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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 17, 2021 13:36:52 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKS!Real Readers, Real Reviews  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2021 14:35:38 GMT -5
 Batman Catwoman #3. Written by Tom King. Art by Clay Mann. The Good: This book looks phenomenal. The future storyline that features Dick Grayson as Commissioner and Helena Wayne as Batwoman. The two of them investigate the murder of the Joker. The past storyline where the Joker messes with Selina subtly "pushing" her on the wrong side of the law as a way to torture Batman. The portrayals of Joker & Catwoman. The Bad: The "present day" story arc with the Phantasm is the weakest so far. How little Batman appears in the story. 7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2021 14:41:43 GMT -5
 Iron Fist Heart of the Dragon #2. Written by Larry Hama. Art by Dave Wachter. Iron Fist gathers allies (including Luke Cage!)to fight off an undead army from invading Earth. Sounds silly but the story has a lot of action and pays homage to the history of Iron Fist in past adventures. Plus it has decent art. 7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2021 14:49:38 GMT -5
 Iron Man #6. Written by Christopher Cantwell . Art by CAFU. After stumbling the last 2 issues this issue sort of redeems the story arc. Iron Man is now locked in his armor to save his life from the near fatal beating he took last month but now he can't take it off or else he'll die. Tony gathers a small army to chase down Korvac and Rhodey breaks free from being a captive and joins him as War Machine. Plus this is one really good looking book. 7/10. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 17, 2021 15:07:40 GMT -5
Iron Man #6. Written by Christopher Cantwell . Art by CAFU. After stumbling the last 2 issues this issue sort of redeems the story arc. Iron Man is now locked in his armor to save his life from the near fatal beating he took last month but now he can't take it off or else he'll die. Tony gathers a small army to chase down Korvac and Rhodey breaks free from being a captive and joins him as War Machine. Plus this is one really good looking book. 7/10. You have a stronger stomach than I do, I dropped this hard after the poor way it handled the kidnapping of Rhodey in I think issue three? I can't see getting back into it, even if the art is good. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 17, 2021 15:38:04 GMT -5
Barbalien: Red Planet #4Written by Tate Brombal Art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta Summary: Miguel and "Luke" grow closer but with the Gay Rights movement growing and a killer on the loose their relationship hits a snag.
Plot: On its surface a book title Red Planet and focusing on a martian named Barbalien would seem to as far from human as you could get but Brombal's story goes to show that what we deem as human qualities aren't really constrained to our species as love, compassion and a search for identity are solidly on display here. That exploration of humanity is really what has made this book feel so special, the struggles and situations feel so incredibly real and each issue comes up with new ways to pull at your heartstrings. What's incredible is that this could have easily come across as really shallow and felt like it was just pandering but Brombal's depiction of this budding relationship never feels unauthentic which really blows me over and although I like the sci-fi story going on in the back ground as well I think I'll be sad when that comes more to the front.
Art: Walta's style continues to be a perfect fit for the book, being cartoony enough to sell the alien parts but detailed enough to capture the power of those quite human moments that really make the book so special.
Grade:10/10 |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 17, 2021 20:34:06 GMT -5
Batman Catwoman #3. Written by Tom King. Art by Clay Mann. The Good: This book looks phenomenal. The future storyline that features Dick Grayson as Commissioner and Helena Wayne as Batwoman. The two of them investigate the murder of the Joker. The past storyline where the Joker messes with Selina subtly "pushing" her on the wrong side of the law as a way to torture Batman. The portrayals of Joker & Catwoman. The Bad: The "present day" story arc with the Phantasm is the weakest so far. How little Batman appears in the story. 7/10. Dick Grayson as commissioner? Interesting. That might be work checking out! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 18, 2021 7:57:31 GMT -5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2Written by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laid and Tom Waltz Art by Kevin Eastman and Eastman, Esau and Isaac Escorza Summary: The last living Turtle awakens in the old lair, where he's been rescued by April O'Neil and her daughter and finds old allies come in handy.
