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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 28, 2023 8:05:39 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKSReal Readers + Fresh Comics = Honest Reviews  What did you read this week? |
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Post by DubipR on Feb 28, 2023 8:54:43 GMT -5
-Action Comics 1052
-Detective Comics 1069
-Human Target 12
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 28, 2023 12:50:39 GMT -5
Batman Vs. Robin #5Written by Mark Waid Art by Mahmud Asrar Summary: With time running out and the world in the balance Damian, Monkey Prince and the whole Batfamily step up to save Batman.
Plot: I'm going to put this first and foremost, I proudly said, "We are Batman!" right along with the Batfamily and the rest of the denizens of Gotham city as they strove to revive Batman from the magical wounds he sustained from fighting the demon Nezha. I wasn't a big fan of the whole Lazurus planet event as from the start it seemed pretty thin on plot and the overall grimness of the tone was just tired and over done...but the optimism that Waid brought to the forefront when he came back to DC with Worlds Finest shone bright and clear in the finale of this issue. Sure, we've seen similar plots with the world sending their good juju out into the universe some how saving the day in the past(it's how the 10th Doctor beat the Master) but it hit this reader squarely in the heart here and I bit it hook, line and sinker and the ending with Bruce and Damian flying off as the up-beat father son dynamic duo definitely worked as well. The book was flawed and the event was a stinker...but Waid still really knows how to bring the right amount of heart to the page so I'm excited to see what he does next.
Art: Asrar, as always, really delivered some stunningly beautifully and detailed art that filled the book with great action and visual thrills that left you wanting more. And with the added page count here Asrar really got to stretch his creative muscles and provide some stunning splash pages, and while normally those can feel like a road block to a fast paced conclusion with the padded length it didn't slow things down here at all which really made me enjoy them all the more.
Grade:8/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 28, 2023 14:19:07 GMT -5
Detective Comics #1069Written by Ram V Art by Dexter Soy, Stefano Raffaele, Miguel Mendonća Summary: After Two-Face patches up Batman he crashes with Jim Gordon while Barbra tracks down ancient lay lines under Gotham.
Plot: Ram V's "Gotham Nocturnes" continues it into its 8th part here in 'Tec #1069, and at this point it doesn't appear any closer to the end and it is still lacking a real sense of direction. When we last saw Batman he was being carried away by Two-Face to receive medical attention...from the Ten-Eyed Man!? Since when is he a doctor you ask? I have no answer, and none was provided in the issue. And that's not the only question raised there are also gems like:What do the Orghams want? What is Azmer? What do lay lines have to do with any of this? And again, after eight issues we have no answers for these and despite the strong characterization and mood established that is really dragging the book down.
Art: The art credit is a little odd, when I see a list that long I usually expect the art to look disjointed but I can't tell the difference from one page to another and over all it's beautiful to look at.
Grade:6/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 2, 2023 9:35:48 GMT -5
Action Comics #1052Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson Art by Rafa Sadoval Summary: The Superfamily succeeded in saving Steelworks from Metallo but more questions remain about who was really behind the attack. Plot: Well, wildfire2099 PKJ answered your question about Luthor's involvement here in their latest installment of Action Comics; it's not a case of books ignoring each other but rather the sign of a deeper mystery. So far, I'm really loving the whole family dynamic the book has with all the Supers living together, or atleast in pretty close contact and having regular family dinners which just feels so wholesome and Superman-like. And the mystery is interesting too, if it isn't Luthor manipulating him, and it isn't the Blue-Earthers than who is controlling Metallo? And to what end? On top of that, I really enjoyed the call back to Morrison's run on Action Comics, that's still one of my favorite Superman runs and not only did the connection to it that PKJ brought to the issue by going back to Morrison's origin for Metalo feel great but the whole spirit of hope and togetherness that he brings to the page reminds me of why I loved Morrison's writing on Superman as well. I didn't read the warworld(but it seems like I should) story so I don't know if the bit about the unmades is a hint towards who is controlling Metallo or not but I'm definitely all in so here's hoping its a fun ride. As for the back ups? While I like the young Jon story by Jurgens well enough so far the Powergirl story remains a total flop for me. Why can she go in peoples minds? What does it do for the character? I found myself skipping reading whole panels here since I was so disinterested so maybe those questions were answered in the story itself but I can't be bothered to see. Art: Sandoval really knows how to both wow the crowd with his action heavy scenes while still hitting all the marks in the quiter family related scenes back at the Kent household. The throw down with Metallo was full of big epic panels while the scenes at home were comprised of many smaller panels and that skill at working the visual medium not only radically visually altered the pacing of the story but it also affected the mood as well with the pages full of smaller panels giving those scenes a suitably intimate feeling that fit the family life plot on the page. In short, the book is a great class on the art of visual storytelling that was fantastic to see. Grade:9/10 |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2023 10:15:47 GMT -5
Unbreakable Red Sonja #4
been enjoying Jim Zub's run, so far, but this penultimate issue was my least favorite fo the mini so far, and it gives some concern if he will stick the landing. Big plot twist in the issue, but it took a plot I was interested in and made it one I was less interested in. So we will see. Not a bad issue, just, didn't like it as much as the first 3 issues i.e. the beginning and middle parts of the story. If I had to rate it (and I don't generally like rating chapters of a story until I have read the whole thing) it would still be a 7/10 or somewhere around there.
