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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 6, 2023 8:23:28 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKS What did you read this week? |
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Post by DubipR on Jun 6, 2023 9:38:37 GMT -5
Shazam #2
Steelworks #1
Daredevil #12
Not a whole lot this week for downloads
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 6, 2023 9:40:01 GMT -5
Shazam! #2Written by Mark Waid Art by Dan Mora Summary: Still reeling from losing his cool on a group of people he just rescued Billy questions whether he should be the Captain anymore.
Plot: What I love about Waid's current run of superhero comics is the way he balances serious plot threads with just plain old silver age style fun, and Shazam! #2 continues that trend. We get Billy struggling with the ramifications of losing control of his powers, a mystery with the Gods who power the Captain challenging Billy...and then a space dinosaur pops up on the doorstep because when Billy saved a another family of space dinosaurs in the last issue he failed to file the correct intergalactic paperwork. And to top it off neither plot feels less important than the others and all are engaging; you want to find out what the Gods are up to, you share Billy's troubles and want to see him grow ... and who doesn't love intelligent dinosaurs? It's a mash up of pure silliness, action, suspense and heart that just works so perfectly that you are guaranteed not only to enjoy reading this book but you'll also be smiling while you do so.
Art: What more can be said about Dan Mora's clear, clean line work? It's just beautiful to behold and so perfectly sells not only action scenes but also the contemplative ones as well. He really can't be beat when it comes to meat and potato superhero comics.
Grade:10/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 6, 2023 10:32:21 GMT -5
Batman #136Written by Chip Zdarsky Art by Belén Ortega Summary: Back in his own Gotham City after a trip through the multiverse Bruce travels the city getting a feel of how its changed in his absence.
Plot: I'm a glutton for pain when it comes to Batman so I just couldn't drop this even though the last story went on for far too long. In this issue I really felt optimistic at first: I liked the small stakes plot with the Cobblepot siblings and their gambling dens, the meeting with Selina was fun and Chip really had me going with the Batfamily sequence at the end as seeing them all together eating pancakes was great...until they were lit on fire in Bruce's mind. Can't we get an emotionally well adjusted Bruce for just a little bit? Why is it that only Waid seems to be able to do a decent Batman story lately? Like I said, I'm still a glutton so I probably won't drop this yet, but man I just don't get it.
Art: Ortega did a great job at delivering us some great action scenes, and I liked his Bruce and Selina moments...but the rest of his character work was all over the place. Tim Drake looked like he was maybe 13 while Jason looked like he was in his 30's which really distracted me from what was otherwise a fun family scene.
Grade: 6.5/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 6, 2023 11:12:10 GMT -5
Peacemaker Tries Hard #2Written by Kyle Starks Art by Steve Pugh Summary: Blackmailed by the Brain, Peacemaker teams up with Monsieur Mallah to infiltrate the secret base of General Immortus.
Plot: For those readers like myself that absolutely loved John Cena as Peacemaker in both Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker show and have been waiting with baited breath for more comedic action this book really scratches that itch feeling like a perfect follow up that buffoonery. In this second issue Starks gave us the team up you never knew you needed as Mallah and Peacmaker team up to obtain a DNA sample from Deathstroke. Is there gratuitous amounts of gore?
Yes.
Excessive profanity?
Definitely.
Sophomoric sex jokes?
You bet.
And normally those would all be negatives in my eyes, but the thing is instead of playing it straight and delivering these elements like they really are hallmarks of "mature" storytelling Starks knows these kinds of things truly are imbecilic and immature and embraces that and makes that whole kind of style of storytelling the butt of the joke(much like Gunn did in Peacemaker) and the result is hilarious. And yet, even though Peacemaker is an over the top idiot, you can't help but feel for him. From the start you just know that Brain and Mallah are going to turn on him but you totally buy into the friendship that Mallah forms with Peacemaker and you will definitely feel the burn of the betrayal. Nothing about this should work...but it just does.
Art: Pugh plays into that over the top style with plenty of gore in just about each panel and he does a great job of giving Peacemaker that almost homoerotic beefcake look that Cena really played into in the series so it's a perfect fit.
Grade:10/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 6, 2023 15:39:26 GMT -5
Shazam #2 Steelworks #1 Daredevil #12 Not a whole lot this week for downloads I love Steel, and have been enjoying him in Action comics so I was looking forward to this book but now having read it I'm not entirely sure what the thrust is. What story is going to be told here? They didn't really give us a whole lot here so I just wasn't hooked; I'll probably try another just because I love Steel and Michael Dorn but it's going to have to improve dramatically. |
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Post by DubipR on Jun 7, 2023 8:26:09 GMT -5
Peacemaker Tries Hard #2Written by Kyle Starks Art by Steve Pugh Summary: Blackmailed by the Brain, Peacemaker teams up with Monsieur Mallah to infiltrate the secret base of General Immortus.
