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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 17, 2018 7:52:20 GMT -5
Here we are my friends, it's the Topic that never ends(we hope)! This is Off the Racks, the internet's premier destination for real reviews by real readers!  If you read it, tell us what you thought! Tales from Vader's Castle #3 by Thwhtguarian
Daredevil #609 by Michael James Archie 1941 #2 by Michael James and MrJupiterAstonishing X-Men #16 by MrJupiter Black Hammer: Age of Doom #6 by Thwhtguardian Lucifer #1 by Thwhtguardian Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever by MrJupiter |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 17, 2018 10:55:19 GMT -5
Star Wars Adventures: Tales From Vader's Castle #3 Written by Cavan Scott Art by Derek Charm(framing narrative) and Corin Howell Summary: A wayward band of Rebels has crash landed on Mustafar and their only escape lies on the other side of Castle Vader!
Plot: To be perfectly honest, I'm committing a personal cardinal sin in buying this book: I'm here just for the beautiful covers from Francavilla. I'm certainly not opposed to all ages Star Wars comics, in fact the property is perfect for doing just that as it appeals to all generations young and old, and I've enjoyed several issues of Star Wars Adventures to date...just not this series despite it's story teller concept. I love a story within a story, the duel layers reflecting messages from the story being told into "real life" has real power to it...but the connection has to make sense and there just isn't that effort to try and make that connection and bring greater meaning to the stories being told here...there's just action as the Rebels fight through Castle Vader and then the stories and no real attempt to use the "now" to trigger the reason for the characters to tell the stories. The stories themselves aren't bad per say, but with out the connection to the characters telling them they feel out of place and unimportant.
Art: Despite the off model Chewbacca the art in this Young Han Solo tale was pretty fun; it was snappy and bright and carried just the hint o menace in the shadows which really fit the tone perfectly...but man the art on the cover by Francavilla is just awesome. I'd kill for him to do full art on a Star Wars book, but even just the cover is enough for me, hence the review.
Grade: 5/10....but man, that cover is easily 9/10! The way it frames Han, Chewie and the menacing owl inside the silhouette of Vader's helmet is just fantastic. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2018 13:21:21 GMT -5
Light week for me...
Daredevil #609.
The Death of Daredevil: Part 1/4. Written by Charles Soule. Art and Cover by Phil Noto.
The issue starts with Matt being hit by a truck while saving a child. Then Matt on the operating table. Then some scenes of Matt recovering and deciding to renew his quest to remove Fisk as mayor of NYC. It ends with Matt & Elektra reconnecting...
This has been billed as the end of DD (as we know in comics it's temporary). There has been pictures of Matt reunited with Karen who was killed 20 years ago! IMO Soule has had a decent run on DD. Some issues have been stinkers but overall his arcs have been entertaining. This issue set up the arc to build towards Matt's death. Nice set up. Nice art.
7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2018 13:23:37 GMT -5
Archie 1941 #2.
Written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn. Art by Peter Krause.
Dec 1941 in Riverdale. Moose enlists but is turned down because of a heart murmur. Archie is still in a funk. Fighting with his dad. Distant from his friends. By the end of the issue he is standing in front of the enlistment office with Betty by his side.
Mixed feelings. This is an Archie comic. I expected this series to be somber but with a little levity however this issue was just depressing. Yes I get the mood in the USA was probably bad in Dec 1941. But man does Waid/Augustyn keep slamming that point home. The only good part of this issue was the art.
4/10.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 17, 2018 17:23:13 GMT -5
Archie 1941 #2.
Written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn. Art by Peter Krause.
Dec 1941 in Riverdale. Moose enlists but is turned down because of a heart murmur. Archie is still in a funk. Fighting with his dad. Distant from his friends. By the end of the issue he is standing in front of the enlistment office with Betty by his side.
Mixed feelings. This is an Archie comic. I expected this series to be somber but with a little levity however this issue was just depressing. Yes I get the mood in the USA was probably bad in Dec 1941. But man does Waid/Augustyn keep slamming that point home. The only good part of this issue was the art.
4/10.
This book isn't working for me even a little bit. I get what they're doing. And if it was something besides Archie it might be working. But this is relentlessly bleak. And that may be appropriate for the time period (though maybe not). But it doesn't work with the Archie gang. I may see if I can find a cheap trade some time in the future. But I might not. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 17, 2018 19:36:17 GMT -5
Archie 1941 #2.
Written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn. Art by Peter Krause.
Dec 1941 in Riverdale. Moose enlists but is turned down because of a heart murmur. Archie is still in a funk. Fighting with his dad. Distant from his friends. By the end of the issue he is standing in front of the enlistment office with Betty by his side.
Mixed feelings. This is an Archie comic. I expected this series to be somber but with a little levity however this issue was just depressing. Yes I get the mood in the USA was probably bad in Dec 1941. But man does Waid/Augustyn keep slamming that point home. The only good part of this issue was the art.
4/10.
