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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 19, 2022 7:01:33 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKS!Real Readers+Fresh Comics=Honest Reviews!  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 19, 2022 14:55:08 GMT -5
Nightwing #94Written by Tom Taylor Art by Geraldo Borges Summary: Just when everything seems to be going Dick's way in Bludhaven, Blockbuster throws a wrench into the works.
Plot: I've long sung the praises of this run by Taylor but this might just be my favorite issue yet. I think the reason I loved this issue so much was because that, while this is a superhero book, this issue shows it takes a village to fix society’s problems. While we almost always get heroes in bad neighborhoods or cities the focus usually remains on them and how they punch the problems into submission, rarely do we see how the everyday the citizens help out. But that isn't true here as Taylor did his darnedest to expand the focus to show just how many people it really takes to enact justice; from the DA, regular cops on the street to regular people just trying to live their lives everyone plays a part here which was just fantastic to see. And on top of that there is still action and adventure with Dick and even a great light hearted scene with his dog trying to eat the evidence against Blockbuster. The ending was a bit cliche with Dick's new found sister in danger but I guess that just goes to show that you can't get perfection.
Art: While I always do miss Redondo on art Borges style still fits the high energy tone really well. There's a little more grit than Redondo would give us, giving the city a harder look but it's still very fun which is exactly the right feel for this book.
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by majestic on Jul 20, 2022 10:49:25 GMT -5
WORLD'S FINEST #5. Mark Waid & Dan Mora.
The conclusion of the first arc. This series continues to be one of the best on the stands with it's Silver Age "feel" plus the fast pace of storytelling.
Superman, Batman, Supergirl and the Doom patrol defeat Nezhra but Robin (Dick Grayson) is still missing in the past.
Waid does a great job keeping up a great pace that makes this story so different from the slow pace of today's usual stuff. I really like how well he captures all the different characters personalities. Plus you have beautiful art by Mora that just makes this an almost perfect book. One minor complaint: while the search for Robin is in next months #6, the rest of Nezhra's story is continued in yet another series - Batman vs Robin in Sept.
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Post by majestic on Jul 20, 2022 10:52:06 GMT -5
NIGHTWING #94. Tom Taylor & Geraldo Borges. Great review by thwhtguardian. Don't have any more to add except I want more development on the relationship between Dick & Babs. I also like how Blockbuster has become Nightwing's Kingpin type villain.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 21, 2022 15:52:40 GMT -5
WORLD'S FINEST #5. Mark Waid & Dan Mora. The conclusion of the first arc. This series continues to be one of the best on the stands with it's Silver Age "feel" plus the fast pace of storytelling. Superman, Batman, Supergirl and the Doom patrol defeat Nezhra but Robin (Dick Grayson) is still missing in the past. Waid does a great job keeping up a great pace that makes this story so different from the slow pace of today's usual stuff. I really like how well he captures all the different characters personalities. Plus you have beautiful art by Mora that just makes this an almost perfect book. One minor complaint: while the search for Robin is in next months #6, the rest of Nezhra's story is continued in yet another series - Batman vs Robin in Sept. This was another fun popcorn muncher of a story, I really loved the use of the phantom zone and I'm excited to see where the search for Robin goes. As for the Batman Vs. Robin "event" the epilogue teased...as much I don't like the idea of Bruce and Damian at each-others throats yet again Waid has done great here so maybe he can turn a concept I loath into a decent read. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 21, 2022 16:37:46 GMT -5
Black Adam #2Written by Priest Art by Rafael Sandoval Summary: Infected by a strange and fatal disease by Darkseid, Black Adam names Malik his successor to the throne...and the power of Shazam!
Plot: The mystery of Black Adam's mysterious ailment continues in this second issue by Priest as we both peer into the past and glimpse the future. While there isn't much forward progression the character development with Malik and the teases of Adam's own rise to power were more than satisfying enough to keep me reading. The look into Adam's past, showing how it was originally his nephew who was chosen for the Wizard's power and it was Adam who stole it from him was really compelling and made me wonder how that revelation will tie into the plague he's fighting as the book progresses. On the other side of the narrative there is Malik White, a young med-student thrust into Adam's world and it's really fun seeing him start to come to grips with first being Adam's descendant and then heir to both Adam's throne and his super powers as he's transformed into White Adam. My favorite parts however are the scenes between Malik and Shep (Black Adam’s secretary of state), there is an immediate bond between the two and Shep’s gentle guidance to Malik give the duo an Alfred/Bruce Wayne-type dynamic that is just fantastic to read. I'm not sure where things will go as the book moves forward, as there is no way Black Adam will really die but sometimes the journey is the best part of the trip so I'm locked in.
