|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 14, 2018 9:47:00 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2018 23:36:07 GMT -5
Hawkman #6 by Vendetti, Hitch, and Sinclair.
Wow, this issue was a wild ride! Hawkman And Atom battle a living planet in order to retrieve a clue to Hawkman’s past. Doesn’t sound like much, but there are so many details in this story: The friendship between Hawkman and Atom, Hawkman’s anger, determination, and fierceness, a bit more of his past revealed, and a sign of what’s coming. The dialog and pacing are spot on. The sequence where Hawkman finds his ship and tries to get it working while Atom buys him time was like something from an action movie. The art and colors are a treat. The first several pages....wow, the art jumps off the page. If you’ve ever been interested in Hawkman, this series is for you!
9/10
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 15, 2018 12:32:05 GMT -5
Bitter Root #1 Written by Chuck Brown and David Walker Art by Sanford Greene Summary:For thousands of years one family has stood against the evils of the world but now as they enter Harlem they find themselves divided.
Plot: In this new book by the team behind Power Man and Iron Fist we are introduced to a family of monster hunters in 1920s Harlem, taking a stand against an army of demons called the Jinoo, who turn white people into vicious horned monsters. From nearly the start it's an obvious allegory for racism and although it's certainly a subject ripe for exploration it came off as a bit muddled in execution. Can the Jinoo infect any random white person, or only racist ones? And isn’t it reductive to have just a needle “take away the racism” ? On top of that the Klan shows up later...but they're not Jinoos? Despite these hiccups the issue has a big heart which garners enough good will to overcome some of the bumps and earns a look at the second issue.
Art: Greene’s art is for my money the strongest element of this book. His art is wonderfully vibrant and expressive, and with the brilliant color work by Rico Renzi it's easy to get lost in the world of violets, pinks and reds. Together this gives us fantastic atmosphere, that just draws you in and keeps you interested.
Grade:6/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 15, 2018 13:27:39 GMT -5
William Gibson's Alien 3 #1 Story by William Gibson Script and Art by Johnnie Christmas Summary: Based on the original, unused script of William Gibson we find Newt, Riply and Hicks in a Cold War tug of war with Aliens.
Plot: I tip my hat to Dark Horse Comics; for nearly 30 years they’ve been cranking out comics based in the Aliens universe and just when I think they couldn’t possibly have anything more to offer with this concept they give us William Gibson’s Alien 3 which is a mini-miracle of a view into what could have been. I'm not one who hated Fincher's film but I've always been a fan of seeing what could have been so I was excited to hear that the creator of Firebug was to bring this lost story to light and he didn't disappoint. Set on a space station way out in wild space this comic perfectly captures the claustrophobic fear that has always drawn me to the Aliens films and with the promise of more Hicks, Newt and Riply action I'm excited to see what comes next.
Art: Christmas’ stocky characters and expressive and detailed line work paired with Bonvillain’s rich neon colors gives this book that authentic Alien feel that instantly makes you feel like this could have been a film. While we haven't seen their rendition of the actual Aliens in question, the way he used smoke and fog to cover the actions of the face hugger make me think he knows what makes these bugs so scary.
Grade:8/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 15, 2018 15:23:36 GMT -5
Avengers #700 Written by Jason Aaron Art by Ed McGuinness Summary: As Namor's threat from the seas increases multiple teams assemble to vie for the title of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Plot: In this over sized 700th anniversary issue Aaron uses every page to give us a story where we get to see multiple teams assemble, setting the stage for what will no doubt be a fun, super hero smack down of epic proportions. Normally I don't care for those types of hero versus hero battle royals, but with the lighter tone that Aaron employs I think we'll skip the usual naval gazing that hampers those kinds of stories and skip to the fun, action beats. Again, there's nothing deep here but I loved playing out these kinds of scenes with my action figures as a kid and Aaron really taps into that same feeling here so no matter what happens its sure to be fun.
Art: McGuinness returns to art duties here and I couldn't be more pleased as his larger than life figures are perfectly used here in giving us the battle between the Avengers, Namor's Deffenders and the New Winter Guard. His work, as always, is bold, bombastic and larger than life which is just what the doctor ordered for this kind of Saturday Morning Cartoon fun.
Grade:7/10 |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 0:09:13 GMT -5
Supergirl #24 by Andreyko, Shaner, and Fairbairn: Supergirl finds herself in a space dive bar (where Ambush Bug is fairing poorly as a comedian) as she seeks more answers about Krypton’s destruction. Kryptonians aren’t welcome in this bar and a brawl breaks out. Supergirl gets an assist from Krypto and A Coluan as her sun based Powers are waning in space. ( she does find a solar recharging station, which I thought was hilarious). She offers the Coluan a ride and by the end of the story, they arrive where krypton had been.
This was a fun interlude between issues and even though I missed Kevin McQuire’s Art, Evan Shaner provided competent art that hass silver age feel to it. He had a field day with all the aliens in the story. This series dealing with Krypton’s demise is much more interesting than the Superman title. Also, I like Supergirl’s personality in this series. She’s still admirable and good... but as she puts it when faced with a tough choice wondering what Kal would do “I’m not Kal.”
