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Post by String on Mar 25, 2017 15:24:03 GMT -5
 Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Olivier Coipel, Kim Jacinto, Pascal Alixe. Cover by Olivier Coipel. As Odinson places his hand on the Hammer we get a beautiful montage of Thor's life. Odinson pulls back & states even though he "hears" the hammer calling out to him it is not his hammer. He leaves it. He fights the Collector & transports Asgard back to it's original location. It is revealed what was whispered to Odinson. The last page has a shadowed figure pick up the hammer. Beautiful art thru out. I was disappointed Odinson did not pick up the hammer. The letters page reveals that the Mighty Thor title will reveal who has the hammer of the Ultimate Thor. 8/10.At this point, so long after Original Sin, it may be seem pointless to some to finally reveal what the whisper was that made Odinson unworthy. But for me, whose been reading and following Aaron's run for quite awhile, this issue provides a helluva payoff. Tying into Aaron's first ever arc with the character while moving the plot forward with the teasing of a new Thor (War Thor?!), Aaron is weaving a magnum opus with Thor on par with Simonson. And all of that wrapped up and delivered in stunning Coipel art. Amazing. 9/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 25, 2017 19:24:35 GMT -5
Darth Maul #2  Written by Cullen Bunn Art by Luke Ross Summary: On the Smuggler's Moon of Nar Shadda Darth Maul encounters a trio of bounty hunters in his search for the lost Jedi padwan.
Plot: I was hoping that Bunn would be able to pull it together with a solid second issue but unfortunately this sequel suffers from the same problems that plagued the debut issue: a plodding pace, no real characterization and an over reliance on interior monologues from Maul. While Maul never had Vader's imposing presence he did aptly fill the first of the prequel's title(the Phantom Menace) in that he was indeed enigmatic and his bold design and fierce fighting style was menacing but here with every thought expressed upon the page in minute detail he loses that sense of predatory mystery and with the plodding pace and low stakes what little action he's been given has felt hollow stealing any ferocity or menace from him. It's frustrating really, there's a lot you can do with Maul as the show runners of the Clone Wars and Rebels has proved but Bunn just doesn't seem to get it.
Art: Ross' art is competent in telling the story, and what little action he's given is solidly rendered but he isn't given any breathing room to carry the story visually by Bunn and the rote coloring fails to develope a mood which only adds to the ho-hum feel of the book. I don't think I'll be picking up third issue.
Conclusion: After a strong string of books Marvel has really started to stumble of late with Duds like Poe Damron, Dr. Aphra and now Darth Maul, The main Starwars book continues to be solid but the ancillary titles are in real trouble and I hope the future instalations are better.
Grade: 4/10
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Mar 26, 2017 4:33:45 GMT -5
Captain America: Steve Rogers #14If you picked this up looking for a great, good, mediocre, or even slightly below average Captain America story, then you would have been sadly disappointed after reading what Marvel is trying to pass off as a Captain America book. "Trainwreck" or "raging dumpster fire" would be more appropriate descriptors of Nick Spencer's further decimation of the Captain America franchise and his assassination of the character of Steve Rogers. First off, barely half the book actually features the title character, instead wasting a significant number of pages on Madame Hydra (who is revealed as Elsa Sinclair, the woman who recruited Steve's mom and him into Hydra back in the...whatever, it's stupid) trying to assemble a new Hydra High Council. She rounds up HIVE, Viper, Dr. Faustus, Gorgon, Arnim Zola, and Kraken, offering each something that she identifies them as desperately needing. We're also given numerous flashbacks to a meeting from 1944 between Steve and Elsa, where she talks about how she was Madame Hydra even then and how she's a bad woman because she's "danced in the presence of the Elder Gods and seen them smile upon her" and how "Chthon offered to make me his bride...". Sure he did. The pages that actually show Steve Rogers have him