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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 4, 2022 8:46:18 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKS!What did you read?  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 5, 2022 16:10:54 GMT -5
Detective Comics #1047Written by Mariko Tamaki Art by Ivan Reis Summary: They promised a new future for mental health but the reality is that Arkham is a doomed name.
Plot: Even though I haven't been a fan of events of late (especially how long they are) I went into this with an open mind because I really do like Tamaki's writing...but this is as far as I go. We started with an entire annual that was focused on setting up this event. Then we had last week’s issue which was another vague setup for this event and now we got the actual first chapter this week ... and it’s just more setup for the event. It's been just so much treading water and not even interesting treading either, we got five whole pages of a press conference lead by a character we had never met and he's just a bland character ... and then we flash forward to the all too predictable fall of the new Arkham and the doctor is thrown out the window to his death. It's supposed to be this huge moment, we know this because it was a huge splash-page...but it falls flatter than the body because we don't know who this guy is, so why care that he's dead? And that's pretty much the moral of the story here, there's just not enough here to make you care; there's all kinds of action that takes place towards the end but it's so much sound and fury that ultimately signifies nothing. There's no tension with jumping into the destruction of the tower because we were never shown that it would be anything other than disastrous and because it's been so much treading water there's no strong sense of what's going on and where things are going which just makes it feel like an unfocused mess.
Art: Although I'm totally turned off by the story, I still really appreciate this comic’s visuals. There are some cool horror sequences here by Reis that really catch your eye; there was a sequence where we followed an unnamed serial walking down a hall that was just seriously disturbing...but ultimately it wasn't enough especially because those scenes were so small and didn't involve forwarding the plot at all. It's a bummer, both Tamaki and Reis are really talented people but this book is just bad.
Grade:4/10 |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 5, 2022 17:41:42 GMT -5
Yeah, it wasn’t good.
The back-up story on the other hand ... yeah, that also was not good.
Also not good ... One-Star Squadron. It would be nice to see someone writing Power Girl who has ever read a Power Girl story.
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Post by majestic on Jan 5, 2022 18:26:38 GMT -5
Batman #119. Joshua Williamson and Jorge Molina.
Abyss: Part 2. Luthor is revealed as the new benefactor behind Batman Inc after Bruce lost a huge part of his fortune. As Btaman he faces the new villain Abyss plus investigates the murder mystery involving Batman Inc. As Bruce Wayne he confronts Lex Luthor to see if he had a part in farming Batman Inc despite financing the team.
I like Williamson as a writer and am enjoying seeing Batman operate outside of Gotham City. Molina's art is great and gets an assist from Mikel Janin.
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Post by majestic on Jan 5, 2022 18:33:55 GMT -5
Thor #20. Donny Cates and Nic Klein.
God of Hammers: Part 2.
The God of Hammers is using Mjolinr across the realms and is leaving destruction behind. Thor fights with Odin for his failure as a king in his involvement in the tragedy. Thor breaks down emotionally when Broxton is destroyed and the God of Hammers is revealed on the last page...
