|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 20, 2019 8:37:15 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKSReal reviews by real readers: If you read it tell us here!  |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2019 19:33:36 GMT -5
 Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #5. Written by Matt Fraction. Art and Cover by Steve Lieber. More craziness in Jimmy's life with Batman. The public finds out his death was faked. Luthor seems to want Olsen dead. Like I said in previous reviews this series has captured all the wackiness of Jimmy's Silver Age stories. However this structure is starting to wear thin and we still have 7 issues to go in the story. What started out funny and quirky is now becoming a bit dull and repetitive. Batman pranking Jimmy? It's all a little too silly. I find Fraction suffering from taking what could have been a really good 6 issue story and stretching it out to 12 issues. One plus is Lieber's art. He manages to capture the inherent silliness of the story yet make it "feel" somewhat realistic too. Really mixed feelings the longer I get into this series... 6/10. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2019 19:41:01 GMT -5
 Conan the Barbarian #11. Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mahmud A. Asrar. Conan lies dying and confronts Crom who really doesn't care. But Conan makes such a pest of himself bothering Crom that Crom sends him back to the land of the living. Another series that started great and looks like it will end great (a new story and creative team start with #13). But it meandered and dipped in quality with the middle chapters. As much as the last few issues have been dull this issue entertained, was full of action and actually made me laugh. One thing that never dipped in quality has been the superb art.
9/10. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2019 19:48:25 GMT -5
 Aquaman #54. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Robson Rocha and Jesus Merino. Aquaman, Mera and Aqualad with the town of Amnesty Bay vs Black Manta and Mecha Manta. The Good: Return of Mera. Jackson Hyde Aqualad. Amnesty Bay. The art. Epic fight. The Bad: Mecha Manta. Sorry but it just looks stupid and I hate the concept that it is an AI of Black Manta's dead father. Little focus on the star - Aquaman. If next issue sees the destruction of Mecha Manta than I could accept this storyline a lot better. 7/10. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2019 19:58:40 GMT -5
 The Immortal Hulk #27. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett. YEESSSS!! After 2 bad issues in a row (IMO) the Hulk returns to greatness! Roxxon Corporation. The Minotaur. Hulk fighting corporations. Bennett's awesome art. This issue was just freaking great. Lots of action after the talking heads issue last month. Bennett manages to instill horror by showing the Hulk's transformation in silhouette and shadows letting your mind do the work and have your imagination make it worse. Just brilliant. 10/10.On a sad note condolences to Joe Bennett and his family with the death of his son Erik. The drawing in the letter pages by Bennett of his son brought a tear to my eye. |
|
|
|
Post by profholt82 on Nov 23, 2019 0:06:26 GMT -5
Batman: White Knight Presents Von Freeze
Just an excellent book from start to finish. I'm not sure what I expected going in, as I've never read any 'Curse of the White Knight' comic before, but I knew that this was a one-off and the cover piqued my interest.
The book tells of the night of Bruce Wayne's birth and the relationship between Victor and Thomas Wayne. As there is a complication in the pregnancy, Victor distracts Thomas by opening up to him about his relationship with his own father, and his father's associate Jacob with whom he was close. This story takes place in Germany during the second World War as his father joined the Nazi party while his father's associate Jacob was Jewish. It is an emotional tale, which is brutal at times, harrowing at others and downright touching by the conclusion where the duality of man and the humanity of the soul are bared.
The writing is as good as I've read in a contemporary comic, and the art style is essentially an homage to the comics of the 40s. I wouldn't call the artwork brilliant or anything, but it certainly fits the story, and there are some sections where the detail is spectacular. Finally, I'm not going to lie to you guys, but by the conclusion of the book, tears had welled up in my eyes a bit. It made me think about things in my own life and family history. But even if you have no connection to the history that the story covers, the themes are universal. Highly recommended.
10/10
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 24, 2019 12:46:48 GMT -5
The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #1Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Denys Cowan Inked by Bill Sienkiewicz Summary: Vic Sage is drawn into a conspiracy that reaches the heights of Hub City to the depths of its underground tunnels.
Plot: I love Lemire, and I love the question so in theory I should be over the moon after having read this but instead I'm left feeling a little off. To start with this book is Dark, not just in the way it features child prostitution and satanic cults with political power but also the borderline cruel and judgmental characterization of Vic. That's not to say it's bad, it's just something that made an already slow moving plot seem more sluggish for me as it's a slight turn off. The book isn't all bleak though, Lemire really made grabbed me with the scenes with Vic out of costume and working as a journalist. With today’s partisan journalistic climate, having a hero that works as a reporter and goes after corruption is something that checks all the boxes for me. All in all, it wasn't the tightest hook, but it was enough to keep me reading to see where the story goes.
Art: For my money the art was by far the best element of the book. Between Cowan's sketchy line work and classic, cross hatched shading and Sienkiewicz' smokey inking give the book a uniquely pulpy feel that just really connects with the character and Hub City.