doing what he can to thwart Carol Danvers from launching the Planetary Defense Shield, because he wants the Chitauri to be able to attack Earth to restore Hydra to its former glory. It's as dumb as it sounds, further ruined by the fact that when all of the heroes that Carol recruited to test it (Lady Thor, Blue Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and others) fail, Cap calls up his secret weapon in the form of Rick Jones, hacker extraordinaire. Oh, happy day, as my least favorite character is associated with the utter destruction of the legacy of my favorite character. This is a habit buy for me at this point, because I don't enjoy what Nick Spencer is doing at all with this book. Hopefully after the big "Secret Empire" summer event, where Cap is returned to normal, Nick Spencer will get on with his life's work and this ugly period of his history will be relegated to only being spoken of in hushed tones, like when people discuss Cap-Wolf. My Grade: 2/10, because at least the art isn't terrible to look at. Mate, I so feel your pain. This book, well these books cos I have to throw Falcap in here too, are just so far off mark. 14 issues of Cap NOT being all he can be, NOT being a perfect example to aspire to, NOT. BEING. GOOD. This story just aint worth 14 issues, period. Heck what could Brubaker do in 14 issues. Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Olivier Coipel, Kim Jacinto, Pascal Alixe. Cover by Olivier Coipel. As Odinson places his hand on the Hammer we get a beautiful montage of Thor's life. Odinson pulls back & states even though he "hears" the hammer calling out to him it is not his hammer. He leaves it. He fights the Collector & transports Asgard back to it's original location. It is revealed what was whispered to Odinson. The last page has a shadowed figure pick up the hammer. Beautiful art thru out. I was disappointed Odinson did not pick up the hammer. The letters page reveals that the Mighty Thor title will reveal who has the hammer of the Ultimate Thor. 8/10.At this point, so long after Original Sin, it may be seem pointless to some to finally reveal what the whisper was that made Odinson unworthy. But for me, whose been reading and following Aaron's run for quite awhile, this issue provides a helluva payoff. Tying into Aaron's first ever arc with the character while moving the plot forward with the teasing of a new Thor (War Thor?!), Aaron is weaving a magnum opus with Thor on par with Simonson. And all of that wrapped up and delivered in stunning Coipel art. Amazing. 9/10I have to admit to a slight disappointment at the reveal, BUT this book as well as its companion Mighty Thor have been the best from Marvel for sometime, and Im loving it. Hope Aaron is here for years to come. Darth Maul #2 Written by Cullen Bunn Art by Luke Ross Summary: On the Smuggler's Moon of Nar Shadda Darth Maul encounters a trio of bounty hunters in his search for the lost Jedi padwan.
Plot: I was hoping that Bunn would be able to pull it together with a solid second issue but unfortunately this sequel suffers from the same problems that plagued the debut issue: a plodding pace, no real characterization and an over reliance on interior monologues from Maul. While Maul never had Vader's imposing presence he did aptly fill the first of the prequel's title(the Phantom Menace) in that he was indeed enigmatic and his bold design and fierce fighting style was menacing but here with every thought expressed upon the page in minute detail he loses that sense of predatory mystery and with the plodding pace and low stakes what little action he's been given has felt hollow stealing any ferocity or menace from him. It's frustrating really, there's a lot you can do with Maul as the show runners of the Clone Wars and Rebels has proved but Bunn just doesn't seem to get it.
Art: Ross' art is competent in telling the story, and what little action he's given is solidly rendered but he isn't given any breathing room to carry the story visually by Bunn and the rote coloring fails to develope a mood which only adds to the ho-hum feel of the book. I don't think I'll be picking up third issue.
Conclusion: After a strong string of books Marvel has really started to stumble of late with Duds like Poe Damron, Dr. Aphra and now Darth Maul, The main Starwars book continues to be solid but the ancillary titles are in real trouble and I hope the future instalations are better.
