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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 5, 2020 8:01:53 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKSFresh Comics Reviewed Weekly By Real Readers  What Are You Reading? |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 5, 2020 8:53:27 GMT -5
Strange Adventures #4Written by Tom King Art by Evan "Doc" Shaner Summary: Mr. Terrific runs into trouble on Rann when he uncovers a stash of documents he wasn't meant to see.
Plot: It's been four issues and I still have no idea why Mr. Terrific is investigating Adam Strange, I mean from the flashbacks I'm assuming it's because Strange has been accused of of some kind of intergalactic war crime but King hasn't made anything like that even remotely clear on page...which is a very odd plot choice for a story that's otherwise playing out like a detective story. If you don't know the crime it's hard to get attached to quest to uncover the perpetrator and with each issue that goes by with out knowing that I find my interest seriously waning despite the excellent characterization going on.
Art: I think that if it were not for the absolutely show-stoppingly beautiful art work put out by Shaner in this book I would have dropped it before now. The way he draws Adam in flight really captures the absolute sense of wonder that the character should imbue in anyone who looks upon him. And his Superman? Flawless as always. I really don't understand why Shaner isn't on bigger books, his style is the pinnacle of what superheroes should look like.
Grade:7/10(but only because of the amazing art)
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Post by Hoosier X on Aug 5, 2020 21:07:13 GMT -5
 Legion of Super-Heroes #1, #6 and #7A couple of my regular comics seem to have disappeared because of the hiatus brought on by the virus, so I have had quite a few weeks lately where none or maybe only one of my regular comics came out. (Also Lois Lane ended. So I guess I had an opening anyway.) So I decided to give the new Legion a try! I bought #7 last week and #1 and #6 this week. I have mixed feeling to say the least. Visually, it's very pretty. And I see little bits of things to like here and there. I do love how they've given Imra so much to do. And it's great that Brainy is still Brainy. I was actually kind of excited about it after I read #7 last week. But I just now read #1 and #6, and I'm seeing a few things that are raising warning flags about whether or not I'm going to like this series. For one thing, it's too much! There are too many characters and they seem to want to feature every single character in every issue! And then there's new members Doctor Fate and Gold Lantern! Yeah! That's what this book needs! More brightly clad super-beings! And then there's this: They are basically still fighting the same fight in #6 as in #1! There's this group called the Harraz, and they are after the trident of Aquaman, which became a mighty artifact somewhere along the way. And there it is in #1 … and here it is in #6. I'm just not sure I want to dive in and get all these issues to read a story that is probably at least three issues too long. And one of the villains is Mordru, which means a great big yawn from me. At least they can't ruin him for me because I have never liked Mordru. It doesn't bother me that there are a lot of changes. But so many of these characters are literally unrecognizable until their name is mentioned. I don't really mind that Superboy is Superman's son. (Although his wide-eyed Gee-Whiz dialogue is a bit hard to take at times.) But the changes seem so arbitrary a lot of the time, and the writing gives me almost nothing to care about! I will probably read these three issues over again to see if another read-through helps me care a little more, but the decompression makes me think it's going to be a lot of long story arcs with too many characters to follow on a regular basis. So far I'm not really that enthused in finding out if I'm wrong about this title. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 6, 2020 19:14:35 GMT -5
Fire Power #2(and the prelude and #1)Written by Robert Kirkman Art by Chris Samnee Summary: After learning a mystic secret at a kung fu temple Owen Johnson returns to a suburban life but danger remains.
