|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 28, 2022 11:16:37 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKS!Real Reviews By Real Readers.  |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 29, 2022 13:09:25 GMT -5
Han Solo and Chewbacca #3Written by Marc Guggenheim Art by David Messina Summary: When the job goes south Han uses his rogish ingenuity to steal the security team's own ship and get him, his father and Chewie away.
Plot: Guggenheim continues his fun hiest story set in a galaxy far, far away with Han jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. While I'm still not sure the one eyed pirate tagging along is truly Han's father the cat and mouse game is well worth the read. And while I'm still disapointed that Chewie so far is barely there(he merely keeps the car running while the action takes place) Han's bravado picks up the slack. Un Guggenheim's pen Han swaggers his way through the barely there escape plan with just a wink and a smile. It's light on plot but high on energy and fun and with Star Wars that's always half the battle. Hopefully with Black Krrsantan's appearance at the end of the issue it means we'll get to see more of Chewie next time.
Art: Messina continues to deliver a truly film accurate look to the book with both the characters and the technology looking like they were torn right off the screen. While there are a few panels where he slips up and Han's face doesn't exactly look like Ford's but it's mostly a seemless translation of what Han might have looked like before we saw him in A New Hope which gives the book a great feel.
Grade:7/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 29, 2022 14:19:09 GMT -5
Obi-Wan #2Written by Christopher Cantwell Art by Nolan Woodard Summary: When Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon respond to a call for help from a mining colony they find there is something behind the bump in the night.
Plot: Cantwell continues his exploration of Obi-Wan's past with this second issue, this time jumping from Obi-Wan as a youngling to his time as a Padwan under Qui-Gon Jinn. Now, for returning readers of Off The Racks you know by now how my tastes in books run, but for those just joining in I'll make it clear that I love anthology books, and while I do love that Cantwell is channeling that feel here with the framing narrative and each story having a different tone I feel like he hasn't gone far enough. We got a coming of age/first love kind of story in the first issue which worked well enough and the set up here for a horror story was promising as its not something we get often in Star Wars but it ultimately fell a little short. I really liked using the Shistavanen (the wolfman from the Cantina's species) as a werewolf but Cantwell didn't play into it enough, there wasn't that tension of being hunted and of fearing the dark that makes that kind of story work and with out that kind of atmosphere the story goes a little flat. Still and all it's a fun concept for a book and I'm excited to see Cantwell do a war story in the next issue when we jump forward once again.
Art: I think some of the blame for the book not working as a horror story comes down to the art unfortunately. As much as the plot itself never slowed down to develop the sense of dread the art has the same flaw in that despite the darkness the colony is supposed to be in everything is too clear to the reader and when we can see all the details there's no reason to fear anything which really stops it from being a succesful horror book.
Grade:6/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 29, 2022 15:10:00 GMT -5
The Variants #1Written by Gail Simone Art by Phil Noto Summary: The Purpleman is apparently back but Jessica Jones isn't alone against him this time as she teams up with...herself!?
Plot: I don't know if it's because I just rewatched the excellent Netflix Jessica Jones show or if Simone is just that good(and she is!) but this first issue felt like the perfect follow up to Bendis' original run. It not only perfectly captures Jones' voice but it has that perfect mix of humor, drama and romance that made the first book feel so special...and then it adds a new and exciting twist by incorporating alternate Joneses from alternate realities. And while multiverses are all the rage now in fiction, everybody's doing it from Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, Dark Crisis and even serious drama/comedy films like Everything, Everywhere All At Once, the hard boiled take here some how doesn't feel old. That said, while I did enjoy the scenes with Murdock, both in and out of costume, there was a fair bit of decompression here with the actual thrust of the story not becoming clear(and only just so) in the last three pages. But that mystery is compelling, is it the multiverse helping her take on the Purpleman for some reason, or are these alternates caused by the Purpleman? Only time will tell.
Art: Noto does a fantastic job here of really selling us on Jessica as a person here with his glorious amount of detail in his various close up shots of Jessica's face. Through out the whole story, from the simple indecision of picking a lipstick color to the shock of the revelation that Purpleman is back, you really feel exactly what Jones is feeling in every scene. It's just a brilliant character study from start to finish.
Grade:10/10 |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 29, 2022 17:32:34 GMT -5
She-Hulk #4Written by Rainbow Rowell Art by Luca Maresca Colored by Rico Renzi Summary: After a rousing bout of friendly fightclub with Titania, Jenn finds herself on the verge of helping Jack of Hearts solve his mystery.