Art: Rafael Sandoval has a sketchy, emotive style that really reminds me of the best of Denys Cowan which is a great fit for this book. So much of why this book works is the strong human element of the book, there isn't a lot of super hero action here so you have to care about the people on the scene and Sandoval sells that perfectly.
Grade:8/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 21, 2022 17:45:15 GMT -5
Han Solo and Chewbacca #4Written by Marc Guggenheim Art by David Messina Summary: When Black Krrsantan kidnaps Han it's up to Chewie to save the day and only a Wookie throw down will get them out.
Plot: I've been saying it since this book started that with a title like Han Solo and Chewbacca I was hoping for more Chewie...but now that Guggenheim has taken Han off the board and given us a very Chewie forward issue I'm really regretting my wish. The thing is, you can have an issue or even a whole mini-series with just Chewie grumbling away through an adventure as Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto did just that back in 2015 and I loved it...but you have to focus on Chewie as a person and tell the story largely through the art. Instead of a character building issue though Guggenheim went with a rescue story, which is fine in and of itself but when you can't understand the primary character it feels pretty thin as there are no emotional stakes. And with the meat of the issue feeling so empty the cliffhanger ending with Han's dad apparently stealing the Falcon just doesn't land with a punch. I've already made it this far and it's only a mini so I'll stick with this till the end but normally this big a miss-step would have me questioning whether to stick with a book or not.
Art: A lot of this month's giant whiff comes down to the art, when you are doing what is in a sense a silent issue as none of Chewie's dialogue is readable the art has to convey the emotions and message and Messina isn't just that good. He can convey action well enough that you can follow what's happening but he doesn't bring the kind of heart needed to sell the reader on what Chewie is feeling and with out that it just feels like filler.
Grade:6/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 21, 2022 18:15:12 GMT -5
Star Wars #25Written by Charles Soule Art by Phil Noto, Will Sliney, and Giuseppie Camuncoli Summary: Although only issue #25 of the current volume this issue marks Soule's 100th Star Wars issue and he celebrates that milestone here.
Plot: I've always loved specials and anniversary issues as they tend to be great vehicles for one and done stories which are incredibly rare these days so I was pretty excited when this was announced...but now that its in my hands it was a little disapointed. The first story, "The Lesson" was actually really fantastic; starting off with a duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan in the years between Episode One and Episode Two its a rare look into how Obi-Wan and Anakin interacted as Master and Apprentice and the lesson about why Jedi use Lightsabers and not Light-Nunchucks or other exotic combinations was a great look into the workings of the Jedi Order. Building on that insight into what the Lightsaber says about the Jedi the second half of the story jumps forward to just after Episode Three with a newly minted Darth Vader dueling his new master, Emperor Palpatine. The contrast between the two scenes is pretty powerful allowing the differences between Sith and Jedi to play out in a really satisfying manner.
The second two stories though?
Blech!
I don't care for the sequel trilogly so I might be biased...but did anyone actually want a story about a resistance fighter who never even had their name said on screen? Sure, Snap got some play in the novels and comics since then...but hardly enough to make at-least this reader care about a eulogy for him. And the other story about Klyo Ren looking for a rematch with Luke's ghost wasn't much more satisfying.
It's clear that Soule can tell good stories so it baffles me that he was the same guy who told these two duds.
Art: Through out it all, even the dud segments the art is top notch with each delivering a real cinematic feel. It's just too bad Noto and Sliney got given garbage stories.
Grade:6/10
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 22, 2022 7:59:31 GMT -5
Snap was literally the only thing that was decent in the Chuck Wendig books, but I liked him alot less in the Poe Dameron series.. he kinda grew up to be an old Curmudgeon. I'd never say someone should read those, though, so unless you suffered through them, you can't really appreciate it I suppose.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 22, 2022 9:03:05 GMT -5
Snap was literally the only thing that was decent in the Chuck Wendig books, but I liked him alot less in the Poe Dameron series.. he kinda grew up to be an old Curmudgeon. I'd never say someone should read those, though, so unless you suffered through them, you can't really appreciate it I suppose. It seemed like such an odd story to have all these characters pretending that this guys death was some big deal. A eulogy for Luke or Han? Sure. But having one for Snap is like eulogizing Porkins or the Walrus man from the cantina...what's the point? If it was taking a swing and poking fun at those kinds of "remember when" stories it could have been funny in a meta kind of way but to play it straight is just baffling. Does anyone really think Snap is a big fan favorite character that readers were really wanting closure for? |
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Post by Dizzy D on Jul 22, 2022 9:16:41 GMT -5
Moon Knight: Black, White and Blood #3
Contains 3 short stories:
"Wrong Turn"by Erica Schultz & David Lopez
"No Empty Sky" by Jim Zub and Djibril Morisette-Phan
"Astronuts" by Ann Nocenti, Stefano Raffaele & Chris Sotomayor.