-M
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Post by majestic on Mar 3, 2023 10:51:23 GMT -5
Loved the last page twist of Stargirl #4!
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Post by DubipR on Mar 3, 2023 19:02:24 GMT -5
Loved the last page twist of Stargirl #4! Yeah. I wasn't expecting that person. |
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Post by majestic on Mar 4, 2023 10:24:38 GMT -5
Action Comics #1052
the Powergirl story remains a total flop for me. Why can she go in peoples minds? What does it do for the character? Totally agree. It's also confusing. Is PG now Supergirl's sister? I wish this story was better since I really like PG. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 4, 2023 16:06:16 GMT -5
Action Comics #1052
the Powergirl story remains a total flop for me. Why can she go in peoples minds? What does it do for the character? Totally agree. It's also confusing. Is PG now Supergirl's sister? I wish this story was better since I really like PG. I can get behind them referring to each other as sisters as it's certainly nicer than seeing each other as multiversal clones/duplicates. I also get that the mind powers apparently stem from the Lazurus rain but it just feels weirdly explained. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 4, 2023 17:42:09 GMT -5
Batman Vs. Robin #5Written by Mark Waid Art by Mahmud Asrar Summary: With time running out and the world in the balance Damian, Monkey Prince and the whole Batfamily step up to save Batman.
Plot: I'm going to put this first and foremost, I proudly said, "We are Batman!" right along with the Batfamily and the rest of the denizens of Gotham city as they strove to revive Batman from the magical wounds he sustained from fighting the demon Nezha. I wasn't a big fan of the whole Lazurus planet event as from the start it seemed pretty thin on plot and the overall grimness of the tone was just tired and over done...but the optimism that Waid brought to the forefront when he came back to DC with Worlds Finest shone bright and clear in the finale of this issue. Sure, we've seen similar plots with the world sending their good juju out into the universe some how saving the day in the past(it's how the 10th Doctor beat the Master) but it hit this reader squarely in the heart here and I bit it hook, line and sinker and the ending with Bruce and Damian flying off as the up-beat father son dynamic duo definitely worked as well. The book was flawed and the event was a stinker...but Waid still really knows how to bring the right amount of heart to the page so I'm excited to see what he does next.
Art: Asrar, as always, really delivered some stunningly beautifully and detailed art that filled the book with great action and visual thrills that left you wanting more. And with the added page count here Asrar really got to stretch his creative muscles and provide some stunning splash pages, and while normally those can feel like a road block to a fast paced conclusion with the padded length it didn't slow things down here at all which really made me enjoy them all the more.
Grade:8/10 I think I pretty much agree. I'm pretty annoyed by the fact that Monkey Prince, which could have been an interesting off beat comic got sucked into Bat-land.. such a weird connection. I also didn't love Damian manipulating the rest of the Bat-character, and honestly it doesn't seem all that realistic that they would just believe him so easily.. it seemed like Waid was giving Damian the connections and reputation of Dick Grayson throughout the crossover to make it work. I agree the ending was nice (horribly corny, but nice). I do hope 'Dawn of DC' includes a solo Damian book. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 4, 2023 17:48:54 GMT -5
Action Comics #1052
the Powergirl story remains a total flop for me. Why can she go in peoples minds? What does it do for the character? Totally agree. It's also confusing. Is PG now Supergirl's sister? I wish this story was better since I really like PG. For those of you that (rightly) skipped most or all of Lazarus planet. Powergirl picked up some sort of psychic powers during the Lazarus rain, so Lilith is helping her figure them out. last issue (or maybe to issues ago) they helped Beast Boy out... he was stuck as an animal and couldn't change or talk. I haven't seen anywhere before this issue that it was ever mentioned or implied that Power Girl was part of the House of El...that seems new. Also, I appreciate the plot  . Was that a new origin for Metallo? I've read most of the books Steel is in, and now of that sounded familiar. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 5, 2023 6:10:38 GMT -5
Totally agree. It's also confusing. Is PG now Supergirl's sister? I wish this story was better since I really like PG. For those of you that (rightly) skipped most or all of Lazarus planet. Powergirl picked up some sort of psychic powers during the Lazarus rain, so Lilith is helping her figure them out. last issue (or maybe to issues ago) they helped Beast Boy out... he was stuck as an animal and couldn't change or talk. I haven't seen anywhere before this issue that it was ever mentioned or implied that Power Girl was part of the House of El...that seems new. Also, I appreciate the plot . Was that a new origin for Metallo? I've read most of the books Steel is in, and now of that sounded familiar. That was the origin that Grant Morsison came up with during his run on Action Comics back at the start of the Nu52 in 2011. Which nearly counts as a classic comic now. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 5, 2023 18:18:05 GMT -5
Ahhh that would explain it.. I skipped most of New 52
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 6, 2023 6:46:59 GMT -5
Ahhh that would explain it.. I skipped most of New 52 Most of it was pretty skippable, but Morrison's T-Shirt and jeans Superman was a lot of fun, especially as an early look at the Young Man of Steel. |
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. Was that a new origin for Metallo? I've read most of the books Steel is in, and now of that sounded familiar.