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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 9, 2021 9:06:52 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKSReal reviews by real readers  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 10, 2021 9:34:21 GMT -5
Batman: Urban Legends #1Written by Chip Zdarsky, Stephanie Phillips, Matthew Rosenberg and Brandon Thomas Art by Eddy Barrows, Ryan Benjamin, Laura Braga, and Max Dunbar Summary: In this quasi-revamp of Batman Family we see stories featuring Bruce and Jason, Harley and Ivy, the outsiders and the Grifter. Plot: It should be a known fact around these parts that not only do I love Batman but I also love anthologies so it should come as no surprise then that this new book was a must have as it combines both those things! Although Batman, like a number of DC heroes, started off as a character in an anthology book he's only really head lined a few since then with Batman Black and White and the much earlier Batman Family(See the reviews by shaxper here!) books being the real standouts which I've always felt is a shame as with all the amazing supporting characters attached to Batman having a book with rotating features focusing on all those characters just seemed natural so it's great to see the concept back today even if ultimately the book is uneven. The first issue features four stories, three of which will continue here in coming issues and one that was sadly just a tease for another book that is set to come out next month and I'll go through all of them below in the order of my preference. Red Hood and Batman in "Cheer" Chip Zdarsky and Eddy Barrows This was sort of billed as the headliner for the book and was definitely the story I was most excited for, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Although I've yet to try it out yet, md62 (and many others) has long sung the praises of Zdarsky's run on Daredevil so Batman seemed like a logical fit for him and seeing it come true was a real moment of excitement. Although Daredevil and Batman are two very different characters they do share similar moods and themes so it's usually a fair bet that if a writer can do justice to one they can do the other just as well(Just see Frank Miller and Denny O'Neil for evidence) and with only one short in the can I think Zdarsky easily became another. I have a real soft spot for Jason Todd stories, so his inclusion here definitely ticked a box for me, but it was more than that as the plot of Jason trying to help a child who's mother just OD'd in front of him was a great way to really open up the character as it mirrored Jason's own life. While I wasn't a fan of the way Jason dealt with the boy's father it's something that will undeniably create tension with Batman and hopefully open up an exploration of their relationship. On top of that Barrow's art is really clean, and the action scenes really leap off the page. 8/10The Outsiders in "Caretaker" Brandon Thomas and Mark Dunbar This is a feature that although didn't totally wow me with it's first part I none the less think has a lot of potential to grow based on its amazing ending. I totally get why the plot leading up to that end reveal was as fragmented as it was, with the way Metamorpho was treated by the as of yet to be fully unrevealed antagonists it makes sense that his recollections of the preceding events would be hazy...but I don't know if it was done well in execution. Up until the end there's nothing that makes you think what you're seeing isn't the story that Black Lightning is telling Metamorpho, it's only at the end you realize that those images were Metamorpho's hence why they were so fragmented, if there was something better that set that idea off to start with the feature would have read much better but as it was you just kept wondering why nothing seemed to make a whole lot of sense and why the action seemed to skip around and the dialogue seemed to fade in and out which was a weird read. That said, the end was really fun thanks to the great art by Dunbar; Metamorpho at his best is more than a little surreal and that final image of him as being the prison that was confining Black Lightning definitely fit into that tradition and I'm hoping with that kind of end note this really takes off in it's last two chapters. 6.5/10Harley and Ivy in "New Roots" Stephanie Phillips and Laura Braga And "Long Con" I generally don't like features that only serve as teasers for another book, especially when said teaser isn't really a full fledged story in its own right so this was always going to be a miss for me. However, the characterization of both Harley and Ivy was pretty great, and I'm not normally a huge fan of Harley so that says something. It's not enough to make me want to buy a Harley/Batman book(which this was basically an advert for) but it was head and shoulders above the Grifter feature. I just can't get into him and the way they've tied him into Batman's world with having him be Lucius Fox's bodyguard just doesn't work for me.
Harley: 6/10
Grifter: 4/10
Overall it was a definite mixed bag, but still enjoyable and I'm hoping it only gets better from here.
