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Post by thwhtguardian on May 11, 2021 9:48:04 GMT -5
Welcome back to another installment of real reviews here at.... OFF THE RACKS! What did you read this week? What are you excited for? |
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 11, 2021 14:54:58 GMT -5
Man, DC's out put this week was once again pretty dire. Despite the great art by I'm dropping Superman because the shadowbreed are just so generic that I can't get myself to care and although Batman: Urban Legends started out decently it's fizzled out fast.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 11, 2021 15:00:16 GMT -5
Man, DC's out put this week was once again pretty dire. Despite the great art by I'm dropping Superman because the shadowbreed are just so generic that I can't get myself to care and although Batman: Urban Legends started out decently it's fizzled out fast. I'm trying to remember the last time DC did anything I was remotely interested in reading. I suspect it was when they were using the Hanna-Barbera characters to great effect about five years ago. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 11, 2021 15:05:38 GMT -5
Man, DC's out put this week was once again pretty dire. Despite the great art by I'm dropping Superman because the shadowbreed are just so generic that I can't get myself to care and although Batman: Urban Legends started out decently it's fizzled out fast. I'm trying to remember the last time DC did anything I was remotely interested in reading. I suspect it was when they were using the Hanna-Barbera characters to great effect about five years ago. There was some promise with the latest restart and there's still some titles like Detective Comics, Nightwing and Robin that are really good but man is a lot of the rest I've tried is bad. |
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Post by majestic on May 11, 2021 15:42:59 GMT -5
Right now at DC I like the Batman Family titles. Wonder Woman. At Marvel Hulk. Daredevil. Thor.
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Post by majestic on May 12, 2021 11:42:38 GMT -5
GEIGER #2. Geoff Johns & Gary Frank.
A relic from before the war is found in the desert. The Casino Warlords of Las Vegas. Norad.
More world building as Johns reveals more about this post nuclear world. We are offered scenes of life in Las Vegas. The fact that the US govt still survives in the Colorado mountains underground. And the "glowing man" - Geiger makes an appearance.
Two issues in and this series is holding my interest. It looks like next issue we get Geiger's origin. Hints were given this issue as to why he can survive high radiation levels.
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Post by majestic on May 12, 2021 11:57:29 GMT -5
PROJECT PATRON #2. Steve Orlando & Patrick Piazzalunga.
30 years ago the Patron was killed by a monster named Woe. The Patron was replaced with a perfect duplicate called a Reploid. Now five pilots control this "new" Patron. Last issue the leader of Project Patron was murdered. This issue the remaining team members try to solve the murder. And enter Matthew Mammon, one of the original Patron's enemies.
Take Superman and have 5 elite soldiers pilot an android duplicate of him is the premise. However killing the commander of the team by the end of the first issue changes the whole concept. It really takes this idea in a totally different direction that is highly entertaining.
This series has been a nice surprise. My second review this week of a #2 issue! |
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Post by majestic on May 12, 2021 12:04:15 GMT -5
CHALLENGE OF THE SUPER SONS #2. Peter J. Tomasi & Max Raynor.
Robin and Superboy save Wonder Woman this issue since the Doom Scroll has her name on its mystical list. In the scend part they are transported to medieval England where they go up against Vandal Savage.
The digital first series collects parts 3 & 4 in this print issue. And like Tomasi's previous work on the Super Sons this issue is FUN! I like seeing Jon & Damian before Jon was aged and Damian was still with Batman.
Another review of a #2 issue! |
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Post by majestic on May 12, 2021 12:11:46 GMT -5
WONDER WOMAN #772. Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad & Travis Moore.
Part 3 of Diana in Asgard. She teams with Odin & Thor. Dr Pyscho appears again. Diana's memories of her time with JLA start to return. Deadman guest stars.
The mystery of why Diana is in Asgard with amnesia continues although Dr Pyscho and Deadman changes things slightly.
I really like this arc of Diana mixed up in Norse mythology.
And continuing my theme this week at least the issue # ends in a 2!
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 12, 2021 16:55:36 GMT -5
CHALLENGE OF THE SUPER SONS #2. Peter J. Tomasi & Max Raynor.
Robin and Superboy save Wonder Woman this issue since the Doom Scroll has her name on its mystical list. In the scend part they are transported to medieval England where they go up against Vandal Savage.
The digital first series collects parts 3 & 4 in this print issue. And like Tomasi's previous work on the Super Sons this issue is FUN! I like seeing Jon & Damian before Jon was aged and Damian was still with Batman.
Another review of a #2 issue! The new series is fun, but the plotting is so weird. I like a good time travel story, but the way Tomasi plays it out just made no sense it was just so jarring that it made reading a chore. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 12, 2021 18:14:25 GMT -5
Star Wars: The High Republic #5Written by Cavan Scott Art by Ario Anindito Summary: As Keeve tries to help her Master, Sskeer , free himself from the influence of the deadly Drengir root the Hutts attack!
