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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 6, 2022 9:04:25 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKS! |
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Post by DubipR on Apr 6, 2022 9:55:16 GMT -5
Big-ish week of comics:
- Wonder Woman Historia- The Amazons #2
- The Thing #6
- Fantastic Four #42
- SheHulk #3
I'll figure out a Pick of the Week.
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Post by majestic on Apr 6, 2022 13:43:21 GMT -5
DEVIL'S REIGN #6. Written by Chip Zdarsky. Art by Marco Checchetto.
The conclusion of DD's latest feud with Fisk that has been building since Waid's run on the book.
Zdarsky takes concepts that have been used before in comics, combines them and adds his own twist to tell a highly entertaining story that started over 2 years ago. This has been when of the best runs on Daredevil and DD has had many great creators telling classic stories.
I can't reveal the ending of the story without spoilers but needless to say we see an end to DD/Kingpin feud for now. Fisk, Mike Murdock, Matt, Elektra, Luke Cage and even NYC get a "new" status as Daredevil gets a new #1 (sigh) in June by the same creative team.
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Post by majestic on Apr 6, 2022 13:50:10 GMT -5
MOON KNIGHT #10. Written by Jed MacKay. Art by Alessandro Cappuccio.
MK is attacked on several fronts by old enemies.
This series has been showcasing a more confident MK using his mind to win battles just as much he has used brute violence in the past. One thing we don't see much of is Marc's other ID's besides Moon Knight/Mr Knight.
I do find myself missing his old supporting cast although I do like his Midnight Mission.
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Post by majestic on Apr 6, 2022 13:59:16 GMT -5
STRANGE #2. Written by Jed MacKay. Art by Marcelo Ferreira.
Clea vs Harvestman. Clea begins to find a way to bring Stephen Strange back to life. Clea finds her new role as Sorcerer Supreme emotionally draining. However she is also a Warlord and finds herself having to fight demons and monsters preying on the misery and suffering of New York's citizens.
Another great title by MacKay exploring Clea as Sorcerer Supreme as she tries and restore Stephen to life again.
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Post by majestic on Apr 6, 2022 14:09:53 GMT -5
I was going to pick up the Rocketeer but decided to wait and get the trade. I have switched to getting trades of most of my non-DC/Marvel titles.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 7, 2022 8:13:28 GMT -5
Batman #122Written by Joshua Williamson Art by Howard Porter Summary: The Shadow War continues as Talia's army forces Slade to flee but as Batman questions Talia, Robin teams up with Rose for revenge. Plot: So the fake Deathstroke who murdered Ra's Al Ghul escaped through a huge tunnel in the ground that Batman didn't detect being dug...and he rushes to question Talia about killing her father? No thought towards Brion Markov who has earth moving super powers and who we saw just last issue airing grievances against the Al Ghul's and Slade on national television? I like a fair play mystery that allows the reader to put the pieces together along side the detective, but to do it right you can't make the detective dumber than the reader as it just gets frustrating at that point and yet that's just what Williamson has done here. Even if Geo-Force is a red herring to make the readers go down the wrong track the fact that Batman remarks about the impossibility of a tunnel that large being excavated that quickly with out setting off seismic alarms and he doesn't even mention Markov or his connection to what's happening, never mind question the person with a known metahuman ability that would connect him to the fake Deathstroke's escape is just a bad move. Sure, the moment with Bruce and Talia was a great character moment, but we could have gotten that reunion later on with out making Batman seem like an ineffectual detective. I don't know if I'll pick up more of this event at this point. Art: Adding insult to injury is the inconsistent art displayed in this issue. While not my favorite artist, I've never had a problem with Howard Porter's art in the past but in this issue it was just plain ugly. He had a distinct lack of control of proportions in his depiction of facial features, and infact features seemed to morph from panel to panel to the point that at times if you were to view them in isolation and with out context you'd never know they were meant to depict the same character. And his Damien Wayne? If you had never seen the character before you never would have guessed he was a kid if it weren't for the bouncer telling him he was too young to go in the bar. He was as tall as every other adult in the room despite being a prepubescent boy and his face and musculature were far too mature...it was just terrible all around. You'd think for what is supposed to be a big Batman crossover you'd want your A-Team on the art...but this ain't it. Grade:5/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 7, 2022 9:00:30 GMT -5
She-Hulk #3Written by Rainbow Rowell Art by Roge Antonio Summary: At work Jenn tries to get back in the swing of things with the help of Andy(!) while back at home Jack of Hearts' mystery continues.