Grade:7/10 overall |
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Post by DubipR on Mar 10, 2021 14:11:16 GMT -5
I like Grifter as a character but this iteration of making him part of the Bat Universe feels wrong. He should've been associated with Suicide Squad or something espionage. I agree with your review of this.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 11, 2021 9:47:59 GMT -5
Superman #29Written by Phillip K. Johnson and Sean Lewis Art by Phil Hester and Sami Basri Summary: When a monster strikes Jon must come to terms with the fact that although his Dad is Superman, he is still mortal like any other Dad.
Plot: Phillip K. Johnson takes up the reins on Superman from Bendis...and I couldn't be happier! Don't get me wrong, when Bendis is good he's a joy to read, but when he's off he's nearly unreadable and unfortunately that's how his run on Superman was for me. And although Johnson can't really fix Bendis' greatest blunder(aging up Jon Kent) he got to work here right off the bat in at least making it better. What was so great about Jon as a kid was that we, as readers, got to watch him learn how to use his powers which was a great coming of age thrill ride and his friendship with Damian Wayne was charming and wholesome in a way that Superman stories should be...and when that was taken away Bendis didn't give us anything else to replace those qualities. But here, in a single issue, Johnson gave us what was missing for the last 28 issues, he gave us a great balance of youthful exuberance but with a growing sense of confusing emotional depth that comes to us all as we transition from youth to adulthood which hits those same spots that young Jon used to. We all come to the conclusion that our dad's aren't Superman at some point and to see Jon have to come to terms wit that when his dad literally is Superman is just a fantastic story idea and the way it was explored against the action scenes of the monsters from another dimension was really well done; balancing the emotional core with fast paced action.
As for the back up story with Bibbo? Well, I like that street tough with a heart of gold as much as the next guy...but this story was a real head scratcher. We joing the story en media res as Bibbo is now a celebrated writer for some reason and is on date with a woman who’s out of his league. During the date the pair are harassed by a man who turns out to be a mysterious new water-based villain called Deadstream and after Bibbo outsmarts him his date vanishes and we learn that she and the aforementioned water monster are together and they have some kind of ominous plan involving somehow manipulating the masses of Metropolis.
Confused?
Yeah? Me too. Bibbo was a bartender and diner owner last I knew, but now he's a writer? When did that happen? And the scheme to seduce the masses wasn't sold well either so this was a huge miss for me.
Still and all this was a great issue and I'm looking forward to more.
Art: I have always been a HUGE fan of Phil Hester's work so seeing him here was a real joy. He has a simple, stylized look to his work that is reminiscent of Superman: The Animated Series which gives the story a fantasticly nostalgic feel that really compliments the coming of age story being told.
Grade:8/10
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2021 14:42:15 GMT -5
 Superman #29. Cover by John Timms. Main story written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson. Art by Phil Hester. Back Up story by Sean Lewis. Art by Sami Basri. thwhtguardian review was spot on. This was a great issue. Not perfect but solid. The main story was titled The Golden Age. Jonathan Kent had learned of his father's death from his time in the future with the LoSH. Is this new threat the incident that will kill his dad? The new creative team takes the plot lines left by Bendis and expands on them in a good way. My only complaint was the dialog seemed sparse. Hester is always a delight to see on art. Plus we get a back up tale! I miss back up stories. I am glad DC is trying them again. This one is called Tales of Metropolis. It starred Jimmy Olsen along with Bibbo. Like thwhtguardian I felt like I missed the first part of a story. However I like the character so it was nice to see some of the supporting characters get their time to shine. Nice art. So other than the sparse dialog in the main story and the abrupt start of the back up... overall this was a promising issue. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2021 14:53:18 GMT -5