Grade: 4/10
Couldnt agree more about these ancillary titles, Dr Aphra is passable but this Darth Maul title borders on unreadable(well not worth reading),which is almost criminal given how popular (and cool looking)the character is. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2017 7:25:53 GMT -5
Captain America: Steve Rogers #14If you picked this up looking for a great, good, mediocre, or even slightly below average Captain America story, then you would have been sadly disappointed after reading what Marvel is trying to pass off as a Captain America book. "Trainwreck" or "raging dumpster fire" would be more appropriate descriptors of Nick Spencer's further decimation of the Captain America franchise and his assassination of the character of Steve Rogers. First off, barely half the book actually features the title character, instead wasting a significant number of pages on Madame Hydra (who is revealed as Elsa Sinclair, the woman who recruited Steve's mom and him into Hydra back in the...whatever, it's stupid) trying to assemble a new Hydra High Council. She rounds up HIVE, Viper, Dr. Faustus, Gorgon, Arnim Zola, and Kraken, offering each something that she identifies them as desperately needing. We're also given numerous flashbacks to a meeting from 1944 between Steve and Elsa, where she talks about how she was Madame Hydra even then and how she's a bad woman because she's "danced in the presence of the Elder Gods and seen them smile upon her" and how "Chthon offered to make me his bride...". Sure he did. The pages that actually show Steve Rogers have him doing what he can to thwart Carol Danvers from launching the Planetary Defense Shield, because he wants the Chitauri to be able to attack Earth to restore Hydra to its former glory. It's as dumb as it sounds, further ruined by the fact that when all of the heroes that Carol recruited to test it (Lady Thor, Blue Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and others) fail, Cap calls up his secret weapon in the form of Rick Jones, hacker extraordinaire. Oh, happy day, as my least favorite character is associated with the utter destruction of the legacy of my favorite character. This is a habit buy for me at this point, because I don't enjoy what Nick Spencer is doing at all with this book. Hopefully after the big "Secret Empire" summer event, where Cap is returned to normal, Nick Spencer will get on with his life's work and this ugly period of his history will be relegated to only being spoken of in hushed tones, like when people discuss Cap-Wolf. My Grade: 2/10, because at least the art isn't terrible to look at. Mate, I so feel your pain. This book, well these books cos I have to throw Falcap in here too, are just so far off mark. 14 issues of Cap NOT being all he can be, NOT being a perfect example to aspire to, NOT. BEING. GOOD. This story just aint worth 14 issues, period. Heck what could Brubaker do in 14 issues. At this point, so long after Original Sin, it may be seem pointless to some to finally reveal what the whisper was that made Odinson unworthy. But for me, whose been reading and following Aaron's run for quite awhile, this issue provides a helluva payoff. Tying into Aaron's first ever arc with the character while moving the plot forward with the teasing of a new Thor (War Thor?!), Aaron is weaving a magnum opus with Thor on par with Simonson. And all of that wrapped up and delivered in stunning Coipel art. Amazing. 9/10I have to admit to a slight disappointment at the reveal, BUT this book as well as its companion Mighty Thor have been the best from Marvel for sometime, and Im loving it. Hope Aaron is here for years to come. Darth Maul #2 Written by Cullen Bunn Art by Luke Ross Summary: On the Smuggler's Moon of Nar Shadda Darth Maul encounters a trio of bounty hunters in his search for the lost Jedi padwan.
Plot: I was hoping that Bunn would be able to pull it together with a solid second issue but unfortunately this sequel suffers from the same problems that plagued the debut issue: a plodding pace, no real characterization and an over reliance on interior monologues from Maul. While Maul never had Vader's imposing presence he did aptly fill the first of the prequel's title(the Phantom Menace) in that he was indeed enigmatic and his bold design and fierce fighting style was menacing but here with every thought expressed upon the page in minute detail he loses that sense of predatory mystery and with the plodding pace and low stakes what little action he's been given has felt hollow stealing any ferocity or menace from him. It's frustrating really, there's a lot you can do with Maul as the show runners of the Clone Wars and Rebels has proved but Bunn just doesn't seem to get it.