8/10
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 16, 2018 10:00:36 GMT -5
Superman #5Written by Brian Michael Bendis Art by Ivan Reis Summary: The Earth is finally safe and out of the Phantom Zone, but at the cost of Superman being left behind and his only ally is..Zod!?
Plot: Okay, so Rogol Zarr is still an incredibly lame, two dimensional knock off of Doomsday...who was a really one note villain on his own, but dammit, I can't hate Bendis' take on Superman because he just gets who Clark is. The flash back to Clark talking to Jon about how it can be frustrating living on Earth but how rewarding it is was amazing, if felt like a real honest to god father son moment...only with Superpowers. And the advise Clark got from his father about respect? Spot on. I even liked the characterization of Zod. If only there was a decent villain this would be a near perfect issue.
Art: Reis' take on the world of Superman continues to amaze, it's like if the Christopher Reeve films had a modern special effect budget, you really believe this man on the page can fly. Despite all the sci-fi elements it all looks and feels natural.
Grade:7/10 |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 10:07:44 GMT -5
thwhtguardian Great review of Avengers 700. I almost picked it up, but the price tag deterred me. I did take your suggestion about Green Lantern and my store had a few left. Haven't read it yet though. Well done to Avengers for 700 issues!
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 16, 2018 10:12:58 GMT -5
thwhtguardian Great review of Avengers 700. I almost picked it up, but the price tag deterred me. I did take your suggestion about Green Lantern and my store had a few left. Haven't read it yet though. Well done to Avengers for 700 issues! Avengers was fun, but it wasn't that great of an anniversary issue and the price tag was a bit steep. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 12:57:49 GMT -5
 Amazing Spider-Man #9.Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Humberto Ramos. Spider-Man teams up with the Black Cat to get his stolen web shooters back and also find other heroes missing weapons (Cap's shield, etc). They succeed by getting into the Thieves Guild warehouse but it's a trap... But the BEST part of this issue is MJ going to a support group that uses Stark tech to stay anonymous. The group is made of friends and families of super heroes. And even better it was started by Jarvis! This is a brilliant idea. I can't wait to see where this sub plot goes. Spencer has had some uneven pacing issues on this title but this issue was really good. Ramos' cartoony style works on a Spidey title. 8/10. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 13:04:03 GMT -5
 Superman #5. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Ivan Reis. I pretty much agree with thwhtguardian review. Zaar is just a boring villain but Bendis just nails Superman/Clark's character so perfectly that I don't really care. Plus all the extra stuff like Zod and Adam Strange just made this issue so much better than the last few issues. Plus we get the Atom (Ray) twice this week (here and in Hawkman). Reis? Gorgeous art as always.
8/10. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 13:11:35 GMT -5
 Captain America #5.Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Art by Leinil Francis Yu. Cap fights Taskmaster. Rescues Sharon. Selene escapes. And Coates reveals who is behind all the subterfuge. Nice action scenes by Yu. Nice scenes between Steve and Bucky. This book is OK. Much better than Hydra Cap and Waid's recent run. But it just isn't great. I really wanted a great Cap run after several years of poorly written Captain America. 6/10. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 13:21:52 GMT -5
 Wonder Woman #58.Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Cary Nord. Diana goes to Eastern Europe to rescue Steve and comes face to face with an old enemy... Ares. I was excited to see this creative team on WW. However this first issue didn't impress me as much as I had hoped. The Good: Wilson does a great job getting the character's "voices" right. I also like when Diana's mythological ties are emphasized. The Bad: This issue felt a little "paint by the numbers" for me. Like scene with Steve & Diana. Check. Scene with Ares. Check. And so on. And Cary Nord has impressed me in the past but this wasn't his best work. Maybe it was the inker? His Diana looked like she was 13. The art was a bit too cartoony for my taste.
6/10. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 13:34:35 GMT -5
 Fantastic Four #3.Written by Dan Slott. Art by Sara Pichelli and Nico Leon. Pretty much everyone who has been a substitute member in the FF is transported by Reed to a planet where they are fighting the villain to help save the multiverse. Of course Reed's plan works. And we finally get the scene we were hoping for. The original 4 re-united as Ben tells Reed he needs him to be his best man at his wedding. OK so it was a little over the top having everyone is this issue but it was FUN! Slott really tugged at the heart strings with the scenes involving the original 4. My only complaint? I am not really happy with this style of art on this title. It's too "sketchy". And I don't like the way Johnny & Ben are drawn. In a FF book it is really important to me that the artist draws Johnny & Ben's unique looks/powers a certain way. 7/10. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 13:43:26 GMT -5
 Hawkman #6.Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Bryan Hitch. Hawkman & the Atom continue their fight in the Microverse. At the end Ray stays behind while Carter finds one of his spaceships and leaves to go to his next adventure. This title continues to entertain. I really loved the interaction/friendship between Carter & Ray. Hitch's art is beautiful. One minor complaint. Venditti writes too decompressed. The first 6 issues could have been easily been told in 4 and been a better story IMO. 8/10. |
|
