|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 2, 2021 11:10:53 GMT -5
Welcome to another edition of... OFF THE RACKSThe web's home of real reviews by real readers. It used to be that new comics only came out on Wednesdays...but times have changed and now new comic day is all week!
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 2, 2021 11:39:07 GMT -5
Infinite Frontier #0Written by Bendis, Tynion IV, Becky Cloonan, Joel Jones, Josh Williams and Geoff Johns Art by David Marquez, Jorge Jiminez, Joel Jones, Jamal Igle and Alex Malev Summary: After the events of Death Metal Wonder Woman checks in on her old friends before journeying through the cosmos. Meat: Like a lot of zero issues this book is less of an actual comic an more of a trailer of things to come in the not too distant future. There is a framing device of Wonder Woman checking in on Earth before taking up the offer to be an ascended being that both ties the various previews of where the creative teams tend to take the new DC Universe in the coming year as well as teasing the return of Darksied who appears to be heading up the event that is to take place this summer...but it's pretty threadbare even if it does technically do what it set out to do. And the story teases themselves? Well, none of them really got me anymore interested in titles I wasn't already thinking about checking out. Marquez looked great in the Justice League story, drawing the best Superman I've seen in years...but it's by Bendis....and I hated his Superman, so I'm not sure I want a Justice League by him. Joel Jones looked fantastic in her new Wonder Girl story but I already got sold on that in her previous Future State story and that was a much better hook than what we got here. And the one story I really wanted to get a look at, Titan's Academy? It got two pages, and one was a splash page. I'm not sure this book would have done anything for someone coming in off the street, and it didn't do anything for a regular reader so ultimately I think this has to be a bit of a fail. Grade:5/10
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Mar 2, 2021 14:14:56 GMT -5
I got burned by those types of issues before. No real story , just previews.
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 2, 2021 14:21:26 GMT -5
Batman #106Written by James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson Art by Jorge Jimenez and Gleb Melnikov Summary: Batman and Ghost Maker take on a new gang backed by the Magistrate while Damian reunites with his mother in the back up. Plot: After a two month breather caused by the Future State event the latest issue of Batman largely picks up from where things were left off back in December with Batman and his former rival turned ally Ghost Maker teaming up to take on a new gang in Gotham while the Magistrate and the Scarecrow infiltrate the Mayor's office. Frankly, it's a whole lot of set up but I suppose after a two month gap that may be what the book needed so if a slow pace were the book's only issue I could over look it...but I still don't care for Ghost Maker and he didn't get any improvement here. Although no longer trying to take Gotham from Bruce he's nothing but Shonen like rival character and unlike other characters in that mold like say Piccolo or Vegeta from Dragon Ball, Ghost Maker doesn't appear to going to get the character development that made that kind of character work...we're just supposed to accept that these two have been rivals since their youth and one tried to kill the other and take his city...only to be turned by Batman's optimism and now they're friends with it ever being earned. That said the plot of a private corporation wanting to replace costumed heroes with their own regulated task force is interesting and I hope that exploration of justice is as interesting as it promises.
For my money , the back up featuring Damian Wayne confronting his mother and his legacy presented to us by Joshua Williamson was a much more satisfying read. While it too was largely set up, this time for a new up coming Robin book, the character interaction between Damian and his mother Talia was pitch perfect which made it a lot of fun to read. Though light on plot it seems to be setting up a story exploring Damian's quest for identity which should prove to be fertile ground for exploration and I'm excited to see where they go. Art: In the case of both stories the art really does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of enjoying these stories. In the main Batman story Jimenez creates this beautiful, dark vision of Gotham city just dripping with character and in the Robin back up Gleb Melnikov showed off his ability to give us fantastic, fluid action in the battle with the League of Assassins which was light and fun. Grade: 7/10
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 2, 2021 14:22:27 GMT -5
I got burned by those types of issues before. No real story , just previews. Yeah, I'm generally not a fan myself but I loved the cover so I had to check it out...like most times I buy based solely on cover art, yeah I got burned but I'm looking forward to some of the stories it teased.
