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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 5, 2018 7:28:06 GMT -5
Welcome back my friends to the thread that never ends... Atleast not until the world ends, or they stop making comics... so the end of the world either way   If you read it, then let the world know below...before it's too late! Immortal Hulk #5 by Thwhtguardian Avengers #7 by Thwhtguardian James Bond: Origin #1 by Slam Bradley The Dreaming #1 Thwhtguardian |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 5, 2018 8:09:04 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #5
 Written by Al Ewing Art by Joe Bennett Summary: When the Hulk and Sasquatch finally clash the Hulk is shocked to learn his old grudge-match isn't what it once was...
Plot: Ewing's take on the Hulk continues to be a slightly uneven one, we've gotten some truly stellar issues in the past and then we've gotten some that are just okay...like this latest issue, and I think the common denominator between these "just okay" issues is that the Hulk talks to much. A talking Hulk really kills the whole horror vibe that makes this book really sizzle because it immediately kills a portion of the terror around the beast; if he can talk then he can reason, and if he can reason then maybe I can walk away from this...but hey, Hulk the superhero talks and I like him in his own way so the fact that Ewing brings that element in isn't the real deal breaker here but rather it's what he has the Hulk say and here it's often just plot exposition. Ewing has this great idea that staying the creature(whether the Hulk or Sasquatch) allows demonic things to enter into you but instead of cultivating the idea naturally and developing it over time he just has the Hulk and Sasquatch improbably spew it at each other while tearing apart the ER in a brawl. It just comes across as rushed and lazy and really ruins the introduction of this great idea. As he's shown in the past, Ewing can bounce back from these info dump issues and provide good stories so hopefully he can still salvage this possession story line but it's not a great start.
Art: While Ewing runs hot and cold with the narrative side of the book, Bennett continues to consistently deliver the goods artistically. He draws both the Hulk and the Sasquatch as real monsters here, with a real sense of weight to them as they brawl which makes their battle feel like it really brings the hurt. And while Bennett didn't invent the mirror inversion element with Hulk and Banner, he does play it up really well in the way he frames key moments in the story giving them a sense of suspense and shock that the narrative fails to do on its own.
Grade:6/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 5, 2018 8:54:07 GMT -5
Avengers #7 Written by Jason Aaron Art by Sarah Pichelli Summary: Mephesto's very first Rider does battle with the Wendigo!
Plot: While Aaron maintains that undeniable sense of fun and wish-fulfillment that has made his run on Avengers a definite must read for me in this issue he falls short of telling a real story here. There are some excellent bones for a fun, adventure filled origin for this prehistoric Ghost Rider and his Woolly Mammoth steed but instead of focusing on those and providing solid character building moments there's a real rush at the end to introduce Odin and the Phoenix and the birth of their team that makes the issue just feel like needless filler. Origins are always a tricky tight rope to walk, balancing between the needs of an entertaining story and hitherto unknown information is a tough act to complete and in trying to give us both the origin of the Ghost Rider and teasing the Avengers of 1 Million BC Aaron definitely fell off the rope and into the safety net here as in trying to accomplish two things at once he instead did neither well.
Art: While I think the transformation from cave boy to Ghost Rider in this issue may be the two best panels of art I've seen in a comic in a while, I'm not sure Pichelli's more realistic style fit the over all tone of the book. In the past, the book has felt like the adventures you dreamt up as a kid playing with your action figures alone in your room, but rather than giving us that distorted nightmareish look of a flame engulfed head atop a giant mastodon we got a regular guy with a skull head. It's still technically beautiful, but it lacked the feeling of fun that prior issues delivered.