Grade:6+/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 24, 2019 13:39:44 GMT -5
The Immortal Hulk #27. Written by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett. YEESSSS!! After 2 bad issues in a row (IMO) the Hulk returns to greatness! Roxxon Corporation. The Minotaur. Hulk fighting corporations. Bennett's awesome art. This issue was just freaking great. Lots of action after the talking heads issue last month. Bennett manages to instill horror by showing the Hulk's transformation in silhouette and shadows letting your mind do the work and have your imagination make it worse. Just brilliant. 10/10.On a sad note condolences to Joe Bennett and his family with the death of his son Erik. The drawing in the letter pages by Bennett of his son brought a tear to my eye. We flip flopped here, where as last time I liked the quiet issue and the concept of the Hulk's Green New Deal you didn't care for it as much in this issue I was a little bored by the mindless fight scene with the unnamed Roxxon Goons. Bennett clearly had fun drawing the action and it looked fantastic but I had a hard time caring. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2019 19:22:24 GMT -5
The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #1Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Denys Cowan Inked by Bill Sienkiewicz Summary: Vic Sage is drawn into a conspiracy that reaches the heights of Hub City to the depths of its underground tunnels.
Plot: I love Lemire, and I love the question so in theory I should be over the moon after having read this but instead I'm left feeling a little off. To start with this book is Dark, not just in the way it features child prostitution and satanic cults with political power but also the borderline cruel and judgmental characterization of Vic. That's not to say it's bad, it's just something that made an already slow moving plot seem more sluggish for me as it's a slight turn off. The book isn't all bleak though, Lemire really made grabbed me with the scenes with Vic out of costume and working as a journalist. With today’s partisan journalistic climate, having a hero that works as a reporter and goes after corruption is something that checks all the boxes for me. All in all, it wasn't the tightest hook, but it was enough to keep me reading to see where the story goes.
Art: For my money the art was by far the best element of the book. Between Cowan's sketchy line work and classic, cross hatched shading and Sienkiewicz' smokey inking give the book a uniquely pulpy feel that just really connects with the character and Hub City.
Grade:6+/10 I liked this a lot more than you did. Lemire captured the tone and feel of the the O'Neill and Ditko portrayals of the Question, rather than the lighter less grim portrayal more common in more recent portrayals, particularly by Greg Rucka (while I like Rucka's stuff a lot, I often think of his Vic Sage as Question Lite). Lemire also give a nod tot he obsessed Question of the JLU cartoons and a touch of Rorschach, so his question seems to be really built on the O'Neil model with mash up of many of the other portrayals mixed in to alchemically arrive at the "cruel, judgmental personality" you dislike but that was at the heart of the earliest portrayals of the character steeped in Ditko's black and white views with little to no shades of gray and filtered through the cynicism of the late 80s portrayal by O'Neil. Cowan and Sienkewicz have not lost a step since that 80s series either, and forme, it felt like someone had taken that series and perfectly translated it into the world of 2019. -M |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 27, 2019 19:21:29 GMT -5
The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #1Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Denys Cowan Inked by Bill Sienkiewicz Summary: Vic Sage is drawn into a conspiracy that reaches the heights of Hub City to the depths of its underground tunnels.
Plot: I love Lemire, and I love the question so in theory I should be over the moon after having read this but instead I'm left feeling a little off. To start with this book is Dark, not just in the way it features child prostitution and satanic cults with political power but also the borderline cruel and judgmental characterization of Vic. That's not to say it's bad, it's just something that made an already slow moving plot seem more sluggish for me as it's a slight turn off. The book isn't all bleak though, Lemire really made grabbed me with the scenes with Vic out of costume and working as a journalist. With today’s partisan journalistic climate, having a hero that works as a reporter and goes after corruption is something that checks all the boxes for me. All in all, it wasn't the tightest hook, but it was enough to keep me reading to see where the story goes.
Art: For my money the art was by far the best element of the book. Between Cowan's sketchy line work and classic, cross hatched shading and Sienkiewicz' smokey inking give the book a uniquely pulpy feel that just really connects with the character and Hub City.
Grade:6+/10 I liked this a lot more than you did. Lemire captured the tone and feel of the the O'Neill and Ditko portrayals of the Question, rather than the lighter less grim portrayal more common in more recent portrayals, particularly by Greg Rucka (while I like Rucka's stuff a lot, I often think of his Vic Sage as Question Lite). Lemire also give a nod tot he obsessed Question of the JLU cartoons and a touch of Rorschach, so his question seems to be really built on the O'Neil model with mash up of many of the other portrayals mixed in to alchemically arrive at the "cruel, judgmental personality" you dislike but that was at the heart of the earliest portrayals of the character steeped in Ditko's black and white views with little to no shades of gray and filtered through the cynicism of the late 80s portrayal by O'Neil. Cowan and Sienkewicz have not lost a step since that 80s series either, and forme, it felt like someone had taken that series and perfectly translated it into the world of 2019. -M I think if the plot were faster the characterization wouldn't have bothered me, but as it was a slow paced story coupled with a bleak tone just made it a bit of a slog. |
|
