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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 23, 2019 11:15:59 GMT -5
Hello and welcome to... OFF THE RACKS!Your #1 source for honest to goodness real, honest comic reviews. Why are they so honest? Because they're written by real readers just like you! How do we do it? Because those readers ARE you.  If you read it tell the world here! Shazam #2 by Michael D and MrJupiterAquaman #44 by Michael D Immortal Hulk #12 by Michael D XO-Manowar #23 by Michael D Buffy #1 by MrJupiter Freedom Fighters #2 by Hoosier X
Betty and Veronica go to work by MrJupiter Blossoms 666 #1 by MrJupiter Batman #66 by MrJupiter Avengers #13 by Thwhtguardian Naiomi #1 by Thwhtguardian |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2019 14:20:51 GMT -5
 Shazam! #2.Written by Geoff Johns. Art by Marco Santucci. The return of Billy's biological father is addressed quickly and pushed off to be dealt with in a later issue. Dr Sivana and Mr Mind have teamed up. But mostly the story is about the 6 kids exploring the abandoned subway. There they find a total of 7 tunnels (with one being boarded over) and explore the one that goes to the Fun Lands. Basically it is "Disneyland on steroids". Quote from this issue. The good: gone is the bratty Billy from the New 52. This takes place a year after Billy has been with the other kids. I like the "family feel" between the 6 kids as they explore together. I like this new idea (at least I assume it is new) of the 7 tunnels in the subway. The bad: a fill in artist by the second issue which was delayed a month? Not a good sign unless Eaglesham had a personal issue that delayed him. I'm surprised DC used the Christmas themed cover. The art was decent. Johns' pacing. He drops a bombshell cliffhanger and then quickly dismisses it to deal with later? And the Sivana subplot with Mr Mind took me out of the main story. It felt abrupt. Mixed feelings. 6/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2019 14:28:47 GMT -5
 Aquaman #44.Script by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art and Cover by Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques. Aquaman with amnesia is now living on an island where some of the residents have access to magic. He begs them to help restore his memories. Meanwhile in Atlantis Queen Mera begins the hunt for him before she has to marry someone else. I wasn't sure I would like this "new" direction for Aquaman but with 2 issues DeConnick has revitalized the title and put a nice twist on things to make it interesting again. While I liked Abnett's run the focus on Atlantean politics became boring after awhile. Rocha's art is really a nice style for this title. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2019 14:36:31 GMT -5
 Immortal Hulk #12.Written by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett and Eric Nguyen. Hulk in Hell. We get scenes of the Hulk making his way thru hell with McGee interspersed with scenes of Banner's father and Bruce's childhood. Bennett does the scenes in hell while Nguyen draws the scenes of Bruce's childhood. While this issue was great it suffered a bit from being a middle chapter. I don't really feel it advanced the plot a whole lot and it was basically a recap that Bruce's father was not a nice guy. The art as usual was stunning. Ewing needs to add a little more substance to his middle chapters in the arcs. Otherwise this is still an outstanding book. 7/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2019 14:45:51 GMT -5
 X-O Manowar #23.Written by Matt Kindt. Art by Tomas Giorello. Aric is trying to lead a semi-normal life in Italy. However the intergalactic bounty hunters from a year ago on Gorin have tracked the person who beat them... Aric of Dacia. They find him on earth and attack him while he is sleeping.... After Aric returned to Earth from Gorin I started to lose interest in this series. However with the gorgeous art by Giorello and Kindt connecting this story into Aric's time on Gorin... this book is back on my pull list. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2019 23:54:13 GMT -5
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1: Buffy gets a reboot in this new series from Boom Studios. Jordie Bellaire writes the Scooby Gang in a very familiar way as we meet the cast back at Sunnydale High. Buffy is new in town and after saving Willow and Xander from a vampire, becomes friends with them. Giles, Joyce, And Anya all appear as well. We learn that despite being a slayer, Buffy justs wants to be a normal teenager. She’s pressured at home, work, school, and by Mr Giles. Something big and bad is brewing with Anya by story’s End. The art is excellent. Dan Mora captures the casts’ likenesses perfectly. The great thing about this book is that even if you aren’t familiar with Buffy, you can jump on board and go from here. Looking forward to seeing where this reimagining goes, complete with witty zingers and all! Bring on Cordelia and Angel!