Grade: 6/10
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 5, 2018 15:14:43 GMT -5
 James Bond: Origin #1. Written by Jeff Parker. Art by Bob Q. Schoolboy James Bond is prematurely drawn in to World War II when a school professor and friend of his parents is killed at nearly the same time as a German bombing of the Edinburgh factories and shipyards. Dynamite's Bond books have been hit and miss. But no way I was going to miss one written by Jeff Parker. This one just kind of sets the stage for what is sure to come. We see a young Bond who is teaching judo as self-defense to his peers and who is want to jump headlong into trouble. A small bit of backstory about his parents, with likely more to come. And it's clear he is getting set up to become the master spy we all know and love. Not perfect by any means, but I have faith in Parker. 7.5/10. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 6, 2018 21:52:48 GMT -5
The Dreaming #1Written by Simon Spurrier Art by Bilquis Evely Summary: Dream of the Endless has once again departed from his realm, and unprotected his home is starting to come apart at the seams.
Plot: This was actually the first book I read this week, and I've purchased it twice now as I had anticipated it so much I couldn't wait for my shop to open so I could go pick up my copy so I also bought it on comixology. By that virtue it should have been my first write up this week, but after I got to the end I found I couldn't adequately sum up how I felt about it, and even now after a half dozen readings I'm still not sure how I feel about it. There's a lot going on here in Spurrier's first outing, a lot to unpack before we can really get to where the story is going and I think that's why a part of me feels that the ground here isn't yet solid enough to hold any weight when it comes to if I'm going to follow this book to its end. I wonder, it was so long ago that I first read the Sandman and I can't truly remember how I felt after reading that initial issue( I dropped out after a few issues and didn't go back until much, much later) but I wonder if it was similar to how I feel now. There's a lot laid out here and no real sign post to say where things are going, and while some of what is presented is great( I love Dora!) and much of the narration effectively conjures up Gaiman's own narrative style but there's also an undercurrent of forced importance as well, a feeling of self hype that makes me roll my eyes ever so slightly. I felt the opening to the original Sandman was lacking all those years ago and missed out on experiencing a lot of fun, do I risk doing the same here? I don't have a crystal ball so I can't answer that, but I'm sold for a few issues to see if the way forward becomes clearer.
Art: Any uncertainty I feel about the plot certainly doesn't carry over to the art, Evely's work here is truly stunning. Her facial expressions are all unique and wonderfully emotive, her imaginative landscapes certainly make you feel like you've landed in the Dreaming and she can easily handle the loud action scenes as well as the quiet ones making every panel a joy to see. Seriously, she's that good, she could make a simple listing of the alphabet worth reading with her amazing illustrative style.
Grade:7/10 |
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Post by The Captain on Sept 8, 2018 11:10:12 GMT -5
Captain America #3 SynopsisThe "Winter in America" storyline continues as Steve enlists the help of T'Challa to find and neutralize the Nuke army, which Black Panther readily does as the man behind it, Ezekiel Stane, recently plotted to overthrow the Wakandan government and earned T'Challa's enmity. The heroes also uncover a conspiracy within the United States government to manipulate things behind the scenes, and Sharon Carter comes face to face with another of the conspirators, Selene, in Canada. My ThoughtsWhile last month's issue seemed to just tread water, this installment is a definite improvement in many aspects. The scene of Steve sitting in the small town just talking to a normal guy and, while not necessarily agreeing with him, understanding why the townspeople embraced Hydra (during the Secret Empire story) and now the Power Corporation is powerful and topical, as one could easily replace "Power Corporation" with "POTUS Trump" and the story still makes sense. Another fantastic element of the issue is the relationship between Steve Rogers and T'Challa. Coates writes them as having the utmost respect for one another, so it is no wonder that Black Panther would willingly help Cap in his quest to shut down the creation of more Nuke soldiers (although the fact he could get revenge on Stane is a motivating factor as well). On the topic of the Nuke soldiers, it's touching that Steve has much compassion for the men they were, just American soldiers doing their job but now caught up in something out of their control, and interesting that T'Challa has no such feelings and is actually the more effective of the two in the