This book isn't working for me even a little bit. I get what they're doing. And if it was something besides Archie it might be working. But this is relentlessly bleak. And that may be appropriate for the time period (though maybe not). But it doesn't work with the Archie gang. I may see if I can find a cheap trade some time in the future. But I might not. It's weird to me that they can nail horror so perfectly and still make it feel like an Archie book but they can do a realistic take on the 40's and maintain that same feel. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2018 20:01:03 GMT -5
This book isn't working for me even a little bit. I get what they're doing. And if it was something besides Archie it might be working. But this is relentlessly bleak. And that may be appropriate for the time period (though maybe not). But it doesn't work with the Archie gang. I may see if I can find a cheap trade some time in the future. But I might not. It's weird to me that they can nail horror so perfectly and still make it feel like an Archie book but they can do a realistic take on the 40's and maintain that same feel. And maybe that is why this "feels" so off. The normal Archie stuff is an "ideal" world where nothing really bad happens. And the horror stuff is over the top but in a different way. So when they go for "realism" it just doesn't work. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2018 22:50:34 GMT -5
Astonishing X-Men #16: a very funny issue by Rosenberg, Land, Leisten, And D’Armata. Havok and a reluctant Warpath team up with the Reavers to rescue their teammates from O.N.E. There is so much funny banter in this issue, I need to read it again to catch it all. I really like this team and their dynamic. They have a very Guardians of the Galaxy vibe. The art varies page to page but the colors (especially when Dazzler uses her powers) are excellent. The dialogue, the pacing, all spot on. The ending was predictable but it’s so fun I don’t care. I have not enjoyed reading a X-title this much since the mid 80s.
8/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 18, 2018 9:46:32 GMT -5
Black Hammer: Age of Doom #6 ![]() Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Rich Tommaso Summary: Thrust through the breech of the Para-Zone once again Colonel Weird finds himself a stranger in a strange land.
Plot: With Lemire's cliffhangers you're never really sure where you'll end up, but even in my wildest imaginings it wasn't the surreal adventure we got here into the land of Forgotten Characters from Unfinished stories. If you thought the rest of Black Hammer was pretty meta then let me tell you, this issue right here is several orders of magnitude beyond what you've seen before. It's that ability to constantly be able to take things to another level, to constantly surprise your readers with out the narrative feeling unnatural or disjointed that really makes Lemire shine as one of the best writers out there. Where most writers would have went with a final show down with the big bad after the last issue's revelation, which was pretty meta in itself(the bad guy only exists because the good guys do) , Lemire decides to explore the opposite in showing us where that non-existence is. The exploding concept is a trending buzz word in literature these days, and one Lemire is undoubtedly aware of, and what he does here is explode the exploding concept which is just a hilarious move. I have no idea where we're going next but I'm sure it'll be anything but disappointing.
Art: I wasn't sure how I felt about changing up the artist in this issue going into it, but now that I've read it I don't think the surreal nature of this entry would have worked nearly as well in the hands of anyone other than Rich Tommaso(well Mike Allred could have been fun, but you get my point...it has to look weird). His art is bright and vibrant and has that awesome pop art vibe to it that just gives a truly fun feel that just fits Lemire's narrative perfectly. Black Hammer is a book that has constantly felt unique from everything else on the stands and the style here just highlights that fact making it a perfect issue in a pretty perfect series.
Grade: 10/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 18, 2018 11:00:03 GMT -5
Lucifer#1Written by Dan Watters Art by Max and Sebastian Fiumara Summary: Lucifer is blind and trapped in a banal country existence which is Hell for the once Lord of Darkness.
Plot: The concept of Lucifer being tortured by being trapped in a world that to many would be considered idyllic for most people is a really fun idea...but Watters unfortunately makes it feel dull. The quotes from various sources created a great tone of despair to the work...but they aren't his words and their presence in comparison to what he gave us was made that all the more evident.
Art: It's a real shame that the story felt so flat because the brothers Fiumara are always excellent and their work here was no different.
Grade:5/10 |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 18, 2018 12:34:02 GMT -5
Black Hammer: Age of Doom #6Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Rich Tommaso Summary: Thrust through the breech of the Para-Zone once again Colonel Weird finds himself a stranger in a strange land.
Plot: With Lemire's cliffhangers you're never really sure where you'll end up, but even in my wildest imaginings it wasn't the surreal adventure we got here into the land of Forgotten Characters from Unfinished stories. If you thought the rest of Black Hammer was pretty meta then let me tell you, this issue right here is several orders of magnitude beyond what you've seen before. It's that ability to constantly be able to take things to another level, to constantly surprise your readers with out the narrative feeling unnatural or disjointed that really makes Lemire shine as one of the best writers out there. Where most writers would have went with a final show down with the big bad after the last issue's revelation, which was pretty meta in itself(the bad guy only exists because the good guys do) , Lemire decides to explore the opposite in showing us where that non-existence is. The exploding concept is a trending buzz word in literature these days, and one Lemire is undoubtedly aware of, and what he does here is explode the exploding concept which is just a hilarious move. I have no idea where we're going next but I'm sure it'll be anything but disappointing.