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 2, 2021 18:48:45 GMT -5
The Swamp Thing #1Written by Ram V Art by Mike Perkins Summary: Levi Kamei ai the next Guardian of the Green... but he's unable to control his transformations into Swamp Thing. Plot: This one hit me hard...but unfortunately, not in a good way. I had been really excited for this book based off of my love of the Future State Swamp Thing book Ram V did and his excellent work on Justice League Dark, but this first issue just didn't land for me. The idea of a new person becoming Swamp Thing, the inclusion of a more globally flavored mythology and a return to its horror roots sounded like a great combination for a new take on old Swampy, but the execution was just really lacking. I knew going in to expect a slightly slower burn to the writing as the issue would no doubt need to do a fair bit of unpacking in establishing a new character but this went beyond that as there wasn't enough exposition at all. We're one issue in so I don't expect to have all the answers...but we almost nothing. Other than a fear of flight and that he's Indian I couldn't describe the main character's personality and because of that lack of characterization I couldn't even remember his name when I went to go write the summary above...and I literally just closed the book before I started writing. I know Ram has it in him to deliver the goods, but he better get about doing it quickly because if there's another issue like this one I'm out. Art: The saving grace here is Perkins art, as Tony the Tiger would say, "It's not just good, it's GRRREAT!" and it truly is, that tiger knows what he's talking about. Perkins brings a real cinimatic flair to the book, delivering a grime, inky, noir feel to the story that makes you feel like something is going to happen just as you turn the page. The plot sadly never delivers on the tension Perkins creates with his art but if it ever does his style combined with a good horror story would easily make this a must read. Grade:5/10
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 4, 2021 19:55:01 GMT -5
Star Wars: The High Republic #3Written by Cavan Scott Art by Ario Anindito Summary: Keeve and a young villager venture into a cave and are confronted by a dark creature that can control Jedi. Plot: It's taken us three issues to get to the point where there was an actual, character focused moment. In the previous issues there was precious little to latch on with the characters feeling like empty caricatures than characters you actually cared about...however there's still a lot to work on, although Scott gave us some great moments with Keeve, (I actually remembered her name after putting the book down!) the other characters are woefully under developed her master is just angry lizard guy in my head and the other Jedi is just boss lady because there's been nothing else to them which is just sad. Art: Ario's art continues to be the strongest element of this book, he has a great eye for design and he seemed to have a blast drawing the plant monster in this issue. Grade:6/10
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 5, 2021 10:07:55 GMT -5
Demon Days: X-MenWritten and illustrated by Peach Momoko Summary: When a village comes under siege from a demon it's up to a wandering swordswoman and her short furry companion to save the day. Story/Art: After years of providing some of the most beautiful cover art in all of comicdom, Momoko finally gets her own feature...and it's every bit as fantastic as her cover work! Pulling double duty on both art and story Momoko gives us a fun Japanese folklore fueled adventure that is not only a treasure for the eyes but an entertaining tale on its own. While the more familiar characters of Psylock, Logan and the Hulk get a little bit of the short shift in terms of character development the rest of the cast, especially the little girl Tsuki, have a really fresh spirit about them that makes them really engaging and their world just comes across as incredibly rich. As I said though, the Marvel characters themselves are pretty muted to the point that if you weren't familiar with them at all you wouldn't even draw a connection; the oni named Hulku says, "Hulku Smash" and the mysterious wandering swordswoman has purple hair and her sword talks to her at one point vaguely recalls Psylock and Logan is reduced to a dog with ears that resemble Wolverine's trademark hair style and he is said to heal quickly at the end, so if seeing these characters is a the only draw you're bound to be disappointed. However, the use of Venom as a demon haunting the village's temple? Amazing! And the visual of a giant snake with the usual symbiote trappings was great making it easily the most interesting Venom has ever been in my eyes. So if you pick this up with no preconceptions that this is "important" and you're in it for a good story you'll love it. Grade: 10/10
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 5, 2021 11:37:51 GMT -5
The Comic Book History of Animation #4 by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey (IDW) Another fun and informative issue that looks at the shift from theatrical shorts to television cartoons, the birth of Saturday morning cartoons and the growth of Japanese animation. If you're at all interested in animation I highly recommend this book. This issue was a bit more informative for me because I know next to nothing about Japanese animation, but I'm pretty well versed in American theatrical shorts covered in the earlier issues.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 5, 2021 15:44:59 GMT -5
Demon Days: X-MenWritten and illustrated by Peach Momoko Summary: When a village comes under siege from a demon it's up to a wandering swordswoman and her short furry companion to save the day. Story/Art: After years of providing some of the most beautiful cover art in all of comicdom, Momoko finally gets her own feature...and it's every bit as fantastic as her cover work! Pulling double duty on both art and story Momoko gives us a fun Japanese folklore fueled adventure that is not only a treasure for the eyes but an entertaining tale on its own. While the more familiar characters of Psylock, Logan and the Hulk get a little bit of the short shift in terms of character development the rest of the cast, especially the little girl Tsuki, have a really fresh spirit about them that makes them really engaging and their world just comes across as incredibly rich. As I said though, the Marvel characters themselves are pretty muted to the point that if you weren't familiar with them at all you wouldn't even draw a connection; the oni named Hulku says, "Hulku Smash" and the mysterious wandering swordswoman has purple hair and her sword talks to her at one point vaguely recalls Psylock and Logan is reduced to a dog with ears that resemble Wolverine's trademark hair style and he is said to heal quickly at the end, so if seeing these characters is a the only draw you're bound to be disappointed. However, the use of Venom as a demon haunting the village's temple? Amazing! And the visual of a giant snake with the usual symbiote trappings was great making it easily the most interesting Venom has ever been in my eyes. So if you pick this up with no preconceptions that this is "important" and you're in it for a good story you'll love it. Grade: 10/10
Grrr..... That was supposed to get pulled for me... and it didnt, nor did I see it on the shelf. I'll have to check and see if I messed up or the store did. Guess I'll have to find it elsewhere!