Plot: As you've seen above I'm still trying my level best not to spoil this story for those of you who for whatever totally lame reason haven't already picked up the stunning first issue...but my further writings here will indeed necessarily narrow down the identity of that last Ronin because it's just plain impossible talk around how gut wrenching that reveal was.
So, I'll get that out of the way with out going any further.
This is it, your last chance to walk away unspoiled.
Raphael and Splinter die...and it hurts. It's legitimately silly to write that, these are talking animals we're discussing here after all, but it's no less true. Seeing Raph die was an actual emotional experience for me, the kind of scene that will resonate with me as a reader for a long time. He's a character I've loved and grown with for thirty years now, and although yes he's fictional, it's as if he was a part of my actual family and when he rushed after the Foot to avenge the death of Splinter I went right along with him in my heart. Yeah, it's a typical action beat but because of the connection Laird and Eastman have built into this character over the years it was no less impactful. And that's the power of this story, it's the final pay off of years of storytelling where everything we loved gets to come together to take its final bow. And yet, it isn't so tied up in itself that it's inaccessible to new readers who may only be recently getting into the Turtles for the first time and have only a passing knowledge of these characters. Through a great use of flashbacks sprinkled judiciously through out the issue new readers can easily be caught up and yet they are written in such a way they add depth for returning readers instead of coming off as info dumps. It's a tight balancing act pleasing both new readers and long time fans but Laird, Eastman and Waltz prove they are up to the challenge and with more reveals of past characters in this dystopian future I'm excited to say that I'm sure they will land well.
Art: In a lot of ways the work of Esau and Isaac Escorza reminds me of Frank Fosco's run on the Turtles in the third volume. And while narratively speaking those Image issues weren't my favorite, Fosco's very 90's larger than life take on the Turtles as they aged has always stuck with me so to see that style brought to life here by the Escorzas really helps make the book feel like it's fulfilling a legacy. And the flash back to how the last Turtle tried to meet his end after his brothers died done by Eastman? Man, you could frame that image of him collapsing on the mountainside, it was art in the true definition of the word. This is everything a Turtle book could ever hope to be and more.
Seriously, if you're even just a passing fan of the Turtles and you haven't read these issues you're committing a crime. Get this book now. It's for your own good.
Grade:10/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 18, 2021 9:19:20 GMT -5
Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land #1
 Written by Mike Mignola and Tom Sniegoski Art by Craig Rousseau Summary: Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm find themselves stranded on a mysterious island...and of course it's full of dinosaurs and giant apes!
Plot: Over the years Mike Mignola has incorporated the trappings of various different genres into the world of Hellboy, from the obvious choices like the Universal monster movies, and folk tales around the world to the more obscure like Mexican wrestling but this mash up between Hellboy and the Lost World and King Kong definitely takes the cake! Not only does it have that fantastic pulp adventure feel of a mysterious island full of dinosaurs and throwbacks to mankind's past which never fail to delight me but it also has some truly great father son scenes between Hellboy and Bruttenholm that have just the right amount of sentimentality and on top of that it builds on the whole underlying story of Hellboy as the beast of the apocalypse. In short, it's everything one could love about the history of Hellboy all rolled into one. While I've been pretty down on Mignola's writing here in the recent past this issue really shows that after all these years not only does he still have it as a writer but he still has more to legitimately say about Hellboy which is something I had begin to feel he couldn't do anymore. Here's hoping this book is a real sign of things to come.
Art: Craig Rousseau with his sort of Alex Toth inspired, clear lined, cartoony style is an artist that I would have sworn good money had done a Hellboy book before...and yet other than a few pin ups this is his first Hellboy story...which just boggles my mind as his style is just custom built for Mignola's world. His style is like the bright side of the mirror of Mignola's so when you see his work here it just feels so incredibly right for a story about the naive young Hellboy. I love every single image here and I truly hope this is the first of many collaborations between Mignola and Rousseau.