Art: I wasn't sure how I felt about changing up the artist in this issue going into it, but now that I've read it I don't think the surreal nature of this entry would have worked nearly as well in the hands of anyone other than Rich Tommaso(well Mike Allred could have been fun, but you get my point...it has to look weird). His art is bright and vibrant and has that awesome pop art vibe to it that just gives a truly fun feel that just fits Lemire's narrative perfectly. Black Hammer is a book that has constantly felt unique from everything else on the stands and the style here just highlights that fact making it a perfect issue in a pretty perfect series.
Grade: 10/10 I love everything Black Hammer. I was a little off-put by the art at first, but it grew on me and it definitely fit the story. And the story was fittingly weird. Much like the Colonel. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 18, 2018 12:34:52 GMT -5
Lucifer#1Written by Dan Watters Art by Max and Sebastian Fiumara Summary: Lucifer is blind and trapped in a banal country existence which is Hell for the once Lord of Darkness.
Plot: The concept of Lucifer being tortured by being trapped in a world that to many would be considered idyllic for most people is a really fun idea...but Watters unfortunately makes it feel dull. The quotes from various sources created a great tone of despair to the work...but they aren't his words and their presence in comparison to what he gave us was made that all the more evident.
Art: It's a real shame that the story felt so flat because the brothers Fiumara are always excellent and their work here was no different.
Grade:5/10 I haven't read it. Now I may not. I'm rapidly deciding that the Sandman Universe's time has run and they need to put it back to rest. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 22:32:21 GMT -5
Betty and Veronica Friends Forever: Storybook Tales- I’m guessing these are reprints from the digests. The stories presented here feature classic fairytales with an Archie Comics twist. B&V take on The Princess and the Pea, The Red Shoes, The Snow Queen, And the Emperor’s New Clothes. Classic, all ages fun for 2.99!
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 22, 2018 8:56:55 GMT -5
Black Hammer: Age of Doom #6Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Rich Tommaso Summary: Thrust through the breech of the Para-Zone once again Colonel Weird finds himself a stranger in a strange land.
Plot: With Lemire's cliffhangers you're never really sure where you'll end up, but even in my wildest imaginings it wasn't the surreal adventure we got here into the land of Forgotten Characters from Unfinished stories. If you thought the rest of Black Hammer was pretty meta then let me tell you, this issue right here is several orders of magnitude beyond what you've seen before. It's that ability to constantly be able to take things to another level, to constantly surprise your readers with out the narrative feeling unnatural or disjointed that really makes Lemire shine as one of the best writers out there. Where most writers would have went with a final show down with the big bad after the last issue's revelation, which was pretty meta in itself(the bad guy only exists because the good guys do) , Lemire decides to explore the opposite in showing us where that non-existence is. The exploding concept is a trending buzz word in literature these days, and one Lemire is undoubtedly aware of, and what he does here is explode the exploding concept which is just a hilarious move. I have no idea where we're going next but I'm sure it'll be anything but disappointing.
Art: I wasn't sure how I felt about changing up the artist in this issue going into it, but now that I've read it I don't think the surreal nature of this entry would have worked nearly as well in the hands of anyone other than Rich Tommaso(well Mike Allred could have been fun, but you get my point...it has to look weird). His art is bright and vibrant and has that awesome pop art vibe to it that just gives a truly fun feel that just fits Lemire's narrative perfectly. Black Hammer is a book that has constantly felt unique from everything else on the stands and the style here just highlights that fact making it a perfect issue in a pretty perfect series.
Grade: 10/10 I love everything Black Hammer. I was a little off-put by the art at first, but it grew on me and it definitely fit the story. And the story was fittingly weird. Much like the Colonel. Yeah, the art is sooo diferent than what came before that it's definitely jarring at first but once you get into it you find that the style really fits with what Lemire was going for so it's a perfect melding of art and story. Lucifer#1Written by Dan Watters Art by Max and Sebastian Fiumara Summary: Lucifer is blind and trapped in a banal country existence which is Hell for the once Lord of Darkness.
Plot: The concept of Lucifer being tortured by being trapped in a world that to many would be considered idyllic for most people is a really fun idea...but Watters unfortunately makes it feel dull. The quotes from various sources created a great tone of despair to the work...but they aren't his words and their presence in comparison to what he gave us was made that all the more evident.
Art: It's a real shame that the story felt so flat because the brothers Fiumara are always excellent and their work here was no different.
Grade:5/10 I haven't read it. Now I may not. I'm rapidly deciding that the Sandman Universe's time has run and they need to put it back to rest. Yeah, I was initially over the moon for this concept...but the execution has been really a miss for me. I'm almost afraid of how Books of Magic will feel. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2018 11:45:05 GMT -5
Archie 1941 #2: I agree, the tone was depressing and sad...however, I did enjoy the story. Archie, being the good guy he is, seems to be enlisting at the end of the story and has made up with Betty. The scene with the dads at the bowling alley put the story in perspective for me and how different ideas of manliness were during their times. I am sure Moose's mom was relieved, although Moose really wanted to go help fight the war. Loved the Easter egg (I'm assuming it was an Easter egg) with the Keene Toy Store. The art fits the story and they seem to be trying to get the style of clothes and homes right for the period. True, not exactly a happy story, but certainly one that many young people of that time may have encountered.
7/10
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