Art: Ross' art is competent in telling the story, and what little action he's given is solidly rendered but he isn't given any breathing room to carry the story visually by Bunn and the rote coloring fails to develope a mood which only adds to the ho-hum feel of the book. I don't think I'll be picking up third issue.
Conclusion: After a strong string of books Marvel has really started to stumble of late with Duds like Poe Damron, Dr. Aphra and now Darth Maul, The main Starwars book continues to be solid but the ancillary titles are in real trouble and I hope the future instalations are better.
Grade: 4/10
Couldnt agree more about these ancillary titles, Dr Aphra is passable but this Darth Maul title borders on unreadable(well not worth reading),which is almost criminal given how popular (and cool looking)the character is. It's very surprising, especially coming from Bunn as I've previously loved his work on Harrow County and Captain America and Black Widow. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2017 12:33:58 GMT -5
Action Comics #976 Written by Dan Jurgens Art by Doug Mahnke Summary:Jon reaches through the ether of time to save his parents, but is he too late?
Plot: Superman Reborn ends with this the forth part and although Mytzy has a clever exit and the family vibes of the conclusion are great so much of what makes up the rest of the issue is a bit of a let down. So much of what has made the Superman line of books so great since rebirth is that they've been allowed to grow on their own with out interference from the outside and this story flew directly in the face of that tieing into the architect plot that has been a major flaw in the Rebirth roll out; namely the misuse of suspense. When used correctly withholding information from the readers builds a fantastic sense of mystery but if you withhold too much then the readers are just left empty handed and that's what has happened here. The point of rebirth was to unit continuity, there's a mysterious stranger running around with knowledge of multiple realities and he's plotting either their unification or trying to keep them apart and it could have been an interesting event but it's gone on for nearly a whole year now and yet we know no more than when this all began and so what started off as a mystery has progressed to nothing more than a farce. And that farce was in no place more evident than here, there was a conspiracy to cloud Superman's mind but he beat it and gained a new understanding of what was before and what he is now but it was marred by not exposing the how or the why making it feel hollow and meaningless.
Art: Mahnke's depiction of the phantom world was a great balance between being whimsical and horrifying which fit the mood of Myxy well.
Grade:6/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2017 13:15:39 GMT -5
Rebels: These Free and Independent States #1 Written by Brian Wood Art by Andrea Mutti Summary: The son of Seth Abbot comes of age and picks up where his father left off in aiding in the birth of a new nation.
Plot: As a kid growing up a stones throw from Boston I saw reminders for the war for independence every day; 12 men died in that field over there, General Lafayette slept in that house and Ben Franklin was born right there! So it's no small wonder that history and historical fiction have always been a favorite of mine and Brian Wood's continuation of his Rebels series speaks directly to that passion from my youth. The characterization of John Abbet is deep and fasicinating, and the world feels fully fleshed out with the scenes of the Abbot homestead, the sea battles off the Barbary Coast and the arguments in Congress bleeding perfectly into one another. The coming of age plot introduced here doesn't move very far in this single issue making it feel very much like a part one but there's nothing wrong with that as Wood never failed to deliver in the past.
Art: Mutti's realistic art is chalked full of details giving a truly organic, lived in aesthetic that makes the story incredibly inviting. What I really love here are the ships, the fiery sea battles in their frozen tableau presentation are absolutely stunning and I can't wait to see more in the future.
