|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 12:05:41 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKSWho's gone all digital to get their weekly fix?  |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 13:07:40 GMT -5
Bounty Hunters #2Written by Ethan Sacks Art by Paolo Villanelli Summary: Vance and Bosk tussle as they both converge on the same clue leading to their former employer Lash.
Plot: After a fun first issue that felt ripped out of a spaghetti western brought the team together things majorly sputtered out here in the second issue with no movement forward plot wise and no real characterization to keep us interested. I think the main problem stems from the structure of the narrative...or rather its lack there of; in trying to give each character their own sense of purpose in tracking down Lash the story lacks a central driving force to bring it together so what we're left with is a couple of unrelated vignettes that contain a bit of the plot but because the comic is only so long and there are several characters the vignettes aren't long enough to feel important. I think if Sacks picked a point of view character and had them interact with each of the other members in turn we'd get the feel of multiple conflicting motivations while maintaining a cohesive plot.
Art: Paolo got to have fun with some real alien worlds here which broke him out of the dull star wars house art feel he had last issue. I really loved the look of the cemetery world, shrouded in mist with decrepit monoliths lurching out at you at odd angles and the very idea of it was great too.
Grade:6/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 14:24:41 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #33Written by Al Ewing Art by Joe Bennett and Nick Pitarra Summary: The various Hulks team up to overthrow Xenmu and and Dario once and for all.
Plot: I'm a little conflicted over how I feel about this issue, on a purely visceral level the manic cartoon energy that Ewing brought to the page was definitely satisfying but on a slightly higher level I felt it was rather anticlimactic. Sure, the Hulk beat Xenmu and Roxxon but it happened so fast and with so little effort it felt wholly unearned and the conclusion seemed like a giant step back from the whole Green New Deal that Ewing had put forward before; destroying the momentum of Banner's social advocacy and returning the Hulk to a childlike brute that is hated by the public. I guess it sort of makes sense as such a change would benefit the Leader who is shown to be in control of Rick's body but it just feels wrong to toss that whole story line aside.
Art: While I love how Bennett was allowed to really top himself with both his gross out transformation that saw the Hulk literally tearing banner's skin away to escape into the world and the monstrous view of a future uninhibited Hulk trashing the Marvel Universe was great the whole mind sequence by Nick Pittara was the big selling point here. His surreal, Scottie Young like look at the various Hulk's in Bruce's mind was just plain fun to see; I'd love a whole Hulk book done by him.
Grade:7/10
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 15:44:13 GMT -5
Usagi Yojimbo: Color Classics #3Story and Art by Stan Sakai Colored by Ronda Pattison Summary: Usagi continues with the tale of how he first became a samurai after battling Gunichi and teaming up with Kenichi.
Plot: Though the story is a well known one to me it doesn't fail to entertain. With it's classic Wuxia inspired battle between Usagi and Gunichi complete with Buddhist references and the feel good team up between old friends at the end with Kenichi the simple universal appeal of the story is easy to understand. From a historical view point from a long time fan it's always interesting to see just how much the character of Usagi has changed over the years from the haughty warrior in the tale to the very humble, humanist wanderer we now have and while I definitely prefer the current characterization there is still a lot of charm to the original interpretation which is why he's endured to this day.
Coloring: I'm still thrown by Kenichi being a brown rabbit for some reason, even though I know it's not new to this series, but other wise I really love the depth the color brings to the book.
Grade:9/10 |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2020 18:27:13 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #33Written by Al Ewing Art by Joe Bennett and Nick Pitarra Summary: The various Hulks team up to overthrow Xenmu and and Dario once and for all.
Plot: I'm a little conflicted over how I feel about this issue, on a purely visceral level the manic cartoon energy that Ewing brought to the page was definitely satisfying but on a slightly higher level I felt it was rather anticlimactic. Sure, the Hulk beat Xenmu and Roxxon but it happened so fast and with so little effort it felt wholly unearned and the conclusion seemed like a giant step back from the whole Green New Deal that Ewing had put forward before; destroying the momentum of Banner's social advocacy and returning the Hulk to a childlike brute that is hated by the public. I guess it sort of makes sense as such a change would benefit the Leader who is shown to be in control of Rick's body but it just feels wrong to toss that whole story line aside.
Art: While I love how Bennett was allowed to really top himself with both his gross out transformation that saw the Hulk literally tearing banner's skin away to escape into the world and the monstrous view of a future uninhibited Hulk trashing the Marvel Universe was great the whole mind sequence by Nick Pittara was the big selling point here. His surreal, Scottie Young like look at the various Hulk's in Bruce's mind was just plain fun to see; I'd love a whole Hulk book done by him.
Grade:7/10
Spot on review. Good issue with some stellar art but the Hulk-Xenmu conflict was resolved way too quickly. I wasn't as enamored with the Roxxon story arc so I'm not unhappy that we are moving on from that. I like the Rick/Leader twist!