Plot: While the pacing continues to be a little slow Rowell really is trying to recapture the feel of Dan Slott's stunning She-Hulk run with some amazingly fun character moments and a series of great call backs to the past with Andy. What's really great though is that while obviously playing on the past the book is still its own thing and not just an imitation of Slott's work. Seeing Jenn connect with Ben Grim and Patsy Walker was great and I loved seeing Jenn use her mind to try and investigate Jack's problems in her own way. All in all the light hearted energy and positivity this book just exudes makes it really stand out on the racks and a real joy to read.
Art: Antonio continues to really come through with some really beautiful art. The line work is clear and smooth which easily conveys the character's energy and emotion and the bright color pallet provided by Rico Renzi is just plain fun.
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 8, 2022 13:50:37 GMT -5
The Rocketeer: The Great Race #1Story and Art by Stephen Mooney Summary: Ace pilot Cliff Secord is back for another adventure as he competes in a transatlantic race for 10 grande in prize money...and his life!
Plot: While we're used to reading stories about Batman, Superman or the Hulk long after their original creators have stopped writing them or passed away there are some stories that are so intrinsically tied to their creators that its hard to keep at it once they are are gone and Dave Stevens' Rocketeer is definitely in that vein. So much of what made the Rocketeer work was tied to Stevens' art so when others have attempted to fill in afterwards it's often fell short, for every Cargo of Doom by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee or Home Again by Kurt Buseik and Michael Kaluta there are dozens of others that just felt like cheap imitations so I was pretty apprehensive about this book when I saw it but thankfully Mooney delivered. Mooney has a great ear for the characters and their ’30s-inspired voices, his Peevy is particularly fantastic, and the idea of Cliff trying to hang up the jetpack and commit to Betty was a great way to continue the story. On top of that Mooney really captures the love of early aeronautical history that Stevens always imbued his stories with as the transatlantic race really has the feel of the stories of Lindbergh and Earhart. The plot may still crash and burn as it develops but it's a promising start.
Art: With his experience doing covers for Dynamite's various Bettie Page comics Stephen Mooney and his pulp infused Half Past Danger books was definitely a no brainer to helm this book. And while his art isn't perhaps as stunning as Stevens,Mooney’s work is definitely very, very good, giving us a suitably glamorous Betty and action sequences that feel more down-to-Earth than a pure superhero comic. I can't wait for the race to begin so we can see his depictions of these super planes in action!
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 8, 2022 15:11:57 GMT -5
MOON KNIGHT #10. Written by Jed MacKay. Art by Alessandro Cappuccio. MK is attacked on several fronts by old enemies. This series has been showcasing a more confident MK using his mind to win battles just as much he has used brute violence in the past. One thing we don't see much of is Marc's other ID's besides Moon Knight/Mr Knight. I do find myself missing his old supporting cast although I do like his Midnight Mission. The Midnight Mission is a fun concept, especially now that it is a sentient house. I didn't read the Devil's Reign crossover so I didn't care for how it interfered with this book in the last few issues but it looks like its getting back on track. As for a supporting cast, I'll take Reese, Soldier and Hunter's Moon over Marlene and Frenchie any day but I do miss Crawley and the Landers family. |
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Post by Dizzy D on Apr 9, 2022 17:20:09 GMT -5
X-Men Red #1
Written by Al Ewing
Art by Stefano Caselli and Federico Blee
What Happened Before: Mutants have organized and live together now on the living island of Krakoa. Recently the mutants of Krakoa discovered the living island of Arakko, split apart from Krakoa thousands of years ago during a demonic invasion and banished to a hellish dimension. Due to the actions of Apocalypse, Arakko and her inhabitants were returned to Earth free of any demonic influence, but the mutants of Arakko only respect strength. Unable to control their mutant brethren, the most powerful of Krakoa's mutants terraformed Mars and moved Arakko to the red planet. Arakko is now a planet, a port of harbour for interstellar flight and a meeting place for the galactic empires. Ruling Arakko as its regent is Storm, who needs to temper the violent tendencies of her new people while still retaining their respect.
