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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 6, 2019 8:23:50 GMT -5
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 6, 2019 9:35:23 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #13Written by Al Ewing Art by Joe Bennett Summary: The Devil summons all his minions in Hell to take down the Hulk, but long odds aren't the end that's just when you really see why Hulk really is strongest.
Plot: So, action wise this issue comes across as more than a tad anticlimactic. Sure, we get Hulk and zombie A-Bomb fighting demons for a few pages but it didn't seem consequential and then we saw Hulk get his full gamma power from Absorbing man with the line, "I can't beat you, but HE can." but we never really see a show down with the Hulk and Banner's father. The Hulk convinces Banner to rejoin him then he literally claps his hands and it all goes away like it never happened. In the end we get Banner calling Betty in the middle of the night needing a pick up and it's all status quo so even aside from the action it's disappointing emotionally. I always knew it couldn't stay Hulk by night, with undead Banner by day but I was hoping for a better way back to the way things were than was presented here.
Art: Although the story was a let down the art was as solid as always from Bennett. Although he didn't have any really stand out shocking moments like he's had in previous issues it was still really solid visual storytelling.
Grade:5/10
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2019 23:47:05 GMT -5
Archie 702: lots going on in Riverdale between Reggie’s dad going missing and Betty and Veronica’s investigation into just who is Archie’s new girlfriend. Also a mystery involving Josie and the Pussycats and the Blossom Twins. Midge caught cheating with someone very surprising too.
Nick Spencer presents a flawless story that easily switches from scene to scene, giving the cast ample time. Marguerite Sauvage only draws the first few pages as Sandy Jarrell finishes the bulk of the book. Jarrell’s art isn’t quite as polished or fashionable as Sauvage’s but the story was so good , I didn’t even notice after a few pages.
10/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 7, 2019 9:43:44 GMT -5
BPRD #160Written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie Art by Laurence Campbell Summary: As the last remnants of humanity head for mysterious caves for survival, Hellboy, Liz and Abe make their way to a final showdown.
Plot: Holy S#@& ! No really, it's that crazy. It's been a long ride but Mignola is really doing it this time. The story of Hellboy and his entire world really is coming to an end, and you can't escape that sense of finality in this issue. Even when Mignola killed Hellboy off, you felt their was more story left to tell...and there was...but you don't have that feeling this time. With every step the characters take towards Rasputin you feel like the book is one step closer to reading, "The End." And that's blowing my mind. I mean, I knew the story was finite, Mike hammered that home straight from the start; this is Hellboy, he's the beast of the end times and eventually all his roads will lead there. But to finally get there? That's different than knowing. I'm dreading the end when we get to it in just two months, but I'm also sooo excited! It's been a long journey here and I feel like the end is going to be beautiful.
Art: A lot of that sense of finality here comes straight from Campbell's pen. Like Mignola's own, Campbell's art style has been more about mood than intense detail and it's exactly that quality that makes this book work so well. There's this inescapable, oppressive feeling of utter doom in each panel that fills you with dread far better than any narration that Mignola or Allie could ever provide; and what's better is that they know that and fully trust the art the carry the burden. It's just beautiful how much can be conveyed by shadows and the postures of the characters. You can't beat it.
Grade:10/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 7, 2019 10:26:56 GMT -5
Conan the Barbarian #3Written by Jason Aaron Art by Mahmud Asrar Summary: Sentenced to death for attempting to rob a Nemedian gold mine Conan spreads the faith of Crom with his miraculous escape.
Plot: After what I felt was a troubling chapter last month and only an okay start the month before Aaron finally made good on the promise that I felt when he was announced as the writer. There's no attempt to go for some epic yarn here, no magic or monsters...just a man facing death and escaping at the last moment due to a combination of prodigious strength and pure,blind luck. It's gritty, grim...but ultimately human, and that's the making of a really good Conan tale. It would have been easy to spin Conan's escape by lightning bolt as a true act of Crom, but the ending Aaron gave us instead was far truer to Conan; although the villagers let him go as they feel it was divine intervention Conan believes otherwise, "God's don't peer at the lives of man...but if they did it would only so they could cause them more suffering." It's real and perfect...and I love it.
I didn't love the half hearted tie in to the Red Witch plot though, with the King Conan moaning Crom's name and the twin's wondering if barbarians pray as they cart him off to their lair. It's was a super thin and hamfisted attempt to make the two narratives feel connected and it just plain didn't work. At this point I wish Aaron would just drop that thread and do more one shots like he did with most of this issue but I know he won't...but for the love of Crom if you're going to go for a framing narrative, at least give it a well thought out purpose.
Art: I've liked Asrar's Conan right along, but this may have been my favorite so far simply because he gave us a Conan that finally actually looks like a young man. Sure, he's still rippling with muscles like what we'd expect him to be and he certainly looks battle tested and grim...but there's a definite look of youth about his eyes that makes you believe that he honestly could be 17 which I've never seen before.
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Feb 7, 2019 10:29:55 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #13Written by Al Ewing Art by Joe Bennett Summary: The Devil summons all his minions in Hell to take down the Hulk, but long odds aren't the end that's just when you really see why Hulk really is strongest.
Plot: So, action wise this issue comes across as more than a tad anticlimactic. Sure, we get Hulk and zombie A-Bomb fighting demons for a few pages but it didn't seem consequential and then we saw Hulk get his full gamma power from Absorbing man with the line, "I can't beat you, but HE can." but we never really see a show down with the Hulk and Banner's father. The Hulk convinces Banner to rejoin him then he literally claps his hands and it all goes away like it never happened. In the end we get Banner calling Betty in the middle of the night needing a pick up and it's all status quo so even aside from the action it's disappointing emotionally. I always knew it couldn't stay Hulk by night, with undead Banner by day but I was hoping for a better way back to the way things were than was presented here.