Plot: For those readers like myself that absolutely loved John Cena as Peacemaker in both Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker show and have been waiting with baited breath for more comedic action this book really scratches that itch feeling like a perfect follow up that buffoonery. In this second issue Starks gave us the team up you never knew you needed as Mallah and Peacmaker team up to obtain a DNA sample from Deathstroke. Is there gratuitous amounts of gore?
Yes.
Excessive profanity?
Definitely.
Sophomoric sex jokes?
You bet.
And normally those would all be negatives in my eyes, but the thing is instead of playing it straight and delivering these elements like they really are hallmarks of "mature" storytelling Starks knows these kinds of things truly are imbecilic and immature and embraces that and makes that whole kind of style of storytelling the butt of the joke(much like Gunn did in Peacemaker) and the result is hilarious. And yet, even though Peacemaker is an over the top idiot, you can't help but feel for him. From the start you just know that Brain and Mallah are going to turn on him but you totally buy into the friendship that Mallah forms with Peacemaker and you will definitely feel the burn of the betrayal. Nothing about this should work...but it just does.
Art: Pugh plays into that over the top style with plenty of gore in just about each panel and he does a great job of giving Peacemaker that almost homoerotic beefcake look that Cena really played into in the series so it's a perfect fit.
Grade:10/10 I like Kyle Starks' Image work (Big Rock Candy Mountain, Sexcastle, etc). I didn't know he was writing this. With his over the top violence and action he writes it seems like this is Starks' wheelhouse. I'll wait for the trade to read this one. Shazam #2 Steelworks #1 Daredevil #12 Not a whole lot this week for downloads I love Steel, and have been enjoying him in Action comics so I was looking forward to this book but now having read it I'm not entirely sure what the thrust is. What story is going to be told here? They didn't really give us a whole lot here so I just wasn't hooked; I'll probably try another just because I love Steel and Michael Dorn but it's going to have to improve dramatically. I have no clue what Dorn is going to write or what his take on John Henry will be. I too have been enjoying this incarnation of Steel. In the past he's always been getting the shaft in the Superman family books, even prior... since pre-52. It's nice that they went back to the original costume. Any Steel is better than no Steel. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 7, 2023 14:01:24 GMT -5
Peacemaker Tries Hard #2Written by Kyle Starks Art by Steve Pugh Summary: Blackmailed by the Brain, Peacemaker teams up with Monsieur Mallah to infiltrate the secret base of General Immortus.
Plot: For those readers like myself that absolutely loved John Cena as Peacemaker in both Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker show and have been waiting with baited breath for more comedic action this book really scratches that itch feeling like a perfect follow up that buffoonery. In this second issue Starks gave us the team up you never knew you needed as Mallah and Peacmaker team up to obtain a DNA sample from Deathstroke. Is there gratuitous amounts of gore?
Yes.
Excessive profanity?
Definitely.
Sophomoric sex jokes?
You bet.
And normally those would all be negatives in my eyes, but the thing is instead of playing it straight and delivering these elements like they really are hallmarks of "mature" storytelling Starks knows these kinds of things truly are imbecilic and immature and embraces that and makes that whole kind of style of storytelling the butt of the joke(much like Gunn did in Peacemaker) and the result is hilarious. And yet, even though Peacemaker is an over the top idiot, you can't help but feel for him. From the start you just know that Brain and Mallah are going to turn on him but you totally buy into the friendship that Mallah forms with Peacemaker and you will definitely feel the burn of the betrayal. Nothing about this should work...but it just does.
Art: Pugh plays into that over the top style with plenty of gore in just about each panel and he does a great job of giving Peacemaker that almost homoerotic beefcake look that Cena really played into in the series so it's a perfect fit.
Grade:10/10 I missed the first issue. But the pickings were slim this week, so I decided to give this a try and bought the first two issues. I only read the first issue so far and it’s hilarious! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 7, 2023 16:02:54 GMT -5
Peacemaker Tries Hard #2Written by Kyle Starks Art by Steve Pugh Summary: Blackmailed by the Brain, Peacemaker teams up with Monsieur Mallah to infiltrate the secret base of General Immortus.
Plot: For those readers like myself that absolutely loved John Cena as Peacemaker in both Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker show and have been waiting with baited breath for more comedic action this book really scratches that itch feeling like a perfect follow up that buffoonery. In this second issue Starks gave us the team up you never knew you needed as Mallah and Peacmaker team up to obtain a DNA sample from Deathstroke. Is there gratuitous amounts of gore?
Yes.
Excessive profanity?
Definitely.
Sophomoric sex jokes?
You bet.
And normally those would all be negatives in my eyes, but the thing is instead of playing it straight and delivering these elements like they really are hallmarks of "mature" storytelling Starks knows these kinds of things truly are imbecilic and immature and embraces that and makes that whole kind of style of storytelling the butt of the joke(much like Gunn did in Peacemaker) and the result is hilarious. And yet, even though Peacemaker is an over the top idiot, you can't help but feel for him. From the start you just know that Brain and Mallah are going to turn on him but you totally buy into the friendship that Mallah forms with Peacemaker and you will definitely feel the burn of the betrayal. Nothing about this should work...but it just does.
