. I really really like Pete & MJ as a couple (married or not). So far I like this direction for Spider-Man & think Ottley is prefect for the art. It feels lighthearted yet serious at the same time. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 13:02:30 GMT -5
 Flash #51.Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Scott Kolins. This book is both an epilogue and a prologue. Williamson does a lot in this issue. First he wraps up Flash War and establishes a new status quo. He then recaps Wally's life. And then he leads into Heroes in Crisis as Superman & Wonder Woman take Wally to Sanctuary to help him heal. Williamson does a nice job juggling these separate plots into a coherent story. He does an outstanding job summarizing Wally's life. Kolins art is stunning (except for his Batman who looks like he did in 1939). I guess Wally's story continues in yet another title (first Titans, then Flash, next Heroes in Crisis) which is annoying. 7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 13:09:22 GMT -5
 The Terrifics #6.Written by Jeff Lemire. Art by Joe Bennett. We get 4 separate mini stories as the 4 heroes face off against their own challenges solo before banding together to fight the enemy on the element world. In the end they triumph but escape to an alternate earth. Tom Strong's earth. Lemire took awhile to find his "voice" on this title but I think with this 2 parter he has found it. The team works well together. We see some glimpses of their separate personalities when they fought solo. This book is getting away from being a FF clone & being unique on it's own. Bennett's art was "terrific"! A nice treat to see Bennett here & on Hulk this month. He can handle anything... I really hope this title sells well. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 13:15:32 GMT -5
 Marvel Two In One #8.Written by Chip Zdarsky. Art by Ramon K. Perez. Ben & Johnny are stuck in another universe for the last 2 months without their powers. Man this arc has been a bummer. It feels like Zdarsky is writing a fill in story until the FF return. And Perez' art is sketchy and unfinished looking. An inker may have helped. 2/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 13:26:58 GMT -5
 Mera #6. Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Lan Medina and Norm Rapmund.  Aquaman #38. Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Ricardo Federici. These 2 issues tell one complete story. Mera fights Orm in Xebel for the right to lead the Xebel army & wins. She then shows up in Aquaman leading the Xebel army to help Aquaman defeat Rath. In Mera she wins and declares Orm to be her prisoner. In Aquaman her return re-energizes Atlantis to fight and Aquaman overcomes Rath. In the end with the defeat of Rath... ancient magics grant Arthur's deepest desire and raise Atlantis from the floor of the ocean! Finally this arc is over! I grew weary of how long it took to get to this point. Overall I liked Mera's series. I did like the conclusion. It looks like Aquaman will be moving in a different direction in the next few issues. And a new creative team in Dec. Mera. 7/10. Aquaman 7/10. This whole arc 5/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 23:07:14 GMT -5
Terrifics #6: As the book starts and the team is trapped in their own personal dilemmas, I wasn't sure where the story would go. I soon found myself enjoying a top notch story straight out of the Silver Age. I loved seeing each team member in their solo sections, especially Phantom Girl who briefly becomes tangible--and how cool was Element Dog? What happened to Rex was a surprise and Mr. Terrific's early scenes are sad..but I hope it cements his place with the team. Plastic Man is hilarious and Joe Bennett has a field day drawing him. The art reminded me of 80s Pat Broderick and it fit the story in this issue. Excellent book cover to cover and as it progressed, I couldn't wait to turn the page. For me, the best team book out there.
9/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 26, 2018 22:09:12 GMT -5
Justice League Dark #1Written by James Tyrion IV Art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno Summary: When all the world's magic seems to be going haywire Wonder Woman seeks out Magic's Mightiest...but all who answer the call are Detective Chimp and Man Bat. Plot: Despite loving DC's supernatural characters I wasn't super keen on this title when it was announced as Tyrion's track record is definitely a mixed bag in my eyes; I often like his ideas but find that his execution often feels rushed. However when I got to the shop I absolutely loved the prominence of Detective Chimp and the design for Swamp Thing looked great so I knew I just had to buy it. The issue is mostly set up, introducing the threat to magic and allowing Wonder Woman to gather her team...it's what you'd expect from a new team book and while the basic bones are pretty rout I didn't find it boring as Tryion made it feel natural and the way he executed the info dump on the big bad through Swamp Thing communing with the Tree of Wonder, though obvious, wasn't too heavy handed. So far it seems interesting, but as I said that's the way Tyrion usually is; it's the middles that are troubling so we'll see if he can keep this book interesting and really stick the landing. Art: I've never heard of Bueno before, but as I said he's a big reason I picked this book up. Swamp Thing is a pretty basic character, he is after all a thing made of the swamp, so there's not much one can really do to put your stamp on him visually and really most times I wouldn't really want anyone to anyway but man I love the way Bueno used roots to give old swampy a beard and hair. It keeps his same basic look but that simple touch really does add a touch of menace and personality to him that is really fantastic.  Grade: 8/10 |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2018 22:45:49 GMT -5
This may be a book from last week, but my store didn't their copies until this week:
Archie Meets Batman 66 by Jeff Parker, Michael Moreci, Dan Parent, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Jack Morelli: Bookworm helps Poison Ivy (who is characterized like a southern belle here??) escape the asylum so she can be a distraction while he steals an electronic book (nice to nod to how some enjoy books now). Batman, Robin, and Batgirl arrive and save the day. Meanwhile Joker, Catwoman, Penquin, and the Riddler make plans to loot Riverdale with some help from the Siren. Mr. Lodge and the police chief fall under her spell as Veronica tries to figure out what's up with her dad. Dilton assists Veronica and they get in touch with Batman. Lots of fun, puns, and nice winks to the Batman tv show. The Joker even has Caesar Romero's mustache showing through his make up, ha! This was a fun read and it took me longer than I thought it would. Nice, colorful art throughout. Not a bad start for a team up of such iconic characters.