8/10.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2020 18:35:05 GMT -5
Legion of Super Heroes #5. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Ryan Sook.
More revelations about the Legion's origins and why Jon is essential to the Legion.
Bendis continues his version of the Legion's origin. It is a mix of the classic origin with other things added that modernize it. So far I like this Legion by Bendis except the decompressed pacing.
Right now at DC Bendis' Superman & LoSH are pretty good. His Action Comics & Young Justice have become so bad I dropped both titles.
7/10.
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 18:35:47 GMT -5
Far Sector #5Written by N.K. Jemisin Art by Jamal Campbell Summary: Jo continues to track down why murders have started in the City.
Plot: This book continues to be my favorite thing being put out in comics right now. The history we got for Jo in this issue was so incredibly powerful, the events in her life that shaped who she is in the story just feel so real. Parents losing jobs, divorce, 9/11 and struggling to find your footing in the world are all so relate-able for me that I felt so moved as we saw the issue unfold. This was the first time I really read a comic that felt like it actually captured the world I know and it was just amazing because of that.
Art: Campbell continues to stun on the art, not only does he get the fun alien moments but he can really tell a story in the quiet moments just by facial features and eye movement alone which is really special. On top of that I love how he uses the ring to create fashion for Jo not just giant gloves like usual Lantern constructs; the police uniform with the cape and hat he gave her here as she investigated the murders was just stunning.
Grade:10/10
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 18:37:35 GMT -5
Legion of Super Heroes #5. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Ryan Sook. More revelations about the Legion's origins and why Jon is essential to the Legion. Bendis continues his version of the Legion's origin. It is a mix of the classic origin with other things added that modernize it. So far I like this Legion by Bendis except the decompressed pacing. Right now at DC Bendis' Superman & LoSH are pretty good. His Action Comics & Young Justice have become so bad I dropped both titles. 7/10. I might have to get into this, I hated his Superman and Young Justice was just way too slow so I dropped it. |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 18:40:50 GMT -5
Immortal Hulk #33Written by Al Ewing Art by Joe Bennett and Nick Pitarra Summary: The various Hulks team up to overthrow Xenmu and and Dario once and for all.
Plot: I'm a little conflicted over how I feel about this issue, on a purely visceral level the manic cartoon energy that Ewing brought to the page was definitely satisfying but on a slightly higher level I felt it was rather anticlimactic. Sure, the Hulk beat Xenmu and Roxxon but it happened so fast and with so little effort it felt wholly unearned and the conclusion seemed like a giant step back from the whole Green New Deal that Ewing had put forward before; destroying the momentum of Banner's social advocacy and returning the Hulk to a childlike brute that is hated by the public. I guess it sort of makes sense as such a change would benefit the Leader who is shown to be in control of Rick's body but it just feels wrong to toss that whole story line aside.
Art: While I love how Bennett was allowed to really top himself with both his gross out transformation that saw the Hulk literally tearing banner's skin away to escape into the world and the monstrous view of a future uninhibited Hulk trashing the Marvel Universe was great the whole mind sequence by Nick Pittara was the big selling point here. His surreal, Scottie Young like look at the various Hulk's in Bruce's mind was just plain fun to see; I'd love a whole Hulk book done by him.
Grade:7/10
Spot on review. Good issue with some stellar art but the Hulk-Xenmu conflict was resolved way too quickly. I wasn't as enamored with the Roxxon story arc so I'm not unhappy that we are moving on from that. I like the Rick/Leader twist!
8/10.
I wasn't a fan of Roxxon as the villain either, the whole Minataur bit was something I didn't like with Thor and my opinion hasn't changed but I liked Hulk trying to change the power structure of society seeing that effectively torpedoed just feels like Ewing didn't really know what to do with that story after introducing it. And yeah, it'll be interesting how the thing with the Leader works out, where's Rick if the Leader is riding his body? |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2020 18:43:08 GMT -5
X-O Manowar #1. Written by Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum. Art by Emilio Laiso.
Aric of Dacia is a 5th century warrior now living in our century. He has been bonded with the sentient alien armor called Shanhara.
Another re-launch. Aric is now back on Earth living in a city trying to protect Earth and be a hero. Based on this issue it feels like X-O has become a more "old school" styled hero. Unfortunately it's hard to judge the direction of a title based on one issue anymore. So did I like it enough to invest in the first arc? Yes.
7/10.
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 19:21:37 GMT -5
Basketful of Heads #6Written by Joe Hill Art by Leomacs Summary: June adds another head to her basket and goes off to save Liam.
