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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 8, 2019 12:17:18 GMT -5
Berserker Unbound #1Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Mike Deodato Jr. Summary: A Barbarian Lord returns home to find his family killed but before he succumbs to his foes himself he's whisked off to...the present day!
Plot: A barbarian lord, mourning his lost family fights off an evil sorcerer and his army in a quest for revenge in an exotic land! I'm sure it all would be very exciting too...if it weren't for the fact that we'd seen it all before. Right now this book is little more than a two dimensional pastiche of Conan and if it were by anyone else I'd give this a hard pass but given Lemire's track record I'm more than sure that the pastiche is intentional and that the tale that is about to unfold will be as much an exploration of sword and sorcery as Black Hammer was a look at super hero fiction which is a very promising idea.
Art: Deodato's style of larger than life physiques is the perfect fit for this skewering of Conan and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of fun Lemire let's him unleash in the future.
Grade:8/10 Not a bad debut issue I thought. Seemed like a simple setup more than anything. Casually interested to see where it goes. Yeah, nothing thrilling in and of itself but because I loved Lemire's Blackhammer I'm expecting good things. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 8, 2019 13:03:52 GMT -5
Agents of Atlas #1 Written by Greg Pak and Jeff Parker Penciled by Gang Hyuk Lim and Carlo Pagualyan  This is essentially two stories with Greg Pak, and Gang Hyuk Lim tackling the storyline of the latest iteration of the team, which is composed of Amandeus Cho/new Hulk, Silk, Shang Chi, Aero, Wave, and Luna Snow. There are others that haven't been introduced yet in this first issue, but they were in the mini series of this same team during the recent War of Realms arc (I also read an issue of that). In that first story of this issue, it seems typical fare with the team not even complete, and seeing which direction/what their purpose is as a new squad. Most of these guys I didn't know, but it was fine. Cho is spotlighted here with Jimmy Woo, and essentially his status as field leader is brought up since Cho is questioning his fit, and if it's appropriate. The meat here in terms of what potential obstacle the team may face is kind of interesting. We shall see. Even a love triangle has reared it's head. The second by Parker, and Pagulayan is about the classic roster. I knew nothing about that team going in, but still had a decent time with the tale, and it did connect with the first story in terms of a big question I had. Basically a short black ops type of deal that happens, and you find out a little bit of what wizard is behind that curtain, which in a way ties into Jimmy Woo's relationship with the new team. All in all, not bad. Oh man, if you haven't read Parker's original Agents of Atlas you need to go pick that up stat. Definitely one of the best adventure comics of the last 20 years. |
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Post by BigPapaJoe on Aug 8, 2019 18:32:26 GMT -5
Agents of Atlas #1 Written by Greg Pak and Jeff Parker Penciled by Gang Hyuk Lim and Carlo Pagualyan This is essentially two stories with Greg Pak, and Gang Hyuk Lim tackling the storyline of the latest iteration of the team, which is composed of Amandeus Cho/new Hulk, Silk, Shang Chi, Aero, Wave, and Luna Snow. There are others that haven't been introduced yet in this first issue, but they were in the mini series of this same team during the recent War of Realms arc (I also read an issue of that). In that first story of this issue, it seems typical fare with the team not even complete, and seeing which direction/what their purpose is as a new squad. Most of these guys I didn't know, but it was fine. Cho is spotlighted here with Jimmy Woo, and essentially his status as field leader is brought up since Cho is questioning his fit, and if it's appropriate. The meat here in terms of what potential obstacle the team may face is kind of interesting. We shall see. Even a love triangle has reared it's head. The second by Parker, and Pagulayan is about the classic roster. I knew nothing about that team going in, but still had a decent time with the tale, and it did connect with the first story in terms of a big question I had. Basically a short black ops type of deal that happens, and you find out a little bit of what wizard is behind that curtain, which in a way ties into Jimmy Woo's relationship with the new team. All in all, not bad. Oh man, if you haven't read Parker's original Agents of Atlas you need to go pick that up stat. Definitely one of the best adventure comics of the last 20 years. Maybe I'll do that then. A big gorilla with a minigun looks cool at least. |
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Post by BigPapaJoe on Aug 8, 2019 18:46:57 GMT -5
Invisible Woman #2 Written by Mark Waid Art by Mattia de Iulis  Two issues in, and even though I'm not that huge on the art style, Mark Waid as usual has me intrigued. I've always liked the Fantastic Four, and it's dope that the Invisible Woman gets her own book to shine in, even if it's just a 5 issue mini series. This issue picks up essentially where the first left off with Susan traveling to Madripoor to find her former partner when she worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. who has gone missing. Black Widow joins her crusade, and already I like their partnership. Waid really does a good job showcasing Susan's abilities as well in interesting ways. The premise here just seems so obvious here from the jump, I'm surprised no one has thought of it before (at least to my knowledge). Susan would be the perfect candidate for a secret agent. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 8, 2019 18:50:42 GMT -5
Oh man, if you haven't read Parker's original Agents of Atlas you need to go pick that up stat. Definitely one of the best adventure comics of the last 20 years. Maybe I'll do that then. A big gorilla with a minigun looks cool at least. It really is an awesome love letter to to creature feature feeling of the Marvel Atom age. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 10, 2019 7:47:51 GMT -5
It's really a fantastic book, definitely one of my favorite new books. I'm hoping we see more of the Planet's cast in the future. And yet your review hits upon exactly why I avoid modern books from the Big Two: Two issues in, two months in, $8 in, and you still have no real sense of the plot yet. That's inexcusable to me. I'm not going to commit to a 12 issue maxi-series (12 issues, 1 year, $48) for a storyline that isn't blowing me out of the water right from the start. I'll look for a lovable bunch of supporting characters in the dollar bins. It's not Rucka's fault -- it's the industry. End soapbox rant. It sounds great. If I were willing to put up with Big Two nonsense, I'd be pulling this in a second. OTOH, sounds like the sort of thing I'd be very happy to get out of the library in about a year when the trade is published  |
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Post by BigPapaJoe on Aug 11, 2019 8:34:49 GMT -5
Superman Up in the Sky #2 Written by Tom King Penciled by Andy Kubert  Two issues in, and I feel like this series is pretty decent. I'm enjoying Tom King's run on Batman as I'm trying to catch up, so I decided to give his take on Superman a try, since I love Supes. Also, Andy Kubert on pencils sealed the deal for me. These stories so far are essentially what was in the Wal Mart exclusive Superman Giant comic that was released last year. Great to finally read these. This issue has two tales, both a means to an end for Superman to continue his quest to find a little girl that was whisked away from Earth to parts unknown. The first story is Superman in some sort of inter-galactic boxing match. If he wins, he will be provided the information he wants. If he loses, he gives up his mission. The second is a badly injured Superman coming into contact with aliens that try to heal him, but have to decide if the cost is worth it. I think I liked this better than the first issue, which was more of Superman doing some soul searching to get the plot rolling. It was the first issue though, so whatever. I'll continue along with the series, which I'm already more interested in more so compared to what Brian Michael Bendis has been doing on the main book. Andy Kubert is such a gem too, so I can't resist. |
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