Plot: I don't know how I missed this book until now, with it's kung-fu focus and creative team it should have shown up like a giant roman candle on my radar and yet I've had no notion of its existence until now. That said, now that I've devoured the 100 plus page prelude graphic and both of the released issues I'm not entirely sure if I really need to read more. Despite the premise being right up my alley what Kirkman has delivered thus far seems more than just a little regurgitated; we started with the same western orphan training with the greatest martial masters in the world while looking for answers about their past, we see him find the mystical mountain top kung-fu temple, we see him learn the top secret move no one else could master(and it's fire based like Iron Fist to boot) and then we get him in a perfect suburban life only for his past to come back and attack him with a vengeance. I'll grant you that the last bit is slightly novel but only a little as after you get over the initial shock of the change in location you can't escape the feeling that it's just a play on Campbell's hero's journey( specifically the refusal of the call) with the added twist of the mysticism of adulthood in that the children don't know that their parents are secretly kung fu heroes.
I really don't remember the last time I had my expectations so thoroughly dashed...I just don't know what Kirkman is doing here, it's all just so terribly cliche(right down to the oh so shocking ending where the big bad is revealed to be the old master) that it can't be accidental...but I just can't figure out what one can hope to accomplish starting with so many cliches.
Art: Samnee's art is the only real saving grace here, every image he puts on the page is a real work of art that you just have to stop and savor. From the solemn, silent mountain tops, to the beautifully detailed temple architecture and the amazing action every element is just perfect... which ultimately just makes the book all the more disappointing as the plot just isn't worthy of the art and if only it was just an even halfway interesting story the book would be a thrill.
Grade:6/10...a perfect 5 for the art gives this a strangely skewed rating. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 7, 2020 7:38:27 GMT -5
Alien: The Original Screenplay #1Scripted by Cristiano Seixas Art by Guilherme Balbi Summary: A freighter returning to Earth from a deep space voyage is stopped when the ship picks up an alien transmission.
Plot: Similar to how they brought out The Star Wars based on George Lucas' original film treatment when the rights to Star Wars left them Dark Horse is now putting out books based on the original screen plays of Alien and Predator as Disney has purchased Fox and is looking to bring these properties to Marvel. However, unlike the Star Wars film treatment it doesn't look like there are any real differences between the original script and the finished film. Sure, there are some minor cosmetic differences such as the name of the ship, the planet they encounter and the cast has a larger female presence but the plot and indeed even the pacing remain exactly the same. Perhaps the plot diverges later on, I've never read the original script so I have no idea, but as I've seen the film countless times and the opening is so note for note the same I can't see myself being intrigued enough to make it far enough to see how(if any) different it is from the original film.
Art: A trend is appearing in my reviews this week as yet again, although the plot isn't anything to write home about the art by Balbi is fantastic. There's a slick, cinematic feel to his work here that really does make you think you're watching an alternate universe cut of Alien as all the details look incredibly life like with out feeling overwrought or stiff. That said, despite being billed as being free of the influences of H.R. Giger and Moebius(who gave us the look we all associate with the Alien franchise) aside from the design of the Pilot and the more futuristic space suits the crew wears a lot of what we saw here does look like it could have been in the film; as both the heavy industrial look of the freighter and the weirdly disconcertingly organic appearance of the alien space ship(both inside and out) are both film accurate.
Grade:6/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 7, 2020 8:39:00 GMT -5
Usagi Yojimbo #11By Stan Sakai Summary: Usagi washes up unconscious on the river shore of his home village and is discovered by Mariko.
Plot: While we knew that Usagi's long overdue return home would always be less than ideal having him not only be immediately discovered by Mariko but also to then segue to Usagi awkwardly waking up after a fantasy about Mariko made it a tad cliche and overly melodramatic. That said, after that awkward start the issue continued on beautifully with a nice mix of sentimentality and a tantalizing hook that is sure to be a defining moment for our favorite rabbit ronin. The flash back to Usagi's youth was probably worth the cover price alone, but the way that Sakai seamlessly transitioned that tale with the danger in the present really goes to show that Sakai really is a true master storyteller as what should have been a jarring segue felt completely smooth. Looking back on the issue as a whole and seeing as it is the start of what looks to be an important story for Usagi, perhaps I was a little harsh in my earlier summation of the start of the issue. Sure, as long time readers we're all familiar with the relationship that Usagi and Mariko share so it seems like old hat, and yes a little too convenient in a real world sense but for a new reader it succinctly introduces that drama that we've watched unfold all these years into a few short pages giving that new reader a sense of depth that they wouldn't have had otherwise.