Plot: I complained just a short time ago above about the decompression in Variants...but this is an entirely different level. On the one hand I really do love the character scenes of Jen fighting Titania, having lunch with Ben Grimm and doing a little legal work for a few close friends, but on the other the plot with Javk of Hearts just continues to drag on and worse than that we don't learn anything new. It's like a song stuck on replay in that each appearance seems nearly the same, Jenn introduces him to some new food he never got to try before, there's some flirting and then a tease of what happened to him but after doing that three times already it's really lost its charm. And that ending? That's just insult to injury. Not only do we get the same Jack of Hearts scene we got in the previous three issues but then it winds up in a totally non-revealing reveal. We get the build up to the "shocking" reveal...but don't actually get the shock because we don't see who it is...not even a hint of who it is, which is just crazy. You can't have a cliff hanger ending without seeing the cliff you're stuck on. At this point I hope the whole Jack of Hearts bit gets cleared up soon because the rest is just way more interesting.
Art: Despite nothing really happening in this issue the art somehow still manages to feel energetic. And while I do enjoy Maresca's clean line work I think the energy really comes from Renzi's color pallet; their bright, primary colors are just so fun to look at that you just can't help but be engrossed by the visuals.
Grade:7/10 |
|
|
|
Post by majestic on Jun 29, 2022 18:53:43 GMT -5
CAPTAIN AMERICA SYMBOL OF TRUTH #2. Written by Tochi Onyebuchi. Art by R.B. Silva.
After the events of issue one Sam Wilson needs information. The person with that info is Deadpool. Who is in a Latverian prison.
Lots of action that ends with Sam & Deadpool being prisoners of Doom...
I am loving two issues of Capt America every month. Each have their own unique voice as they showcase Sam in this title and Steve & Bucky in the other title. Both have great story & art.
|
|
|
|
Post by majestic on Jun 29, 2022 18:59:48 GMT -5
ROBIN #15. Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Roger Cruz.
Damian confronts both of his parents. He returns to Lazarus Island to establish his own sanctuary.
Happy to see Hawke remains part of this title. I like Damian's comment to Conner as he says that both their fathers had caves and now the two of them have an island.
Williamson has made his mark on Damian in a good way. Sad to read that it is over in 2 more issues.
|
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 29, 2022 19:36:53 GMT -5
ROBIN #15. Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Roger Cruz. Damian confronts both of his parents. He returns to Lazarus Island to establish his own sanctuary. Happy to see Hawke remains part of this title. I like Damian's comment to Conner as he says that both their fathers had caves and now the two of them have an island. Williamson has made his mark on Damian in a good way. Sad to read that it is over in 2 more issues. The part on Lazarus island was pretty solid...but the whole first half with Talia and Bruce was pretty terrible especially as it undid the one saving grace of the whole Shadow War debacle: Batman and Robin back together. |
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Jun 29, 2022 19:47:28 GMT -5
She-Hulk #4Written by Rainbow Rowell Art by Luca Maresca Colored by Rico Renzi Summary: After a rousing bout of friendly fightclub with Titania, Jenn finds herself on the verge of helping Jack of Hearts solve his mystery.
Plot: I complained just a short time ago above about the decompression in Variants...but this is an entirely different level. On the one hand I really do love the character scenes of Jen fighting Titania, having lunch with Ben Grimm and doing a little legal work for a few close friends, but on the other the plot with Javk of Hearts just continues to drag on and worse than that we don't learn anything new. It's like a song stuck on replay in that each appearance seems nearly the same, Jenn introduces him to some new food he never got to try before, there's some flirting and then a tease of what happened to him but after doing that three times already it's really lost its charm. And that ending? That's just insult to injury. Not only do we get the same Jack of Hearts scene we got in the previous three issues but then it winds up in a totally non-revealing reveal. We get the build up to the "shocking" reveal...but don't actually get the shock because we don't see who it is...not even a hint of who it is, which is just crazy. You can't have a cliff hanger ending without seeing the cliff you're stuck on. At this point I hope the whole Jack of Hearts bit gets cleared up soon because the rest is just way more interesting.
Art: Despite nothing really happening in this issue the art somehow still manages to feel energetic. And while I do enjoy Maresca's clean line work I think the energy really comes from Renzi's color pallet; their bright, primary colors are just so fun to look at that you just can't help but be engrossed by the visuals.
Grade:7/10 I agree with you 100%. I’m liking a lot of what’s going on in She-Hulk, but the ongoing Jack of Hearts subplot is not doing a thing for me. |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 29, 2022 19:57:58 GMT -5
She-Hulk #4Written by Rainbow Rowell Art by Luca Maresca Colored by Rico Renzi Summary: After a rousing bout of friendly fightclub with Titania, Jenn finds herself on the verge of helping Jack of Hearts solve his mystery.
Plot: I complained just a short time ago above about the decompression in Variants...but this is an entirely different level. On the one hand I really do love the character scenes of Jen fighting Titania, having lunch with Ben Grimm and doing a little legal work for a few close friends, but on the other the plot with Javk of Hearts just continues to drag on and worse than that we don't learn anything new. It's like a song stuck on replay in that each appearance seems nearly the same, Jenn introduces him to some new food he never got to try before, there's some flirting and then a tease of what happened to him but after doing that three times already it's really lost its charm. And that ending? That's just insult to injury. Not only do we get the same Jack of Hearts scene we got in the previous three issues but then it winds up in a totally non-revealing reveal. We get the build up to the "shocking" reveal...but don't actually get the shock because we don't see who it is...not even a hint of who it is, which is just crazy. You can't have a cliff hanger ending without seeing the cliff you're stuck on. At this point I hope the whole Jack of Hearts bit gets cleared up soon because the rest is just way more interesting.