8/10
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 24, 2019 13:34:23 GMT -5
I hadn't intended on reading this 12-issue limited series but I'm not really reading that many comics right now and Freedom Fighters is showing up on weeks when none of my regular comics out. So I flipped through the first issue … and I really liked it! It takes place on Earth-X. The Nazis won World War II and have taken over America and presumably much of the world. The Freedom Fighters held on as long as they could but eventually went down to defeat. But … a new group of Freedom Fighters has arisen! The lineup is just about the same (sort of) but it's new versions of the old favorites and almost everybody has gotten a power burst so that it makes a lot more sense that they could actually hold out against the Nazi War Machine. Doll Girl is great! And I'm really liking the new Phantom Lady's new powers. The first issue was mostly setting things up. The second issue is mostly a fight with one of the Nazis' giant robots, called the Iron Polizi. These things are nicknamed Bozos, which is a nice homage to Bozo the Iron Man, a giant robot who appeared in early issues of Quality's Smash Comics, where one of the other features was the original Ray. And the art is great! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 23:41:27 GMT -5
Blossoms 666# 1: a normal day at Riverdale High...Dilton’s being bullied by Reggie until Cheryl Blossom intervenes. Jughead is being threatened with summer school by Miss Grundy until
Jason Blossom changes her mind. The school is all abuzz about the Blossoms big party that night. As the twins return home, we see just how dark their family is...apparently a satanic cult—and even more scary is how at ease they are making offerings to the devil as they discuss not running out of chips and drinks for their party! The blurb at the back of the issue (one of the twins is the anti-Christ) clues the reader in to the competition between the twins and just what they are up to. So far their nefarious plans include Dilton, Reggie, Jughead, And Ethel.
The art is awesome with dark, muted colors except for the bright splashes of bright red. It reminded me of 70s giallo films. The kids’ looks seem to be inspired by the show as well. Overall, an excellent premise utilizing the Blossom Twins and a very creepy, foreboding story.
8/10
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2019 0:02:48 GMT -5
Betty and Veronica Friends Forever: Go To Work #1: 4 tales in the classic Archie style featuring the best friends in the workplace. Story 1 has Betty getting a job at Lodge Industries and becoming the favorite employee to Veronica’s disdain. Story 2 features the girls getting a job at a Chik-fil-a style restaurant and Veronica bombs. Story 3 has Betty working in a shoe department having to wait on Veronica. The final story finds Veronica without her credit cards and she resorts to selling off her parents belongings on an eBay style site. Funny stories that actually made me laugh out loud! Classic art, bright colors, and most of all, fun.
8/10
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2019 23:17:06 GMT -5
Batman 63: I bought this mainly as it was recommended at my store for the art and I have no idea what the story is about. From what I gathered, Scarecrow is torturing Batman with fear gas and this entire issue is a sort of “what if” catwoman hadn’t dumped Batman at the altar. John Constantine pops up throughout the book reminding us it’s all a Dream. The art is gorgeous. The story....well, maybe if I had been following the entire arc, I would’ve liked it. However, this issue just reinforces why I no longer enjoy Batman and his devoid of joy and hopeless world.
Art: 10/10
Story: 3/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 27, 2019 12:15:11 GMT -5
Avengers #13Written by Jason Aaron Art by Andrea Sorrentino Summary: A million years ago an exile of K'un-lun, the first Iron Fist, stalked the land fighting man apes and teaching kung fu to cavemen.
