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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 12, 2018 14:43:22 GMT -5
House of Whispers #2Written by Nalo Hopkinson Art by Domo Stanton Summary: Erzulie and Uncle Monday awaken to find themselves in the Dreaming and they can't seem to find a way back.
Plot: What originally drew me to Hopkinson's entry into the new Sandman Universe was that it looked to be a stand alone work, a brand new mythology and through most of the first issue that's what we got but by the end the whole new cast of characters and their world aboard the houseboat got sucked into the Dreaming and I began to worry. With the second issue now complete my initial worry has done nothing but grow as the story seemed to grow closer to that of the Dreaming and the disappearance of Dream. There are still elements that drew me here, the unique voodoo mythology does appear and that scene with the appearance of a trio of new gods looking for Erzulie was by far the best part but it was so fleeting in comparison to the rest. It's a book torn in two directions and I'm left wondering if there's enough to keep me going in either direction.
Art: I love Stanton's character work, and the details in the settings are truly fantastic but at times the storytelling comes across as muddled. There's nothing unreadable about it, and after a panel or two the muddled parts sort of become clearer but it is a distraction none the less.
Grade: 5/10 I've been underimpressed by both of the Sandman books so far. The Dreaming has done nothing for me. I kind of liked the first issue of this book but this one I haven't even finished yet. I got distracted 1/3 of the way through and haven't made it back to try to finish...and have had no real desire to make time. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 12, 2018 18:43:35 GMT -5
House of Whispers #2Written by Nalo Hopkinson Art by Domo Stanton Summary: Erzulie and Uncle Monday awaken to find themselves in the Dreaming and they can't seem to find a way back.
Plot: What originally drew me to Hopkinson's entry into the new Sandman Universe was that it looked to be a stand alone work, a brand new mythology and through most of the first issue that's what we got but by the end the whole new cast of characters and their world aboard the houseboat got sucked into the Dreaming and I began to worry. With the second issue now complete my initial worry has done nothing but grow as the story seemed to grow closer to that of the Dreaming and the disappearance of Dream. There are still elements that drew me here, the unique voodoo mythology does appear and that scene with the appearance of a trio of new gods looking for Erzulie was by far the best part but it was so fleeting in comparison to the rest. It's a book torn in two directions and I'm left wondering if there's enough to keep me going in either direction.
Art: I love Stanton's character work, and the details in the settings are truly fantastic but at times the storytelling comes across as muddled. There's nothing unreadable about it, and after a panel or two the muddled parts sort of become clearer but it is a distraction none the less.
Grade: 5/10 I've been underimpressed by both of the Sandman books so far. The Dreaming has done nothing for me. I kind of liked the first issue of this book but this one I haven't even finished yet. I got distracted 1/3 of the way through and haven't made it back to try to finish...and have had no real desire to make time. I'm in the same boat, I started out really excited but I'm pretty much done as of now. This book had potential because it seemed like it was going to be it's own thing but it didn't take the time it needed to establish its cast and now it just feels too attached to the Dreaming. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 12, 2018 19:29:42 GMT -5
 Captain America #4.Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Art by Leinil Francis Yu. Cap fights the Taskmaster as he tries to rescue Sharon. I don't know why this Cap run is just not connecting with me. I'm not crazy about the "weary" Cap Coates portrays here. I also have problems with Coates' pacing. This story has run hot or cold for me. The only consistent quality is Yu's amazing art issue after issue. I am considering dropping Cap (yet again) after this arc.
5/10.I'm not nearly as down on this as you are, though I agree that the plotting thus far has been very disjointed with the way it just jumps from big action set piece to big action set piece with out anything really connecting them together. I like the "weary Cap" as you put it, it feels right for not only what's happened to Cap in the comics but where our country is now, which is great for a character that is by and large a metaphor for our nation. On top of my issues with the transitions though is the use of plot points from years ago to motivate actions today...I mean the event they mentioned here was 10 years ago for cripes sakes. That's just too long for their to be any emotional resonance for the readers, and with out that it's just a bit of useless continuity porn and that drives me crazy. Still, I like the characterization and voice for Cap so I'll probably hang in a little while longer but I do hope they wrap this up soon. 7/10 |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2018 7:41:59 GMT -5
I'm not nearly as down on this as you are, though I agree that the plotting thus far has been very disjointed with the way it just jumps from big action set piece to big action set piece with out anything really connecting them together. I like the "weary Cap" as you put it, it feels right for not only what's happened to Cap in the comics but where our country is now, which is great for a character that is by and large a metaphor for our nation. Still, I like the characterization and voice for Cap so I'll probably hang in a little while longer but I do hope they wrap this up soon. 7/10 I get that Cap is sort of a "mirror" of our country and has questioned his place in modern USA before. Right now I want to read about a Cap full of hope and optimism again. It has been too long since we have a Cap that represents the best of America. A Cap that inspires others to do their best. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 13, 2018 21:35:08 GMT -5
Avengers #9Written by Jason Aaron Art by David Marquez Summary: Namor is done with the surface world taking advantage of the seas and is going to settle things once and for all.
Plot: Aaron takes a turn from his usual light, cartoony tone to give us a dark character study of the king of the seven seas. You'd think that turn in tones would be jarring but it works here because it stays small by focusing on Namor and how he views the world around him. If we had dove head long into a serious tone with big action set pieces it would have felt like another writer had come in from the wings to take over the book but by playing it smart he's able to turn the tone and the energy is just crackling for the pay off. Although the tone may be changing, it still keeps that fun energy by continuing to give us another take on an Avengers Greatest hit plot by bringing in Namor in much the same way he gave us Loki in the first arc. I'm not sure how this latest attack on the surface world will be different than the previous turns but I'm excited to see how it plays out given how personal he made it here with Namor.
Art: The art here by Marquez was a little bit of a miss as the action scenes in the water really lacked that weightlessness that you'd expect in an under sea battle. Although Cap sports a nice diving costume you'd be easily forgiven for forgetting they were underwater as they all talk as if nothing has changed and none of their hair seems to be affected either. That said, I really liked his take on Namor; he really nailed that imperious stare and there was a fantastic presence to him that just screamed power so I guess we have to take the good with the bad here.
Grade: 7/10 |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2018 12:16:38 GMT -5
Superman #4: not a terrible issue and Bendis really seems to get Superman. Truly heroic and ready to sacrifice himself to benefit others. Not quite sure if Superman's plan with the Flash and Atom paid off based on the scene with Adam Strange at the end. Rogal Zar is wearing thin....very thin and generic. Not a fan of Jon, but the scene with him and Superman...totally awesome! Agree, Action is by far the best Superman title now, but I wonder where Bendis is going with all this Krypton stuff (which is much more interesting in the Supergirl title). Great art though!
6/10
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2018 22:10:14 GMT -5
Archie #699: very nice to see the original numbering return as this title approaches #700. This is a recap issue with Archie narrating over artwork from the previous issues. There’s a preview of Archie #700 at the end. Great catch up for those who might be interested in checking the title out.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2018 22:13:25 GMT -5
Archie Halloween Spectacular: reprints from the digests fill this Halloween issue. All newer stories from the last year or so in the classic Archie style. My favorite was the one where Betty and Veronica make some assumptions about the creepy family of a new girl who moves to Riverdale. Halloween fun for 2.99!
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