Art: Despite nothing really happening in this issue the art somehow still manages to feel energetic. And while I do enjoy Maresca's clean line work I think the energy really comes from Renzi's color pallet; their bright, primary colors are just so fun to look at that you just can't help but be engrossed by the visuals.
Grade:7/10 I agree with you 100%. I’m liking a lot of what’s going on in She-Hulk, but the ongoing Jack of Hearts subplot is not doing a thing for me. I c an get behind the slice of life story telling in the main story, detailing Jenn's day to day life is fun...but if you're going to do a mystery then do it and get on with it already. There should have been some development already but it's literally nothing so far. |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 29, 2022 19:59:40 GMT -5
CAPTAIN AMERICA SYMBOL OF TRUTH #2. Written by Tochi Onyebuchi. Art by R.B. Silva. After the events of issue one Sam Wilson needs information. The person with that info is Deadpool. Who is in a Latverian prison. Lots of action that ends with Sam & Deadpool being prisoners of Doom... I am loving two issues of Capt America every month. Each have their own unique voice as they showcase Sam in this title and Steve & Bucky in the other title. Both have great story & art. I usually can't stand Deadpool but he was decent here, I really liked the way he played off of Sam. The plot about the Triple-S is also shaping up well, the mystery and political intrigue is building up nicely and I'm excited to see how the interaction with Doom goes next issue. |
|
|
|
Post by Batflunkie on Jun 30, 2022 12:04:13 GMT -5
CAPTAIN AMERICA SYMBOL OF TRUTH #2. Written by Tochi Onyebuchi. Art by R.B. Silva. After the events of issue one Sam Wilson needs information. The person with that info is Deadpool. Who is in a Latverian prison. Lots of action that ends with Sam & Deadpool being prisoners of Doom... I am loving two issues of Capt America every month. Each have their own unique voice as they showcase Sam in this title and Steve & Bucky in the other title. Both have great story & art. Last time we had two Cap books was Secret Empire, so I was a little bit apprehensive at first. Sentinel Of Liberty #1 was fantastic though, same with the zero issue. Planning on sitting down and reading Symbol Of Truth 1 & 2 at some point |
|
|
|
Post by The Captain on Jul 1, 2022 17:00:23 GMT -5
CAPTAIN AMERICA SYMBOL OF TRUTH #2. Written by Tochi Onyebuchi. Art by R.B. Silva. After the events of issue one Sam Wilson needs information. The person with that info is Deadpool. Who is in a Latverian prison. Lots of action that ends with Sam & Deadpool being prisoners of Doom... I am loving two issues of Capt America every month. Each have their own unique voice as they showcase Sam in this title and Steve & Bucky in the other title. Both have great story & art. I usually can't stand Deadpool but he was decent here, I really liked the way he played off of Sam. The plot about the Triple-S is also shaping up well, the mystery and political intrigue is building up nicely and I'm excited to see how the interaction with Doom goes next issue. I’m in the same space. Normally I cringe at Deadpool appearances, but he was actually tolerable here, probably because he was written straight and not as a fourth-wall breaking Looney Toon. Book’s been good so far. Hoping it keeps up. |
|
|
|
Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 1, 2022 17:50:52 GMT -5
I usually can't stand Deadpool but he was decent here, I really liked the way he played off of Sam. The plot about the Triple-S is also shaping up well, the mystery and political intrigue is building up nicely and I'm excited to see how the interaction with Doom goes next issue. I’m in the same space. Normally I cringe at Deadpool appearances, but he was actually tolerable here, probably because he was written straight and not as a fourth-wall breaking Looney Toon. Book’s been good so far. Hoping it keeps up. Yeah, if this keeps up it could easily be one of the best Cap runs. |
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 9, 2022 13:55:29 GMT -5
ROBIN #15. Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Roger Cruz. Damian confronts both of his parents. He returns to Lazarus Island to establish his own sanctuary. Happy to see Hawke remains part of this title. I like Damian's comment to Conner as he says that both their fathers had caves and now the two of them have an island. Williamson has made his mark on Damian in a good way. Sad to read that it is over in 2 more issues. That is sad! Williamson has done a great job moving Damian out of his 'violent runt of the litter' trope and into a more interesting, nuanced character, and the budding supporting cast has definitely been interesting. That's a real shame. There are a ton of stories to be told with Damian in charge of an island for runaways. That said, I didn't love the resolution of Talia's arc here.. doesn't feel right to me. |
|