7/10
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 26, 2018 23:07:03 GMT -5
Marvel Two In One #8.Written by Chip Zdarsky. Art by Ramon K. Perez. Ben & Johnny are stuck in another universe for the last 2 months without their powers. Man this arc has been a bummer. It feels like Zdarsky is writing a fill in story until the FF return. And Perez' art is sketchy and unfinished looking. An inker may have helped. 2/10. I didn't dislike it as much as you did, but it's a BIG let-down from the first arc. I'd probably give it a 5/10. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 27, 2018 14:39:37 GMT -5
Wonder Woman #51
I was just about to drop Wonder Woman but there's been a change in the creative team and that has made me very happy.
In #51, we take a break from world-destroying gods to focus on the more peace-seeking side of Wonder Woman as she tries to connect with one of her foes from a previous issue. Her name is Mayfly and I don't remember her at all, but the Comic Book Database says she was in Wonder Woman #28. Diana has sensed a troubled soul and starts visiting Mayfly in prison.
Maybe it's just the fact that it's a new writer and Jason isn't in this issue and there aren't any nanobots, but I liked this issue a lot.
Definitely a step in the right direction.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 27, 2018 14:52:42 GMT -5
Detective Comics #985I sure wish somebody would bring this up with the modern Batman writers. That plot some of them like? You know, the plot where some villain is targeting the various members of the Bat-Family because they think they make Batman weak? It's not a bad idea at the heart of it, but it's not a particularly good one either. Death of the Family had its moments, but it's ultimately a very pretty failure. And now we're seeing it again in Detective Comics. Ugh. The one thing I like is the way they are using Black Lightning. As for the rest of it … it's weird seeing Barbara Gordon being treated like she's just one of the crowd of Batman imitators. I mean, yeah, she IS! But Batgirl very much has her own niche, not just in the DC Universe, but also in the Gotham City metropolitan area. Her every scene in this storyline just seems wrong. And just as I was starting to warm to Cassandra Cain, she gets sucked into this storyline and is just another Bat-target to some fairly uninteresting new villain who is, I guess, helping Batman by forcing him to get rid of his allies. Or something. (When this storyline is over, I hope they get rid of her codename "Orphan." Either just call her Cass Cain or let her go back to Black Bat.) Maybe I'm just bitter because we're back to THIS when I was hoping the Batman/Catwoman marriage would inject some much-needed life into the Batman books.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 28, 2018 9:36:14 GMT -5
Shanghai Red #2Written by Christopher Sebela Art by Joshua Hixson Summary: Molly/Jack roams the streets of Portland looking for her lost family...and vengeance against the men who ensnared her.
Plot: The quality of craftsmanship that initially had me so enamored with Sebela's debut issue, namely it's ability to lay-down the very complex bones of it's back story with out once slowing down the pace, continues in the second issue. We don't just get to see Molly tearing through Portland as the climax of the last issue promised, we also delve deeper into her family dynamics, the conflicting emotions inside of her and the shock she faces when she learns that all is not how she left it in Portland. It's a lot of ground to cover in just 20 short pages but Sebela not only to manages to unpack it all but also to lay it out in a way that feels fluid and natural rather than forced and contrived. It's a common trope to use a letter from a loved one to explore a character's emotions...but how does the letter reach the character? Seldom is that ever explained, but here Sebela provides a clever answer by revealing in the letter that the mother knew Molly had a hidey hole in her room where she kept her private things, so she knew that if Molly came looking she'd check there thus allowing the letter to be found. It's an explanation that is not only plausible thus avoiding a tired trope, but also instantly relateable, as didn't we all have those "secret" places where we would stash our treasures as kids? It's those little details and his ability to deftly weave them into the background of the brutal action that takes what would otherwise be just another tale of wanton carnage and revenge in a less capable writer's hands and truly elevates it into a unique story well worth reading.
Art: Like the story itself, the art of Joshua Hixson strikes a perfect balance between the brutality of the action and the soft, warm moments of emotional sincerity. It's not often that you see an artist that can not only give you the perfect bar room bet down with panels so incredibly detailed that the reader is brought right into the action with all the fear, anger and yes the pain on full display...but also the tenderness of a young girl falling asleep with memories of being in her mothers arms as well. I'm really struggling to think of another artist who strike that balance so beautifully and do it in such a way that neither scene felt out of place. It's a perfect marriage between art and story that we're seeing here and that is an incredibly rare sight to behold.
Grade:10/10 |
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