Art: Although the story was a let down the art was as solid as always from Bennett. Although he didn't have any really stand out shocking moments like he's had in previous issues it was still really solid visual storytelling.
Grade:5/10
That was definitely a disappointing issue. The book is a bit of a roller coaster. But the highs are high enough to make it worth the ride. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 17:43:35 GMT -5
 Daredevil #1. Written by Chip Zdarsky. Art by Marco Checchetto. Mixed feelings. Matt is recovering from his accident at the end of Soule's run. However he isn't fully recovered and is making a lot of mistakes. The art is beautiful. I like the tweaks to the classic costume. However I had expected better from Zdarksy than to drag out the old trope of Matt hitting rock bottom and having to rebuild himself yet again. Hopefully Zdarsky will have a twist that will redeem this arc. 6/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 17:53:41 GMT -5
 Young Justice #2. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Patrick Gleason and Emanuela Lupacchino. Robin (Tim Drake), Wonder Girl, Teen Lantern and Jinny Hex join forces to help Amethyst free Gemworld. We also get more back story on Wonder Girl. No Superboy (Conner) or Impulse this issue. Great art. Bendis is taking his time as he "builds" the team. 7/10. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Feb 7, 2019 19:08:22 GMT -5
Daredevil #1. Written by Chip Zdarsky. Art by Marco Checchetto. Mixed feelings. Matt is recovering from his accident at the end of Soule's run. However he isn't fully recovered and is making a lot of mistakes. The art is beautiful. I like the tweaks to the classic costume. However I had expected better from Zdarksy than to drag out the old trope of Matt hitting rock bottom and having to rebuild himself yet again. Hopefully Zdarsky will have a twist that will redeem this arc. 6/10. You liked this way better than I did. I gave Zdarsky the benefit of the doubt because I've generally liked his stuff. But this stinks on ice. I was only marginally engaged and then the big black detective lets loose with "I transferred from Chicago to the 18th." COPS DON'T TRANSFER FROM CHICAGO TO NEW YORK! That crap just drives me nuts and there's no excuse for it. And Oh boy! Kingpin is the mayor! I know that's not Zdarsky's fault...but...what a non-exciting turn of events from whoever made that crappy decision. Because we've never had the business-type bad guy go into politics before! That's not a trope we've seen dozens of times. On the plus side I don't have to read any more issues of this dreck. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 19:16:52 GMT -5
Daredevil #1. Written by Chip Zdarsky. Art by Marco Checchetto. Mixed feelings. Matt is recovering from his accident at the end of Soule's run. However he isn't fully recovered and is making a lot of mistakes. The art is beautiful. I like the tweaks to the classic costume. However I had expected better from Zdarksy than to drag out the old trope of Matt hitting rock bottom and having to rebuild himself yet again. Hopefully Zdarsky will have a twist that will redeem this arc. 6/10. You liked this way better than I did. I gave Zdarsky the benefit of the doubt because I've generally liked his stuff. But this stinks on ice. I was only marginally engaged and then the big black detective lets loose with "I transferred from Chicago to the 18th." COPS DON'T TRANSFER FROM CHICAGO TO NEW YORK! That crap just drives me nuts and there's no excuse for it. And Oh boy! Kingpin is the mayor! I know that's not Zdarsky's fault...but...what a non-exciting turn of events from whoever made that crappy decision. Because we've never had the business-type bad guy go into politics before! That's not a trope we've seen dozens of times. On the plus side I don't have to read any more issues of this dreck. Kingpin as mayor is a holdover from Soule's run. Part of the reason I am sticking around for the first arc is Zdarsky has to "clean up" stuff from Soule's run. Based on Zdarsky's past stuff I am hoping once he gets around to his ideas the book will improve. And most of my score was because I liked the art. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 19:26:37 GMT -5
 Archie #702. Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Marguerite Sauvage and Sandy Jarrell. Like @mrjupiter I liked this issue. Spencer has successfully continued the style of New Riverdale that Waid started and yet put his own stamp on it. His Riverdale is a bit more edgy than Waid's version but still innocent. One thing I think Spencer does better than Waid is giving each character "screen time". In addition to the big 4 we get Dilton, Josie & the Pussycats, Cheryl, Midge... but even better is the focus on Reggie and the Mantle family. All wrapped in a mystery plus Archie's secret romance with Sabrina! I can't believe the Archie titles have been this great for 4 years! 9/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 19:35:49 GMT -5
 Green Lantern #4. Written by Grant Morrison. Art by Liam Sharp. More Morrison weirdness. One thing that "bothered" me in a past issue Morrison addresses and alleviated my concern in where he was taking Hal. This issue was over the top yet again with aliens and Sharp's art displaying the weirdness beautifully. Morrison does a good job making each issue entertaining on it's own while still telling a longer story. 8/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 19:40:47 GMT -5
 Conan #3. Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mahmud A. Asrar. Wow! Another flashback to a younger Conan. This "felt" like pure classic Conan. I liked this issue for the story. The art. The character. This was almost perfect for me.
9/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 19:45:43 GMT -5
 Immortal Hulk #13. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett. What just happened? This issue felt like Ewing did not know how to conclude the story so it just wraps up things in a way that really didn't make sense. Bennett's art was gorgeous as always. Despite the misstep this issue this is still one of the best titles on the stands. 5/10. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2019 19:51:20 GMT -5
 Project Super Powers Chapter 3 #6. Written by Rob Williams. Art by Sergio Davila. The conclusion of Chapter 3 of P:SP. It was a bit generic. The ending was interesting in setting up another arc. However I doubt we will see another arc anytime soon. Overall I still enjoyed this arc. I really like the concept of using the Golden Age Public Domain heroes like this. 6/10. |
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