What Happened Before: Like last issue, 3 out-of-continuity stories with different versions of Moon Knight:
Plot:
- 3 bankrobbers hold up a cab as their getaway car, but are not prepared for their driver, Jake Lockley.
- Moon Knight saves a young girl from being sacrificed by a cult.
- Moon Knight gets into a fight with an industrialist that wants to exploit the Moon.
The Good: I like the concept of the first story, but the details are kinda weird (see bad). The idea of bad guys having no idea of who they are messing with is always fun.
In the second story, I like the idea of the girl in question being a potential new Fist of Khonshu in the future and Marc having to decide whether he wants to mark her for Khonshu (marking her for a fate that she has had no voice in) or leaving her free (but a target for cultists as without the mark Khonshu can't protect her. It gives Marc a choice to make where both options are not great.
The Bad: "Astronuts" feels like a first draft of a story. Moon Knight is on a spaceship to pass visit the moon together with an industralist Gem and his employee Zest. We start in media res with none of the characters introduced (Zest works for Gem, but what her role is?) and the whole reason why Moon Knight is on the ship is unclear (Gem thinks that Moon Knights connection to the Moon will help him find resources there, no real reason why he would think so.), the reason why Zest wants to stop Gem even though she works for him.
Like I said, I like the concept of "Wrong Turn", but it also needed a second draft: which criminals are going to rob a bank without a getaway car/driver, but pick a random cab? Why keep the driver and not taking over the wheel? Just have a short panel or two at the start why they couldn't use their planned getaway car.
Overall: 1 has potential, but needed something more. 2 was OK, but not remarkable. 3 was bad. Overall, issue #2 was the best so far for this series and even that one didn't live up to the potential I saw in this series.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 22, 2022 21:38:42 GMT -5
It seemed like such an odd story to have all these characters pretending that this guys death was some big deal. A eulogy for Luke or Han? Sure. But having one for Snap is like eulogizing Porkins or the Walrus man from the cantina...what's the point? If it was taking a swing and poking fun at those kinds of "remember when" stories it could have been funny in a meta kind of way but to play it straight is just baffling. Does anyone really think Snap is a big fan favorite character that readers were really wanting closure for? Porkins is a pretty good analogy, actually. Snap was like the 4th best pilot in Poe's squad  . He had a pet clone wars era war droid named Mr. Bones though, which was kinda awesome. Definitely didn't need a Eulogy for sure, but I suppsose if they insisted on putting SOMETHING in from the new trilogy, they could do worse. |
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Post by The Captain on Jul 23, 2022 7:04:11 GMT -5
Snap was literally the only thing that was decent in the Chuck Wendig books, but I liked him alot less in the Poe Dameron series.. he kinda grew up to be an old Curmudgeon. I'd never say someone should read those, though, so unless you suffered through them, you can't really appreciate it I suppose. It seemed like such an odd story to have all these characters pretending that this guys death was some big deal. A eulogy for Luke or Han? Sure. But having one for Snap is like eulogizing Porkins or the Walrus man from the cantina...what's the point? Excuse me, but how dare you disrespect Ponda Baba, the Aqualish bodyguard and partner-in-crime of Dr. Cornelius Evazan, who smuggled spice for Jabba? Bunch of savages in this town. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 23, 2022 14:35:36 GMT -5
NIGHTWING #94. Tom Taylor & Geraldo Borges. Great review by thwhtguardian . Don't have any more to add except I want more development on the relationship between Dick & Babs. I also like how Blockbuster has become Nightwing's Kingpin type villain. Adding Maggie Sawyer should be fun. I didn't love that the Mayor suddenly stopped being careful and is all pure of heart.. she was a bad guy for a long time, that was an awful huge (and stupid) risk to take for a bad guy. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 23, 2022 14:43:47 GMT -5
Fables #153 is moving along nicely, as the cubs look for adventure. There's a great scene with Bigby and Snow, and a few other side bits... we see Cinderella fully restored to her super spy glory and looking for something to do, and the new Jack of the Green getting ready for a quest. I feel like the pacing would be a bit better if they did one story at a time instead of all of them at once (obviously they're going to connect at some point), but otherwise its good stuff... very happy to have Fables back.
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. He had a pet clone wars era war droid named Mr. Bones though, which was kinda awesome. Definitely didn't need a Eulogy for sure, but I suppsose if they insisted on putting SOMETHING in from the new trilogy, they could do worse. 