fight. The scenes with Sharon Carter were good as well, and although I enjoy seeing her back in the game, it stretches the boundaries of credulity that an older woman such as herself can physically take out a hired goon in the backseat of a car without being injured herself. That it will be her, and not Steve, to first encounter Selene and most likely learn the agenda of the Power Corporation is nice, as it keeps the supporting cast involved at a high level, much like the old days when Falcon was Cap's partner and was a constant in the book. My Grade: 7/10 Much better than last month's book. Glad to see some new faces as villains (Ezekiel Stane, Selene, etc.), but somehow dreading that it is the Red Skull pulling the strings from behind the curtain yet again, yet hoping I am wrong. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 8, 2018 18:52:50 GMT -5
Captain America #3 SynopsisThe "Winter in America" storyline continues as Steve enlists the help of T'Challa to find and neutralize the Nuke army, which Black Panther readily does as the man behind it, Ezekiel Stane, recently plotted to overthrow the Wakandan government and earned T'Challa's enmity. The heroes also uncover a conspiracy within the United States government to manipulate things behind the scenes, and Sharon Carter comes face to face with another of the conspirators, Selene, in Canada. My ThoughtsWhile last month's issue seemed to just tread water, this installment is a definite improvement in many aspects. The scene of Steve sitting in the small town just talking to a normal guy and, while not necessarily agreeing with him, understanding why the townspeople embraced Hydra (during the Secret Empire story) and now the Power Corporation is powerful and topical, as one could easily replace "Power Corporation" with "POTUS Trump" and the story still makes sense. Another fantastic element of the issue is the relationship between Steve Rogers and T'Challa. Coates writes them as having the utmost respect for one another, so it is no wonder that Black Panther would willingly help Cap in his quest to shut down the creation of more Nuke soldiers (although the fact he could get revenge on Stane is a motivating factor as well). On the topic of the Nuke soldiers, it's touching that Steve has much compassion for the men they were, just American soldiers doing their job but now caught up in something out of their control, and interesting that T'Challa has no such feelings and is actually the more effective of the two in the fight. The scenes with Sharon Carter were good as well, and although I enjoy seeing her back in the game, it stretches the boundaries of credulity that an older woman such as herself can physically take out a hired goon in the backseat of a car without being injured herself. That it will be her, and not Steve, to first encounter Selene and most likely learn the agenda of the Power Corporation is nice, as it keeps the supporting cast involved at a high level, much like the old days when Falcon was Cap's partner and was a constant in the book. My Grade: 7/10 Much better than last month's book. Glad to see some new faces as villains (Ezekiel Stane, Selene, etc.), but somehow dreading that it is the Red Skull pulling the strings from behind the curtain yet again, yet hoping I am wrong. Though the last issue felt like #1.5 in terms of progression I thought it was a slightly stronger book as far as characterization went. Don't get me wrong there were some great moments here like the conversation with Steve and John Q Citizen and the conversation with T'Challa was good too...but over all it felt like we missed an issue here. Why does Steve meet up with Black Panther? Did he seek him out or vice versa? There's a chunk of story missing there that I think would have made the pacing feel a bit more even. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 8, 2018 20:03:25 GMT -5
James Bond: Origin #1. Written by Jeff Parker. Art by Bob Q. Schoolboy James Bond is prematurely drawn in to World War II when a school professor and friend of his parents is killed at nearly the same time as a German bombing of the Edinburgh factories and shipyards. Dynamite's Bond books have been hit and miss. But no way I was going to miss one written by Jeff Parker. This one just kind of sets the stage for what is sure to come. We see a young Bond who is teaching judo as self-defense to his peers and who is want to jump headlong into trouble. A small bit of backstory about his parents, with likely more to come. And it's clear he is getting set up to become the master spy we all know and love. Not perfect by any means, but I have faith in Parker. 7.5/10. The main problem I've had with a lot of the past Bond books by Boom!, and Boom! books in general, was the god awful art and although I don't know who Bob Q is he did a decent enough job here and Parker was as solid as ever. I don't know if I'll pick this up long term but it was good enough to follow for now. |
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