Art: Pugh plays into that over the top style with plenty of gore in just about each panel and he does a great job of giving Peacemaker that almost homoerotic beefcake look that Cena really played into in the series so it's a perfect fit.
Grade:10/10 I like Kyle Starks' Image work (Big Rock Candy Mountain, Sexcastle, etc). I didn't know he was writing this. With his over the top violence and action he writes it seems like this is Starks' wheelhouse. I'll wait for the trade to read this one. I love Steel, and have been enjoying him in Action comics so I was looking forward to this book but now having read it I'm not entirely sure what the thrust is. What story is going to be told here? They didn't really give us a whole lot here so I just wasn't hooked; I'll probably try another just because I love Steel and Michael Dorn but it's going to have to improve dramatically. I have no clue what Dorn is going to write or what his take on John Henry will be. I too have been enjoying this incarnation of Steel. In the past he's always been getting the shaft in the Superman family books, even prior... since pre-52. It's nice that they went back to the original costume. Any Steel is better than no Steel. I might need to check out Starks other work, this is the first I've read from him but I'm loving it. I just wish Dorn gave us a better hook, there just wasn't enough here to really get a feel of what kind of story he was trying to tell. Peacemaker Tries Hard #2Written by Kyle Starks Art by Steve Pugh Summary: Blackmailed by the Brain, Peacemaker teams up with Monsieur Mallah to infiltrate the secret base of General Immortus.
Plot: For those readers like myself that absolutely loved John Cena as Peacemaker in both Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker show and have been waiting with baited breath for more comedic action this book really scratches that itch feeling like a perfect follow up that buffoonery. In this second issue Starks gave us the team up you never knew you needed as Mallah and Peacmaker team up to obtain a DNA sample from Deathstroke. Is there gratuitous amounts of gore?
Yes.
Excessive profanity?
Definitely.
Sophomoric sex jokes?
You bet.
And normally those would all be negatives in my eyes, but the thing is instead of playing it straight and delivering these elements like they really are hallmarks of "mature" storytelling Starks knows these kinds of things truly are imbecilic and immature and embraces that and makes that whole kind of style of storytelling the butt of the joke(much like Gunn did in Peacemaker) and the result is hilarious. And yet, even though Peacemaker is an over the top idiot, you can't help but feel for him. From the start you just know that Brain and Mallah are going to turn on him but you totally buy into the friendship that Mallah forms with Peacemaker and you will definitely feel the burn of the betrayal. Nothing about this should work...but it just does.
Art: Pugh plays into that over the top style with plenty of gore in just about each panel and he does a great job of giving Peacemaker that almost homoerotic beefcake look that Cena really played into in the series so it's a perfect fit.
Grade:10/10 I missed the first issue. But the pickings were slim this week, so I decided to give this a try and bought the first two issues. I only read the first issue so far and it’s hilarious! It is legitimately funny, it feels like it could have been part of the show |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 7, 2023 18:15:53 GMT -5
Groot #2Written by Dan Abnett Art by Damian Couceiro Summary: Private Marvel becomes Captain Marvel after his superior officer dies while they try to rescue Groot and his friends.
Plot: While this still feels more like an origin story for Captain Marvel rather than an early Groot story it is none the less an amazingly fun cosmic romp. I really can't think of another monster that is such a fun and campy idea but is utterly terrifying at the same time as the Chainsaurs are. They're giant dinosaurs made of chainsaws which is just crazy and yet their presence on the page is legitimately terrifying as they tear through Groot's fellow trees. On top of that I really enjoyed the addition of Yondar who seems to be a precursor to Yondu down to the whistling arrow. We don't know what their relationship is yet but it's something that I'm really looking forward to being developed further.
Art: A lot of the fun here comes down to Couceiro's bright, expressive art. It's fun and bold and colorful and it's just such a joy to see on every page.
Grade:9/10 |
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Post by DubipR on Jun 7, 2023 20:49:59 GMT -5
D'oh! Forgot to add HEY KIDS! Comics! vol 3 #3.
This is a must read for all comic fans.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2023 23:18:58 GMT -5
Looks like a small week this week...
Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer #13
Scooby Doo! Where Are You? #122
Shazam! #2
-M
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Post by majestic on Jun 8, 2023 16:31:26 GMT -5
Shazam #2. Best title this week. Story and art are outstanding. Concept is great. I really think this will be a classic someday. Plus we get an explanation why Mary can access the powers but the others can't.
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Post by majestic on Jun 8, 2023 16:35:19 GMT -5
Flash #800. 5 stories. The first is the last story by the current creative team and is a nice wrap up to their run. Then we get an Impulse story (good). A Barry story (good). A Zoom story (why?). Then a prologue story by the new creative team (good).
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