 Wonder Woman #770. Main story written by Becky Cloonan & Michael W. Conrad. Art & cover by Travis Moore. Back Up written by Jordie Bellaire. Art by Paulina Ganucheau. Wonder Woman wakes up in the middle of battle... in Valhalla! Something is very wrong in the Sphere of the Gods. In the backup story it shows Diana struggling through adolescence. Another solid DC issue. The main story was just so perfect. Great idea. Great script. Great art. I look forward to see where it goes. The back up wasn't my cup of tea. However I am not the demographic this style of story is written for. There was also a preview for a Nubia story. So this issue packed a lot of story into it. 9/10 for first story. 7/10 overall. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2021 15:01:36 GMT -5
 Daredevil #28. Written by Chip Zdarsky. Art and Cover by Marco Checchetto. This issue is sort of a reset after the past few issues crossover with the symbiotes storyline. It focuses on DD in jail with some advancement of the Kingpin as mayor plotline. Zdarsky takes an unexpected turn as DD is mandated to see a therapist while in jail! This whole long story arc has been amazing. In the hands of a lesser writer this idea would have already run out of steam but Zdarsky keeps introducing new twists that keep this entertaining. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2021 15:09:21 GMT -5
 Immortal Hulk #44. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett. Cover by Alex Ross. The U-Foes are hunting a weakened Hulk... Another great art job by Bennett. And another issue that felt like a fill in (to me) by Ewing. I'm wishing instead of 50 issues that Ewing had scaled back his ideas to tell a complete story in 36-40 issues. I estimate that 15-20% of this run has felt "padded" to make the story expand to fit 50 issues. 5/10. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 12, 2021 5:30:20 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #44. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett. Cover by Alex Ross. The U-Foes are hunting a weakened Hulk... Another great art job by Bennett. And another issue that felt like a fill in (to me) by Ewing. I'm wishing instead of 50 issues that Ewing had scaled back his ideas to tell a complete story in 36-40 issues. I estimate that 15-20% of this run has felt "padded" to make the story expand to fit 50 issues. 5/10. I felt the same way, it wasn't bad per say but the action felt pretty light. Instead of the shot of the Hulk in Hell being the cliff hanger that should have been the middle of the issue. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 12, 2021 19:58:45 GMT -5
Big week for me this week:
Redemption #2 : The story is 100% trope (the young idealist gets the old bitter vet to help her), but it's done really well. Kinda a high body count, but it's just that kind of story. Excellent series I'm glad I gave a shot to.
Nottingham #1 : Definitely a unique take on the Robin Hood myth... looks like maybe Robin Hood is going to be the bad guy? Not clear yet... almost has a V for Vendetta vibe. Definitely will be continuing to pick it up. Never had seen the pubisher before.. looks like they have some decent stuff... hoping for a sale at some point.
Space Bastards #3 : Has an inexplicibly glossy cover. Not as much political commentary as in first couple.. mostly just over the top violence. Still pretty fun, but not as good as the first couple.
Strange Academy #10 Parents day! Emily's mom is strangely competitive and Loki shows up for the frost giants. Doyle bonds with Calvin as the two people with no parents. Nice to see Calvin get some love... looks like they're working through the cast, which is a good idea.
and from last week:
Demon Days: X-Men Got lucky and someone who has pulled this changed their mind. Fantastic story... nice to see a done in one done so well. The X-Men calls outs were a fun addition, but the story could easily been it's own thing, or even an Usagi story. And the art is still great, it doesn't suffer at all for doing the whole book. Hope it does well so we get more stuff like this!
