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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 10, 2017 8:19:38 GMT -5
Welcome back to another exciting week of the newest comics reviewed fresh of the racks by readers just like you! With the new google regulations I'll no longer be hyperlinking the titles as they are reviewed but if you want a list of what's out there I always check the midtown site for all new releases. Happy reading!  Contributors this Week: String MrJupiter Hoosier X Wildfire Shaxper |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 10, 2017 9:04:01 GMT -5
Darth Vader #1 Written by Charles Soule Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli Summary: Anakin Skywalker fell under the blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi and in his place rose only Vader; and here witness his first steps to villainy!
Plot: I had hoped that the new Darth Vader series would follow after the events at the end of the last series so I was initially slightly disappointed that this book was taking a giant leap backwards in chronicling the early days of Vader's villainy but Soule won me over pretty quick in this issue. I loved the interplay between Vader and the Emperor, especially in the scene after Vader's first awakening. Although it's abundantly clear that the Emperor is manipulating Vader you still see the underlying charm he exuded while he was mentoring Anakin before revealing his Sith identity making you feel that in some way that wasn't all a sham and that in his own way the Emperor does care for his apprentice. It'll be interesting to see how they balance those two feelings going forward, and of course I'm sure there will be more awesome Sith powered destruction like we got at the end here. There's just something fun about seeing Vader effortlessly mow through his opponents, it was awesome in the last series, it was awesome at the end of Rogue One and it was awesome here so more of that will not be too much.
Art: Camuncoli isn't a name I was familiar with so I didn't have any huge expectations going into this but he proved to be a great addition to the story as he brought a lot of depth in displaying the emotional play in the Emperor's facial expressions and portrayed the kinetic energy of the Force extremely well in Vader's battle with the pirates.
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 10, 2017 11:21:44 GMT -5
Baltimore: The Red Kingdom #5
 Written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden Art by Peter Bergting Summary: Old friends are lost as Baltimore leads the final push in his quest against the Red King.
Plot: This is the final issue in a story I've loved since its inception as an illustrated novel ten years ago...and I feel a little disappointed, and not because it's over. I always knew it was a finite story and that Baltimore should die at the end of his quest straight from the start and that's what we got in this issue but it wasn't satisfying. There wasn't any real feeling to it, it just felt so paint by the numbers. You feel that he wins simply because he has to in order for the story to end. There's no doubt, no emotional release...it's just your typical big action set piece final bout...and that simplicity really flies in the face of everything the last four volumes have been building to. There were some truly interesting questions raised in the last few stories: Can a man that has lost touch with his humanity truly save humanity? How can Baltimore be an effective weapon forged by God when he resents his maker? If he's so uncaring where does he find the strength to save the world?
And Baltimore wasn't the only one with those whopping questions either, each member of his beautifully developed supporting cast had their own brilliant flaws and none of them were addressed. We didn't get answers to these characters yearning stories...just a sword fight that saves the world. It could have been so much more and that it fell so short is just painful. I really think this story should have ended as it began, as a novel. The larger format would have allowed for a greater level of development over an ultimately shorter period than a comic would have needed in order to achieve the same ends.
Grade:5/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 10, 2017 20:04:00 GMT -5
DK3 #9 Written by Frank Miller and Brian Azzerello Art by Andy Kubert Summary: Quar's army has conquered the planet, but Batman and his allies don't believe the world is beyond saving.
Plot: I've never minded the madcap, bombastic action of this series but right along I've decried the uneven pacing and that issue is no more apparent than in this issue. Because of the isolation of this conclusion from the rapid escalation of events in the last issue it feels even more anticlimactic than it otherwise would have been. The ending felt rushed as it was, and the fist fight and the exploding Kryptonians wasn't very exciting and with out the energy from the last issue it felt disconnected and neutered of any emotional impact. If the pacing had been a little quicker and the scenes here more concise this could have all ended last issue. Still and all I'm not entirely sure what the take away of the story was supposed to be; it was full of some fun action scenes for sure but nothing that meant a whole lot.
Grade: 5/10 |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 10, 2017 21:59:03 GMT -5
Darth Vader #1Written by Charles Soule Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli Summary: Anakin Skywalker fell under the blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi and in his place rose only Vader; and here witness his first steps to villainy!