Grade:9/10
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Post by Batflunkie on Feb 19, 2021 15:32:53 GMT -5
Savage #1  Plot: Following the mini-series from a few years ago, the book follows a young feral teen heart throb as he readjusts to life in society, desperately craving the solitude of his little dino ridden island. Isn't long before a portal opens and he gets his wish Max Bemis usually does a stellar job with weird stuff like that Centipede book that Dynamite put out a few years ago, but it's really too early on to tell how this one is going to turn out even as Valiant's attempt to re-introduce Turok-lite to the world Grade: 9.5/10 |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 19, 2021 17:24:28 GMT -5
Gotta agree on TMNT: Last Ronin... fantastic stuff. If you've ever consumed any sort of Turtles media/movie/cartoon, you should be getting it. Sure, you could wait for the trade, since it's very slo to release (#3 now pushed off to May, I think), but read it. It's awesome.
Other stuff for me this week:
Iron Man #6 : I hate when they try to say they're taking a new direction, and it's really an old direction. Tony trapped in the armor has certainly happened before... seems like Cantwell just has substituted the usual Iron Man supporting cast with C-list heroes no one else was using. Maybe it was a bet (You can't get Scarlet Spider, Frog Man and War Machine in the same story...) The art is really good, so it's good enough to not drop, but just barely, and I'm an Iron Man lifer
Black Widow #5 : I added this because the next storyline sounded interesting, and my store pulled it now, so I went with it. It doesn't really fit at all into the MU it seems, but I guess that doesn't matter these days... definitely a cool story. Hawkeye was especially awesome. Definitely felt more MCU than 616, but that's ok. Might be worth the trade to get the whole story.. it's a cliche, but a good one.
Superman: Worlds of War #2 : Not loving this continues into another book... I was expecting to get a full story out of the 2 $8 comics. Grrr. The lead that's set on Earth that doesn't have Superman in it at all is really cool, the War world stuff could be interesting, but is dragging massively. I'm a sucker and I want to see where they go though, so I'll probably get House of El to see.
Abbott 1973 #2 : It's a little weird that they've mashed supernatural stuff into the book.. it would be great just as a period piece, and the 'lightbringer' stuff feels tacked on to me. Still a good read, but I feel like there's some lost potential.
Shadow Doctor #1 " Aftershock really keeps hitting with these things... stories you just didn't know you wanted until they come up with them. This features the story of Al Capone's doctor, written by his grandson. So far, it's a very cool story that I almost wish was a novel instead of a comic (though the art is nice, too).
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 19, 2021 18:41:04 GMT -5
Gotta agree on TMNT: Last Ronin... fantastic stuff. If you've ever consumed any sort of Turtles media/movie/cartoon, you should be getting it. Sure, you could wait for the trade, since it's very slo to release (#3 now pushed off to May, I think), but read it. It's awesome. Other stuff for me this week: Iron Man #6 : I hate when they try to say they're taking a new direction, and it's really an old direction. Tony trapped in the armor has certainly happened before... seems like Cantwell just has substituted the usual Iron Man supporting cast with C-list heroes no one else was using. Maybe it was a bet (You can't get Scarlet Spider, Frog Man and War Machine in the same story...) The art is really good, so it's good enough to not drop, but just barely, and I'm an Iron Man lifer Black Widow #5 : I added this because the next storyline sounded interesting, and my store pulled it now, so I went with it. It doesn't really fit at all into the MU it seems, but I guess that doesn't matter these days... definitely a cool story. Hawkeye was especially awesome. Definitely felt more MCU than 616, but that's ok. Might be worth the trade to get the whole story.. it's a cliche, but a good one. Superman: Worlds of War #2 : Not loving this continues into another book... I was expecting to get a full story out of the 2 $8 comics. Grrr. The lead that's set on Earth that doesn't have Superman in it at all is really cool, the War world stuff could be interesting, but is dragging massively. I'm a sucker and I want to see where they go though, so I'll probably get House of El to see. Abbott 1973 #2 : It's a little weird that they've mashed supernatural stuff into the book.. it would be great just as a period piece, and the 'lightbringer' stuff feels tacked on to me. Still a good read, but I feel like there's some lost potential. Shadow Doctor #1 " Aftershock really keeps hitting with these things... stories you just didn't know you wanted until they come up with them. This features the story of Al Capone's doctor, written by his grandson. So far, it's a very cool story that I almost wish was a novel instead of a comic (though the art is nice, too). I agree whole heartidly on Worlds of War, I loved the world with out a Superman support group story line and I was bumbed to see that it wasn't concluded here and while the War World story is fun it is definitely slow. |
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Post by Dizzy D on Mar 13, 2021 14:48:18 GMT -5
Having picked up my comics for the past 3-4 months now the lockdown has been eased (order through phone, pickup at doorstep for now), I was thinking whether to continue where I left off, or just pick the last issue of each series.