Art: I mentioned above that the flash back to Usagi as a child was worth the cost of the issue all on its own and for me Sakai's art more than anything else is the reason why. The pure, childlike wonder he manages to portray through Usagi's facial features as he hauls the giant carp back to his village is just so beautiful. I've long wanted a print from Sakai and although I'm partial to those wonderful shots of Usagi against a wonderful nature scene that Sakai likes to pepper into his stories I think the shot of young Usagi holding the giant carp might just top my list of scenes I'd like to own if I won a million dollars.
Grade:8.5/10 |
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Post by The Captain on Aug 7, 2020 10:11:06 GMT -5
Captain America #21
Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Art by Bob Quinn It's the first new issue of Captain America since March, when a little virus brought everything, including comic production and shipping, to a grinding halt. I've been tough, I mean REALLY tough, on what I've felt is a lackluster effort by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates on this title, as he has focused heavily on the Daughters of Liberty while pushing Bucky, Sam, and yes, even Steve himself to the background. Did this return effort get the title back on track, or is it more disappointment? Let's dig in. This is a huge improvement (not that the bar, sadly, was very high), mainly because the focus of the book is Steve (along with Sam and Bucky), which is as it should be. The main plot shows the three men infiltrating the town of Adamsville, which has been set up, ostensibly, to provide disenfranchised American men a place to go work with their hands in building and farming and give them a sense of purpose that has been taken from them, with the underlying message being this was done by liberals; one man says "But here, a man don't just exist. He lives. He don't just punch keys or collect food stamps. He builds things. He hunts. He tends the earth as the Almighty intended". Thing is, Adamsville is designed by Selene, the ancient Roman energy vampire and usual foe of the X-Men, who is part of a shadowy cabal known as the Power Elite; this group has been behind everything going on in the series so far, with members like Wilson Fisk, Norman Osborne, Zeke Stane, Baron Strucker, and Alexa & Alexsander Lukin (more on them later). Selene, in the guise of Vicar Gallo, has been syphoning off the life force of some of the men to fuel her plan for immortality, along with resurrection for Alexsander Lukin (??). Cap, Sam, and Bucky bust in on one of her feeding sessions, only to find her powers amplified, allowing her to mentally control the other inhabitants of the town, who she turns on the heroes. In the main subplot, which takes place in Madripoor, we see a slave auction headed by William Taurey and attended by the Lukins, as well as Taurey's niece Cheer Chadwick. This is an OLD-SCHOOL callback, as Taurey was introduced in Captain America #194 and Chadwick in issue #195 as part of The Elite, during Jack Kirby's return to the title after his time at DC. There is some flirting between Taurey and Alexa Lukin, as well as some flirting AND sinister encouragement from Cheer to Alexsander Lukin, who takes her advice and removes an obstacle from his path on the final page, while also revealing to his victim that he is harboring an aspect of Cap's oldest and deadliest foe, The Red Skull, within him. This stems out of the Brubaker Cap run and should be the driver of the rest of the arc, entitled "All Die Young". After being incredibly disappointed by Coates' work on the title, this offers a glimmer of hope that he was playing the long game and things are on the upswing. I like his use of continuity in Taurey and Chadwick as well as the Lukin/Red Skull dynamic, and having Cap and crew up against an unconventional (for them) foe in Selene is a nice change of pace. Lastly, the reduction of page space for the Daughters of Liberty, limited to a string of text messages between Sharon and Steve, is greatly welcomed; it's not that they're a bad concept, but the title of this book is CAPTAIN AMERICA, and when I plunk down my $4.27, that is who I want to read about, not them. Grade: 7/10, as a return to the real star of the show and some awesome Cap continuity make this a winner. |
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