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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 11, 2017 13:35:13 GMT -5
 Written by Jason Aaron. Art and Cover by Olivier Coipel. Flashback art by Frazer Irving, Esad Ribic, Russell Dauterman. The issue starts with a flashback of Thor as a teen trying to lift Mjolnir (Irving). Switch to now as he fights armies to get to Ultimate Thor's hammer. Then a flashback with Thor & Jane Foster (Ribic). Then more fighting in the present. Then another flashback with Jane a few months ago (Dauterman). Then we return to today as Odinson finally reaches the Ultimate version of Mjolnir & places his hand on the handle...to be concluded next issue. All the art is beautiful. The story is necessary & told well. However this mini series suffers from the same problem a lot of modern stories have: it is overpadded. This issue & last issue could have been told in one issue & it probably would have been a much better story. So we have a 4 issue story stretched out to 5. Hopefully next issue we will see Thor lift the hammer & finally find out what was whispered to him that made him feel unworthy. 6/10. I felt last issue was more than a little anti-climactic, it was just too thin to really worthwhile and while this issue had much more meat too it with some truly fun moments with Thor through the years with out the preamble from the last issue it too felt incomplete. I definitely agree that if a lot of the fat from the last issue was trimmed and what was left combined with this issue then we would have gotten a much more even narrative. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 11, 2017 15:52:46 GMT -5
Deadman #3 Written by Sarah Vaughn art by Lan Medina Summary: It all comes to a head hear,Deadman's escape, the mystery behind Adelia's murder and the nature of Nathan's relationship with Berenice are all revealed.
Plot: I've loved this book since it first came out, and although the number on the cover only say #3 the depth and complexity of the story thus far makes it feel like it's been running for so much longer. That said, it saddens me that fo how much love i have for the book I still ultimately found the conclusion to be severely lacking. It's the text book definition of why "show don't tell" is an important lesson to heed when crafting a story as all the tension and mystery that Vaughn so painstakingly built in the preceding issues came crumbling apart as the answers to all the questions raised before were unceremoniously laid bare one after another by an uninterrupted string of monologues as Boston Brand possessed Berenice's boy friend and spilled the beans for like 15 pages. It was dull as dishwater and it made the conclusion feel totally hollow as every answer given was totally unearned which is the opposite of what you want out of a mystery. It was just all so rushed as to be completely saddening, and I left wondering why? Were the sales low and this was a stop gap before it was canceled? Or did she just run out of steam? Either way, on the whole despite the lack luster ending it was still a fun ride and although ultimately underwhelming it did contain a fantastic line that just blew me away, as Deadman and Adelia parted she intoned " Merely an eternity and a moment." to Boston's question to when he would see her again. It was a beautiful moment and it instantly reminded me why I fell in love with the book in the first place: it's quiet earnestness was just so unique. I only wish it could have kept it all the way through.
Art: Although disappointing on a narrative level Medina's art was just as stunning as always giving the entire proceedings a dark, moody atmosphere that really kept me locked in even if it was a giant info-dump.
Grade:6/10 |
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Post by String on Feb 11, 2017 17:04:45 GMT -5
Kingpin #1 - by Matthew Rosenburg, art by Ben Torres.
The second series of the DD-centric stable of titles, this starts off as a character piece, a far cry from the action and mayhem of last week's Bullseye. Wilson Fisk is looking to start over with a cleaning of the slate. He approaches a former Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Sarah Dewey, about writing his biography in a bold PR maneuver. Sarah has hit upon hard times, a recovering alcoholic facing possible divorce and losing her kids, she could certainly use Fisk's offer of employment but is naturally resistant to the idea based on Fisk's reputation. Fisk tries to win her over which seems to be working until the action on the last page threatens to justify Sarah's fears.
There is little action here until the last scene. The flow of dialogue is good and remains interesting. Rosenburg portrays a Wilson Fisk seemingly on the mend and ready to prove his worthiness again. Sarah appears tired, worn down by the trials and failures of her personal life yet shows mettle in resisting Fisk's mainpulations. Torres did a back-up story for DD Annual #1 last year and his style is still a good fit for this type of series. Fisk is a mountain of a man here, a physical intimidating force to match his mental sharpness. Torres imbues Sarah with a sense of strength and stubbornness that appeals to Fisk.
This is a good start by this new creative team, the question now though is, where will this go? I'm not sure what level of action is to be expected from this but so far, the personal interactions and intrigue have piqued my curiosity.
7/10
Inhumans vs X-Men #4 -by Lemire & Soule, art by Javier Arron
The young generation of new Inhumans (NuHumans) continue their counter-attack against the mutants. Mosaic, who is able to possess people, is able to infiltrate Muir Island in hopes of learning the mutants' new plan of attack. Meanwhile, Medusa and the rest of the Royal Family, trapped in Limbo, escape their prison in a way that greatly showcases their teamwork and intellect. Mosiac, after possessing Magneto, learns the truth behind this sudden attack and after escaping the island, informs the other NuHumans, leading Ms. Marvel to question their own responses.
Lemire and Soule up the ante of moral questioning here by getting the NuHumans involved, in a way that possibly suggests a rift forming between the youngsters and the Royal Family. Arron's art is concise and clear. We still have two issues to go to somehow resolve this conflict so parts of this do feel stretched out to accommodate that.
6/10
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 24, 2017 22:34:16 GMT -5
Titans #8: Mal and Karen Duncan visit Meta Solutions, a company that assists people with newfound super powers. They either help the person adjust to having powers or are able to remove powers if the client wishes. Long-time fans will recognize who is running Meta Solutions--and know Mal and Karen are in trouble! There are some very nice moments with the Titans in this issue. We see Roy and Donna chatting about her being a photographer and her unknown past. Dick and Wally discuss Linda. Garth and Lilith train. All these interactions happen at the new Titans Tower. Nice moments like this help cement that these characters are friends and the relationships seem natural, not forced. This series is shaping up very nicely after the lengthy Flash centered story. 8/10 I agree the character stuff was good... it going to take me a while to get used to the line up though... it has such a Wolfman/Perez vibe, but with different players... kinda hurts my brain. Nice to see Donna as a photographer again though, I always thought that worked really well. I'm still trying to figure out if they're trying to show Arsenal is trying to be mature and level headed for her, or if they're just ignoring the character he was in Red Hood and the Outlaws (as the did with Starfire)... I'm hoping it's the former, and there's a good story or two in it. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 5, 2017 0:49:14 GMT -5
John Carter: The End #1 While there are some hints of a good story, the art is just plan terrible.. bad enough to make it unreadable, IMO... especially since there's a couple pages that have no text. Apparently, there's a John Carter jr running around wreaking havoc that was presumed dead, and Mom and Dad have to go save the day. I might give it a shot if the art was better, but not worth the risk. Plot 2/5 Art 0/5  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2017 9:51:20 GMT -5
World of Archie Winter Annual #66: Finally received my copy from Archie comics. The first story is a new one featuring Reggie and Betty. It is very funny as Reggie decides to write his memoir, despite Betty reminding him he is still in high school. Of course he embellishes his life in Riverdale.
Lots of classic winter themed stories as well. As much as I love the new direction of Archie comics, these digests are nostalgic fun!
10/10
*I also ordered an Archie mystery box (they were on sale)--and I got well over $50 worth of digests and specials for only $9.
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