Cates continues his stellar and destined to be a classic, run on Thor. If you aren't reading this you are missing out on one of Marvel's best current titles.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 5, 2022 18:54:43 GMT -5
Batman #119. Joshua Williamson and Jorge Molina. Abyss: Part 2. Luthor is revealed as the new benefactor behind Batman Inc after Bruce lost a huge part of his fortune. As Btaman he faces the new villain Abyss plus investigates the murder mystery involving Batman Inc. As Bruce Wayne he confronts Lex Luthor to see if he had a part in farming Batman Inc despite financing the team. I like Williamson as a writer and am enjoying seeing Batman operate outside of Gotham City. Molina's art is great and gets an assist from Mikel Janin. I didn't really care for abyss, they just came across as super generic but I really enjoyed the scene with Lex, and the interaction with that detective was great too. I'm cautiously optimistic. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 5, 2022 18:55:46 GMT -5
Yeah, it wasn’t good. The back-up story on the other hand ... yeah, that also was not good. Also not good ... One-Star Squadron. It would be nice to see someone writing Power Girl who has ever read a Power Girl story. I liked the art on the back up, but yeah another grim-dark Joker murders random people for no real reason story was boring as hell. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 5, 2022 20:25:00 GMT -5
Yeah, it wasn’t good. The back-up story on the other hand ... yeah, that also was not good. Also not good ... One-Star Squadron. It would be nice to see someone writing Power Girl who has ever read a Power Girl story. I liked the art on the back up, but yeah another grim-dark Joker murders random people for no real reason story was boring as hell. I have a feeling the kid is going to grow up to be ... Nero XIX? Is that his name? He tried to kill the mayor a few issues ago and he was allegedly cured in the lead story in this issue? The Joker is one of my favorite characters but I can’t remember the last time he was interesting. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 6, 2022 6:22:42 GMT -5
I liked the art on the back up, but yeah another grim-dark Joker murders random people for no real reason story was boring as hell. I have a feeling the kid is going to grow up to be ... Nero XIX? Is that his name? He tried to kill the mayor a few issues ago and he was allegedly cured in the lead story in this issue? The Joker is one of my favorite characters but I can’t remember the last time he was interesting. That's definitely who it's supposed to be, and it's a huge part of why the backup is so boring...who the heck cares what D-List Villian #1138's oh so edgy origin is? |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 6, 2022 12:31:03 GMT -5
I have a feeling the kid is going to grow up to be ... Nero XIX? Is that his name? He tried to kill the mayor a few issues ago and he was allegedly cured in the lead story in this issue? The Joker is one of my favorite characters but I can’t remember the last time he was interesting. That's definitely who it's supposed to be, and it's a huge part of why the backup is so boring...who the heck cares what D-List Villian #1138's oh so edgy origin is? On the bright side, I did get one new comic I liked! It was a very expensive reprint of Charlton’s Fantastic Giants #1 from 1966! Konga and Gorgo stories by Ditko! |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 8, 2022 10:08:12 GMT -5
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 8, 2022 17:43:27 GMT -5
Atleast the writer has the self awareness to say that he mostly crafts clickbait right in his byline. It would be better if that warning was part of the title, but that level honesty is a start at least. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 8, 2022 18:38:02 GMT -5
heh... Bleeding Cool, by it's nature is all click bait... one goes there to see if there's a kernel or two of interest mixed in.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 8, 2022 23:08:22 GMT -5
My indy stuff (Which I was most excited about):
Not All Robots #5 : Russell just knocks it out of the park for social commentary... I'm thinking he might need to run for President, but then he won't be writing comics any more, so that's not good. Great stuff to conclude this chapter, but there's clearly more ahead, (everything is pretty much cliff hanging, but not in a terrible way). Brilliant Stuff.
Frontiersman #4 : Man, what a cover! This month's visitor to the tree is a giant faerie queen that was mostly a villain, but seems to have had a relationship with our hero in his younger days. Once again, the world just seems so rich, and the characters so much more intresting than your standard superhero fare.... this feels a bit like the beginnings of Astro City, where I kept marvelling at how Busiek and Co kept coming up with new awesome hero names no one had ever used.. in this case it's unique mixes of what could be standard character types. Y'all should be reading this!
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 9, 2022 0:30:11 GMT -5
DC offerings:
Dark Knights of Steel #3 : The King of Storms goes to the Amazons, and another assassination happens. Seems like this is one of those Elseworlds were they just have fun setting up two sides to kill each other. I'll give it another issue or 2 to see if they do anything interesting with Bruce being 1/2 Kryptonian, but so far it's not looking good.
Justice League Infinity #7 : Very Deus ex Machina ending, but they way it was set up, it had to be... weirdly terrible cover, too. Definitely a miss on this series overall (as compared to the most excellent Batman Continues)
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