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 5, 2021 21:27:46 GMT -5
Just 2 books for me this week...
I think I continue to like Star Wars: High Republic more than thwhguardian.. I thought it was quite good. The characters are developing nicely, and we're starting to get a sense of the bad guy. I actually quite like the twins, I hope they survive this first story line. Gives me hope for the novel (Reading 'A Certain Point of View' first).
My other book was inspired by Wandavision, in my never ending attempt to get my oldest daughter to read comics (I've also got out my Young Avengers for her...apparently #1 is pretty valuable.. even before the show on Kate Bishop's first appearance)... King in Black: Wiccan and Hulkling . Seems to serve both as a marketing tie in to the big crossover and an epilogue to the LAST big crossover... but it was also a fun self contained story that really focused on the characters. They were a bit sickeningly cute for my taste, but my daughter will love it. Also was able to get the Peach Mamoko alternate cover, which was worth the cost even without the story.
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 6, 2021 14:13:01 GMT -5
Demon Days: X-MenWritten and illustrated by Peach Momoko Summary: When a village comes under siege from a demon it's up to a wandering swordswoman and her short furry companion to save the day. Story/Art: After years of providing some of the most beautiful cover art in all of comicdom, Momoko finally gets her own feature...and it's every bit as fantastic as her cover work! Pulling double duty on both art and story Momoko gives us a fun Japanese folklore fueled adventure that is not only a treasure for the eyes but an entertaining tale on its own. While the more familiar characters of Psylock, Logan and the Hulk get a little bit of the short shift in terms of character development the rest of the cast, especially the little girl Tsuki, have a really fresh spirit about them that makes them really engaging and their world just comes across as incredibly rich. As I said though, the Marvel characters themselves are pretty muted to the point that if you weren't familiar with them at all you wouldn't even draw a connection; the oni named Hulku says, "Hulku Smash" and the mysterious wandering swordswoman has purple hair and her sword talks to her at one point vaguely recalls Psylock and Logan is reduced to a dog with ears that resemble Wolverine's trademark hair style and he is said to heal quickly at the end, so if seeing these characters is a the only draw you're bound to be disappointed. However, the use of Venom as a demon haunting the village's temple? Amazing! And the visual of a giant snake with the usual symbiote trappings was great making it easily the most interesting Venom has ever been in my eyes. So if you pick this up with no preconceptions that this is "important" and you're in it for a good story you'll love it. Grade: 10/10
Grrr..... That was supposed to get pulled for me... and it didnt, nor did I see it on the shelf. I'll have to check and see if I messed up or the store did. Guess I'll have to find it elsewhere! Definitely worth tracking down, especially if samurai stories are your jam like me.
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 6, 2021 14:15:03 GMT -5
Just 2 books for me this week... I think I continue to like Star Wars: High Republic more than thwhguardian.. I thought it was quite good. The characters are developing nicely, and we're starting to get a sense of the bad guy. I actually quite like the twins, I hope they survive this first story line. Gives me hope for the novel (Reading 'A Certain Point of View' first). My other book was inspired by Wandavision, in my never ending attempt to get my oldest daughter to read comics (I've also got out my Young Avengers for her...apparently #1 is pretty valuable.. even before the show on Kate Bishop's first appearance)... King in Black: Wiccan and Hulkling . Seems to serve both as a marketing tie in to the big crossover and an epilogue to the LAST big crossover... but it was also a fun self contained story that really focused on the characters. They were a bit sickeningly cute for my taste, but my daughter will love it. Also was able to get the Peach Mamoko alternate cover, which was worth the cost even without the story. I still definitely prefer the High Republic Adventures book(#2 came out this week as well) and the difference is night and day. The characterization in Adventures is so much better and its done it in less time and the plot seems much more focused.
|
|
|
Post by The Captain on Mar 18, 2021 19:27:21 GMT -5
Finally had two books on my pull list at my LCS, so went in and they had a bunch of the variant editions of Demon Days: X-Men, so I picked one up based on the reviews here.
Can't say anything that hasn't already been said. Story is fine and the Easter Eggs are clever, but that art! Simply gorgeous.
Can't wait for the next chapter in June.
10/10
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 19, 2021 13:02:42 GMT -5
Finally had two books on my pull list at my LCS, so went in and they had a bunch of the variant editions of Demon Days: X-Men, so I picked one up based on the reviews here. Can't say anything that hasn't already been said. Story is fine and the Easter Eggs are clever, but that art! Simply gorgeous. Can't wait for the next chapter in June. 10/10 Man, I hadn't realized the next installment was that far off. Definitely worth the wait though, her art is some of the best I've seen.
|
|