Plot: I had hoped that the new Darth Vader series would follow after the events at the end of the last series so I was initially slightly disappointed that this book was taking a giant leap backwards in chronicling the early days of Vader's villainy but Soule won me over pretty quick in this issue. I loved the interplay between Vader and the Emperor, especially in the scene after Vader's first awakening. Although it's abundantly clear that the Emperor is manipulating Vader you still see the underlying charm he exuded while he was mentoring Anakin before revealing his Sith identity making you feel that in some way that wasn't all a sham and that in his own way the Emperor does care for his apprentice. It'll be interesting to see how they balance those two feelings going forward, and of course I'm sure there will be more awesome Sith powered destruction like we got at the end here. There's just something fun about seeing Vader effortlessly mow through his opponents, it was awesome in the last series, it was awesome at the end of Rogue One and it was awesome here so more of that will not be too much.
Art: Camuncoli isn't a name I was familiar with so I didn't have any huge expectations going into this but he proved to be a great addition to the story as he brought a lot of depth in displaying the emotional play in the Emperor's facial expressions and portrayed the kinetic energy of the Force extremely well in Vader's battle with the pirates.
Grade:8/10 That is an awesome cover! I'll be interested to see what they do with that time period... I feel like that's been the least explored with all the various EU stuff. Also, as far as hyperlinks go, Shax said they were ok for Table of Contents and such.. but certainly this is alot less work if that's better for you. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 11, 2017 2:58:07 GMT -5
DK3 #9Written by Frank Miller and Brian Azzerello Art by Andy Kubert Summary: Quar's army has conquered the planet, but Batman and his allies don't believe the world is beyond saving.
Plot: I've never minded the madcap, bombastic action of this series but right along I've decried the uneven pacing and that issue is no more apparent than in this issue. Because of the isolation of this conclusion from the rapid escalation of events in the last issue it feels even more anticlimactic than it otherwise would have been. The ending felt rushed as it was, and the fist fight and the exploding Kryptonians wasn't very exciting and with out the energy from the last issue it felt disconnected and neutered of any emotional impact. If the pacing had been a little quicker and the scenes here more concise this could have all ended last issue. Still and all I'm not entirely sure what the take away of the story was supposed to be; it was full of some fun action scenes for sure but nothing that meant a whole lot.
Grade: 5/10 I really liked DK III a lot, but I have to agree that the conclusion was very disappointing. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 11, 2017 8:19:11 GMT -5
DK3 #9Written by Frank Miller and Brian Azzerello Art by Andy Kubert Summary: Quar's army has conquered the planet, but Batman and his allies don't believe the world is beyond saving.
Plot: I've never minded the madcap, bombastic action of this series but right along I've decried the uneven pacing and that issue is no more apparent than in this issue. Because of the isolation of this conclusion from the rapid escalation of events in the last issue it feels even more anticlimactic than it otherwise would have been. The ending felt rushed as it was, and the fist fight and the exploding Kryptonians wasn't very exciting and with out the energy from the last issue it felt disconnected and neutered of any emotional impact. If the pacing had been a little quicker and the scenes here more concise this could have all ended last issue. Still and all I'm not entirely sure what the take away of the story was supposed to be; it was full of some fun action scenes for sure but nothing that meant a whole lot.
Grade: 5/10 I really liked DK III a lot, but I have to agree that the conclusion was very disappointing. It was a fun ride to be sure but it just didn't really have anything meaty to sink your teeth into. The first one was largely about overcoming the fear of getting old, the second was a little less clear but focused on the power of the rebellion of youth but this one? The closest I can get is that the old guard can learn from youth and that only really came about in this issue and it was out of the blue. I think if that had been worked in more, and this had been more concise this would have been a stronger ending. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 11, 2017 8:24:17 GMT -5
Darth Vader #1Written by Charles Soule Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli Summary: Anakin Skywalker fell under the blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi and in his place rose only Vader; and here witness his first steps to villainy!
Plot: I had hoped that the new Darth Vader series would follow after the events at the end of the last series so I was initially slightly disappointed that this book was taking a giant leap backwards in chronicling the early days of Vader's villainy but Soule won me over pretty quick in this issue. I loved the interplay between Vader and the Emperor, especially in the scene after Vader's first awakening. Although it's abundantly clear that the Emperor is manipulating Vader you still see the underlying charm he exuded while he was mentoring Anakin before revealing his Sith identity making you feel that in some way that wasn't all a sham and that in his own way the Emperor does care for his apprentice. It'll be interesting to see how they balance those two feelings going forward, and of course I'm sure there will be more awesome Sith powered destruction like we got at the end here. There's just something fun about seeing Vader effortlessly mow through his opponents, it was awesome in the last series, it was awesome at the end of Rogue One and it was awesome here so more of that will not be too much.