The second one it is (also we did not get this week comics, so I'm still a week behind and I won't be going in weekly as we're still working from home):
That said:
Marauders #18
Written by Gerry Duggan
Art by Stefano Caselli, Mattheo Loli and Edgar Delgado
What Happened Before:Mutants have united and live nearly all on the island of Krakoa. To gain international recognition and economic influence, Krakoa's main export are highly advanced medicines. The Hellfire Trading Company is responsible for negotiating and transporting these medicines to the right places, but also to smuggle medicines in and mutants out of nations were mutants are unwelcome. The anti-mutant organization Homines Verendi has been working against Krakoa and been buying a lot of property in the island state of Madripoor and Emma Frost has decided to hit Homines Verendi where it hurts: in their wallets.
Plot: Emma has opened up the Moira MacTaggert Memorial Hospital, a free hospital for the people of Madripoor in the exact place Homines Verendi were planning an expensive high-rise. Inside Callisto brings Masque to two parents who have brought their baby in. Masque uses his powers to heal the baby's cleft lip, and is a bit overwhelmed by the family's gratitude.
Homines Verendi strike back by unleashing their new Reavers on Pyro, Iceman and Bishop who have just bought a bar/"hotel" in the slums of madripoor and Iceman recognizes some of the Reavers as soldiers they've fought before. They quickly find out that this was setup and the media plays this as a streetfight the mutants started. The Marauders retreat while the Reavers are ordered to take this opportunity to burn down the entire slums.
The Good: I always like it when superheroes decide to defeat their enemies by different tactics than the usual fisticuffs, so Emma flexing her wealth to make both do some good and make mutants more popular in Madripoor, while at the same time disrupting her opponent's plans, is something I like a lot.
Kitty has not much of a role this issue, but she had the previous issues dedicated to her, so time for the rest of the cast to shine. I like Iceman's reaction to the Reavers trying to guilt-trip him for injuring them before (rightly pointing that they were trying to kill his friend at the time). Bishop never got written with much personality, so it's nice to see him enjoying himself here by tricking enemies to shoot their energy weapons at him.
We've seen it before in the recent Krakoa stories, where former "evil" mutants now find fulfillment in using their powers to help others and Masque seems to be next in line for this. I do think that they played it smart here, by having Callisto there to watch over him, because Masque can be cruel for no reason, but it looks like he's genuine here.
And I like the attention to details like Emma inviting Proteus for the opening of the Moira MacTaggert memorial hospital (and also not telling Xavier and Magneto her plan just to see the look on their faces).
The Bad: Mid-part story in a longer arc with not too much happening. The villains have been pretty weak so far, Homines Verendi are just the humans from the old Hellfire Club who are rich and cruel, but ultimately not very interesting. The new Reavers also seem to be cannon fodder so far with little personality between them (we also never get their names, so that shows how important they are).
7/10: Good art and likeable characters, but weak villains in this arc.
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