Plot: While I'm not sure another interlude was the best choice as we still have yet to see where the plot with Namor is going I can't deny that this look at the first Iron Fist was pure fun. I mean, what's not to like about a book about a bad ass, kung fu fighting woman laying the smack down on a big man ape wielding an infinity stone? That's just pure comic book fun. So as a single, one and done story it was wildly successful but as a chapter in an on going narrative it was a slight let down as there was a lot of set up with Namor and as of yet no payoff...and none in the near future either as the book next joins Blade in a fight against Dracula, which again sounds fun but what about everything that happened before that? Was the whole Namor thing just set up for a big event? If so, the build up wasn't nearly interesting enough to get me invested in buying tie issues I'm not already reading just to get the conclusion.
Art: As I mentioned, this was all about the first Iron Fist fighting Ape-Men...so Sorrentino must have had a blast drawing all the crazy action. As an artist, being given this kind of story where you can really pull out all the stops and just have fun must be like a sundae for a little kid; something you really look forward to. And that energy really comes through, making this issue a fantastic read.
Grade:7.5/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 27, 2019 14:13:31 GMT -5
Naomi #1Written by Brian Michael Bendis Art by Campbell Summary: When Superman and Mongol's grudge-match spills into small town USA an adopted teen begins to question if she may be special too.
Plot: The concept of a regular person's life being up ended by Superman's appearance in the life is one that is incredibly tantalizing, so when this book was announced I was extremely excited. However, now that the first chapter of the book is in my hands I'm not exactly as enthusiastic about the the second issue as I was before. There's nothing terrible here that's turned me off the book, the concept of a mystery spurred by Superman's appearance is still exciting and the character work was strong...but almost absolutely nothing happens plot wise which was immensely frustrating. This isn't the first issue of a series...it's the first chapter of a graphic novel, only instead of being able to read the next bit as soon as you turn the page you have to wait a month. Don't get me wrong, I like serialized mysteries as much as the next guy but the pacing here just doesn't work. Maybe I'll try again when it gets collected.
Art: Though it's mostly talking heads, Campbell's style was incredibly expressive and I loved the different body types given to the characters.
Grade:6/10 |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2019 23:50:04 GMT -5
Shazam #2: this is a book I really want to love...but so far, it’s not happening. I’m interested in Billy’s biological dad showing up and what Sivana and Mr Mind are cooking up....but... the whole team of Shazams just isn’t grabbing me. I know inthe golden age there was Marvels galore, but I really wish the focus was on Billy, Freddy, And Mary And let us get to know the others later. The art was nice, but having a new artist on just the 2nd issue doesn’t bode well. The story does have an 80s kids movie vibe and that’s fun, but I guess this wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
5/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 28, 2019 8:47:03 GMT -5
Shazam #2: this is a book I really want to love...but so far, it’s not happening. I’m interested in Billy’s biological dad showing up and what Sivana and Mr Mind are cooking up....but... the whole team of Shazams just isn’t grabbing me. I know inthe golden age there was Marvels galore, but I really wish the focus was on Billy, Freddy, And Mary And let us get to know the others later. The art was nice, but having a new artist on just the 2nd issue doesn’t bode well. The story does have an 80s kids movie vibe and that’s fun, but I guess this wasn’t quite what I was expecting. 5/10 More than anything, I think it's the delay that really killed this for me. If this had come out when it was supposed to I wouldn't have minded it's fragmented pacing but after being a month late it made it that much more apparent that the pacing in the story was way off. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2019 23:18:07 GMT -5
Freedom Fighters #2: A quick read, but what a read! The Freedom Fighters take down a gigantic Nazi robot in an explosive battle, inspiring those who witness. Action galore as we see this version of the team do their thing. Human Bomb is my favorite so far. I like Phantom Lady as well but miss her old costume, although this look is more practical. Doll Girl and Black Condor are awesome as well. The pacing of the issue is good, very briefly showcasing the individual team members. The art is very classic with some panels looking very cinematic and others with golden age elements, especially the splash pages with the Human Bomb. I like the message as well that America is great and is the land of opportunity. Take that, Nazis!
9/10
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