Art: Camuncoli isn't a name I was familiar with so I didn't have any huge expectations going into this but he proved to be a great addition to the story as he brought a lot of depth in displaying the emotional play in the Emperor's facial expressions and portrayed the kinetic energy of the Force extremely well in Vader's battle with the pirates.
Grade:8/10 That is an awesome cover! I'll be interested to see what they do with that time period... I feel like that's been the least explored with all the various EU stuff. Also, as far as hyperlinks go, Shax said they were ok for Table of Contents and such.. but certainly this is alot less work if that's better for you. I don't often go in for variants but they had this at the shop and I knew I just had to have it. And the story was fun too so it was worth the money. Yeah, Shax talked with me too and he said that he thought the bots would pick up on the context but it seemed tenuous here so I figured I'd play it safe going forward. And yeah, it easier too! I figure I'll just list the contributors rather than linking. |
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Post by String on Jun 11, 2017 10:28:21 GMT -5
Darth Vader #1Written by Charles Soule Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli Summary: Anakin Skywalker fell under the blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi and in his place rose only Vader; and here witness his first steps to villainy!
Plot: I had hoped that the new Darth Vader series would follow after the events at the end of the last series so I was initially slightly disappointed that this book was taking a giant leap backwards in chronicling the early days of Vader's villainy but Soule won me over pretty quick in this issue. I loved the interplay between Vader and the Emperor, especially in the scene after Vader's first awakening. Although it's abundantly clear that the Emperor is manipulating Vader you still see the underlying charm he exuded while he was mentoring Anakin before revealing his Sith identity making you feel that in some way that wasn't all a sham and that in his own way the Emperor does care for his apprentice. It'll be interesting to see how they balance those two feelings going forward, and of course I'm sure there will be more awesome Sith powered destruction like we got at the end here. There's just something fun about seeing Vader effortlessly mow through his opponents, it was awesome in the last series, it was awesome at the end of Rogue One and it was awesome here so more of that will not be too much.
Art: Camuncoli isn't a name I was familiar with so I didn't have any huge expectations going into this but he proved to be a great addition to the story as he brought a lot of depth in displaying the emotional play in the Emperor's facial expressions and portrayed the kinetic energy of the Force extremely well in Vader's battle with the pirates.
Grade:8/10 First things, fantastic variant cover. Reminds me of Al Williamson's covers of the old series. Second, I really enjoyed Soule's previous work on the Lando mini. I think he's got a great sense of the characters and pace of the mythos and it sounds like he's maintaining such quality here as well. Third, IRC, Camuncoli has worked on ASM previously and I've really liked his work. Lastly, I think I should buy this after all. Curses! You made me spend more money! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 11, 2017 10:43:51 GMT -5
Darth Vader #1Written by Charles Soule Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli Summary: Anakin Skywalker fell under the blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi and in his place rose only Vader; and here witness his first steps to villainy!
Plot: I had hoped that the new Darth Vader series would follow after the events at the end of the last series so I was initially slightly disappointed that this book was taking a giant leap backwards in chronicling the early days of Vader's villainy but Soule won me over pretty quick in this issue. I loved the interplay between Vader and the Emperor, especially in the scene after Vader's first awakening. Although it's abundantly clear that the Emperor is manipulating Vader you still see the underlying charm he exuded while he was mentoring Anakin before revealing his Sith identity making you feel that in some way that wasn't all a sham and that in his own way the Emperor does care for his apprentice. It'll be interesting to see how they balance those two feelings going forward, and of course I'm sure there will be more awesome Sith powered destruction like we got at the end here. There's just something fun about seeing Vader effortlessly mow through his opponents, it was awesome in the last series, it was awesome at the end of Rogue One and it was awesome here so more of that will not be too much.
Art: Camuncoli isn't a name I was familiar with so I didn't have any huge expectations going into this but he proved to be a great addition to the story as he brought a lot of depth in displaying the emotional play in the Emperor's facial expressions and portrayed the kinetic energy of the Force extremely well in Vader's battle with the pirates.