Plot: The Council of Arakko votes whether to go to War (returning to the hell dimension of Amenth to defeat their demonic enemies there) or stay at Peace (staying on Mars and starting a new life). By a difference of one vote, the winning choice is Peace.
Meanwhile Magneto has left the ruling Council of Krakoa (see Immortal X-Men #1 last week) and moved to Arakko. He befriends a man known only as the Fisher King, an inhabitant of Arakko who is human instead of a mutant.
Sunspot has opened a bar on Arakko, but the peace in his bar is disturbed by an increasingly unstable Vulcan, who gets into a fight with John Proudstar. Abigail Brand and Cable break up the fight and take Vulcan away, but Sunspot does not trust Brand.
Brand is planning to create her own X-Men to act as ambassadors and role-models on Arakko. So Sunspot decides to create his own X-Men to counter hers, asking Magneto and Fisher King to join his team. Storm enters and agrees to the plan, but changes the name of the team to The Brotherhood, to represent that they are part of Arakko and stand with and for its people.
The Good: This is S.W.O.R.D. part 2 and it takes all the interesting parts of S.W.O.R.D. and continues that. I hope this series won't get interrupted by endless crossovers, because the basic premise is solid:
- Storm is trying to walk a fine line between keeping Arakko's excesses in check while still respecting its people. The actions she took to take her seat on Arakko haunt her, as well as fears of becoming a dictator to this people. Abigail's insistence on calling her Queen sets Ororo against her.
It also fleshes out the inhabitants of Arakko, who are all formed by a terrible past, but many of them are still sympathetic. I still find Isca the Unbeaten one of the most fascinating characters in recent Marvel comics.
Also Fisher King is an interesting character; Magneto still is prejudiced against humans, but bonds with the man as he learns that their pasts are very alike. Fisher King also sets Magneto straight on Arakko's culture: Arakko respects strength, which does not mean putting up a tough facade, but admitting your own pain and weaknesses.
- Ewing already wrote a very good Sunspot in Avengers/USAvengers and this version of Sunspot continues that. He's charming and appears carefree, but he's far more perceptive than anybody gives him credit for.
Abigail Brand, Cable, Vulcan and Thunderbird only make short appearances. Brand can't be trusted (from S.W.O.R.D. we know she's working with Orchis, the anti-mutant organization.) and is very antagonistic toward Storm and Sunspot. Vulcan seemed more normal in his previous appearances on Krakoa (if a bit flakey), but here he seems to be sliding back into the murderous Emperor of the Shi'ar he once was (triggered by seeing a Shi'ar on Arakko). John Proudstar seems very displeased with Krakoa and its inhabitants (his brother James excepted), though why exactly is unclear to me at the moment (resentment over his death?). His antipathy towards Cable is more understanding as he accuses Cable of turning James into a soldier (which is .. not wrong).
Caselli and Blee do a great job of capturing the planet of Arakko with its alien environments as well as having some good new character designs (really liking Storm's new look here)
The Bad: Nothing really. Of to a good start for me. Try to avoid the crossovers, Al.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 11, 2022 18:50:42 GMT -5
I was thinking of checking this out.. but it seems petty likely it'll be Krakoa vs. Arakko soon.. that's really all Marvel knows how to do. Wouldn't surprise me if it was the big summer event, in fact.
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Post by Dizzy D on Apr 13, 2022 5:39:01 GMT -5
I do hope that they won't do outright war between Arakko and Krakoa (as that was basically what X of Swords was). Tensions and disagreements: yes, lots of them.
BTW also read the new Marauders last week, but was not happy with the new direction. This is probably a me-thing and not an issue with the series itself, but I loved Kate&Emma vs. Shaw and now it's Kate and her band of Merry Men off on space adventures and that is not what I was here for.
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