Grade:10/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2017 14:11:54 GMT -5
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Olivier Coipel, Kim Jacinto, Pascal Alixe. Cover by Olivier Coipel. As Odinson places his hand on the Hammer we get a beautiful montage of Thor's life. Odinson pulls back & states even though he "hears" the hammer calling out to him it is not his hammer. He leaves it. He fights the Collector & transports Asgard back to it's original location. It is revealed what was whispered to Odinson. The last page has a shadowed figure pick up the hammer. Beautiful art thru out. I was disappointed Odinson did not pick up the hammer. The letters page reveals that the Mighty Thor title will reveal who has the hammer of the Ultimate Thor. 8/10.At this point, so long after Original Sin, it may be seem pointless to some to finally reveal what the whisper was that made Odinson unworthy. But for me, whose been reading and following Aaron's run for quite awhile, this issue provides a helluva payoff. Tying into Aaron's first ever arc with the character while moving the plot forward with the teasing of a new Thor (War Thor?!), Aaron is weaving a magnum opus with Thor on par with Simonson. And all of that wrapped up and delivered in stunning Coipel art. Amazing. 9/10I did enjoy how this story tied into earlier parts of Aaron's run, and I loved the heart apparent in Thor at the end but it felt a little low stakes at the end. I felt like the battle should have been more epic and that would have made Thor's revelation at the end feel more hard won. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 27, 2017 2:50:02 GMT -5
New comics will be out soon, so I guess I should say a few words about this week's comics while they're still relevant.
I got Detective #953, Wonder Woman #19, Batgirl #9, Doom Patrol #5 and Hulk #4.
Detective Comics #953 is a mess. I get the feeling that the writer is in way over his head, and just didn't really have the skill to put his vision into a coherent form in an actual comic book. It's a lot like every Zack Snyder movie since Watchmen.
As for Wonder Woman #19, I wish I was liking this a lot more than I do. Beautiful art, and a lot of good ideas, but it's just going on too long. I would much rather read a story where the writer picked one of Wonder Woman's origins and went with it rather than spend so much time navel gazing.
I'm going to put my other reviews for this week in separate comments.
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 27, 2017 2:57:52 GMT -5
I was a little hesitant about this "Son of Penguin" storyline because it sounded a bit like a cliché that I just wasn't interested in. Barbara Gordon is interested in a guy who turns out to be the son of the Penguin, and he's a bit of a "bad boy" and don't you just want to puke as Barbara gets all silly and flirty about this cute guy who's kind of naughty, but is he really that bad? But it's only a little like that. Mostly, it's not like I expected. I'm liking it a lot. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 27, 2017 3:00:20 GMT -5
I only vaguely know what's going on most of the time ... and I love it! |
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 27, 2017 3:07:32 GMT -5
In the aftermath of Civil War II (about which I could hardly care less), Jen Walters (She-Hulk) is putting her life back together and working at a new law firm ... and not turning into She-Hulk at all for (so far) four issues. But she may have to dig deep and summon the Jade Giantess within because one of her clients (who is about to be evicted) has a very strange, very powerful and not very gentle protector. I had no idea what to expect from this series when I picked up the first two issues and I suspect that if I had read a summary, I might not have bought it. But I'm enjoying it a heckuva lot! |
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Post by String on Mar 28, 2017 18:08:30 GMT -5
A couple of last thoughts for this week's books:
Action Comics #976 - I'm not really sure what to make of this. Apparently, elements of the Pre- and Nu-Superman were merged into a new whole, even going so far as resetting the timeline (but what does this mean for the rest of the Nu52?) I will say, the best moments for me were Jon fighting to save his parents. Nu-Lois's reactions to Jon's claims of being her son were especially cold. Still, the family looks to be back and better than ever, for now at least.
7/10
Birthright #23 - Sadly, for fear of spoiling anything for new readers of this title, I can't comment too much on the story here other than to say that a bittersweet reunion finally occurs, a long time in the making but well worth the wait to see. This remains one of the best indie books on the rack as Williamson continues to unveil the history of the Rhodes family, their links to the horror fantasy world Terrenos, and how this all may play into the God King Lore's plans to conquer our world. Bressan's amazing art, amplified by the dynamic coloring of Lucas, brings all the action, love, and gore to brutal dramatic life.
8/10
Extraordinary X-Men #20 - an optimistic end to this title as the X-line gears up for the upcoming relaunch. With the Terrigen mist danger solved, Storm closes down the X-Haven retreat in Limbo, overseeing it's mutant populace return back to Earth while deciding what the future holds for them next. A side trip ensues to recover a team member who was injured in the last battle with the Inhumans.
