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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 15, 2020 9:09:27 GMT -5
Here we follow a simple equation: Real Readers + Fresh Comics = Real Reviews Welcome to another week of ... OFF THE RACKS After a couple of slim weeks I have a bounty of books to dive into, what are you reading?? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2020 13:27:51 GMT -5
 The Immortal Hulk #35. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Mike Hawthorne. I did not see this twist coming. The world knows the Hulk saved them from the war with Roxxon. And now the Hulk is the latest celebrity hero. It was a strange (in a good way) issue with the Hulk being lauded as a hero. It all felt off and then BAM! Ewing hits us with that last page! Ewing keeps surprising me as he reinvents this series every so often to keep it fresh. A recent interview with Joe Bennett revealed Ewing has a 50 issue end date in mind. Bennett's art was missed this issue.
7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2020 13:36:05 GMT -5
 Aquaman #61. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Miguel Mendonca. Mera is finally awake (from her coma)and kicking butt. Her plans derail the Ocean Master's plans to control the Seven Kingdoms. Aquaman and Tula sneak into Atlantis in time to see Orm's plans unravel and a war break out. DeConnick sets up the stage for a showdown between Aqumaman, Mera and their allies and the Ocean Master and the Atlantean armies. DeConnick has written a great Aquaman title the past 2 years and the art has been beautiful also. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2020 13:43:15 GMT -5
Undiscovered Country TPB Volume I. Destiny. Collects Undiscovered Country #1-6.
Written by Scott Snyder and Charles Soule. Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini, and Leonardo Marcello Grassi.
The United States of America is literally walled off from the rest of the world for over a century. A small group is invited to explore the USA in return for a virus cure that it is affecting Europe and Asia.
Is this Image's new Walking Dead? Not sure yet. Nice art. Intriguing concept and story. Can definitely picture this as a TV series. It is a bit confusing. And I did not expect the Mad Max vibe. I thought it would be a little more "normal" and not quite so dystopian and slightly weird.
I suspect by issue #12 it will make more sense. I intend to enjoy the journey getting there. I will getting this in trade form.
7/10. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 17, 2020 13:29:12 GMT -5
The United States of America is literally walled off from the rest of the world for over a century. A small group is invited to explore the USA in return for a virus cure that it is affecting Europe and Asia. Heh! Talk about lousy timing for a publication!  The general idea reminds me of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Beyond Thirty, in which America had lost contact with the rest of the world. I really enjoyed that novel. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 18, 2020 7:59:26 GMT -5
Batman: The Adventures Continue #8Written by Paul Dini and Alan Burnett Art by Ty Templeton Summary: When Catwoman steals a holy shroud a new Dark Knight comes to Gotham to retrieve it, but is he friend or foe?
Plot: The Knightfall event and its subsequent storylines Knightsquest and Knightsend hold a special place in my heart as it was the first whole storyline I ever followed. Previous to that event I had just chosen issues whether current or back issues totally at random based solely on how cool the covers looked but when I saw Batman get beat by Bane I knew I needed the whole story and so my father and I would go and pick up each issue, even the tie ins, as they came out. This was a time of complete batmania for me, there were the films, comics, reruns of the Adam West TV show and of course Batman: The Animated series and it was while watching that latter show that I had my first fan wish: they should adapt Knightfall.
It was a wish that would become partly true as they did end up bringing Bane to the animated world and while it was a fair adaptation I remember being a little disappointed that it didn't go all the way and include Azrael because he was my favorite part of the whole story. It was a disappointment that lasted until today as Dini and Burnett finally brought Azrael to the animated world. it didn't hit all the beats that made me love good ol' Jean Paul Valley back in the original it did capture him pretty well and in one respect actually improved on his relationship with Bruce. Instead of becoming Batman almost entirely out of left field Dini and Burnett make JPV a contemporary of Bruce from his days trecking across the globe in his quest to become Batman. That simple addition of Bruce briefly joining the Order of St. Dumas to hone his skills and that he met and befriended JPV while there makes the idea that he might choose him as a replacement make a lot more sense than what we actually got in the original story. So in a single stroke Dini and Burnett streamline JPV's origin and ties to Batman and create a great new story involving Mr. Freeze. High marks all around.
Art: Templeton continues to deliver that perfect New Adventures look on every page, even giving us a great look at the Azbat armor in the animated style.
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 18, 2020 12:18:38 GMT -5
Star Trek DS9: Too Long a Sacrifice #1Written by Scott and David Tipton Art by Greg Scott Summary: When an explosion wracks the station it's up to Odo to figure out who was responsible before strife destroys the station.
Plot: As much as I loved Next Gen I've probably re-watched DS9 far often over the years and the characters have become as familiar to me as family. Trek in general hasn't been as prolific in comics as Star Wars and DS9 in particular has for some reason seldom seen much love but what has come out has often been fun and this latest iteration is no different. One of the things I've never understood about why Star Trek hasn't prospered in comics that at its core its essentially been an anthology series using a same cast of characters; you can use it as a vehicle to tell any kind of story no matter the genre which gives it a tremendous amount of flexibility. For instance, in this story we get a murder mystery with political intrigue as Odo tries to figure out who bombed the promenade before the factions aboard the station tear it apart; it's a great concept, fits the characters well and includes the whole cast.
Art: While there have been some solid Star Trek comments at IDW more often than not the art is sub-par...but that's not the case here under the pen of Greg Scott, I've loved his work since Gotham Central and his moody style is a perfect fit for this murder mystery in space.
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 18, 2020 12:35:35 GMT -5
The Immortal Hulk #35. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Mike Hawthorne. I did not see this twist coming. The world knows the Hulk saved them from the war with Roxxon. And now the Hulk is the latest celebrity hero. It was a strange (in a good way) issue with the Hulk being lauded as a hero. It all felt off and then BAM! Ewing hits us with that last page! Ewing keeps surprising me as he reinvents this series every so often to keep it fresh. A recent interview with Joe Bennett revealed Ewing has a 50 issue end date in mind. Bennett's art was missed this issue.
7/10. I definitely missed Bennett's art but that scene with Betty was simply amazing. She gets "Hulk is Hulk" even though Banner doesn't. |
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