Plot: I've been pretty down on this book in it's previous chapters, criticizing it for its pacing and lack of characterization, and I had been thinking about dropping it but this issue made some big steps forward. While it still felt slightly hamstrung by some pacing issues that made the end of the issue feel like it came all too soon the relationship between Keeve and Sskeer was played out really well here making me care about the two of them much more than previous issues. And it didn't stop there, as we saw the Drengir assault unfold on the Starlight Beacon space station Scott introduced to another set of Master and Padwan and in that single scene once again got me to really empathize with them as they fought for their lives which is no small feat in such a short time. The exchange about being sorry about not being a better student and the Master's retort about, "always time for more lessons" was both poignant and fun and that balance between dark moments and levity has always been one of the halmarks of Star Wars so it really fit well. Hopefully this issue was a sign of things to come and the book will be better from here on.
Art: Anindito really got to have a lot of fun here from killer space plants attacking Jedi to Gammorians riding Rancors into battle this must have felt like a kid who just hit the toy box jack pot and that feeling of fun translated well to the energy of the art.
Grade:7/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 13, 2021 7:23:03 GMT -5
Thanks to wildfire2099 bringing it to my attention I picked up both the first issue and its follow up this week and I'm glad I did! Though I didn't care as much for this issue's play on Friday the 13th as I'm not a fan of slashers I loved the first issue's 70's rock play on Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" and the over all concept of a series of horror stories tied together by a demonic coin is utterly fantastic. Though I preferred Chip Zdarsky's initial story over Kelly Thompson's second issue both had a great classic horror comic vibe that I haven't found in a long time. I see a lot of people comparing this to the feeling of various Vertigo horror books from the 90's, but I think a more apt comparsion is that it represents a more fleshed out version of the old Warren Horror mags from the 60's and 70's with it's love of shock endings and plays on known horror tropes this book's stories would have fit right in there. And while the likes of Richard Corben and Bernie Wrightson aren't likely to be dethroned as the kings of horror anytime soon Michael Walsh is certainly nothing to sneeze at. His figures are incredibly emotive and dramatic and he really gets how to frame a good horror scene; I don't tend to like slashers as I said, but the cabin scene in this issue was absolutely stunning. This is an easy 10/10 for me and I can't wait for more! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 13, 2021 7:44:55 GMT -5
Speaking of anthologies Black Hammer: Visions #4Written my Mariko Tamaki Art by Diego Olortegui Summary: Colonel Weird travels through worlds where the cast of Black Hammer are the casts of different TV shows.
Plot: While I found this more enjoyable than the attempt at making Black Hammer a Warren horror mag back in the second issue this latest entry focused on an odd journey by Colonel Weird was a little difficult to digest. I mean, Colonel Weird focused plots tend to be scattered in general so it certainly fit...but I'm not entirely sure what this issue was ultimately trying to say...or even if it was trying to say anything at all which isn't a satisfying place to be.
Art: I think the best part of this issue was the art by Olortegui, I've never seen his work before but his detailed line work was really beautiful. It's kind of like a softer Joe Kubert, with really its really detailed and realistic faces but with a modern style of shading. I'd definitely love to see more and I'll have to do some research and find out what else he's done.
Grade: 6.5/10
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 13, 2021 9:37:08 GMT -5
Speaking of anthologies Black Hammer: Visions #4Written my Mariko Tamaki Art by Diego Olortegui Summary: Colonel Weird travels through worlds where the cast of Black Hammer are the casts of different TV shows.
Plot: While I found this more enjoyable than the attempt at making Black Hammer a Warren horror mag back in the second issue this latest entry focused on an odd journey by Colonel Weird was a little difficult to digest. I mean, Colonel Weird focused plots tend to be scattered in general so it certainly fit...but I'm not entirely sure what this issue was ultimately trying to say...or even if it was trying to say anything at all which isn't a satisfying place to be.
Art: I think the best part of this issue was the art by Olortegui, I've never seen his work before but his detailed line work was really beautiful. It's kind of like a softer Joe Kubert, with really its really detailed and realistic faces but with a modern style of shading. I'd definitely love to see more and I'll have to do some research and find out what else he's done.
Grade: 6.5/10
This one didn't work for me at all, whereas I thought issue #2 was fine though nothing special (I also got more of a DC mystery book vibe than Warren vibe). Maybe the issue for me was that we just had Colonel Weird: Cosmogog to show us that you can do a Col. Weird story and have it be weird but interesting. This one just seemed to be weird without having any apparent point. |
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Post by Dizzy D on May 14, 2021 3:13:51 GMT -5
Man, DC's out put this week was once again pretty dire. Despite the great art by I'm dropping Superman because the shadowbreed are just so generic that I can't get myself to care and although Batman: Urban Legends started out decently it's fizzled out fast. I'm trying to remember the last time DC did anything I was remotely interested in reading. I suspect it was when they were using the Hanna-Barbera characters to great effect about five years ago.
For me, Far Sector is the one thing I'm waiting for in trade from DC and really interested in (never preordered it, so reading in singles was not going to happen), but that's it for DC titles right now.
Maybe if they do a follow-up to Harleen, but I understood from Stjepan Šejić that he will be focusing on his creator-owned work for the foreseeable future.
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