This may not have been the most thrilling X-title ever but Lemire ends it on his terms by wrapping up a few dangling plot threads while laying the groundwork for these characters' new roles in the relaunch. Plus, it's always fun whenever an X-team plays baseball.
7/10
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 29, 2017 12:23:41 GMT -5
I didn't see this on the list...but it came out this week. And it's maybe the one thing that would make me buy a new funnybook (digitally). Because...ANNO DRACULA!!  Anno Dracula #1 Written by Kim Newman Art by Paul McCaffrey On the cusp of Dracula's 10th anniversary jubilee as ruler of Great Britain and following a foiled invasion by allied powers, a conspiracy to depose the Prince is hatched. Kate Reed, vampire journalist, is one of the participants...but there is a traitor in the midst of The Council of Seven Days. I can honestly see where this could be a tough read if you're not familiar with Newman's Anno Dracula series. Even for me, who has read the entire series (fairly recently) I had to refresh myself on exactly who was who. But it was worth it. Because...Anno Dracula! I'm not at all familiar with Paul McCaffrey. It looks like he's done a bit of work for Titan and for IDW. While I didn't love his art, it was effective. And at times it was brilliant. The naval battle between Dracula's forces and the allied invasion fleet was brilliant. Overall I'd give it 8/10. But it really is enough to make this fan super happy. And feast your eyes...  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 30, 2017 8:35:59 GMT -5
I didn't see this on the list...but it came out this week. And it's maybe the one thing that would make me buy a new funnybook (digitally). Because...ANNO DRACULA!! Anno Dracula #1 Written by Kim Newman Art by Paul McCaffrey On the cusp of Dracula's 10th anniversary jubilee as ruler of Great Britain and following a foiled invasion by allied powers, a conspiracy to depose the Prince is hatched. Kate Reed, vampire journalist, is one of the participants...but there is a traitor in the midst of The Council of Seven Days. I can honestly see where this could be a tough read if you're not familiar with Newman's Anno Dracula series. Even for me, who has read the entire series (fairly recently) I had to refresh myself on exactly who was who. But it was worth it. Because...Anno Dracula! I'm not at all familiar with Paul McCaffrey. It looks like he's done a bit of work for Titan and for IDW. While I didn't love his art, it was effective. And at times it was brilliant. The naval battle between Dracula's forces and the allied invasion fleet was brilliant. Overall I'd give it 8/10. But it really is enough to make this fan super happy. And feast your eyes... I almost pulled the trigger on this as I love the novels, but the art kind of turned me off when I flipped through it. I may have to track this down on your recommendation though Slam. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 30, 2017 8:53:02 GMT -5
Action 976: Superman reborn concludes here in an excellent issue that resolves a mystery, but leaves some unanswered questions. Doug Mahnke provides some beautiful art, depicting a very attractive Superman family and a creepy Mxyzptlk. There is a really nice 2 page spread depicting moments from Superman's life. Without spoiling anything, this issue explains what is going on with the pre 52 and the new 52 Superman. He gets a really nice new costume at the end of the story....however we are lead to believe that something bigger is coming involving a mysterious "He". The consequences of what happens in this issue will affect the other Super titles (according to an illustrated page at the end). For this longtime Superman fan who despised the new 52 version, this issue is a treat. 9/10 I read all 4 parts of 'Superman Reborn' today.. Not bad... it definitely answers and 'fixes' the continuity stuff, which is nice, without changing what they're doing. Big plus there. Definitely a little overly hokey for my taste, but it's Superman, so one has to expect that. More importantly, it was still an enjoyable read (With some great art), which is not usually the case with a 'maintenance' plot like this. I suspect the 'He' is going to tie into the big storyline that is going in Flash/Batman where they reveal the origin of the Rebirth Universe, which is fine, hopefully it will be over quickly ad we can move on  |
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