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 13, 2021 13:49:40 GMT -5
Big week for me this week: Redemption #2 : The story is 100% trope (the young idealist gets the old bitter vet to help her), but it's done really well. Kinda a high body count, but it's just that kind of story. Excellent series I'm glad I gave a shot to. Nottingham #1 : Definitely a unique take on the Robin Hood myth... looks like maybe Robin Hood is going to be the bad guy? Not clear yet... almost has a V for Vendetta vibe. Definitely will be continuing to pick it up. Never had seen the pubisher before.. looks like they have some decent stuff... hoping for a sale at some point. Space Bastards #3 : Has an inexplicibly glossy cover. Not as much political commentary as in first couple.. mostly just over the top violence. Still pretty fun, but not as good as the first couple. Strange Academy #10 Parents day! Emily's mom is strangely competitive and Loki shows up for the frost giants. Doyle bonds with Calvin as the two people with no parents. Nice to see Calvin get some love... looks like they're working through the cast, which is a good idea. and from last week: Demon Days: X-Men Got lucky and someone who has pulled this changed their mind. Fantastic story... nice to see a done in one done so well. The X-Men calls outs were a fun addition, but the story could easily been it's own thing, or even an Usagi story. And the art is still great, it doesn't suffer at all for doing the whole book. Hope it does well so we get more stuff like this! Seeing Doyle and Calvin together was a lot of fun, I'm glad they're taking the time to flesh out more of the kids. And yeah, Demon Days was really fantastic. Not only was it stunning to look at but the story really held its own. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 13, 2021 14:04:33 GMT -5
Wonder Woman #770. Main story written by Becky Cloonan & Michael W. Conrad. Art & cover by Travis Moore. Back Up written by Jordie Bellaire. Art by Paulina Ganucheau. Wonder Woman wakes up in the middle of battle... in Valhalla! Something is very wrong in the Sphere of the Gods. In the backup story it shows Diana struggling through adolescence. Another solid DC issue. The main story was just so perfect. Great idea. Great script. Great art. I look forward to see where it goes. The back up wasn't my cup of tea. However I am not the demographic this style of story is written for. There was also a preview for a Nubia story. So this issue packed a lot of story into it. 9/10 for first story. 7/10 overall. The Valhalla story was a lot of fun and definitely my favorite of the two but I really like the Young Diana feature as well. True, it had a young adult kind of tone to it, simmilar to Raina Telgemeier's style but the story was none the less endearing for it and the art had a great energy to it. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 13, 2021 16:31:01 GMT -5
Black Hammer: Visions #2Written by Geoff Johns Art by Scott Kolins Summary: Welcome to the Cabin of Horrors, where your hostess Madame Dragonfly regales you with stories of fright.
Plot: With its ever shifting teams of creators I knew going into this book that it was likely to be hit or miss depending on who was doing the book...but I never imagined we'd get a miss this big. I mean, I'm not the biggest fan of Geoff Johns by any means but I've never read anything of his that was flat out bad until today. Worse than the story itself was the fact that Johns had such a great premise; using Madame Dragonfly as a horror comic host in the vain of the old Warren mags to tell a fun horror story. From page one though he managed to botch it, hosts are fun but only in short doses and instead of a quick set up he had Madame Dragonfly drone on and on...and on, to the point that the dialogue balloons clog up the whole page. On top of that, Johns just can't seem to create any tension through out the book, and thus there's no sense of horror at all. It's just a sad waste.
Art: Kolins has a scratchy style that seems custom fit for a throw back to the horror comics of yore, but Johns sadly gives him nothing to work with.
Grade:4/10 |
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Post by james on Mar 23, 2021 15:09:51 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #44. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett. Cover by Alex Ross. The U-Foes are hunting a weakened Hulk... Another great art job by Bennett. And another issue that felt like a fill in (to me) by Ewing. I'm wishing instead of 50 issues that Ewing had scaled back his ideas to tell a complete story in 36-40 issues. I estimate that 15-20% of this run has felt "padded" to make the story expand to fit 50 issues. 5/10. [br Does anyone know what issue 51 and on is going to look like? Will it still be Immortal or changed back to Incredible? Who is the creative team? Will anything from Ewing /Bennett run be included or as I surmise it'll be one big dream? |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 23, 2021 17:09:32 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #44. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett. Cover by Alex Ross. The U-Foes are hunting a weakened Hulk... Another great art job by Bennett. And another issue that felt like a fill in (to me) by Ewing. I'm wishing instead of 50 issues that Ewing had scaled back his ideas to tell a complete story in 36-40 issues. I estimate that 15-20% of this run has felt "padded" to make the story expand to fit 50 issues. 5/10. [br Does anyone know what issue 51 and on is going to look like? Will it still be Immortal or changed back to Incredible? Who is the creative team? Will anything from Ewing /Bennett run be included or as I surmise it'll be one big dream? I don't think anything has been announced but with how well Immortal Hulk has been received and how Ewing's star has been rising with Marvel I think it's safe to say this run won't be relegated to a dream any time soon. |
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