Plot: Basketful of Heads is a fantastic horror book, it's both wildly dark and funny at the same time and both halves are exquisitely well balanced. With each head she collects we learn more about what's going on in beautiful Brody Maine but instead of easing the tension it only builds. It's one of those books that really gets that horror isn't about throwing scary things at you but rather in the art of getting to experience the character's emotions until you get to the point where their fears infect you. In Basket the fear created by the unknown situation June is coupled with the adrenaline of cracking the case bit by bit leads us to really empathize with you in a way that feels real and when it all boils over like in this issue with June getting thrown off the boat tied to an anchor you almost feel the harsh salt water filling your own nose.
Art: The incessant rain that Leomacs absolutely drenches each page with really starts to weigh on your soul with each page. It creates a sense of gloom that is a perfect balance to the humor he brings with the heads, their facial expressions are just perfect.
Grade:10/10 |
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Apr 22, 2020 19:22:14 GMT -5
I finally broke down and went to Comixology and got digital versions of a few of the comics I missed recently.
Lois Lane #8
Captain Marvel #16
Fantastic Four: Marvel Snapshots #1
I wasn't sure about FF Marvel Snapshots, but I bought the Namor issue and I liked it, so I decided to look at the preview pages available … and it's three pages of Dorrie Evans! I'm sold … not because I'm such a huge Dorrie Evans fan (although I do like her guest appearance in Spider-Man #21 a lot!) it's just that I like it when long-ago supporting characters get a little respect from modern writers. We'll see how this goes.
I guess I'll post some short reviews on this thread since the new comics threads have been suspended. Which is OK since none of the comics I got digitally came out this week. (However, next week, Gwen Stacy #3 is supposed to come out!)
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 24, 2020 16:15:52 GMT -5
I finally broke down and went to Comixology and got digital versions of a few of the comics I missed recently. Lois Lane #8 Captain Marvel #16 Fantastic Four: Marvel Snapshots #1 I wasn't sure about FF Marvel Snapshots, but I bought the Namor issue and I liked it, so I decided to look at the preview pages available … and it's three pages of Dorrie Evans! I'm sold … not because I'm such a huge Dorrie Evans fan (although I do like her guest appearance in Spider-Man #21 a lot!) it's just that I like it when long-ago supporting characters get a little respect from modern writers. We'll see how this goes. I guess I'll post some short reviews on this thread since the new comics threads have been suspended. Which is OK since none of the comics I got digitally came out this week. (However, next week, Gwen Stacy #3 is supposed to come out!) I just couldn't keep Lois Lane, it just dragged too much to keep my interest which was sad because it started strong. |
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Apr 24, 2020 23:16:43 GMT -5
CAPTAIN MARVEL #16
I have mixed feelings about this one.
It's the conclusion of "The Last Avenger," a story arc where Captain Marvel has to fight and kill the Avengers in order to save the Earth. And it's just as tortured and contrived as it sounds. The first issue features a big fight with Thor, and Captain Marvel hands Thor's head to the villain (Supreme Vox, I think, some Kree-related character). Yeah, she gives Thor's head to the bad guys!
In the next few issues, Carol fights Iron Man, Captain America Black Panther and She-Hulk. And the bodies pile up! Supreme Vox has told Carol that if she doesn't all these Avengers they will blow up the Earth. You see, they have implanted powerful bombs inside Kree refugees who are in several refugee camps on Earth. So what's Carol supposed to do?
But it's Carol, and she has a plan! It's quite a corker!
And that's where my mixed feelings come in. I really hate the set-up … but I love the way it was resolved! It's like an inescapable death trap … and somehow I didn't hate it by the time I got to the end. I was entertained quite a bit by he last few issues and I'm actually pretty impressed by the imaginative processes that made this thing work by the end.
I also like the characterizations. Carol is her usual wonderful self despite the ridiculous situation she's in.
I'm not going to recommend it though. It's pretty dumb, despite my almost inexplicable enjoyment.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Apr 24, 2020 23:27:47 GMT -5
LOIS LANE #8
I read #7 months ago and I can't remember what happened in #9. But I missed #8 because it sold out because … I guess this shapely female assassin with the skull head is some kind of hot new character and everybody had to have this issue. But DC decided not to put out a second printing because they don't give a crap about the fans who have been supporting this series since #1 and didn't hop on for a one-time bandwagon speculation frenzy.
So the assassin is trying to kill Lois and Renee Montoya is there as Lois's bodyguard and they trash a Chicago hotel room. The assassin escapes but Lois and Renee are OK. The entire Chicago Police Department shows up in the aftermath because they know Lois is involved and they want to get a glimpse of Superman if he shows up.
I liked this issue quite a bit but I'm feeling a little disconnected to the series as a whole because it's been so long since I was paying much attention to the previous issues. I have them, and I read them when I got them, but what's in them? I have only a vague notion. But the art's nice. And it's cool to see Renee Montoya (in and out of uniform as the Question) as a regular guest star.
|
|