Grade:8/10 First things, fantastic variant cover. Reminds me of Al Williamson's covers of the old series. Second, I really enjoyed Soule's previous work on the Lando mini. I think he's got a great sense of the characters and pace of the mythos and it sounds like he's maintaining such quality here as well. Third, IRC, Camuncoli has worked on ASM previously and I've really liked his work. Lastly, I think I should buy this after all. Curses! You made me spend more money! Yeah, I liked Soule's Lando mini as well, it felt like a great heist movie which worked well with Lando and so far I'm liking what he did here as well. And you should totally get this book, it's hard to say exactly where it's going but if the following installments are anything like the first it's sure to be a fun ride. |
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Post by String on Jun 11, 2017 11:00:36 GMT -5
Superman #24 - Manchester Black stands revealed and Superman ain't too happy about it. We learn more about how Black set up his new Elite team (and the real identities of Cobb and his daughter). Superman manages to free everyone from Cobb's device only to see that Black may have won Jon over in the end...
Arcs of this length invariably see a slow point, a drop or middling area before the creators race towards the end. But here, Gleason and Tomasi have sustained suspense and tension throughout. We see the depths of Black's machinations and the truth behind Cobb & his daughter is both sad and noble. Gleason and Mahnke's art is top-notch, from the action to the outrage to the sorrow.
8/10
Daredevil #21 - With approval from the DA, Matt finally enacts his plan to halt crime within NYC, starting with help from Luke Cage and Echo. An old foe, Ammo, is back and he's brought friends as they seek to launch an attack against City Hall. Problems crop up but Matt saves the day and gets to have his day in court as well.
My legal knowledge is limited to watching too many re-runs of Law & Order so I have no idea where Soule is going with this. Matt as DD is set to testify in court in some capacity, a hint of the changes that seem to be coming in regards to the legal perception of super-heroes. Whether other heroes of the city are okay with this is unknown. But if you've following this run from the beginning, Soule has some nice pay-offs here. The interaction with Cage and Echo was fun and witty.
Sudzuka seems to be part of the tag-team artist with Garney and he provides some clean art for this caper here. My only quibble, DD is back in his classic red costume in the last scene in court. Why? (For again, Soule has yet to clarify why Matt switched colors after all)
8/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 11, 2017 14:22:33 GMT -5
Superman #24 - Manchester Black stands revealed and Superman ain't too happy about it. We learn more about how Black set up his new Elite team (and the real identities of Cobb and his daughter). Superman manages to free everyone from Cobb's device only to see that Black may have won Jon over in the end... Arcs of this length invariably see a slow point, a drop or middling area before the creators race towards the end. But here, Gleason and Tomasi have sustained suspense and tension throughout. We see the depths of Black's machinations and the truth behind Cobb & his daughter is both sad and noble. Gleason and Mahnke's art is top-notch, from the action to the outrage to the sorrow. 8/10
Daredevil #21 - With approval from the DA, Matt finally enacts his plan to halt crime within NYC, starting with help from Luke Cage and Echo. An old foe, Ammo, is back and he's brought friends as they seek to launch an attack against City Hall. Problems crop up but Matt saves the day and gets to have his day in court as well. My legal knowledge is limited to watching too many re-runs of Law & Order so I have no idea where Soule is going with this. Matt as DD is set to testify in court in some capacity, a hint of the changes that seem to be coming in regards to the legal perception of super-heroes. Whether other heroes of the city are okay with this is unknown. But if you've following this run from the beginning, Soule has some nice pay-offs here. The interaction with Cage and Echo was fun and witty. Sudzuka seems to be part of the tag-team artist with Garney and he provides some clean art for this caper here. My only quibble, DD is back in his classic red costume in the last scene in court. Why? (For again, Soule has yet to clarify why Matt switched colors after all) 8/10
The energy and pacing in Superman was really good, and I loved having Gleason back on art. The nature of Black's powers was a little strange for me though, I remembered him being just a powerful telepath so I'm not sure what the black ooze stuff was. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2017 18:16:52 GMT -5
Probably won't get my 6/7 books until 6/14.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 12, 2017 7:32:51 GMT -5
Probably won't get my 6/7 books until 6/14. That's cool, can't wait to hear what you thought of Superman! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2017 8:03:38 GMT -5
Steve Trevor Special #1: Steve gets the spotlight in this one shot that doesn't quite hit the mark. Steve and some characters from the Wonder Woman movie go on an adventure involving a race of people who are eternally children and youthful. While it was great to see Steve take center stage, the story didn't quite grab me--although it was nice seeing him on his own and being resourceful. I was more interested in the relationship between him and Wonder Woman (which in this title was full-blown boyfriend/girlfriend, something not quite addressed in the Wonder Woman title.) The colors and art are both solid. 6/10
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